Patent · US Expired

Reflection acoustic microscope for precision differential phase imaging

US4503708A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
0References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 7, 1983
Grant dateMar 12, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 7, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S15/8906
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An acoustic microscope comprising a transducer for transmitting acoustic signals towards the surface to be studied, and means for receiving at least one reflected signal from the surface; in many embodiments of the invention, signals are received from two separate points. The signals received are passed to a synchronous phase detection system for analysis. The signals may be received at the same phase detector input and separated according to their expected time of receipt relative to their time of transmission, or they may be received at separated points on the transducer related to their separated points of transmission. The separated return signals are compared on the basis of phase (and in certain embodiments, magnitude) differential either to each other or to an internally generated reference signal to analyze the surface characteristics of the material.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.