JP2953075B2 - A microscope for displaying data obtained by scanning the vicinity of a sample with a probe and its image measurement method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microscope for displaying data obtained by scanning the vicinity of a sample with a probe, and a method of measuring the image thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A scanning tunneling microscope (hereinafter, referred to as an STM) controls a probe so as to maintain a constant tunnel current while scanning the surface of a sample, measures the height of the probe, and obtains a microscope image. It is a measuring means to obtain. As a means for displaying the measured data, there are a method of directly displaying analog data as it is on a storage oscilloscope, and a method of converting a measured value into a digital signal, inputting it to a computer, and outputting it to a display device such as a CRT. When a computer is used, there is an advantage that recorded image data can be easily calculated and processed numerically. Conventionally, in this measurement, one microscope image is measured and then displayed on a CRT or the like, or the measurement point is output to a CRT or the like every time one pixel of the microscope image is measured.

[0003]

In the conventional method, in order to view an image during the measurement of a microscope image in a system for measuring using a computer, an output device such as a CRT is required.
Since the output is performed every time the pixel is measured, there is a problem that the measurement time per one image becomes long.

An object of the present invention is to provide high-speed STM image processing,
An object of the present invention is to provide a display method.

[0005]

In the STM, the height of the probe is measured only in one way of the reciprocating movement of the probe during scanning. The movement of the needle in the direction in which this measurement is performed is referred to as scan A, and the other movement is referred to herein as scan B. During the scan B, the data at the measurement point measured in the previous scan A is represented by C
It is characterized by outputting to an output device such as an RT.

[0006]

The scanning B without measurement is performed at the same speed as the scanning A in the measurement direction. Therefore, during the scan B, the computer has a waiting time corresponding to the time required for the measurement of the scan A. Using this waiting time, the CRT at the measurement point
Output to the image output device during scanning B, so that even if an image is displayed during measurement, one microscope image can be measured in the same time as the measurement time when conventionally performed without displaying. You can do it.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a processing flow of a measuring method using a scanning tunneling microscope according to the present invention. x,
y is a direction parallel to the surface of the observation sample and perpendicular to each other, and M and N are the number of pixels measured in the x and y directions, respectively. D is the distance between adjacent pixels. A (i, j) is an array in the computer.

For observation of the sample, the probe is reciprocally scanned in the x direction,
TV scanning is performed by advancing in the y direction for each row. During one-way scanning (scan A) of the reciprocating movement of the probe scanning in the x direction, the data of each pixel at the measurement point of the microscope is taken into the computer by the A / D converter, and
Put in the array of (i, j). Next, during the scanning in the opposite direction (scanning B) in the x direction, the captured data for one line was output to the CRT as point brightness for each point, and the microscope image was output to the CRT during measurement. . The number of pixels for measurement is M ×
At N, the field of view of the microscope was dM × dN, and the measurement results were stored in array A (i, j) in the computer.

[0009]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the STM measurement, a microscope image measured during the measurement is displayed, and the processing can be performed at a higher speed than in the past.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow of STM measurement according to the present invention.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Data obtained by scanning the vicinity of a sample with a probe is obtained.
Oite the microscope image measuring method of displaying images, capture the data during the scanning of one direction of the reciprocating operation of the probe, sensible, characterized in that for the image display of the data between the other one direction of the scan Microscopic image measurement. 2. The data obtained by scanning the vicinity of a sample with a probe is
In a microscope to display an image, the reciprocating operation of the probe
Means for storing data obtained during one-way scanning of
The data is calculated during the scanning of the probe in the other direction.
Processing means for processing, and an image of the result of the processing
And a display means for displaying.
mirror.