Ultrasound generation from a side-polished optical fiber

Ultrasound generators have been studied for ultrasound non-destructive testing (NDT) and biomedical ultrasound imaging. Fiber-optic ultrasound generators, based on photoacoustic (PA) principle, are promising devices for these applications. Their compact sizes enable them to work in restricted space; the acoustic properties of the ultrasound signal can be easily tailored by the optical signal. This paper demonstrates a novel structure with which the ultrasound signal is generated on a side-polished fiber. The fiber was mounted on a steel plate and the ultrasound signal was detected on the back surface of the steel plate. The fiber's ability of generating ultrasound was verified and the distribution of the acoustic signal along the fiber was measured.