Advantages of the Acoustic Microscope

Acoustic microscopes allow non-destructive examination of changes in the elastic solid parameters of all types of material. Ultrasound examinations yield unambiguous results for imaging mechanical properties such as hardness differences or  variations in elasticity and density, detecting defect structures such as microcracks, delaminations and inclusions, measuring and visualising layer adhesion and charactersing polymers.

The IFA acoustic microscopes work in a frequency range of 1 MHz to 2 GHz, allowing a differentiated view of even the tiniest defects. The size of the scanned area and therefore the magnification can be selected within a range of 45 µm to 300 mm edge length. The minimum edge length of 45 µm corresponds to a 3000x magnification. If this magnification is to be effective, sound waves of ultra high frequency must be used. At 2 GHz a resolution of 0.4 µm is achieved on sample surfaces. Sound penetrates materials, even non-transparent ones!

The applications of acoustic microscopy are virtually unlimited, ranging from life sciences to electrotechnology, material sciences, the semiconductor industry and living objects.

Acoustic signals can penetrate an object to a depth of several millimetres. The echo signals reflected from this depth are time-resolved and show up as a two- or three-dimensional colour display on the monitor. You can clearly see any defect inside the material.