Surface and subsurface detection sensor

1. A sensor comprising:

a plurality of imaging components for imaging a sample configured to perform (1) subsurface imaging by acoustical excitation and optical detection, and (2) interferometric surface topographic measurement, wherein the plurality of imaging components further comprises:

an image detector array;

an acoustic excitation source configured to acoustically excite the sample to provide image information of a plurality of points of the sample;

wherein the acoustic excitation source is a pulsed laser that propagates through free space;

a stationary interferometric microscope configured to receive image information of the plurality of points of the sample from the image detector array; and

a filter configured to separate the image information of the plurality of points of the sample into a surface component and a subsurface component.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a white light interferometer; and

an interferometer light source including at least one of a broadband source, an incoherent source, a partially coherent source, an externally modulated source, and a direct modulated source.

3. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one of

an interferometer objective; or

one or more polarization components.

4. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

an acoustic excitation source including at least one of a laser, a pulsed laser, a modulated laser, a coherent light source, an incoherent light source, a partially coherent light source, a pulsed light source, a modulated light source, a direct modulated source, an acoustic transducer, a piezoelectric acoustic transducer, an acoustic transducer air-coupled to a sample, an acoustic transducer liquid-coupled to the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator fluid-coupled to the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator as at least part of the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator configured as a sample holder, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator configured as a substrate, a thermal source, a pulsed thermal source, an electro-magnetic source, a radio frequency (RF) source, a terahertz (THz) source, or a pulsed electro-magnetic source.

5. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

the plurality of imaging components configured to perform detection of detects in at least one of (1) an electronic surface, (2) a semiconductor surface, (3) a metallic surface, (4) a combination of at least two of an electronic surface, a semiconductor surface, and a metallic surface, (5) an electronic circuit, (6) one or more detector materials, (7) one or more wafers used for electronic circuits, or (8) focal plane arrays.

6. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a feedback loop configured to determine a source of defects in at least one of subsurface or surface images; and

logic configured to correct for the defects in at least one of subsurface or surface images.

7. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a speckle reduction device configured for usage with a coherent source including:

first and second lenses configured to receive and pass illumination from the coherent source;

a rotating diffuser positioned between the first and second lenses; and

a rotating motor configured to rotate the rotating diffuser wherein a captured image is a time average of moving speckle patterns, an interference image is smoothed, and speckle noise is reduced or eliminated.

8. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a speckle reduction device configured for usage with a coherent source including:

first and second lenses configured to receive and pass illumination from the coherent source; and

an electrically-motile scattering medium embedded between two transparent or semitransparent electrodes positioned between the first and second lenses wherein a captured image is a time average of speckle patterns moved by application of voltage across the electrodes, an interference image is smoothed, and speckle noise is reduced or eliminated.

9. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a speckle reduction device configured for usage with a coherent source including:

first and second lenses configured to receive and pass illumination from the coherent source;

a liquid pump; and

a scattering medium circulated by the liquid pump.

10. The sensor according to claim 1 further comprising:

a speckle reduction device configured for usage with a coherent source including:

first and second lenses configured to receive and pass illumination from the coherent source;

a motion device; and

a scattering medium configured for movement via the motion device wherein a captured image is a time average of moving speckle patterns, an interference image is smoothed, and speckle noise is reduced or eliminated.

11. The sensor according to claim 10 wherein:

the motion device includes at least one of a translation stage, a motorized stage, a solenoid-based moving apparatus, a piezoelectric moving stage, and a linear translation driver.

12. The sensor according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of imaging components further comprises:

at least one of the acoustic excitation source or a modulated light source; and

a modulator configured to add modulation to the at least one of the acoustic excitation source or the modulated light source, the modulator configured for producing a signal for usage in a lock-in configuration to reduce signal-to-noise ratio.

13. An imaging method comprising:

providing a plurality of imaging components for imaging a sample configured to perform (1) subsurface imaging by acoustical excitation and optical detection, and (2) interferometric surface topographic measurement, the plurality of imaging components including at least

an image detector array;

an acoustic excitation source configured to acoustically excite the sample to provide image information of a plurality of points of the sample;

wherein the acoustic excitation source is a pulsed laser that propagates through free space;

a stationary interferometric microscope configured to receive image information of the plurality of points of the sample from the image detector array; and

a filter configured to separate the image information of the plurality of points of the sample into a surface component and a subsurface component;

performing the subsurface imaging by acoustical excitation and optical detection; and

performing the interferometric surface topographic measurement.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

receiving image information from the image detector array;

acoustically exciting the sample to provide image information of the plurality of points of the sample by using the acoustic excitation source; and

using the filter to separate the image information of the plurality of points of the sample into a surface component and a subsurface component.

15. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

acoustically exciting the image information of the plurality of points of the sample using a white light interferometer and an interferometer light source including at least one of a broadband source, an incoherent source, a partially coherent source, an externally modulated source, and a direct modulated source.

16. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

acoustically exciting the sample to provide image information of the plurality of points of the sample by using the acoustic excitation source including at least one of a laser, a pulsed laser, a modulated laser, a coherent light source, an incoherent light source, a partially coherent light source, a pulsed light source, a modulated light source, a direct modulated source, an acoustic transducer, a piezoelectric acoustic transducer, an acoustic transducer air-coupled to a sample, an acoustic transducer liquid-coupled to the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator fluid-coupled to the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator as at least part of the sample, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator configured as a sample holder, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator configured as a substrate, a thermal source, a pulsed thermal source, an electro-magnetic source, a radio frequency (RF) source, a terahertz (THz) source, or a pulsed electro-magnetic source.

17. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

performing detection of detects in at least one of (1) an electronic surface, (2) a semiconductor surface, (3) a metallic surface, (4) a combination of at least two of an electronic surface, a semiconductor surface, and a metallic surface, (5) an electronic circuit, (6) one or more detector materials, (7) one or more wafers used for electronic circuits, or (8) focal plane arrays.

18. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

determining a source of defects in at least one of subsurface or surface images using a feedback loop; and

correcting for the defects in at least one of subsurface or surface images.

19. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

at least one of:

performing speckle reduction including using a coherent source in conjunction with at least one of a moving diffuser, a moving scattering media, and moving a multimode fiber; or

performing speckle reduction including using an incoherent or a low coherence source and a narrow-wavelength-band filter.

20. A sensor comprising:

a plurality of imaging components for imaging a sample configured to perform (1) subsurface imaging by acoustical excitation and optical detection, and (2) interferometric surface topographic measurement, the plurality of imaging components including at least

an image detector array;

an acoustic excitation source configured to acoustically excite the sample to provide image information of a plurality of points of the sample;

wherein the acoustic excitation source is a pulsed laser that propagates through free space;

a stationary interferometric microscope having a speckle reduction device operatively connected to the interferometric microscope such that the interferometric microscope is configured to receive image information of the plurality of points of the sample from the image detector array; and

a filter configured to separate the image information of the plurality of points of the sample into a surface component and a subsurface component.

21. The sensor according to claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the plurality of imaging components is configured for detection of delamination in semiconductor wafers;

the plurality of imaging components is configured for detecting defects in at least on of micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) packaging or 3D MEMS;

the plurality of imaging components is configured for detecting at least one of cracks or delamination in semiconductor wafers;

the plurality of imaging components is configured for detecting defects in at least one of wafers, or substrates including at least one of voids, inclusions, or precipitates;

the plurality of imaging components is configured for detecting defects in focal plane arrays including at least one of voids, inclusions, or precipitates; or

the plurality of imaging components is configured for detecting defects including at least one of cracks or voids in at least one of metals or metallization layers.