Scanning Ultrasound Probe for Semiconductor Sub-Surface Metrology

A large number of physical science, engineering and biological materials and phenomena require non-destructive imaging approaches to reveal buried structures and defects embedded deep inside from the top surfaces, at nanoscale spatial resolution. Such phenomena range from ubiquitous microelectronics process defects such as contaminants, voids and delamination’s. An innovative approach for imaging such buried/embedded structures and defects using non-invasive nanoscale imaging based on a synergistic combination of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) platform and ultrasound holography; called: scanning near-field thickness resonance acoustic microscopy (SNTRAM) will be developed that offers nanoscale spatial resolution with sensitivity to the 3rd (z) dimension.