| Citation: | LIU Xin-lin, LU Guang-da, QIN Zhuan-ping, GUO Ting-hang, LIU Dong-yuan, GAO Feng. A time-domain diffuse optical imaging system based on differential time-to-digital converter photon-counting technology[J]. Chinese Optics. doi: 10.37188/CO.2025-0048
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As an advanced tissue optical imaging technology, time-domain diffuse optical imaging (TD-DOI) enables quantitative reconstruction of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in biological tissues through time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) systems, thereby allowing precise assessment of critical physiological parameters such as tissue oxygen metabolism and blood perfusion. However, constrained by the inherent hardware complexity and high cost of TCSPC systems, current implementations face challenges in achieving scalable clinical applications requiring in-vivo multichannel dynamic monitoring. This study innovatively proposes a dual-channel differential hybrid trigger reference signal strategy. By integrating differential time-to-digital converter (TDC) devices with photon counting techniques, we have established a stable and reliable time point spread function (TPSF) measurement system that achieves sub-nanosecond precision (±50 ps) in calibrating the temporal delay between laser synchronization signals and emitted photon events. Experimental validation demonstrates that the developed system attains a temporal resolution of 55 ps. Under photon counting rates of 2.3×104 photons/s, the TPSF fluctuation coefficient remains consistently below 1.35% (1 s integration time). Optical properties inversion on tissue phantoms reveal mean reconstruction errors of 5.39% for absorption coefficient and 4.34% for reduced scattering coefficient. This technological advancement significantly enhances the feasibility of multichannel parallel detection in TD-DOI systems. Particularly suited for biomedical applications, such as dynamic monitoring of cerebral cortical oxygen saturation, it establishes a technical foundation for developing next-generation wearable optical brain function imaging devices.
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