Phase-sensitive acoustic imaging and micro-metrology of polymer blend thin films

Scanning acoustic microscopy with vector contrast (PSAM) at 1.2$\un{GHz}$ is employed for three-dimensional real-space measurements of structure in PS/PMMA (polystyrene/ poly(methyl methacrylate)) blend films, spun-cast on glass and silicon substrates. Processing of the digitized phase and amplitude images yields information on the surface structure and internal structure of the blend films. The complex V(z) functions render qualitative and quantitative material contrast for each image pixel and, hence, permit the characterization of individual domains. It is shown that PSAM can provide valuable insights regarding the polymer blend film morphology and micro-mechanical properties, not acquirable by other ways