Evaluation of fabrication methods for Fabry-Perot polymer film ultrasound sensors

Fabry-Pèrot (FP) interferometer sensors enable highly sensitive backward mode acoustic detection in Photoacoustic (PA) imaging. They are transparent to the excitation wavelength, can be placed directly next to the PA source, and offer a broadband frequency response and high acoustic sensitivity. PA tomography using parallelized detection requires high spatial uniformity of the optical and acoustic properties, which can be hampered by contaminations during fabrication that lead to the formation of inhomogeneities and artefacts. The quality and homogeneity of the dielectric and polymer layers have a direct effect on the maximum optical phase sensitivity, and hence acoustic sensitivity. In this study, cross-sectional images of FP sensors were obtained using focused ion beam milling and ultramicrotomy followed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to evaluate different fabrication methods.