JPH0797104B2 - Ultrasonic microscope - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ultrasonic microscope.

[Conventional technology]

For example, the acoustic lens is slightly vibrated in the X direction by a shaker, and the sample stage on which the sample is placed is moved in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, so that the sample is two-dimensionally scanned in the XY plane. Various ultrasonic microscopes have been proposed which are adapted to obtain ultrasonic images.

Further, in such an ultrasonic microscope, a function is added in which the acoustic lens and the sample stage are relatively moved in the Z direction orthogonal to the X and Y directions to obtain the surface wave velocity of the sample, that is, the V _(Z) curve. Is also proposed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional ultrasonic microscope described above,
The ultrasonic image of the sample on the XY plane and the V _(Z) curve in the Z direction are independently obtained, and since the V _(Z) curve represents information on only one point of the sample,
V _(Z) , which position on the sample the curve corresponds to,
There is a problem that it is extremely difficult to accurately grasp, that is, the continuity of each position information cannot be maintained.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, in obtaining a V _(Z) characteristics, maintaining the continuity of the position information of the ultrasonic image and V _(Z) characteristic of the XY plane Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic microscope appropriately configured so that it can be easily grasped which position of a sample corresponds to that position.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, the acoustic lens and the sample stage on which the sample is placed are vibrated relatively in the X direction and relatively moved in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction. An acoustic microscope in which an acoustic lens scans the sample two-dimensionally in the XY plane and displays an ultrasonic image based on a signal detected by the acoustic lens on a monitor, wherein the acoustic lens and the sample stage Z-direction driving means for moving substantially in the Z direction orthogonal to the X and Y directions, and the relative Y of the acoustic lens and the sample stage.
Stop means for stopping the movement in the direction, and during scanning for obtaining an ultrasonic image of the sample in the XY plane, the stop means moves the relative Y direction of the acoustic lens and the sample stage at a desired sample position. When the movement is stopped and the movement in the Y direction is stopped, the Z direction driving means is driven to relatively move the acoustic lens and the sample stage in the Z direction,
An ultrasonic image on the XY plane of the sample until the movement in the Y direction is stopped, and a grayscale pattern based on the intensity of the reflected wave signal from the sample on the XZ plane after the movement in the Y direction is stopped, And a control unit for integrally displaying each position information on the monitor so as to maintain continuity of each position information.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the pulse control unit 1 controls the transmission unit 2 to generate an ultra-high frequency burst wave signal, which is transmitted via the circulator 3 to the piezoelectric transducer 4.
The electric signal is converted into an ultrasonic wave, and is projected onto the sample 8 mounted on the sample stage 7 through the acoustic lens 5 and the liquid medium 6 in a spot shape. Since the sample 8 is two-dimensionally scanned by this ultrasonic spot, the acoustic lens 5 is slightly vibrated in the X direction via the X drive unit 12 having a vibrator under the control of the central control unit 11. Drive part
The sample table 7 is moved via 13 in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction.

The reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave on the sample 8 is collected by the acoustic lens 5,
The piezoelectric transducer 4 converts it into an electric signal and supplies it to the receiving unit 14 via the circulator 3, and the gate pulse from the pulse control unit 1 extracts only the signal corresponding to the reflected wave of the sample 8. The output signal of the receiving section 14 is supplied to the video processing section 15, where phase detection is performed in synchronization with the control pulse from the pulse control section 1, and the output is supplied to the image memory section 16 as a video signal.

The position of the acoustic lens 5 in the X direction by the X drive unit 12 is detected by the X sensor unit 21, and the output thereof is supplied to the pulse control unit 1 via the A / D converter 22. In the pulse control unit 1, the burst wave signal in the transmitting unit 2 is set so that the ultrasonic spot positions on the sample 8 in the X direction are equidistant based on the position information of the acoustic lens 1 from the A / D converter 22. And the timings of generating gate pulses and control pulses to the receiving unit 14 and the video process unit 15 are respectively controlled, and pulse signals synchronized with these signals are supplied to the image memory unit 16 as sampling signals. Further, the output of the X sensor unit 21 is the comparator 23.
The end of scanning of one line in the X direction is detected, and the output thereof is supplied to the Y counter section 24 and is also supplied to the image memory section 16 as a Y direction scanning trigger signal. The Y counter section 24 supplies the central control section 11 with a scanning end signal indicating the end of two-dimensional scanning within a predetermined range when the count value reaches a predetermined number.

On the other hand, in the image memory unit 16, the video process unit 15
The video signal from the signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 31 in synchronization with the sampling signal from the pulse control unit 1, and the digital signal is stored in the frame memory 33 via the buffer memory 32. The writing and reading of the video signal in the frame memory 33 are performed based on the outputs of the Y counter 34 which counts the trigger signal from the comparator 23 and the X counter 35 which counts the sampling signal from the pulse control unit 1 and the memory control unit 36. The written video signal is converted into an analog signal by the A / D converter 37 and displayed on the TV monitor section 38 in real time. The image signal for one screen stored in the frame memory 33 is reset via the memory control unit 36 by the frame reset signal from the central control unit 11.

In this embodiment, the sample stage 7 is being scanned while the sample 8 is being scanned in the XY plane.
The Y stop switch section 41 having a stop switch for forcibly stopping the movement of the acoustic lens 5 and the Z drive section 42 for moving the acoustic lens 5 in the Z direction orthogonal to the X and Y directions are provided. The operation of 41 stops the movement of the sample stage 7 in the Y direction by the Y drive section 13 via the central control section 11, and in conjunction with this, the central control section 11 operates the Z drive section 42 to operate the acoustic lens 5 Is moved in the Z direction, for example, in a direction approaching the sample 8.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, by operating the Y stop switch 41 while scanning the sample 8 on the XY plane, the sample 8 is scanned on the XZ plane at the stop position in the Y direction. In this way, the ultrasonic image on the XY plane of the sample 8 up to the time when the Y stop switch 41 is operated on the TV monitor unit 38 and the Y direction stop position where the position information is continuous with the ultrasonic image are displayed. And the grayscale pattern representing the V _(Z) characteristic of the sample in the X direction are integrally displayed in real time.

In this way, the image displayed on the TV monitor unit 38 is
For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, it is possible to easily grasp which position of the sample 8 the V _(Z) characteristic is.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the operation of the Z drive unit 42 is interlocked with the operation of the Y stop switch unit 41, but a dedicated switch unit is provided, whereby the Z drive unit can be operated independently of the operation of the Y stop switch unit 41. It can also be configured to control the operation of 42. Further, the acoustic lens 5 is provided with a switch portion which is stopped at a position of caution in the X direction, and means for forcibly counting up the Y counter portion 24 by operating the switch portion is provided to scan in the X and Y directions. It is also possible to obtain the V _(Z) characteristic at an arbitrary position by stopping and projecting ultrasonic waves intermittently on the sample 8. Even in this case, TV
On the monitor unit 38, a pattern representing the V _(Z) characteristic at an arbitrary position in the X direction at the stop position in the Y direction is displayed following the ultrasonic image of the sample 8 in the middle of the XY plane. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp at which position of the sample 8 the V _(Z) characteristic is located. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the acoustic lens 5 is driven in the X direction and the sample stage 7 is driven in the Y direction, but the acoustic lens 5 is driven in the Y direction and the sample stage 7 is driven.
May be driven in the X direction, or the acoustic lens 5 or the sample stage 7 may be driven in the X and Y directions. Similarly, the drive in the Z direction is not limited to the acoustic lens 5 and the sample stage 7
May be driven. Further, the present invention can be effectively applied not only to the reflection type ultrasonic microscope but also to the transmission type.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the relative movement of the acoustic lens and the sample stage in the Y direction is stopped by the stop means at the desired sample position during scanning for obtaining the ultrasonic image of the sample on the XY plane. In the XY plane of the sample until the movement in the Y direction is stopped, the acoustic lens and the sample stage are relatively moved in the Z direction by driving the Z direction drive means in the movement stopped state in the Y direction. The ultrasonic image and the grayscale pattern based on the intensity of the reflected wave signal from the sample on the XZ plane after stopping the movement in the Y direction are integrated on the monitor so that each position information maintains continuity. Since it was made to display in
It is possible to maintain continuity of each position information, and it is possible to easily grasp which position on the sample the V (Z) characteristic corresponds to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the operation thereof. 1 ... Pulse control section 2 ... Transmission section, 3 ... circulator 4 ... Piezoelectric transducer 5 ... Acoustic lens, 6 ... Liquid medium 7 ... Sample stage, 8 ... Sample 11 ... Central control section 12 ... … X drive unit, 13 …… Y drive unit 14 …… Reception unit, 15 …… Video processing unit 16 …… Image memory unit, 21 …… X sensor unit 22 …… A / D converter, 23 …… Comparator 24 …… Y counter section, 31 …… A / D converter 32 …… Buffer memory, 33 …… Frame memory 34 …… Y counter, 35 …… X counter 36 …… Memory control section 37 …… D / A conversion 38, TV monitor 41, Y stop switch 42, Z drive

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An acoustic lens and a sample table on which a sample is placed are vibrated relatively in the X direction, and Y which is orthogonal to the X direction.
By relatively moving in the direction, the acoustic lens two-dimensionally scans the sample in the XY plane, and an ultrasonic image based on a signal detected by the acoustic lens is displayed on a monitor. In an ultrasonic microscope, a Z-direction drive unit that relatively moves the acoustic lens and the sample stage in a Z direction orthogonal to the X and Y directions, and a relative movement of the acoustic lens and the sample stage in the Y direction is stopped. Stopping means to make, during scanning to obtain an ultrasonic image in the XY plane of the sample,
The relative movement of the acoustic lens and the sample stage in the Y direction is stopped by the stopping means at a desired sample position, and the Z direction driving means is driven in the state where the movement of the acoustic lens and the sample stand is stopped in the Y direction. And an ultrasonic image on the XY plane of the sample until the sample stage is moved in the Z direction and the movement in the Y direction is stopped, and from the sample in the XZ plane after stopping the movement in the Y direction. An ultrasonic microscope comprising: a control unit that integrally displays a grayscale pattern based on the intensity of the reflected wave signal on a monitor so that each position information maintains continuity.