The photoacoustic spectroscopic investigations of the surface preparation of ZnSe crystals

This paper presents results of the photoacoustic (PA) spectral studies of a series of ZnSe crystals with differently prepared surfaces. All samples exhibited the surface absorption connected with defects states located on their surfaces. The quality of the surface preparation is expressed by the surface absorption coefficient spectra of the samples times the thickness of a damaged layer. In this paper both theoretical and experimental photoacoustic amplitude and phase spectra as also the corresponding computed surface and volume optical absorption coefficient spectra of the samples with differently prepared surfaces are presented and discussed. This is the first attempt of the quantitative evaluation of the surface quality of the samples from the photoacoustic experimental spectra.     

Pulsed photoacoustic technique to study nonlinear processes in liquids: Results in toluene

Pulsed photoacoustic measurements have been carried out in toluene at 532 nm wavelength using a Q-switched frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. The variation of photoacoustic signal amplitude with incident laser power indicates that at lower laser powers one photon absorption takes place at this wavelength while a clear two photon absorption occurs in this liquid at higher laser powers. The studies made here demonstrate that pulsed photoacoustic technique is simple and effective for the investigation of multiphoton processes in liquids.     

Bulk-wave and guided-wave photoacoustic evaluation of the mechanical properties of aluminum/silicon nitride double-layer thin films

The development of devices made of micro- and nano-structured thin film materials has resulted in the need for advanced measurement techniques to characterize their mechanical properties. Photoacoustic techniques, which use pulsed laser irradiation to nondestructively induce very high frequency ultrasound in a test object via rapid thermal expansion, are suitable for nondestructive and non-contact evaluation of thin films. In this paper, we compare two photoacoustic techniques to characterize the mechanical parameters of edge-supported aluminum and silicon nitride double-layer thin films. The elastic properties and residual stresses in such films affect their mechanical performance. In a first set of experiments, a femtosecond transient pump–probe technique is used to investigate the Young’s moduli of the aluminum and silicon nitride layers by launching ultra-high frequency bulk acoustic waves in the films. The measured transient signals are compared with simulated transient thermoelastic signals in multi-layer structures, and the elastic moduli are determined. Independent pump–probe tests on silicon substrate-supported region and unsupported region are in good agreement. In a second set of experiments, dispersion curves of the A₀ mode of the Lamb waves that propagate along the unsupported films are measured using a broadband photoacoustic guided-wave method. The residual stresses and flexural rigidities for the same set of double-layer membranes are determined from these dispersion curves. Comparisons of the results obtained by the two photoacoustic techniques are made and discussed.     

Detection of malathion by the CO2 laser: Potentials and limitations

Possibilities of on-line non-contact detection of the vapour of the commercially available pesticide malathion by the CO₂ laser were investigated, using a photoacoustic technique developed in our laboratory. A set of laser/vapour spectral coincidences in the usual range of CO₂ laser wavelengths were obtained, the samples being: the commercial product Etiol available on the market, solvent, emulsifiers, and neat malathion, all with air added to a mid-pressure of about 100 mbar and to atmospheric pressure. Relative contributions of the components in the product are discussed. A detection limit of 0.002 vol.% of the product in air was estimated.     

毛细管流动池在光声检测中的应用

设计了适于激光诱导光声流动检测的毛细管流动池,讨论了池的特点及其在分析化学中的应用,用该池检测Co~(2+),检测限相当于2×10~(-6)cm~(-1)光吸收。     

Noninvasive detection of intimal xanthoma using combined ultrasound, strain rate and photoacoustic imaging

Background and motivation

The structure, composition and mechanics of carotid artery are good indicators of early progressive atherosclerotic lesions. The combination of three imaging modalities (ultrasound, strain rate and photoacoustic imaging) which could provide corroborative information about the named arterial properties could enhance the characterization of intimal xanthoma.

Methods

The experiments were performed using a New Zealand white rabbit model of atherosclerosis. The aorta excised from an atherosclerotic rabbit was scanned ex vivo using the three imaging techniques: (1) ultrasound imaging of the longitudinal section: standard ultrasound B-mode (74 Hz frame rate); (2) strain rate imaging: the artery was flushed with blood and a 1.5 Hz physiologic pulsation was induced, while the ultrasound data were recorded at higher frame rate (296 Hz); (3) photoacoustic imaging: the artery was irradiated with nanosecond pulsed laser light of low fluence in the 1210-1230 nm wavelength range and the photoacoustic data was recorded at 10 Hz frame rate. Post processing algorithms based on cross-correlation and optical absorption variation were implemented to derive strain rate and spectroscopic photoacoustic images, respectively.

Results

Based on the spatio-temporal variation in displacement of different regions within the arterial wall, strain rate imaging reveals differences in tissue mechanical properties. Additionally, spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging can spatially resolve the optical absorption properties of arterial tissue and identify the location of lipid pools.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates that ultrasound, strain rate and photoacoustic imaging can be used to simultaneously evaluate the structure, the mechanics and the composition of atherosclerotic lesions to improve the assessment of plaque vulnerability.     

High sensitivity in gas analysis with photoacoustic detection

Introduction of a new type of pressure sensor has been shown to improve orders of magnitude the sensitivity of a photoacoustic measurement system using a black body radiation source. A new pressure sensor was developed to overcome the limitations in the capacitive microphone technology and to obtain ultimate sensitivity in photoacoustic gas detection when using low modulation frequency below 500 Hz. The pressure sensor is a cantilever-type microphone with interferometric measurement of the sensor displacement. By using conventional filter-type photoacoustic setup with the cantilever microphone and a black body radiation source, we obtained a detection limit in the sub-ppb range for methane gas with 100 s measurement time.     

Photoacoustic spectroscopy analysis of thin semiconductor samples

This paper is an analysis of determination possibility of the optical absorption coefficient spectra of thin semiconductor layers from their normalized photoacoustic amplitude spectra. Influence of multiple reflections of light in thin layers on their photoacoustic and optical absorption coefficient spectra is presented and discussed in detail. Practical formulae for the optical absorption coefficient spectrum as a function of the normalized photoacoustic amplitude spectrum are derived and presented. Next, they were applied for computations of the optical absorption coefficient spectra of thin In₂S₃ thin layers deposited on a glass substrate. This method was experimentally verified with the optical transmission method.     

Study of the dependence of the photoacoustic signal amplitude from methane on different collisional partners

In a previous work we observed that the photoacoustic signal from methane in air decreases to one-seventh the figure obtained in mixtures with pure nitrogen. A close resonance between oxygen's first vibrational mode (ν) and the methane bending modes may be responsible for this phenomenon. Indeed, the long relaxation time of the ν mode (1554 cm⁻¹) causes the oxygen to store energy internally instead of releasing it to heat. In this work we study different collisional partners (Helium, C₂Cl₂F₄) which may help transfer this vibrational energy to kinetic.In order to carry out the experiment we used the resonant photoacoustic technique by means of an OPO tuned at 3.3 μm, which corresponds to the methane ν₃ vibrational mode, and an aluminum acoustic resonator with rectangular cross section, Brewster windows at the resonance nodes of the second longitudinal mode at 2300 Hz and Q-factor of 165. A rate-equation-based model, which describes the time evolution of the excited populations and the heating of the sample for the case of Helium, shows good agreement with the experimental results. The addition of C₂Cl₂F₄ showed an increase of the methane PA signal up to values even higher than for methane-nitrogen mixtures.     

气相光声激光磁共振

提出了气相光声激光磁共振的新方法,并作了理论解释.分别在光强调制和激光腔频调制下,首次测到了NO₂的光声激光磁共振谱.其灵敏度很高,在低浓度和高气压下优点尤为明显.