| 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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Time-domain diffuse optical imaging (TD-DOI) is an advanced tissue optical imaging technique. Utilizing a time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) system, it enables the quantitative reconstruction of tissue absorption and scattering coefficients. This facilitates the precise assessment of key physiological parameters, such as tissue oxygen metabolism and blood perfusion. However, due to the inherent hardware complexity and high cost of TCSPC systems, it is currently challenging to meet the requirements for scaled, multichannel, dynamic in vivo monitoring in clinical settings. This paper develops a dual-channel differential hybrid trigger and reference signal strategy. By integrating a differential time-to-digital converter (TDC) device with photon counting technology, it constructs a stable and reliable time point spread function (TPSF) measurement system. This system achieves sub-nanosecond precision in calibrating the time delay between the laser synchronization signal and emitted photon signals. Experimental validation demonstrates a system temporal resolution of 55 ps. At a photon count rate of 2.3 × 104 photons per second, the TPSF fluctuation coefficient remains below 1.35% (with an integration time of 1 s). Optical parameter inversion tests on tissue-simulating phantoms demonstrate average inversion errors of 5.39% for the absorption coefficient and 4.34% for the reduced scattering coefficient. This technological approach significantly advances the feasibility of multichannel parallel detection for TD-DOI. It is particularly suitable for biomedical applications demanding dynamic monitoring, such as cerebral cortical hemoglobin oxygen saturation, and lays the technical groundwork for developing next-generation wearable optical brain functional imaging devices.
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