(19)
(11) EP 3 742 178 A8

(12) CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
Note: Bibliography reflects the latest situation

(15) Correction information:
Corrected version no 1 (W1 A1)

(48) Corrigendum issued on:
24.02.2021 Bulletin 2021/08

(43) Date of publication:
25.11.2020 Bulletin 2020/48

(21) Application number: 19175565.1

(22) Date of filing: 21.05.2019
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
G01Q 60/32(2010.01)
G01N 29/24(2006.01)
 G01N 29/06(2006.01)
G01N 29/34(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA ME
Designated Validation States:
KH MA MD TN

(71) Applicant: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast- natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO
2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)

(72) Inventors:
  • RAJADURAI, Sri Ram Shankar
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • PIRAS, Daniele
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • HATAKEYAMA, Kodai
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • VAN NEER, Paul Louis Maria Joseph
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • VAN ES, Maarten Hubertus
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • SADEGHIAN MARNANI, Hamed
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)
  • VAN DER LANS, Marcus Johannes
    2595 DA 's-Gravenhage (NL)

(74) Representative: V.O. 
P.O. Box 87930
2508 DH Den Haag
2508 DH Den Haag (NL)

   


(54) HETERODYNE SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY METHOD AND SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY SYSTEM


(57) The present document relates to a heterodyne scanning probe microscopy (SPM) method for subsurface imaging, and includes: applying an acoustic input signal to a sample and sensing an acoustic output signal using a probe. The acoustic input signal comprises a plurality of signal components at unique frequencies, including a carrier frequency and at least two excitation frequencies. The carrier frequency and the excitation frequencies form a group of frequencies, which are distributed with an equal difference frequency between each two subsequent frequencies of the group. The difference frequency is below a sensitivity threshold frequency of the cantilever for enabling sensing of the acoustic output signal. The document also describes an SPM system.