JP2004138761A - Confocal microscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a confocal microscope system equipped with a mode for manually connecting pictures without using an expensive motor-driven stage. <P>SOLUTION: Light from the surface of a sample within a measurement range decided according to optical magnification is received by a photodetector through a confocal optical system, the height information and the light quantity information of the surface of the sample are acquired based on the received light information, and the picture of the surface of the sample obtained by processing the acquired information is displayed on the screen of a display apparatus. The confocal microscopic system is equipped with the manually connecting mode for forming one composite picture by connecting a plurality of pictures 66 to 69 formed while shifting the measurement range by manual operation, and the screen display 60 of the display apparatus in the manually connecting mode has a 1st area 61 for displaying a plurality of pictures, a 2nd area 62 for displaying the composited picture formed by connecting a plurality of pictures 66 to 69 while moving them one by one by using a pointing device, and a 3rd area 63 for setting the connecting condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a confocal microscope system for acquiring information such as a super-depth image and a height distribution of a sample based on light information from the sample, and more particularly, to a mode for manually joining the obtained images. And a confocal microscope system comprising:
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a confocal microscope, light from a sample is received by a light receiving element via a confocal optical system, and based on the amount of received light, an ultra-depth image (an image with a very deep focal depth) or a height distribution of the sample is obtained. Information is obtained. When the relative distance between the sample placed on the stage and the objective lens is changed in the direction of the optical axis, the amount of light incident on the light receiving element via the confocal optical system, that is, the amount of received light, changes, and The amount of received light is maximized when the subject is in focus. Therefore, height information of the surface of the sample is calculated from the relative distance between the sample and the objective lens when the maximum amount of received light is obtained, and the height distribution of the surface of the sample is obtained by scanning the surface of the sample with light. be able to.
[0003]
The acquired height distribution is displayed on the screen of the display device by, for example, three-dimensional display. Alternatively, the height distribution replaced with a luminance distribution or a color distribution is displayed on the screen. A CRT (cathode ray tube) or an LCD (liquid crystal display) is used as a display device, and a controller for control, a display device, a console, and the like are connected to the confocal microscope to form a confocal microscope system.
[0004]
In addition, by connecting information on the amount of light received when each point (pixel) on the sample surface is focused (that is, information on the maximum luminance of each pixel), a monochrome image of the sample surface with a very deep depth of focus can be obtained. Can be. This image is a so-called super-depth image.
[0005]
Furthermore, by separating the light from the sample irradiated with white light from the confocal optical system and receiving the light with the color image sensor, a color image of the sample surface in the same range as the ultra-depth image can be obtained. This color image has a shallow depth of focus unlike an ultra-deep image, but by performing a synthesizing process to replace the luminance signal with the luminance signal of the ultra-deep image, a color image with a deep focal depth (a color ultra-deep image) It is also possible to obtain).
[0006]
The confocal microscope as described above is a kind of a microscope, and is a device that enables a small range of a sample to be enlarged and observed. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the magnification (measurement accuracy) and the observable range (measurement range). In other words, the higher the measurement accuracy, the narrower the measurement range. However, there is a demand from users for measuring a wide measurement range while maintaining high measurement accuracy. In order to meet this demand, there is a model having a function of combining a plurality of images in a narrow range obtained by one measurement and combining them into an image in a wide range.
[0007]
As a confocal microscope having such an image joining function, there is one using a high-precision motorized stage. The measurement is repeated while moving the sample at a predetermined pitch by the electric stage to obtain a plurality of images, and the plurality of images are automatically joined based on the information on the moving pitch. In some cases, fine adjustment of connection is performed by image processing of overlapping portions in the connection unit.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the following points are disadvantages of the confocal microscope having the conventional image joining function as described above. First, a high-precision motorized stage is very expensive. Further, even in the case of a high-precision electric stage, the joints may be conspicuous when the images are joined only by using information on the feed pitch.
[0009]
On the other hand, in the case where fine adjustment of joining is performed by image processing of overlapping portions, an image may be synthesized at an incorrect position depending on an image pattern. For example, when the sample surface has a repetitive pattern and two images are connected in the repetition direction, the image is synthesized at an incorrect position as a result of correcting the connection position by image recognition. Sometimes.
[0010]
In addition, if a part of a plurality of images to be automatically connected has a measurement failure, it is necessary to restart the measurement of all the images from the beginning, resulting in a large time loss. For example, when a sample having large irregularities is measured, an image may be generated in which the surface of the sample is out of the set range in the height direction. Alternatively, when a sample whose surface light reflectance changes greatly is measured, the amount of received light may be saturated in some of the images and correct height information or an ultra-depth image may not be obtained. In such a case, if only the image in which the problem has occurred can be re-measured and connected to the already synthesized portion, the loss of measurement time can be greatly reduced.
[0011]
An object of the present invention is to provide a confocal microscope system having a mode for manually joining images without using an expensive motorized stage in view of the above-described conventional problems.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The confocal microscope system of the present invention receives light from a sample surface within a measurement range determined by an optical magnification by a light receiving element via a confocal optical system, and based on the received light information, height information and light amount of the sample surface. A confocal microscope system that acquires information and displays an image of a sample surface obtained by processing the acquired information on a screen of a display device, and manually connects a plurality of images generated while shifting a measurement range. In addition, a manual joining mode for generating one composite image is provided, and the screen display of the display device in the manual joining mode includes a first area for displaying a plurality of images, and a plurality of images using a pointing device. And a third area for displaying a combined image obtained by moving the images one by one and joining them together, and a third area for setting joining conditions. The features.
[0013]
According to such a configuration, the user saves the plurality of images generated while shifting the measurement range in advance in the storage device, and manually operates the plurality of images displayed in the first area on the screen. Can be connected in the second area on the screen. Further, the joining condition can be set in advance in the third area on the screen.
[0014]
In a preferred embodiment, it is possible to select which of a plurality of pieces of acquired information including height information and light amount information of the sample surface to display an image of the sample surface obtained by processing in the third region. The visibility at the time of manual joining changes depending on whether an image obtained by processing height information, light amount information, or other information (for example, a color image by a color CCD) is displayed. For example, in the case of a sample having a characteristic concavo-convex shape that is unlikely to appear in a pattern pattern on the surface, using an image obtained by processing height information results in good visibility and high joining accuracy.
[0015]
In another preferred embodiment, whether or not to generate and store a composite image for each of a plurality of types of images generated from a plurality of pieces of acquisition information including height information and light amount information on a sample surface is determined in a third region. Can be set. As a result, not only the currently displayed image type but also other types of images can be generated and stored at the same time. For example, in the case of joining using images obtained by processing light amount information, not only a composite image of an image obtained by processing light amount information, but also an image obtained by processing height information, A composite image of another image can also be generated and stored together.
[0016]
In yet another preferred embodiment, an information table for managing a composite image displayed in the second area is provided, and the information table includes information for specifying an original image constituting the composite image and positional information thereof. This makes it possible to save the information table of the image in the middle of synthesis, read it out, and reuse it. For example, if it is found that only one of a plurality of joined images is a defective image, a composite image at an intermediate stage excluding the one image is stored as an information table, and After correctly re-measuring (re-generating) the images, it is possible to read out the information table, display the composite image in the middle stage, and join the re-generated images. Even if only one image has a defect as in the conventional automatic splicing, it is not necessary to repeat the process of measuring and splicing a plurality of images from the beginning.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a confocal microscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The confocal microscope system 1 includes a confocal microscope having a confocal optical system 2 and a non-confocal optical system 3, a laser driving circuit 44 of the confocal microscope, signal processing circuits 41, 42, 43 from light receiving elements, and an objective lens. A controller including a moving mechanism 40, a controller 46 using a microcomputer, and the like, and a display device 47 and an input device 48 connected to the controller are provided.
[0019]
First, the confocal optical system 2 of the confocal microscope and its signal processing will be described. The confocal optical system 2 includes a light source 10 for irradiating the sample wk with monochromatic light (for example, laser light), a first collimating lens 11, a polarizing beam splitter 12, a quarter-wave plate 13, a horizontal deflection device 14a, and a vertical deflection. The device 14b includes a first relay lens 15, a second relay lens 16, an objective lens 17, an imaging lens 18, a pinhole plate 9, a light receiving element 19, and the like.
[0020]
As the light source 10, for example, a semiconductor laser that emits red laser light is used. Laser light emitted from the light source 10 driven by the laser drive circuit 44 passes through the first collimator lens 11, the optical path is bent by the polarization beam splitter 12, and passes through the 波長 wavelength plate 13. Thereafter, the light is deflected in the horizontal (horizontal) direction and the vertical (vertical) direction by the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b, passes through the first relay lens 15 and the second relay lens 16, and is sampled by the objective lens 17. The light is focused on the surface of the sample wk placed on the stage 30.
[0021]
The horizontal deflecting device 14a and the vertical deflecting device 14b are each formed of a galvanometer mirror, and scan the surface of the sample wk with the laser light by deflecting the laser light in the horizontal and vertical directions. For convenience of description, the horizontal direction is referred to as an X direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as a Y direction. The objective lens 17 is driven in the Z direction (optical axis direction) by the objective lens moving mechanism 40. Thereby, the relative position between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk in the optical axis direction can be changed.
[0022]
However, the relative position in the optical axis direction between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk can be changed by another method. For example, instead of driving the objective lens 17 in the Z-axis direction, the sample stage 30 may be driven in the Z-axis direction. Alternatively, a configuration in which the focal point of the objective lens 17 is moved in the Z-axis direction by inserting a lens whose refractive index changes between the objective lens 17 and the sample wk is also possible. The sample stage 30 can be displaced in the X, Y, and Z directions by manual operation.
[0023]
The laser light reflected by the sample wk reverses the above optical path. That is, the light passes through the objective lens 17, the second relay lens 16, and the first relay lens 15, and again passes through the quarter-wave plate 13 via the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b. As a result, the laser light passes through the polarization beam splitter 12 and is condensed by the imaging lens 18. The condensed laser light passes through the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9 disposed at the focal position of the imaging lens 18 and enters the light receiving element 19. The light receiving element 19 is composed of, for example, a photomultiplier tube (photomultiplier tube) or a photodiode, and converts the amount of received light into an electric signal. The electric signal corresponding to the amount of received light is provided to the first AD converter 41 via an output amplifier and a gain control circuit (not shown), and is converted into a digital value.
[0024]
The height (depth) information of the sample wk can be acquired by the confocal optical system 2 configured as described above. The principle will be briefly described below.
[0025]
As described above, when the objective lens 17 is driven in the Z direction (optical axis direction) by the objective lens moving mechanism 40, the relative distance in the optical axis direction between the focal point of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk changes. When the focal point of the objective lens 17 is focused on the surface of the sample wk, the laser light reflected on the surface of the sample wk is condensed by the imaging lens 18 via the above optical path, and almost all the laser light is It passes through the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9. Therefore, at this time, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is maximized. Conversely, when the focus of the objective lens 17 is shifted from the surface of the sample wk, the laser light condensed by the imaging lens 18 focuses on a position shifted from the pinhole plate 9, so that a part of the laser beam is focused. Only light can pass through the pinhole. As a result, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is significantly reduced.
[0026]
Therefore, if the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is detected at any point on the surface of the sample wk while driving the objective lens 17 in the Z direction (optical axis direction), the objective lens 17 when the amount of received light is maximized is detected. (The relative position between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk in the optical axis direction) can be uniquely obtained as height information.
[0027]
In practice, each time the objective lens 17 is moved by one step (one pitch), the surface of the sample wk is scanned by the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b to obtain the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19. When the objective lens 17 is moved in the Z direction from the lower end to the upper end of the measurement range, light reception amount data that changes according to the Z direction position is obtained for each point (pixel) in the scanning range.
[0028]
FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of received light amount data that changes according to the Z-direction position of the objective lens 17. Based on such received light amount data, the maximum received light amount and the Z-direction position at that time are obtained for each point (pixel). Therefore, the distribution of the surface height of the sample wk on the XY plane is obtained. This process is executed by the control unit 46 using a microcomputer.
[0029]
The obtained surface height distribution information can be displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 47 by several methods. For example, the height distribution (surface shape) of the sample can be displayed three-dimensionally by three-dimensional display. Alternatively, the height data can be converted into luminance data to be displayed as a two-dimensional distribution of brightness. By converting the height data into color difference data, the height distribution can be displayed as a color distribution.
[0030]
Further, a surface image (monochrome image) of the sample wk can be obtained from a luminance signal using the received light amount obtained for each point (pixel) in the XY scanning range as luminance data. If a luminance signal is generated using the maximum amount of received light in each pixel as luminance data, an ultra-deep image with an extremely deep focal depth focused at each point having a different surface height can be obtained. When the height (Z direction position) at which the maximum amount of received light is obtained at an arbitrary target pixel is fixed, the amount of received light of a pixel having a large height difference from the target pixel becomes extremely small. A bright image is obtained only in the portion having the same height as.
[0031]
Next, the non-confocal optical system 3 provided in the confocal microscope and its signal processing will be described. The non-confocal optical system 3 includes a white light source 20, a second collimating lens 21, a first half mirror 22, a second half mirror 23, and a color for irradiating the sample wk with white light (illumination light for capturing a color image). It includes a CCD (image sensor) 24 and the like. In addition, the non-confocal optical system 3 shares the objective lens 17 of the confocal optical system 2, and the optical axes of the two optical systems 1 and 2 partially match.
[0032]
For example, a white lamp is used as the white light source 20, but a special light source may not be provided, and natural light or indoor light may be used. The white light emitted from the white light source 20 passes through the second collimating lens 21, the optical path is bent by the first half mirror 22, and is focused on the surface of the sample wk placed on the sample stage 30 by the objective lens 17. .
[0033]
The white light reflected by the sample wk passes through the objective lens 17, the first half mirror 22, and the second relay lens 16, is reflected by the second half mirror 23, enters the color CCD 24, and forms an image. The color CCD 24 is provided at a position conjugate with or close to the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9 of the confocal optical system 2. The color image picked up by the color CCD 24 is read out by the CCD drive circuit 43, and its analog output signal is given to the second AD converter 42 and converted into a digital value. The color image thus obtained is displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 47 as an enlarged color image for observing the sample wk.
[0034]
Further, the super-depth image obtained by the confocal optical system 2 and the normal color image obtained by the non-confocal optical system 3 are combined to obtain a deep color super-depth with a focal depth substantially in focus at all pixels. Images can also be generated and displayed. For example, a color super-depth image is easily generated by replacing the luminance signal forming the color image obtained by the non-confocal optical system 3 with the luminance signal of the super-depth image obtained by the confocal optical system 2. be able to.
[0035]
The controller including the control unit 46 is also in charge of the processing regarding the color image as described above. An input device 48 such as a console (operation console) and a display device 47 such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or an LCD (liquid crystal display device) are connected to the controller. A pointing device such as a mouse is also connected as the input device 48.
[0036]
Further, the confocal microscope system 1 (controller thereof) of the present embodiment is also provided with an interface for connecting an external computer system such as a personal computer. By connecting an external computer system in which dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is installed to the confocal microscope system 1, processing of acquired image information and height distribution information of the sample wk can be performed seamlessly. It is possible to do.
[0037]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration in which an external computer system 50 is connected to a controller of the confocal microscope system 1. The external computer system 50 includes a display device 51 such as a CRT or an LCD, a keyboard 52, a mouse (may be another pointing device) 53, a communication interface 54 such as an RS232C or a USB (universal serial bus), a processing device (CPU) 55, A main memory 56 as a semiconductor storage medium, a fixed disk device 57 as an auxiliary storage device, and a removable disk device 58 are provided.
[0038]
The dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is supplied in a state stored in a storage medium 59 such as a CD-ROM, and is supplied from the storage medium 59 by a removable disk device 58 such as a CD-ROM drive. It is read and installed in the fixed disk device 57. The program installed in the fixed disk device 57 is loaded into the main memory 56 and executed by the processing device 55.
[0039]
The processing executed by such dedicated software includes processing for setting measurement parameters of the confocal microscope system 1 and processing for generating a composite image by joining a plurality of images obtained as a result of the measurement. include. Hereinafter, a processing mode for manually connecting a plurality of images to generate a composite image (referred to as a manual connecting mode) will be described.
[0040]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display displayed on the display device 51 in the manual joining mode. A lower right area (first area) 61 of the screen display 60 is an area for displaying a plurality of images to be combined. An area (second area) 62 at the upper right of the screen display 60 is an area for displaying a composite image obtained by moving a plurality of images one by one and joining them using a pointing device. An area (third area) 63 on the left side of the screen display 60 is an area for setting a joining condition.
[0041]
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an area 63 for setting a joining condition in the screen display 60 of FIG. In the upper block 70, conditions for creating a patchwork data file (ie, manually creating a composite image file) are set. In the sub-block 71, a reference data type (that is, a type of information used for image synthesis) is selected. Light intensity data, R, G, and B can be selected from four types. The light quantity data means the light reception quantity data of each pixel constituting the above-described super-depth image. R, G, and B represent red, green, and blue, respectively, which are the color components of each pixel in the color image obtained by the above-described non-confocal optical system.
[0042]
In the sub-block 72, the data to be saved (that is, the type of the composite image) can be selected. It is possible to select whether or not to save each of the four types of data, that is, a color raw image, light amount data, color data, and height data. The color raw image means a color image obtained by a non-confocal optical system, the light amount data means the above-mentioned super-depth image, the color data means the above-mentioned color ultra-depth image, and the height data means the above-mentioned color super-depth image It means an image of the distribution information of the surface height.
[0043]
In the sub-block 73, it is possible to select whether to perform the automatic overlay position correction (ON) or not (OFF). The automatic overlapping position correction means image processing for automatically performing fine adjustment of the overlapping position so that the overlapping portions of two adjacent images coincide with each other. Such image processing is a known technique.
[0044]
In the sub-block 74, it is possible to select whether or not to save the above setting conditions as a creation condition setting file. When the "condition file creation" button is clicked with the mouse 53, a creation condition setting file is created and saved. Thereafter, when generating a composite image under the same condition, the condition setting can be easily performed by reading the corresponding creation condition setting file.
[0045]
The “file creation” button 75 is a button that is pressed last when creating a file of a composite image according to a procedure described later. The “end” button 76 is a button pressed when terminating the patchwork data file creation mode.
[0046]
In the lower block 77, a plurality of images and the like (that is, images displayed on the screen) to be used for generating a composite image are selected. The “select folder” button 78 is pressed when specifying a folder (directory) in which a plurality of images and the like used for generating a composite image are stored.
[0047]
In the sub-block 79, a display file type can be selected. One can be selected from a normal measurement data file, a patchwork data file, and a creation condition setting file. The normal measurement data file is a plurality of images used for generating a composite image. The patchwork data file is a file of the generated composite image. It should be noted that the file of the composite image in the middle of reaching the target composite image is also included in the patchwork data file. The creation condition setting file is a setting condition file stored as described above.
[0048]
In the sub-block 80, a display data type (that is, a type of a plurality of images used for generating a composite image) can be selected. One of four types of data, that is, a color raw image, light amount data, color data, and height data can be selected. The color raw image means a color image obtained by a non-confocal optical system, the light amount data means the above-described super-depth image, the color data means the color ultra-depth image, and the height data means the surface height. It means an image of distribution information. When the images are manually joined by an operation described later, the accuracy of the manual joining is increased by selecting the type of the image having the highest visibility (different depending on the sample). For example, in the case of a sample having a characteristic uneven shape that is unlikely to appear in a pattern pattern on the surface, using an image obtained by processing height data improves visibility and improves joining accuracy.
[0049]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for manually joining images. Although this flowchart includes both the operation by the user and the processing executed by the processing device 55 according to the program, the distinction will be clarified in the following description.
[0050]
In step # 101, the user executes the measurement while moving the sample stage at an appropriate pitch in the X direction and the Y direction, and acquires and stores a plurality of images having different measurement ranges. Note that it is necessary to determine the moving pitch of the sample stage so that the ends of adjacent images overlap each other.
[0051]
In step # 102, the user starts the manual splicing mode, and sets the splicing conditions as described above in the third area 63 (see FIG. 5) of the screen display shown in FIG. 4 (step # 103). . In the following step # 104, a plurality of images used for combining (joining) are displayed in the first area 61 of the screen display shown in FIG. In the display example of FIG. 4, images 66 to 69 of the display data type (light amount data) specified in the sub-block 80 of the file stored in the folder specified in the third area 63 are stored in the first area 61. Is displayed. The display data type specified in the sub-block 80 can be changed and set even during the execution of the joining.
[0052]
In the next step # 105, the user drags a plurality of images one by one with the mouse 53 to move to the second area 62, and drops the images at the joint positions. In the display example of FIG. 4, a composite image 64 obtained by connecting three images 66 to 68 displayed in the first area 61 is displayed in the second area 62. Then, a state is displayed in which the fourth image 69 displayed in the first area 61 is dragged to the second area 62 to join the image 65 to the composite image 64.
[0053]
After arranging all the images, in the next step # 106, the user instructs execution of the combination processing. That is, the “file creation” button 75 shown in FIG. 5 is pressed.
[0054]
When the execution of the combining process is instructed, the processing device 55 checks whether or not the automatic superposition correction is turned on in the sub-block 73 shown in FIG. 5 (step # 107). Executes the overlay position automatic correction (step # 108). In the last step # 109, generation, display and storage of a composite image file are executed. One or more synthesized image (data) files selected in the sub-block 72 shown in FIG. 5 are generated and stored. Similarly to the type of image displayed in the first area 61, a composite image of the type specified in the sub-block 80 is displayed in the second area 62.
[0055]
When generating a composite image, it may be found that only one of the plurality of used images has a defect. For example, there is a case where the measurement range is not appropriate and there is no overlap with the adjacent image. Alternatively, since the light reflectance of the surface of the sample greatly differs depending on the location, there may be an image in which the amount of received light is saturated and height information cannot be obtained. In such a case, the image in the middle of the synthesis except for one image having a defect is stored, and after the one image is correctly re-measured (regenerated), the regenerated image is synthesized. Can be connected to the image of the stage.
[0056]
In order to make this possible, an information table (patchwork information table) in which the file name used for synthesis and the position information at the time of synthesis are recorded is used. The image in the middle of synthesis can also be stored as an information table, read out later, displayed on the screen (second area 62), and reused.
[0057]
FIG. 7 is a chart showing an example of the structure of the patchwork information table 81. The patchwork information table 81 is a table for storing the file names of a plurality of images used for combination, the positional relationship between the images, and the positional relationship between the images finally combined.
[0058]
In FIG. 7, the automatic / manual flag indicates the means of synthesizing, and is "0" for manual operation and "1" for automatic operation. The total number of synthesized images is the number of registered images (images used for synthesis). The number of horizontal composite images is the number of images connected in the horizontal direction. The number of vertically synthesized images is the number of images connected in the vertical direction. The automatic correction flag indicates the presence or absence of the above-described automatic correction of the overlapping position, and is “0” when there is no automatic correction, and is “1” when there is automatic correction. The synthesis source indicates the type of data used for synthesizing the image (corresponding to the sub-block 71 in FIG. 5). The luminance (light amount data) is “0”, R (red data) is 1, G (green data) is 2, and B (blue data) is 3.
[0059]
The reduction flag becomes “1” when the number of pixels in the vertical or horizontal direction exceeds 4096, and is “0” otherwise. The size of the composite image (X direction) and the size of the composite image (Y direction) are the number of pixels in the X direction or the Y direction of the composite image. The X position of the composite image and the Y position of the composite image are positional information of the upper left corner of the composite image viewed from the upper left corner of the upper left image. The directory name storage position is storage position information of the directory name viewed from the top of the information table 81.
[0060]
The image position (X direction) and the image position (Y direction) are position information of the upper left corner of each image viewed from the upper left corner of the upper left image. The position of the image and the registered position are irrelevant. The unit is a pixel. The file name storage position is storage position information of the file name of each image viewed from the top of the information table 81. Following the directory name, the file name is stored in order. The image position (X direction), the image position (Y direction), and the file name storage position are repeated by the number of synthesized images (the number of images used for synthesis). Of the directory name and file name, the directory name is stored with a full path. The file names are subsequently stored in the order of registration.
[0061]
In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is installed in the external computer system 50, and the process of manually joining images is performed on a computer screen. Is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, a control program stored in a storage medium such as a ROM built in a controller of the confocal microscope system 1 incorporates a program for manually joining images as in the above-described embodiment, and a display provided as standard equipment in the confocal microscope system 1. Manual stitching of images may be performed using the device 47 and the input device 48.
[0062]
Further, in order to acquire the height information of the surface of the sample wk by the confocal optical system 2, the sample stage 30 may be moved up and down instead of moving (moving up and down) the objective lens 17 in the Z direction. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various forms.
[0063]
For example, the scanning of the sample by light is not limited to two-dimensional scanning using horizontal deflection and vertical deflection, and various scanning methods can be considered. For example, two-dimensional scanning can be performed by generating elongated light (slit light) in the X direction using a cylindrical lens and deflecting the light in the Y direction.
[0064]
Although the confocal microscope of the above embodiment is a reflection type microscope, the present invention can also be applied to a transmission type confocal microscope. In the case of a transmission microscope, laser light of a confocal optical system and white light of a non-confocal optical system are irradiated from the back surface of the sample. The light source of the confocal optical system may be a monochromatic light source including a laser light source, or may include a plurality of wavelengths. The light source of the non-confocal optical system can be replaced by natural light or room light.
[0065]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the confocal microscope system provided with the manual joining mode of images of the present invention, the user saves a plurality of images generated while shifting the measurement range in advance in the storage device. In addition, a plurality of images displayed in a first area on a screen of a computer can be joined by a manual operation in a second area on the screen.
[0066]
In addition, images can be connected by processing an image obtained by processing height information peculiar to a confocal microscope or an image obtained by processing light amount information. The conditions for connection can be set in a third area on the screen. can do.
[0067]
Further, it is possible to store an information table of an image in the middle of synthesis, read it out, and reuse it. Thereby, when it is determined that only one of the plurality of joined images is defective, the image can be efficiently repaired.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a confocal microscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an example of received light amount data that changes according to the Z-direction position of an objective lens.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example in which an external computer system is connected to a controller of the confocal microscope system.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display displayed on a display device in a manual joining mode.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a region for setting a joining condition in the screen display of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for manually joining images.
FIG. 7 is a chart showing an example of the structure of a patchwork information table.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 confocal microscope system 2 confocal optical system 19 light receiving element 47, 51 display device 53 mouse (pointing device)
57 storage device 60 screen display in manual splicing mode 61 first area 62 second area 63 third area 50 external computer system 81 patchwork information table (information table for managing composite images)

Claims (4)

Light from the sample surface within the measurement range determined by the optical magnification is received by the light receiving element via the confocal optical system, and height information and light amount information of the sample surface are obtained based on the received light information, and the obtained information is obtained. A confocal microscope system that displays an image of the sample surface obtained by processing on a screen of a display device,
A manual splicing mode in which a plurality of images generated while shifting the measurement range are stored in a storage device, and the plurality of images read from the storage device are spliced by a manual operation to generate one composite image. With
A screen display of the display device in the manual splicing mode includes a first area for displaying the plurality of images, and a synthesized image obtained by moving the plurality of images one by one using a pointing device and joining the images. And a third region for setting a joining condition. In the third region, it is possible to select which of a plurality of pieces of acquired information including height information and light amount information of the sample surface to display an image of the sample surface obtained by processing. The confocal microscope system according to claim 1, wherein It is possible to set in the third area whether or not to generate and store a composite image for each of a plurality of types of images generated from a plurality of pieces of acquisition information including height information and light amount information of the sample surface. The confocal microscope system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: An information table for managing a composite image displayed in the second area is provided, and the information table includes information for specifying an original image constituting the composite image and positional information thereof. Item 6. A confocal microscope system according to item 1, 2 or 3.

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