Fast Microwave-Induced Thermoacoustic Tomography Based on Multi-Element Phase-Controlled Focus Technique

We develop a fast microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography system based on a 320-element phase-controlled focus linear transducer array. A 1.2-GHz microwave generator transmits microwave with a pulse width of 0.5μs and an incident energy density of 0.45mJ/cm², and the microwave energy is delivered by a rectangular waveguide with a cross section of (80.01±0.02)×10^-4m². Compared to single transducer collection, the system with the multi-element linear transducer array can eliminate the mechanical rotation of the transducer, hence can effectively reduce the image blurring and improve the image resolution. Using a phase-controlled focus technique to collect thermoacoustic signals, the data need not be averaged because of a high signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in a total data acquisition time of less than 5s. The system thus provides a rapid and reliable approach to thermoacoustic imaging, which can potentially be developed as a powerful diagnostic tool for early-stage breast caners.