Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Benoit Andre Jacques Quesson

Paul Louis Maria Joseph Van Neer

Maarten Hubertus Van Es

Daniele Piras

Abbas Mohtashami

Laurent Fillinger

Kodai Hatakeyama

The present document relates to a method of performing acoustic scanning probe microscopy for imaging structures underneath a substrate surface, comprising: applying an acoustic input signal to the substrate having a frequency above 1 gigahertz, detecting a return signal, and analyzing the return signal for obtaining information on the embedded structures. The step of applying the acoustic input signal comprises applying a plurality of acoustic signal components which each include a selected frequency. The step of detecting includes detecting a response signal for each of the plurality of acoustic signal components. The frequencies are selected such that the components provide a composite signal being a pulse signal of limited time duration. The invention is further directed at a scanning probe microscopy system and a computer program product.

Method, system and computer program for performing acoustic scanning probe microscopy

An ultrasound sub-surface probe microscopy device () is provided comprising a stage (), a signal generator (), a scanning head (), a signal processor () and a scanning mechanism (). In use, the stage () carries a sample () and the scanning mechanism () provides for a relative displacement between the sample () and the scanning head (), along the surface of the sample. The scanning head () comprises an actuator () configured to generate in response to a drive signal (S) from the signal generator () an ultrasound acoustic input signal (I). The generated ultrasound acoustic input signal (I) has at least one acoustic input signal component (I) with a first angular frequency (ω). The scanning head () further comprises a tip () to transmit the acoustic input signal (I) through a tip-sample interface () as an acoustic wave (W) into the sample. Due to a non-linear interaction in the tip-sample interface () at least one up mixed acoustic signal component (W) in said acoustic wave that has a second angular frequency (ω) higher than the first angular frequency (ω) Contrary to known approaches, the sensor signal (S) provided by the sensor facility is indicative for a contribution (W') of the at least one up mixed acoustic signal component in reflections (W′) of the acoustic wave within the sample (). Therewith a relatively high resolution can be achieved with which subsurface features can be detected.

Ultrasound sub-surface probe microscopy device and corresponding method

A cantilever () for an ultrasound acoustic microscopy device is provided comprising a transmission tip () to contact a sample () to therewith transmit an ultrasound acoustic signal as an ultrasound acoustic wave into the sample. The cantilever further comprises a reception tip () separate from the transmission tip () to contact the sample to receive an acoustic signal resulting from reflections of the ultrasound wave from within the sample.

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's-Gravenhage, Netherlands

Benoit Andre Jacques Quesson