Table 1.
Performance comparison between pulsed laser diode based PAT system and conventional PAT system. Reprinted from Ref. [29]
| S. no. | Imaging and laser parameter | OPO—PAT system parameters | PLD—PAT system parameters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spatial resolution | 2.25 MHz | 381 μm | 384 μm |
| 2 | Imaging speed | 30 s per image | 3 s per image | |
| 3 | SNR | 2.25 MHz | 28 (30 s) | 29 (3 s)and 84 (30 s) |
| 4 | Imaging depth | ~4 cm (120 s scan time) | ~2 cm (SNR 10 at 30 s) | |
| 5 | Image quality | 3 s | Not acceptable | Acceptable |
| 30 s | Good | Good | ||
| 6 | Laser dimensions | 775 × 178 × 190 mm | 110 × 60 × 36 mm | |
| 7 | Pulse width | 5 ns | 136 ns | |
| 8 | Portability | Active optical table needed | Yes | |
| 9 | Pulse repetition-rate | 10 Hz | 7000 Hz | |
| 10 | Energy per pulse at laser window | ~100 mJ | ~1.45 mJ | |
| 11 | Laser weight | ~100 kg | ~150 g | |
| 12 | Price | ~90–140 k USD | ~15–25 k USD | |