A cantilever (30) for an ultrasound acoustic microscopy device is provided comprising a transmission tip (31) to contact a sample (11) to therewith transmit an ultrasound acoustic signal as an ultrasound acoustic wave into the sample. The cantilever further comprises a reception tip (32) separate from the transmission tip (31) to contact the sample to receive an acoustic signal resulting from reflections of the ultrasound wave from within the sample.

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.

Disclosed is an apparatus that comprises a photo-acoustic transceiver which outputs, through a laser generator, a laser pulse output toward an object to be examined, and receives, through an ultrasonic wave receiver, an ultrasonic wave image signal from the object to be examined; an analog-to-digital converter which receives the ultrasonic wave image signal and converts same into a digital image signal; a main control unit which receives the digital image signal to generate ultrasonic wave scanning three-dimensional image information about the object to be examined; and a trigger control unit which receives motion information of a photo-acoustic probe to generate a scanning trigger signal corresponding to the motion information, receives laser pulse output information to generate a laser trigger signal corresponding to the laser pulse output, and generates an output trigger signal corresponding to the laser trigger signal and outputs same to the analog-to-digital converter.

A handheld device for photoacoustic microscopy. The handheld device includes an optical assembly, a light beam scanner and a transducer unit. The optical assembly is arranged to provide a light beam. The light beam scanner includes a reflector arranged to reflect the light beam from the optical assembly to provide a reflected light beam to an object, a first drive mechanism operable to move the reflector relative to the optical assembly to move the reflected light beam relative to the object, and a second drive mechanism operable to move the reflector relative to the optical assembly to move the reflected light beam relative to the object. The transducer unit is arranged to detect photoacoustic signals emitted by the object in response to receiving the reflected light beam.

Novel tools and techniques for acoustic array detection and imaging are provided. A system includes an acoustic array comprising one or more array panels. Each of the one or more array panels includes a transceiver array of one or more acoustic transceivers, each acoustic transceiver further including a transmitter element configured to generate sound and a receiver element to capture sound. A driver circuit is coupled to a first transceiver array of a first array panel of the one or more array panels, the driver circuit configured to drive individually each transmitter element and each receiver element of the first transceiver array. A controller interface is coupled to the driver circuit, and a controller coupled to the controller interface.

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.

The present document relates to a method of detecting structures on or below the surface of a sample using a probe including a cantilever and a probe tip, the cantilever being characterized by one ore more normal modes of resonance including a fundamental resonance frequency, the method including: applying, using a transducer, a vibrational input signal to the sample; sensing, while the probe tip is in contact with the surface, an output signal indicative of motion of the probe tip due to vibrations at the surface induced by the vibrational input signal; wherein the vibrational input signal comprises at least a first signal component having a frequency within a range of 10 to 100 megahertz; and wherein the vibrational input signal is amplitude modulated using at least a second signal component having a modulation frequency below 5 megahertz. The present document further relates to a scanning probe microscopy method.

The invention relates to an ultrasonic microscope for inspecting an object, comprising an object holder for holding the object in an object region; a scan head; a first transducer supported by the scan head and configured to emit first acoustic pulses along an emission direction, to focus the first acoustic pulses in a focal point, to detect second acoustic pulses emerging from the object and to output a first detection signal representing the second acoustic pulses detected by the first transducer; a first actuator configured to move the first transducer relative to the scan head along a vertical direction which is essentially parallel to the emission direction; and a controller configured to control the first actuator based on the first detection signal. Further, the invention relates to a carrier for carrying an acoustic pulse transducer of an ultrasonic microscope within an immersion liquid.

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 ultrasonic device includes: a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening; a support film that is provided on the substrate and closes the first opening and the second opening; a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and that is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and that is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes in an intersecting direction intersecting with the thickness direction of the substrate.