Method, system and computer program for performing acoustic scanning probe microscopy

An acoustic scanning probe microscopy system comprising:

• a scan head including a probe, wherein the probe includes a cantilever and a probe tip,
• a substrate carrier for holding a substrate having a substrate surface,
• wherein the system is configured for scanning the scan head relative to the substrate carrier for scanning the substrate surface with the probe, such that the probe tip is in contact with the substrate surface continuously or at least periodically,
• wherein the system further comprises a controller and a memory operatively connected to the controller,
• wherein the system is configured for receiving one or more instructions that, when loaded in the memory of the system cause the controller to control the system so as to carry out a method including:
• applying, using a signal application actuator, an acoustic input signal to the substrate, wherein the acoustic input signal has a frequency above 1 gigahertz;
• detecting, using the probe, an acoustic return signal from the substrate;
• and
• analyzing, by the controller, the acoustic return signal to obtain information on the embedded structures, for enabling imaging of the embedded structures;
• wherein the applying the acoustic input signal comprises applying a plurality of acoustic signal components, wherein each acoustic signal component, of the plurality of acoustic signal components, includes a selected frequency,
• wherein the detecting includes detecting, for each acoustic signal component of the plurality of acoustic signal components, a response signal associated with the respective acoustic signal component;
• wherein frequencies of the plurality of acoustic signal components are selected such that together the plurality of acoustic signal components provide a composite signal, and
• wherein the composite signal is a pulse signal of limited time duration.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions, for use in an acoustic scanning probe microscopy system comprising:

• a scan head including a probe, wherein the probe includes a cantilever and a probe tip,
• a substrate carrier for holding a substrate having a substrate surface,
• wherein the system is configured for scanning the scan head relative to the substrate carrier for scanning the substrate surface with the probe, such that the probe tip is in contact with the substrate surface continuously or at least periodically,
• wherein the system further comprises a controller,
• wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the controller to control the system to carry out a method including:
• applying, using a signal application actuator of the system, an acoustic input signal to a substrate held by a substrate carrier, wherein the acoustic input signal has a frequency above 1 gigahertz;
• detecting, using a probe of the system, an acoustic return signal from the substrate;
• and
• analyzing, by the controller, the acoustic return signal to obtain information on embedded structures in the substrate underneath a substrate surface, for enabling imaging of the embedded structures;
• wherein the applying the acoustic input signal comprises applying a plurality of acoustic signal components, wherein each acoustic signal component, of the plurality of acoustic signal components, includes a selected frequency,
• wherein the detecting includes detecting, for each acoustic signal component, of the plurality of acoustic signal components, a response signal associated with the respective acoustic signal component;
• wherein frequencies of the plurality of acoustic signal components are selected such that together the plurality of acoustic signal components provide a composite signal, and
• wherein the composite signal is a pulse signal of limited time duration.