OPTOACOUSTIC IMAGING DEVICE, PROBE UNIT USED THEREFOR, AND OPERATION METHOD OF OPTOACOUSTIC IMAGING DEVICE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate alignment of a plurality of branch light beams and a plurality of optical fibers for optoacoustic imaging carried out by guiding laser light using the plurality of optical fibers, and to solve problems associated with durability of the optical fibers.;SOLUTION: An optoacoustic imaging device 10 includes: an optical branching part 12 having a homogenizer 41 making uniform an intensity distribution of one laser light beam Lo and a microlens array 40 branching the laser light Lo having the intensity distribution made uniform as a plurality of branch light beams Ld according to a predetermined branching pattern; and a bundle fiber 14 including a plurality of optical fibers 13 such that one-side end surfaces 13e of the plurality of optical fibers 13 on a one-side end surface 14e of the bundle fiber 14 are arrayed corresponding to the branching pattern, the bundle fiber 14 being arranged so as to make the plurality of branch light beams Ld incident on cores 13a of the plurality of optical fibers 13 respectively.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT