Elk Grove Village IL, July. 1, 2006—Sonoscan, Inc., the developer and manufacturer of acoustic microscope systems, has been issued U.S. Patent #6,890,302 that gives engineers a new tool for diagnosing packaging defects. This is one of several patents issued to Sonoscan in the past year.
Acoustic microscope echoes are typically time-gated on a depth of interest, and echoes from other depths are ignored. This method, known as Time Domain Imaging, has been the standard for many years. If a 230 MHz transducer is being used, the frequency content of the return echoes at an x-y coordinate will range from about 170 to about 260 MHz or more, and the frequency content characteristic typically varies from one pixel to the next.
Sonoscan’s development of the new technique of Frequency Domain Imaging (FDI) separates the various return echoes at each x-y coordinate into their individual frequencies. The result is not a single acoustic image, but typically 20 to 40 different acoustic images, each image made from echoes of a single frequency, and each image having its own contrast and resolution.
Specifically, engineers often solve problems involving internal interfaces by comparing the various FDI images. The results for any particular sample depend on the sample and on the materials involved, but typically some FDI images have much higher resolution than others, and are useful for performing exacting diagnoses of critical interfaces such as those in flip chips. In some cases, FDI images display features that are not visible in the time-domain images.
For more information, contact:
Steve Martell, technical marketing manager
Sonoscan, Inc.
2149 East Pratt Blvd.
Elk Grove Village IL 60007
Phone 847 437-6400
E-mail: info@sonoscan.com
www.sonoscan.com
Photo caption: Small portion of the die-to-underfill interface on a flip chip imaged by time-domain imaging (left) and FDI (frequency-domain) imaging (right). Irregular light areas in left image are delaminations; FDI image improves contrast and reveals more detail.
About Sonoscan: Sonoscan is the leading developer and manufacturer of acoustic microscopy systems, widely used for non-destructive imaging and analysis of internal features. For over 30 years, Sonoscan’s constant attention to customer needs and investment in R&D has created systems that set industry standards for accuracy. Key products include C-SAM® systems for off-line and laboratory work, and FACTS2™ for automated production inspection. Sonoscan engineers, with a total of more than two centuries’ experience in acoustic microscopy, conduct frequent workshops and seminars. SonoLab™, a division of Sonoscan, operates applications laboratories in 5 global locations.
