IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,209,961
Granted Patent B2
US 12,209,961 · App. 18/188,839 · Granted Jan 28, 2025

Fiber-optic based material property measurement system and related methods

Inventors: Brian M. Foley (Atlanta, GA); John T. Gaskins (Charlottesville, VA); Patrick E. Hopkins (Charlottesville, VA)
Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
G01N21/55G01B11/0633G01N21/17G01N21/1717G01N2021/1731G01N2201/06113
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,209,961
App. No.
18/188,839
Granted
Jan 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus related method for measuring a property of a target material. The system may include a pump device that generates a pump beam. A modulation device may receive the pump beam and generate a modulated pump beam by modulating an intensity amplitude of the pump beam, which may be directed to the target material. A probe device may generate a probe beam, which is directed to the target material. A part of the probe beam may be reflected off of the target material, and has similar frequency characteristic as the modulated pump beam. A detection device may detect the reflected probe beam and produce a signal. An analyzing device may receive the signal and calculate the target material property by comparing the modulated frequency characteristics of the signal to those of the pump beam. At least one of the pump and the probe beams may be infrared light.

Claims (43)

1. A method for measuring at least one property of a target material using thermoreflectance, the method comprising:

generating a modulated pump beam at a pump wavelength;

directing at least a portion of the modulated pump beam to a manipulation portion of the target material;

generating a probe beam at a probe wavelength with a probe device;

directing at least a portion of the probe beam to a probing portion of the target material, wherein at least a part of the portion of the probe beam is reflected off of the target material forming a reflected probe beam, wherein the reflected probe beam has a similar modulated frequency characteristic as the pump beam;

directing at least a portion of the reflected probe beam to a detection device, wherein the detection devices generates a detection signal from the reflected probe beam;

analyzing the detection signal with an analyzing device by receiving the detection signal with the analyzing device, and calculating the property of the target material by comparing the modulated frequency characteristics of the reflected probe beam to the modulated frequency characteristics of the pump beam;

wherein at least one of the pump wavelength and the probe wavelength is an infrared wavelength; and

wherein the method further comprises:

generating a modulated pump magnitude signal representing a magnitude of the modulated pump beam between a first modulation frequency and a second modulation frequency; and

generating a reflected probe magnitude signal representing a change in magnitude of the reflected probe beam,

wherein comparing the detection signal at different powers of the modulated pump beam further comprises comparing the modulated pump magnitude signal to the reflected probe magnitude signal, and

wherein the first modulation frequency and the second modulation frequency are in a range from about 0 Hz to about 100 GHz.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the property of the target material is a thickness of the target material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pump device comprises a pump fiber laser.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe device is a probe fiber laser.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a modulated pump light beam, directing at least a portion of the modulated pump light beam, and directing at least a portion of the probe beam, further comprise utilizing fiber optic devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target material comprises silicon on sapphire.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first modulation frequency and the second modulation frequency are different frequencies.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first modulation frequency and the second modulation frequency are in a range from about 10 Hz to about 40 GHz.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising modulating an amplitude of an intensity of the pump beam to produce a sinusoidal wave, a square wave, a triangle wave, or a sawtooth wave.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pump wavelength is at least partially absorptive in sapphire.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pump wavelength is within a range of about 200 nm to about 15 μm.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pump wavelength is equal to about 980 nm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe wavelength is within a range of about 200 nm to about 15 μm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe wavelength is within a range of about 720 nm to about 1550 nm.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing device comprises a vector network analyzer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein directing at least the portion of the modulated pump beam to the manipulation portion of the target material generates a spot size of the pump beam within a range of about 1 μm to about 50 μm on the manipulation portion of the target material.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probing portion of the target material is within the manipulation portion of the target material.

18. A method for measuring a property of a target material using thermoreflectance, the method comprising:

illuminating the target material with a modulated pump beam so as to modulate a reflectance of the target material by heating the target material;

illuminating the target material with a probe beam such that at least a portion of the probe beam is reflected off of the target material to form a reflected probe beam;

detecting a modulation characteristic of the reflected probe beam;

performing comparisons of the modulation characteristic of the reflected probe beam to modulation characteristics of the modulated pump beam at different powers of the modulated pump beam; and

determining the property of the target material based on the comparisons of the modulation characteristic of the reflected probe beam to the modulation characteristics of the modulated pump beam at different powers of the modulated pump beam;

wherein a modulation frequency of the modulated pump beam is in a range from about 0 Hz to about 100 GHz.

19. A system for measuring a property of a target material using thermoreflectance, the system comprising:

a pump beam source to illuminate the target material with a modulated pump beam so as to modulate a reflectance of the target material by heating the target material;

a probe beam source to illuminate the target material with a probe beam;

a detector to detect at least a portion of the probe beam reflected off of the target material as a reflected probe beam; and

an analyzer, operably coupled to the detector, to perform comparisons of a modulation characteristic of the reflected probe beam to modulation characteristics of the modulated pump beam at different powers of the modulated pump beam and to estimate the property of the target material based on the comparisons;

wherein a modulation frequency of the modulated pump beam is in a range from about 0 Hz to about 100 GHz.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the analyzer is a vector network analyzer operably coupled to the pump beam source and configured to generate a modulation waveform for modulating the modulated pump beam.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 24, 2023
From: FOLEY, BRIAN M.; GASKINS, JOHN T.; HOPKINS, PATRICK E.
To: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Reel/Frame 064359/0428 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 24, 2023
From: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
To: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PATENT FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 064359/0661 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17153481 · Jan 20, 2021
Continuation 16311413
Provisional Application 62353263 · Jun 22, 2016
Related Publication 20230333015A1 · Oct 19, 2023
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