Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Kodai Hatakeyama

Paul Louis Maria Joseph Van Neer

Maarten Hubertus Van Es

Hamed Sadeghian Marnani

Daniele Piras

Marcus Johannes Van Der Lans

Benoit Andre Jacques Quesson

Sri Ram Shankar Rajadurai

Benoit André Jacques Quesson

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

The present document relates to a heterodyne scanning probe microscopy (SPM) method for subsurface imaging, and includes: applying an acoustic input signal to a sample and sensing an acoustic output signal using a probe. The acoustic input signal comprises a plurality of signal components at unique frequencies, including a carrier frequency and at least two excitation frequencies. The carrier frequency and the excitation frequencies form a group of frequencies, which are distributed with an equal difference frequency between each two subsequent frequencies of the group. The difference frequency is below a sensitivity threshold frequency of the cantilever for enabling sensing of the acoustic output signal. The document also describes an SPM system.

Heterodyne scanning probe microscopy method and scanning probe microscopy system

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Kodai Hatakeyama