A subsurface inspection method and system (1) for detecting internal defects (2) and/or overlay/misalignment in a semiconductor wafer (4). A measurement laser beam (6) is split into a laser probe beam (8) and a reference laser beam (10). The laser probe beam is transmitted to a wafer surface (12). A laser excitation pulse (14) is transmitted impinging the wafer surface for causing an ultrasound wave propagating through the wafer and causing wafer surface movement when reflected back from an encountered subsurface feature. The laser probe beam and the reference laser beam are recombined in an optical interference detector (18) and the subsurface feature inside the wafer is detected by a deviation of a detected phase difference. The laser probe beam and the reference laser beam are guided through an optic (20) prior to arriving at the optical interference detector. The optic has a dispersive characteristic dimensioned to enlarge the phase difference between the reference beam and the wave length shifted probe beam.

The invention includes a device and a method for hybrid optoacoustic and ultrasonographic imaging of an object. The device comprises: an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the object with electromagnetic radiation; first transducer elements configured to detect ultrasound waves generated in the object upon irradiating the object with the electromagnetic radiation; second transducer elements configured to detect ultrasound waves reflected and/or transmitted by the object; a surface comprising at least one first surface segment, on which the first transducer elements are arranged, and at least one second surface segment, on which the second transducer elements are arranged. The first surface segment and/or the second surface segment have a curved shape. The first transducer elements have a first size and pitch and second transducer elements have a second size and pitch, wherein the first pitch and second pitch are different and/or the first size and second size are different.

Provided is a technique capable of simultaneously satisfying two requests of removing a speckle and clarifying a tissue structure. A noise in an ultrasonic image is removed, and a morphology processing is performed on a noise-removed image. The morphology processing includes a first calculation of performing dilation and erosion and a second calculation of performing opening and closing, and determines a value of a structural element used in the second calculation of the morphology by using a result of the first calculation performed on the noise-removed image.

A system for imaging and quantifying shear wave and shear modulus under orthogonal acoustic radiation force (ARF) excitation using the OCT Doppler variance apparatus. The ARF perpendicular or with at least a perpendicular component to the OCT beam is produced by a remote ultrasonic transducer. The OCT Doppler variance apparatus, which is sensitive to the transverse vibration, is used to measure the ARF induced vibration. For analysis of the shear modulus, the Doppler variance apparatus is utilized to visualize shear wave propagation. The propagation velocity of the shear wave is measured and then used to quantitatively map the shear modulus.

In an embodiment, a system and method are provided for determining position and orientation of an optical delivery unit relative to an acoustic receiving unit, in the field of opto-acoustic imaging, wherein the optical delivery unit comprises a first fiducial marker site configured to emit acoustic responses and a second fiducial marker site configured to emit acoustic responses. A plurality of acoustic signals from a volume of a subject are sampled and recorded, each of the plurality of acoustic signals being collected at a different data collection position relative to a coordinate reference frame. The system is configured to identify in each of the plurality of acoustic signals a response of a first fiducial marker and a response of a second fiducial marker. Each identified response indicates a separation between a fiducial marker site and a data collection position of an acoustic signal. The system determines the position and orientation of the optical delivery unit in the coordinate reference frame by using the identified responses of the first fiducial marker and the identified responses of the second fiducial marker.

An acoustic wave receiving apparatus is used, which includes: a holding member; a reception transducer array; a liquid vessel to which the reception transducer array is fixed and configured to store an acoustic matching liquid; a liquid supplying unit; a controlling unit configured to control a supplying rate of the acoustic matching liquid; and a scanning unit, wherein the controlling unit is configured to reduce the supply of the acoustic matching liquid into the liquid vessel when the reception transducer array detects an acoustic wave.

A transducer assembly includes: a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) die including a plurality of piezoelectric elements; a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) die electrically coupled to the MEMS die by a first plurality of bumps and including at least one circuit for controlling the plurality of piezoelectric elements; and a package secured to the CMOS die by an adhesive layer and electrically connected to the CMOS die.

An object information acquiring apparatus according to the present invention includes: a supporter which supports a plurality of conversion elements each converting a photoacoustic wave from an object into an electrical signal; an imager which acquires an image of the object; a scanner which changes a relative position between the object and the supporter; an acquirer which acquires first and second specific information of the inside of the object based on an electrical signal acquired at a first and second relative position between the object and the supporter; and a corrector which corrects a deviation between the first and the second specific information based on positional information of the object.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for tomography imaging. The systems and methods may obtain an ultrasonic signal indicating a movement state of a position of an object (e.g., a position inside the object). The ultrasonic signal may be acquired by at least one laser ultrasonic component of a medical device. The systems and methods may determine, based on the ultrasonic signal, movement information of the position of the object. The systems and methods may obtain, based on the movement information of the position, target image data of the object using an imaging component of the medical device.

Various embodiments include methods and systems structured to transmit data from downhole sensors to the surface at a well site. The transmission can be implemented to overcome downhole connections that can act as obstructions to direct electrical and optical communication in a wellbore. Electrical signals from one or more sensors in a sensor unit, located on a side of a downhole connection in a wellbore opposite the surface of the wellbore, can be used to drive an acoustic transmitter to transmit an acoustic signal via a production string or casing or fluid in the production string or casing across the downhole connection, where the acoustic signal is received on the surface side of the downhole connection. Data correlated to the received acoustic signal can be provided to a surface location of the wellbore. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods can be implemented in a variety of applications.