Claims
- 1. A method for detecting submicron-sized defects in a fabricated device comprising:
a) deforming the fabricated device using an acoustic source; b) forming an interference image of the fabricated device; and c) detecting whether a submicron-sized defect is present in the fabricated device.
- 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the fabricated device in proximity to the acoustic source.
- 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising securing the fabricated device within a docking station in proximity to the acoustic source.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming an interference image comprises:
a) splitting a beam of coherent light into a reference beam and a test beam; b) directing the test beam toward the fabricated device; c) directing the reference beam toward a phase shifting mirror; and d) combining the test beam reflected from the fabricated device and the reference beam reflected from the phase shifting mirror.
- 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising adjusting the phase shifting mirror to place the reference beam in-phase with the test beam.
- 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising deforming the fabricated device using at least one type of energy selected from the group consisting of sinusoidal sound waves, white noise, and psuedo-Gaussian noise.
- 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising deforming the fabricated device using a sinusoidal sound wave.
- 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing the interference image of the fabricated device with an interference image of a defect-free fabricated device to detect the presence of submicron-sized defects within the fabricated device.
- 9. A method for detecting submicron-sized defects in a membrane comprising:
a) deforming the membrane using an acoustic source; b) forming an interference image of the membrane; and c) detecting whether a submicron-sized defect is present in the membrane.
- 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising placing the membrane in proximity to the acoustic source.
- 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising securing the membrane within a docking station in proximity to the acoustic source.
- 12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of forming an interference image comprises:
a) splitting a beam of coherent light into a reference beam and a test beam; b) directing the test beam toward the membrane; c) directing the reference beam toward a phase shifting mirror; and d) combining the test beam reflected from the membrane and the reference beam reflected from the phase shifting mirror.
- 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising adjusting the phase shifting mirror to place the reference beam in-phase with the test beam.
- 14. The method of claim 9 further comprising deforming the fabricated device using at least one type of energy selected from the group consisting of sinusoidal sound waves, white noise, and psuedo-Gaussian noise.
- 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising deforming the membrane using a sinusoidal sound wave.
- 16. The method of claim 9 further comprising comparing the interference image of the membrane with an interference image of a defect-free membrane to detect the presence of submicron-sized defects within the membrane.
- 17. A method for manufacturing a membrane comprising:
a) attaching a membrane to a bonding edge; b) securing the membrane within a docking station located in proximity to an acoustic source; c) deforming the membrane using the acoustic source; d) forming an interference image of the membrane; and e) determining whether a submicron-sized defect is present between the membrane and the bonding edge.
- 18. A defect detection system comprising:
a) a coherent light source; b) a beam splitter optically aligned with the light source, the beam splitter receiving light from the light source and dividing the light into a reference beam and a test beam; c) a vibration device for vibrating a test sample during reflection of the test beam by the test sample; d) a camera for receiving both the reference beam from the beam splitter and the test beam reflected from the test sample to form a shearogram image; and e) a computer electronically coupled to the camera, the computer receiving the shearogram image from the camera and comparing the received shearogram image with a reference shearogram image.
- 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the coherent light source comprises a laser source.
- 20. The system of claim 18 further comprising an acousto-optic modulator optically aligned with the light source, the acousto-optic modulator allowing or preventing light to travel from the light source.
- 21. The system of claim 18 further comprising an aperture optically aligned with the light source, the aperture collimating light from the light source.
- 22. The system of claim 18 further comprising a first mirror positioned between the light source and the camera, the first mirror directing the reference beam from the light source and toward the camera.
- 23. The system of claim 18 wherein the vibration device comprises an acoustic source.
- 24. The system of claim 23 wherein the acoustic source comprises a speaker coupled to a function generator.
- 25. The system of claim 24 wherein the function generator drives the speaker with a sine wave.
- 26. The system of claim 18 wherein the camera is a charge-coupled device camera.
- 27. The system of claim 18 further comprising a display coupled to the camera, the display displaying an interference pattern of a test sample.
- 28. The system of claim 18 comprising a phase shifting mirror for adjusting the path length of the reference beam such that the path length of the reference beam is approximately equal to the path length of the test beam.
- 29. The system of claim 18 further comprising a pulse synchronizer electronically coupled to the coherent light source, the vibration device, and the camera, the pulse synchronizer synchronizing the operation of the coherent light source, the vibration device, and the camera.
- 30. The system of claim 18 further comprising a first lens optically aligned with the reference beam for expanding the reference beam.
- 31. The system of claim 18 further comprising a second lens optically aligned with the test beam for expanding the test beam.
- 32. The system of claim 18 further comprising a docking station mounted in proximity to the vibration device, the docking station securing a sample for testing.
- 33. The system of claim 18 further comprising a combiner mounted in proximity to the camera, the combiner combining the test beam and the reference beam into a composite beam.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/354,754, filed Feb. 5, 2002. The entire teachings of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60354754 |
Feb 2002 |
US |