Acoustic Microscopes

By manipulating ultrasound wave within a sample material, scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) is a noninvasive and nondestructive technique used to inspect cavities and devices. SAM is useful due to its ability to detect the various layers, or delaminations, of a material of a thickness of less than 100 nm, which is at the sub-micron level. Samples to be analyzed by SAM are submerged in a liquid medium, which allows for ultrasound waves to be propagated through. By sending pulses to the medium, ultrasound transducers receive and transform reflected sound waves present at the interfaces into measurable electromagnetic pulses displayed as an image.