Method and apparatus for nondestructively measuring subsurface defects in materials

Claim 1

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position of the maximum scatter being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 2

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position of the maximum scatter being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 10

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 11

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 13

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector to less than 0.1 steradian in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 14

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector to less than 0.1 steradian in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects directly below the surface.

Claim 17

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and selecting a rotational position for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in the selected rotational position.

Claim 18

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and selecting a rotational position for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in the selected rotational position.

Claim 19

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having discrete predetermined wavelengths capable of penetrating the material to different depths; (b) making the multiple beams coincident and directing the beams toward the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beams to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) making the line of sight of the multiple detectors coincident and directing that line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the multiple beams intercept the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beams and in the same direction from normal as the incident beams; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detectors in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detectors to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity for each of the multiple wavelengths; (e) producing relative rotation between the beams and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beams intercept the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetration wavelength from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating wavelength and where the number of depth zones possible is related to the number of wavelengths used; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beams and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 20

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having discrete predetermined wavelengths capable of penetrating the material to different depths; (b) making the multiple beams coincident and directing the beams toward the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beams to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) making the line of sight of the multiple detectors coincident and directing that line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the multiple beams intercept the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beams and in the same direction from normal as the incident beams; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detectors in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detectors to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity for each of the multiple wavelengths; (e) producing relative rotation between the beams and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beams intercept the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetration wavelength from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating wavelength and where the number of depth zones possible is related to the number of wavelengths used; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beams and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 21

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area in such a way so as to enhance known features by making them all one color in contrast to any background colors.

Claim 22

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P and having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material to some depth; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area in such a way so as to enhance known features by making them all one color in contrast to any background colors.

Claim 27

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material; (b) controlling the power level of the electromagnetic radiation for selecting different detection depths; (c) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (d) directing the detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (e) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (f) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetrating power from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating power whereby the number of possible depth zones is related to the number of power levels used; (g) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (h) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (i) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 28

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having a predetermined wavelength capable of penetrating the material; (b) controlling the power level of the electromagnetic radiation for selecting different detection depths; (c) directing the beam towards the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (d) directing the detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (e) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detector to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (f) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetrating power from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating power whereby the number of possible depth zones is related to the number of power levels used; (g) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (h) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (i) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 29

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having discrete predetermined wavelengths capable of penetrating the material to different depths and having controllable and changeable power levels for each beam; (b) controlling the power level of the multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation for selecting different detection depths other than those provided by the multiple wavelengths; (c) making the multiple beams coincident and directing the beams toward the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beams to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (d) making the line of sight of the multiple detectors coincident and directing that line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the multiple beams intercept the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beams and in the same direction from normal as the incident beams; (e) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detectors in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detectors to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity for each of the multiple wavelengths; (f) producing relative rotation between the beams and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beams intercept the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetrating wavelength and power from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating wavelength and power whereby the number of possible depth zones is related to the number of wavelengths used and the power levels chosen; (g) producing relative lateral movement between the beams and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the multiple wavelengths and power levels of electromagnetic radiation; (h) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (i) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 30

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects directly below the surface of a predetermined area of a material which allows penetration of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of: (a) generating multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation polarized P having discrete predetermined wavelengths capable of penetrating the material to different depths and having controllable and changeable power levels for each beam; (b) controlling the power level of the multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation for selecting different detection depths other than those provided by the multiple wavelengths; (c) making the multiple beams coincident and directing the beams toward the surface at a fixed angle of incidence generally close to Brewster's angle and focusing the beams to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (d) making the line of sight of the multiple detectors coincident and directing that line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the multiple beams intercept the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beams and in the same direction from normal as the incident beams; (e) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detectors in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight and limiting the radiation entering the detectors to polarized P radiation, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity for each of the multiple wavelengths; (f) producing relative rotation between the beams and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beams intercept the surface and determining the rotational position of the selected scatter in a depth zone for that point by subtracting the scatter versus rotational position data for a shallow penetrating wavelength and power from the corresponding data for a deeper penetrating wavelength and power whereby the number of possible depth zones is related to the number of wavelengths used and the power levels chosen; (g) producing relative lateral movement between the beams and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the multiple wavelengths and power levels of electromagnetic radiation; (h) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (i) mapping the selected scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area and depth zone, the scatter intensity being proportional to the crystalline quality of the material in that zone and the rotational position being related to the directional orientation of the defects in that zone.

Claim 31

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects of a predetermined area of a material, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area.

Claim 32

A method of measuring the distribution of crystalline or other micro defects of a predetermined area of a material, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation; (b) directing the beam towards the surface at a predetermined fixed angle of incidence and focusing the beam to expose a small portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (c) directing a detector's line of sight toward the surface of the material to the point where the beam intercepts the surface and at an acute angle relative to the incident beam and in the same direction from normal as the incident beam; (d) limiting the extent of the scattered electromagnetic radiation entering the detector in order to detect the scatter coming from a small solid angle around the line of sight, for detecting a portion of the scattered electromagnetic radiation and converting it to an electrical signal proportional to the detected intensity; (e) producing relative rotation between the beam and the material about an axis perpendicular to the surface and at the point where the beam intercepts the surface and determining the rotational position of selected maximum scatter for that point; (f) producing relative lateral movement between the beam and the material to expose an adjacent portion of the material to the electromagnetic radiation; (g) repeating above steps (e) and (f) for each portion of the material exposed until the predetermined area is covered; and (h) mapping the selected maximum scatter intensity versus the coordinate position of each point of measurement for the predetermined area.