High resolution ultrasound imaging sensor array for biomedical imaging applicatio

描述（由申请人提供）：覆盖在易损斑块坏死核心上的薄纤维帽破裂是急性冠脉综合征的主要原因。纤维帽破裂是降低心血管风险的核心，因为它占所有冠状动脉疾病死亡的一半，而且在中等风险和无症状患者中无预警发生。表征和更好地理解易损斑块破裂机制的最重要的是，临床可用的成像工具分辨率不够，无法实时提供高分辨率的动脉粥样硬化形态。所提出的成像传感器及其成像方法的发展将允许识别薄帽纤维动脉粥样瘤（TCFA），并比目前的成像方法更详细地量化冠状动脉钙化，并将开启提出与TCFA破裂机制相关的新基本问题的可能性。具体目标1是开发用于传统CMOS相机系统的薄膜声光换能器。基于光学超声检测方法的换能器将消除数百个有源换能器通道的需求，电气互连制造困难，特别是大成像阵列尺寸的换能器信噪比低。具体目标2是开发新的成像采集方法，允许开发的换能器与传统的CMOS相机进行高分辨率超声成像。最后，具体目标3是确定所开发的声光超声成像系统在高分辨率下实时识别微观组织成分的能力。它将被用于成像

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Rupture of the thin fibrous cap overlying the necrotic core of a vulnerable plaque is the principal cause of acute coronary syndrome. Fibrous cap rupture lies at the heart of reducing cardiovascular risk since it accounts for half of all coronar artery disease deaths and, moreover, occurs without warning in moderate-risk and asymptomatic patients. Of paramount importance to characterize and better understand the vulnerable plaque rupture mechanism is the insufficient resolution of clinically available imaging tools capable of provide high resolution morphology of the atheroma in real-time. Development of the proposed imaging sensor and its imaging method will permit identifying thin cap fibroatheromas (TCFA) and quantify coronary artery calcification with greater detail than with current imaging approaches, and will open the possibility of posing new fundamental questions related to the mechanism of TCFA rupture. Specific Aim 1 is to develop thin film acousto-optic transducer for conventional CMOS based camera systems. Based on the optical ultrasound detection method, the transducer will eliminate the requirement for many hundreds of active transducer channels, severe fabrication difficulties in electrical interconnection, and low transducer signal to noise ratio especially for the large imaging array size. Specific Aim 2 is to develop novel imaging acquisition method that allows the developed transducer with a conventional CMOS camera for high resolution ultrasound imaging. Finally, Specific Aim 3 is determine the ability of the developed acousto-optic ultrasound imaging system to identify microscopic tissue composition at high resolution in real-time. It will be used for both imaging of the morphology of the fibroatheroma and presence of microcalcifications as well as the tissue composition spectroscopy of fibrous cap, necrotic core and collagen content. The successful implementation of the proposed transducer and image acquisition method will allow an unprecedented high resolution ultrasound imaging that is impossible to achieve from conventional piezoelectric or capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers.