Broadband Vibration Detection in Tissue Phantoms Using a Fiber Fabry–Perot Cavity

Objective: A fiber optic vibration sensor is developed and characterized with an ultrawide dynamic sensing range, from less than 1 Hz to clinical ultrasound frequencies near 6 MHz. The vibration sensor consists of a matched pair of fiber Bragg gratings coupled to a custom-built signal processing circuit. The wavelength of a laser diode is locked to one of the many cavity resonances using the Pound-Drever-Hall scheme. Methods: A calibrated piezoelectric vibration element was used to characterize the sensor's strain, temperature, and noise responses. To demonstrate its sensing capability, an ultrasound phantom with built-in low frequency vibration actuation was constructed. Results: The fiber optic senor was shown to simultaneously capture the low frequency vibration and the clinical ultrasound transmission waveforms with nanostrain sensitivity. Conclusion: This miniaturized and sensitive vibration sensor can provide comprehensive information regarding strain response and the resultant ultrasound waveforms.