Methods and systems for subsurface imaging of nanostructures buried inside a plate shaped substrate are provided. An ultrasonic generator at a side face of the substrate is used to couple ultrasound waves (W) into an interior of the substrate. The interior has or forms a waveguide for propagating the ultrasound waves (W) in a direction (X) along a length of the substrate transverse to the side face. The nanostructures are imaged using an AFM tip to measure an effect (E) at the top surface caused by direct or indirect interaction of the ultrasound waves (W) with the buried nanostructures.

An atomic force microscopy device arranged for determining sub-surface structures in a sample comprises a scan head with a probe including a flexible carrier and a probe tip arranged on the flexible carrier. Therein an actuator applies an acoustic input signal to the probe and a tip position detector measures a motion of the probe tip relative to the scan head during scanning, and provides an output signal indicative of said motion, to be received and analyzed by a controller. At least an end portion of the probe tip tapers in a direction away from said flexible carrier towards an end of the probe tip. The end portion has a largest cross-sectional area Amax at a distance Dend from said end, the square root of the largest cross-sectional area Amax is at least 100 nm and the distance Dend is in the range of 0.2 to 2 the value of said square root.

An acoustic microscope system is described that includes a container for holding a medium with an object to be measured. Compressional waves are generated by a probe into the medium. The compressional waves travel along an acoustic axis to interact with the object. Shear waves are generated by a shear wave source into the medium. The shear waves travel along a secondary axis which intersects with the acoustic axis at the object with a non-zero angle. The shear waves are configured to cause shear wave oscillations directed transverse to the secondary axis and at least partially directed along the acoustic axis. A measurement of the object is determined based on the compressional waves having interacted with the object as a function of the generation of the shear waves.

A molecular manipulation system for investigating molecules, having a sample holder constructed to hold a sample comprising a plurality of molecules attached on one side to a surface in the sample holder and on another side attached to a microbead of a plurality of microbeads. The system having; an acoustic wave generator to generate an acoustic wave exerting a force on the microbeads in the sample; and a detector device to detect a response of the plurality of microbeads in the sample on the force exerted by the acoustic wave to investigate the molecules attached to the microbeads.

Method of determining an overlay error between device layers of a multilayer semiconductor device using an atomic force microscopy system, wherein the semiconductor device comprises a stack of device layers comprising a first patterned layer and a second patterned layer, and wherein the atomic force microscopy system comprises a probe tip, wherein the method comprises: moving the probe tip and the semiconductor device relative to each other for scanning of the surface; and monitoring motion of the probe tip with tip position detector during said scanning for obtaining an output signal; during said scanning, applying a first acoustic input signal to at least one of the probe or the semiconductor device; analyzing the output signal for mapping at least subsurface nanostructures below the surface of the semiconductor device; and determining the overlay error between the first patterned layer and the second patterned layer based on the analysis.

The present document relates to a anatomic force microscope comprising a probe comprising a probe tip configured to sense a sample disposed proximate to the probe tip, a detector to detect a deflection of the probe tip, an actuator coupled to the probe and configured to move the probe in a sense state with the sample at a predetermined force set point and a vibrator in communication with the sample to provide a vibration to the sample, the vibration comprising a modulation frequency, wherein the acoustic vibrator is configured to provide the vibration in a modulation period after an initial sense period without modulation and wherein the probe is moved during or after said modulation period to a successive sample position over said sample while moving the probe in a non-contact state.

A method to perform sub-surface detection of nanostructures in a sample, uses an atomic force microscopy system that comprising a scan head having a probe with a cantilever and a probe tip arranged on the cantilever. The method comprises: moving the probe tip and the sample relative to each other in one or more directions parallel to the surface for scanning of the surface with the probe tip; and monitoring motion of the probe tip relative to the scan head with a tip position detector during said scanning for obtaining an output signal. During said scanning acoustic vibrations are induced in the probe tip by applying a least a first and a second acoustic input signal respectively comprising a first and a second signal component at mutually different frequencies above IGHz, differing by less than IGHz to the probe, and analyzing the output signal for mapping at least subsurface nanostructures below the surface of the sample.

A device for imaging defects in a structure includes N transmitters and P receivers to be distributed over at least one surface of the structure and a central unit controlling the transmitters and receivers to sequentially record QNP signals (S) obtained from electrical signals provided by the receivers of Q different transmitter/receiver pairs, after reception of mechanical waves transmitted by the transmitters of these Q pairs. It further stores Q first and Q second corresponding reference signals (S.sub.REF1, S.sub.REF2), representative of the structure without defects and differing by random noise. A central processing unit is programmed to: correlate each signal obtained with the corresponding first reference signal, in such a way as to construct an image of probabilities of defects; correlate each first reference signal with the corresponding second reference signal, in such a way as to construct a reference noisy image; and subtract the reference noisy image from the image of probabilities of defects.

An optical device includes a first axicon lens to which collimated light is incident and which is configured to form diverging ring-shaped light; a lens to which the ring-shaped light formed by the first axicon lens is incident and which is configured to form ring-shaped collimated light; and a condensing mirror that is configured to condense the ring-shaped collimated light formed by the lens. A photoacoustic microscope includes the optical device described above and a detector that is configured to detect an acoustic wave caused by light condensed by the condensing mirror.

An apparatus and method for detecting failed electronics using acoustics. The method comprising directing an acoustic wave toward a circuit component to be tested such that the acoustic wave is reflected off the circuit component, receiving the reflected acoustic wave, amplifying the reflected acoustic wave, and comparing the reflected acoustic wave with known acoustic waves to determine if the circuit component is operating properly. The apparatus comprising a data acquisition system for acquiring data, an X-Y-Z positioner to position two transducers and to hold the circuit component, and software to post-process and analyze the data. The data acquisition system further includes an oscilloscope, a pulser-receiver, two air-coupled transducers, and an amplifier.