Acoustic microscopy

The result of a synthesis of several physics and engineering disciplines, the acoustic microscope is now more than thirty years old. In the field of non-destructive testing, it has proved its worth for the internal inspection of opaque materials, integrated into increasingly complex structures. Many instruments of this type operate routinely on industrial sites, particularly for quality control in the production of electronic circuits.

At the same time, university laboratories continue to improve performance and broaden the scope of applications. Research into characterization by acoustic microscopy has been steadily progressing, driven primarily by materials science and quantitative imaging in medicine.

A huge number of products and industrial processes use one or more thin films deposited on a substrate. Characterizing these coatings - their thickness, adhesion, viscoelastic properties and evolution - is a major challenge.

Finally, the progress of near-field techniques has not spared acoustics, which paradoxically was one of them to begin with (airborne acoustics, musical acoustics). In this respect, the rise of microtechnology has greatly helped to develop new instrument concepts, enabling an acoustic approach that is different from, but complementary to, conventional microscopy techniques.