Wafer-Based Evaluation of the Effects of Center Frequency and F-Number on Lateral Resolution in Scanning Acoustic Microscopy

Scanning acoustic microscopy is a useful non-destructive imaging technique for semiconductor inspection, providing acoustic contrast without physical sectioning. However, the selection of an ultrasound transducer for high-quality imaging is not determined by the operating center frequency alone. The focusing condition, represented by the F-number, also plays a critical role in determining the lateral resolution. In this study, the combined effects of the center frequency and F-number on lateral resolution were investigated using wafer-based test samples. Focused ultrasound transducers with different center frequencies were used to image a striped resolution target for quantitative lateral resolution analysis. In addition, a custom-fabricated silicon wafer containing void-mimicking patterns was also imaged for qualitative evaluation. The results show that a higher frequency does not necessarily guarantee better lateral resolution. In fact, a lower-frequency transducer with tighter focusing showed greater image quality compared to a higher-frequency transducer with a larger F-number. These findings indicate that both frequency and F-number should be jointly considered when selecting ultrasound transducers for semiconductor inspection. This wafer-based evaluation provides practical guidance for optimizing imaging conditions in scanning acoustic microscopy, according to target feature size and inspection requirements.