Patent ID: 8736823

Claim:
A method for testing, developing, and evaluating a device under test, or evaluating the manufacture thereof comprising: (a) providing a first beam of light from at least one light source having a first wavelength, the first beam having at least one of the following attributes: a coherence, a phase, a polarization, an amplitude, or a phase-conjugate waveform, (b) imposing the first beam of light on a test device over a spatial region within or incident to the test device substantially greater than the first wavelength or equal to the first wavelength while the test device has a first state of stress, (c) imposing the first beam of light on the test device over the region while the test device has a second state of stress, (d) providing a second beam of light having a second wavelength, (e) adjusting an angle of the second beam relative to the first beam or to the test device, or adjusting the angle of the second beam relative to a detection device or devices to cause the interference of the first and second beams, (f) obtaining data from the detection device or devices resulting from the interference of the first beam and the second beam within or incident to the test device representative of an incident external or internal stress or stresses acting upon and the effects thereof upon the region, (g) recording or electronically storing a plurality of interference images of the obtained data as data records, wherein the data records have at least one or more of the following attributes: a position, a polarization, a wavelength, a phase, an amplitude, a phase-conjugate waveform, an auto correlation waveform, an intensity, a displacement, a volume, a voltage displacement contour, a shape, a size, a pattern, a feature, a structure, an orientation, a static state, or a change therein from the first or second state of stress, and analyzing a plurality of the data records to determine the presence of an attribute, a feature, or a change therein, and (h) characterizing or the physically displaying effects of the incident external or internal stress or stresses acting upon the region or the analysis of at least one stress or stresses acting upon, or within, or incident to, the test device.