Mapping buried nanostructures using subsurface ultrasonic resonance force microscopy

•Subsurface ultrasonic resonance force microscopy (SSURFM) is developed.•SSURFM can be used to obtain images of nanoscale subsurface features.•Subsurface features covered by optically non-transparent layers, such as metals are imaged.•Subsurface features of various material combinations and capping layers are imaged.•SSURFM can also be implemented on the cantilever side to perform measurements on large samples.•SSURFM can be used for metrology applications in the semiconductor industry, especially samples that cannot be optically imaged because the metal layer is opaque to light of the relevant wavelengths.