A sensor is disclosed, wherein a transducer generates acoustic waves, which are received by a lens assembly. The lens assembly transmits and directs at least a part of the acoustic waves to a target. The lens assembly then receives at least a part of acoustic waves, after interaction with the target. The sensor further comprises an optical detector that comprises at least one optically reflective member located at a surface of the lens assembly, which surface is arranged opposite to a surface of the lens assembly which faces a focal plane of the lens assembly, wherein the at least one optically reflective member is mechanically displaced in response to the acoustic waves, which are received and transmitted by the lens assembly.

According to various examples, a method for non-destructive detection of defects in a semiconductor die is described. The method may include positioning an emitter above the semiconductor die. The method may include generating an emitted wave using the emitter that is directed to a focal point on a surface of the die. The method may include generating a reflected wave from the focal point. The focal point may act as a point source reflecting the emitted wave. The method may include positioning a receiver above the die to receive the reflected wave. The method may also include measuring the reflected wave to detect modulations in amplitude in the reflected wave.

A method for evaluating the mechanical state of a high-voltage shunt reactor based on vibration characteristics is disclosed, relating to the technical field of electrical equipment fault diagnosis. The method includes: based on historical state data and real-time vibration and noise signal data of the high-voltage shunt reactor and through an LSTM neural network time series prediction method, comparing deviation between predicted characteristic value and actual characteristic value, and determining whether the high-voltage shunt reactor has mechanical defects or failures. By using the historical state data and the real-time vibration and noise signal data of the high-voltage shunt reactor, an LSTM neural network time series prediction method, as well as comparison of the deviation between the predicted characteristic value and the actual characteristic value, etc., the evaluation of the mechanical state of the high-voltage shunt reactor is realized.

A coupler and a chuck are described. The chuck is configured to secure an article while the wafer is undergoing an inspection process. The chuck has a plurality of vacuum areas. Some vacuum areas hold the wafer in place while other vacuum areas suction couplant from the edge surface of the wafer. The coupler is used to inspect a surface and subsurface of the wafer for defects and includes a sensing device, which may be a transducer. One or more couplant inlet couplings are disposed on a second portion of the coupler, the couplant inlet couplings provide a couplant to a portion of the wafer inspected by the sensing device. A plurality of vacuum inlet couplings is disposed on a third portion of the coupler. At least one of the vacuum inlet couplings provide suction through a recessed portion of a lower surface of the coupler to remove couplant that is outside the portion of the wafer that is being inspected by the sensing device.

Techniques are provided for detecting wafer defects. Example techniques include exciting a wafer using an acoustic signal to cause the wafer to exhibit vibrations, measuring one or more of linear frequency response metrics or nonlinear frequency responses metrics associated with the vibrations, and identifying any defects in the wafer based at least in part on one or more of the linear frequency response metrics or nonlinear frequency responses metrics. In embodiments, the wafer includes bismuth telluride (Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3).

Systems and methods to measure states of charge of a battery may include an ultrasonic sensor and a control system. For example, the control system may instruct the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic waves toward a battery, and may instruct the ultrasonic sensor to receive echoes of the emitted ultrasonic waves reflected back from the battery. In addition, the control system may process data associated with the emitted waves and received echoes, including properties associated with the waves and echoes, such as a time of flight, frequency, amplitude, wavelength, phase, duration, or others. Based on the properties of the received echoes, and by comparison with expected properties, various physical, mechanical, chemical, and/or material characteristics of the battery may be determined, based on which a state of charge and/or a state of health of the battery may further be determined.

Systems, techniques, and computer-implemented processes are provided for acoustic signal based analysis of thin-films, electrode coatings, and other components of batteries. Data analytics on signals obtained by ultrasound excitation of materials is used to analyze electrode coating parameters, analyzing separators, and other battery components. Using the disclosed techniques in battery manufacturing and production can lead to reduction in wastage of damaged/scrapped battery cells and shorten production time.

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method including determining a measurement configuration for one or more piezoelectric devices in an electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus includes an electronic device mounted on a substrate block using a bonding layer. The one or more piezoelectric devices including a first subset and a second subset are attached to one of the electronic device and the bonding layer. The method includes performing, based on the measurement configuration, a defect measurement on the electronic apparatus by causing the first subset to transmit and the second subset to receive one or more acoustic signals. The method includes determining whether at least one mechanical defect is located in at least one of (i) the bonding layer, (ii) the electronic device, (iii) the substrate block, (iv) interfaces of the electronic device, the bonding layer, and the substrate block based on the received one or more acoustic signals.

A method and system for detecting imperfections on a surface of a touchscreen of an electrical device, comprising: swiping a test object, such as a fingertip, a fingernail or a pin, along at least a portion of the touchscreen; producing, by the touchscreen, an electric signal indicative of the test object's contact with the touchscreen; receiving an acoustic signal by an acoustic sensor, during the swipe of the test object along the touchscreen; analyzing, by a processor, at least one of the electric signal and received acoustic signal; and determining existence of imperfections on the touchscreen's surface based on the analysis.

Acoustically mediated pulsed radiation sources, phased arrays incorporating the radiation sources, and methods of using the radiation sources and phased arrays to generate electromagnetic radiation via magnetic dipole emission are provided. The radiation sources are based on a superlattice heterostructure that supports in-phase magnetic dipole emission from a series of magnetic insulator layers disposed along the length of the heterostructure.