Non-contact thermoacoustic imaging of tissue with airborne ultrasound detection

Non-contact detection of abnormalities in tissue is performed with highly sensitive airborne capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) detecting signals generated by the thermoacoustic effect at dielectric contrast interfaces. CMUTs with pressure sensitivities as low as 240 μPa are fabricated across a range of frequencies that can enable a system resolution sufficient for imaging. The detection limits of these CMUTs are assessed in the context of the end-to-end imaging system. Remote or non-contact imaging is of particular value in the medical imaging field for enabling portable and inexpensive imaging of various tissues.