Patent ID: 6895820
Filing Date: 2005-05-24
Classification: G01N,G01S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for use in acoustic micro-imaging, said apparatus comprising: a transducer that is adapted to be coupled to a microelectronic sample via a coupling medium; a controller that is operatively coupled to said transducer, said controller being adapted to cause said transducer to emit a pulse of acoustic energy toward each one of a plurality of three-dimensionally varied points located within a given volume that is defined inside of the microelectronic sample, and to cause said transducer to have, for each one of said pulses, a focal point that is disposed at the same location within the given volume of the microelectronic sample as the corresponding one of the three dimensionally varied points; said transducer being adapted to receive a reflection signal corresponding to each one of said pulses, each one of said reflection signals comprising and A-Scan of the microelectronic sample that is in-focus at the point within the given volume of the microelectronic sample corresponding thereto; wherein all of said reflection signals represent acoustic impedance features present within the given volume defined inside of the microelectronic sample; and a data memory that is operatively coupled to said controller and said transducer, said controller being adapted to cause digitized representations of each one of said reflection signals to be stored in said memory.