JPH0652817A - Automatic brightness/contrast adjusting device for scanning type electron microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the operation by stopping the adjustment of automatic brightness/contrast adjusting means when either of manual brightness/contrast adjusting means being operated. CONSTITUTION:When brightness or contrast is manually adjusted during measurement, brightness/contrast adjusting knobs 31 and 32 are turned. Accordingly, brightness/contrast adjusting knob operation detecting circuits 33 and 34 are operated so that a change-over switch 36 is changed, automatically resulting in an manual adjustment state, via an OR-circuit 35. When the manual adjustment is finished and knobs 31 and 32 are stopped, the switch 36 returns to an automatic state, and the adjusted value is measured by a level measuring part 14 and is stored in brightness/contrast target value storing parts 11 and 15. When being changed to an automatic state again, an automatic adjustment is performed based on a new target value. Thus, manual operation of the change-over switch is unnecessary.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scanning electron microscope equipped with an automatic brightness adjusting device and an automatic contrast adjusting device, and in the case of automatically adjusting the target values of brightness and contrast, the manual adjusting operation is performed. The present invention relates to an automatic brightness contrast adjustment device for a scanning electron microscope, in which automatic adjustment can be temporarily stopped and the target value can be easily set manually.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a brightness and contrast adjusting circuit of a conventional scanning electron microscope, for example, there is one as shown in FIG. The output of the secondary electron detector 1 for detecting the secondary electrons emitted from the sample is amplified by the PMT 2 and further amplified by the preamplifier 3. Then, a DC signal is generated from the brightness value storage section described later, and is combined through the brightness setting circuit 4 and input to the CRT 5.

On the other hand, in order to automatically adjust the brightness of the sample image, the brightness setting value calculation unit 12 calculates the brightness based on the brightness target value storage unit 11, and the brightness setting value storage unit 13 stores the brightness in the D / A converter. By performing D / A conversion at 41, a DC component is output. Then, the DC signal is superimposed on the output signal output from the preamplifier 3 by the adding circuit 42, and is combined to form an image signal, which is converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 43 and input to the frame memory 44. Further, it is converted into an analog form by the D / A converter 45 and input to the CRT 5 for display.

The brightness component in the frame memory 44 is detected by the brightness contrast level measuring unit 14, and the brightness target value storage unit 11 is detected.
The brightness component is fed back to adjust the brightness, the contrast component is also detected by the brightness contrast level measuring unit 14, is fed back to the contrast target value storage unit 15, and is calculated by the contrast setting value calculating unit 16, which is the contrast. The contrast value of the sample image is stored in the set value storage unit 17 and is input to the PMT 2 from the high voltage generation circuit 19 of the contrast adjustment circuit via the D / A converter 18.

When changing the value of the brightness target value storage unit 11 or the contrast target value storage unit 15, however, the switching switch 10 of FIG. 2 is switched to the manual side, and the brightness setting knobs 21 at the upper and lower portions of the drawing are changed. The contrast setting knob 22 is manually rotated to adjust the brightness and contrast setting values, and then the switching switch 10 is switched to the automatic side.

When the switching switch 10 is switched to "manual", the output of the brightness contrast level measuring section 14 is not fed back by comparing with the target value, but the brightness level measured value is stored in the brightness target value storage section. 11. The contrast level measurement value is stored in the contrast target value storage unit 15. Then, when switched to "automatic" again, the brightness target value storage unit 1
First, the brightness and the contrast are automatically adjusted based on the values stored in the target contrast value storage unit 15.

[0007]

By the way, in such a conventional brightness and contrast automatic adjusting device, when the manual adjustment is performed, the changeover switch 10 is manually changed to the "manual" state. After that, the brightness setting knob 21 and the contrast setting knob 22 are rotated for adjustment, and when the adjustment is completed, the switching switch 10 must be manually returned to the "automatic" state. The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and it is not necessary to manually change the switching switch group to start the adjustment, and the manual operation of returning the switching switch group to the original state after the adjustment is performed. An object is to obtain an automatic brightness contrast adjusting device for a scanning electron microscope which is not necessary.

[0008]

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has, as its constitution, a manual brightness adjusting means for manually adjusting the brightness of a sample image and a manual contrast adjustment of the sample image. Manual contrast adjusting means for performing, a target value storing means for storing the brightness target value and the contrast target value, an automatic brightness adjusting means for automatically adjusting the brightness of the sample image based on the brightness target value, and the contrast target. An automatic contrast adjusting means for automatically adjusting the contrast of the sample image based on the value, an operation detecting means for detecting whether the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting means is operated, and the operation detecting means. Depending on the manual brightness adjusting means or the hand When it is detected that one of contrast adjustment means is operated, it was decided to have an adjustment stop means for stopping both adjustment of the automatic brightness adjustment means and the automatic contrast adjusting means.

Further, the automatic brightness contrast adjusting device has the manual brightness adjusting means and the level measuring means for measuring the respective values of the brightness and the contrast adjusted by the manual contrast adjusting means, and the level measured by the level measuring means. A target value changing unit that changes the brightness target value and the contrast target value of the target value storage unit according to a measured value is provided, and the automatic brightness contrast adjusting device further includes the manual brightness adjusting unit or the manual contrast adjusting unit. When the manual adjustment of the means is completed, the automatic brightness adjusting means and the automatic contrast adjusting means perform adjustment based on the brightness target value and the contrast target value changed by the target value changing means. Was Rukoto.

[0010]

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described. In the scanning electron microscope equipped with the automatic brightness contrast adjusting device, when the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting means is going to be manually adjusted, the operation detecting means operates the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting means. Is detected. As either of them has been activated, the adjustment stop means has activated,
The adjustment of both the automatic brightness adjusting means and the automatic contrast adjusting means is stopped. Further, the target value changing means changes the brightness target value and the contrast target value of the target value storing means according to the level measured value by the level measuring means. When the manual adjustment is completed, the automatic brightness adjusting means and the automatic contrast adjusting means make adjustments based on the brightness target value and the contrast target value changed by the target value changing means.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention. The output of a secondary electron detector 1 for detecting secondary electrons emitted from a sample is amplified by a PMT 2 and further amplified by a preamplifier 3. Then, a DC signal is generated from a brightness setting unit, which will be described later, and is combined through the brightness setting circuit 4 and input to the CRT 5.

On the other hand, in order to automatically adjust the brightness of the sample image, the brightness setting value calculation unit 12 calculates the brightness based on the brightness target value storage unit 11, and the brightness setting value storage unit 13 stores the direct current component. To be done. Then, in order to obtain the image signal displayed on the CRT 5, the signal output from the preamplifier 3 is input to the brightness setting circuit 4. Further, the DC signal for brightness adjustment is applied to the DA converter 4 of the brightness setting circuit 4.
1 is converted into an analog signal, and the addition circuit 42 superimposes it on the signal from the preamplifier 3 to synthesize an image signal, which is again converted into a digital value by the AD converter 43 and input to the frame memory 44. It is converted into an analog form and input to the CRT 5 for display.

The brightness component in the frame memory 44 is detected by the brightness contrast level measuring unit 14 and the brightness target value storage unit 11 is detected.
The brightness is adjusted by adjusting the brightness, the contrast component is also detected by the brightness contrast level measuring unit 14, is fed back to the contrast target value storage unit 15 and is calculated by the contrast setting value calculating unit 16, and the contrast is calculated. The contrast value of the sample image is stored in the set value storage unit 17 and is input to the PMT 2 from the high voltage generation circuit 19 of the contrast adjustment circuit via the DA converter 18. The process up to this point is the same as that of the conventional technique shown in FIG.

Next, in order to change the brightness or contrast during the measurement, the brightness adjustment knob 31 similar to the prior art is used as a manual brightness adjustment means for manually adjusting the brightness of the sample image, and the contrast adjustment of the sample image is manually performed. As a manual contrast adjusting means, a contrast adjusting knob 3 similar to that of the prior art
2 and are provided. Then, a brightness adjustment knob operation detection device 33 that detects that the brightness adjustment knob 31 has been activated, and a contrast adjustment knob operation detection device 34 that detects that the contrast adjustment knob 32 has been activated.
And.

The brightness adjusting knob operation detecting device 33 or the contrast adjusting knob operation detecting device 34.
OR circuit 3 which is activated by the activation of any one of
5, a switching switch 36 corresponding to the conventional switching switch 10 is provided to switch the operation of the automatic brightness contrast adjusting device from the automatic adjustment state to the manual adjustment state by operating the logical sum circuit 35. The automatic brightness contrast adjusting device includes a brightness contrast level measuring unit 14, a brightness setting value calculation unit 12, a brightness setting value storage unit 13, a contrast setting value calculation unit 16 and a contrast setting value storage unit 17.

When attempting to manually adjust the brightness or contrast when performing measurement with a scanning electron microscope, the brightness adjustment knob 31 or the contrast is suddenly changed without first manually switching the switching switch as in the conventional case. The adjustment knob 32 is rotated in the direction to be adjusted. Then, accordingly, the brightness adjustment knob operation detection device 33 or the contrast adjustment knob operation detection device 34 operates, and the OR circuit 25 operates due to the operation of either of them. As a result, the changeover switch 36 is changed over so that the manual adjustment is automatically performed. When the manual adjustment is completed and the adjustment of the brightness adjustment knob 31 or the contrast adjustment knob 32 is stopped, the changeover switch 36 is changed to the automatic state and immediately returns to the original state.

Then, the brightness setting knob 31
Alternatively, the brightness and contrast level adjusted by the contrast adjustment knob 32 are measured by the brightness contrast level measurement unit 14, the brightness level measured value is stored in the brightness target value storage unit 11, and the contrast level measured value is stored in the contrast target value. Part 1
Stored in 5. Then, when the mode is switched to "automatic" again, the brightness and the contrast are automatically adjusted based on the new target value of the brightness contrast that is adjusted and measured during the manual adjustment.

In the above embodiment, the automatic brightness contrast adjusting device uses a digital circuit, but it may be an analog circuit, and a circuit for storing and calculating the brightness contrast is not always required. Needless to say, the circuit is not limited to the circuits described in the embodiments.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the manual brightness adjusting means for manually adjusting the brightness of the sample image, the manual contrast adjusting means for manually adjusting the contrast of the sample image, and the brightness target value. And a target value storage means for storing a contrast target value, an automatic brightness adjusting means for automatically adjusting the brightness of the sample image based on the brightness target value, and a contrast of the sample image automatically based on the contrast target value. Automatic contrast adjusting means for adjustment, operation detecting means for detecting whether the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting means is operated, and the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting by the operation detecting means. Either means When it has been detected that is,
Since the adjustment stop means for stopping the adjustment of both the automatic brightness adjustment means and the automatic contrast adjustment means is provided, it is necessary to perform a manual switching operation of the switching switch in order to start the brightness adjustment or the contrast adjustment manually. In addition, there is no need for a manual operation for returning the switching switch group to the original state even after the adjustment, and the operation is simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic brightness / contrast adjustment device for a scanning electron microscope showing the configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional automatic brightness contrast adjusting device for a scanning electron microscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Brightness target value storage unit 15 Contrast target value storage unit (target value storage means) 12 Brightness set value calculation unit 13 Brightness set value storage unit 14 Brightness contrast level measurement unit 16 Contrast set value calculation unit 17 Contrast set value storage unit (Brightness Contrast adjusting device) 31 Brightness adjusting knob (manual brightness adjusting means) 32 Contrast adjusting knob (manual contrast adjusting means) 33 Brightness adjusting knob operation detecting device 34 Contrast adjusting knob operation detecting device (operation detecting device) 36 Switching device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A manual brightness adjusting means for manually adjusting the brightness of a sample image, a manual contrast adjusting means for manually adjusting the contrast of a sample image, and a target value storage means for storing a brightness target value and a contrast target value. An automatic brightness adjusting unit that automatically adjusts the brightness of the sample image based on the brightness target value; an automatic contrast adjusting unit that automatically adjusts the contrast of the sample image based on the contrast target value; and the manual brightness An operation detection unit that detects whether the adjustment unit or the manual contrast adjustment unit is operated, and the operation detection unit detects that either the manual brightness adjustment unit or the manual contrast adjustment unit is operated. When the above An automatic brightness contrast adjusting device for a scanning electron microscope, comprising: an automatic brightness adjusting means and an adjusting stopping means for stopping adjustment of both the automatic contrast adjusting means. 2. The automatic brightness contrast adjusting apparatus for a scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, further comprising: the manual brightness adjusting means and a level measuring means for measuring respective brightness and contrast values adjusted by the manual contrast adjusting means. An automatic brightness contrast of a scanning electron microscope, which has a target value changing unit that changes the brightness target value and the contrast target value of the target value setting unit according to the level measurement value by the level measuring unit. Adjustment device. 3. The automatic brightness contrast adjusting device for a scanning electron microscope according to claim 1,
When the adjustment of the manual brightness adjusting means or the manual contrast adjusting means is completed, the automatic brightness adjusting means and the automatic contrast adjusting means are based on the brightness target value and the contrast target value changed by the target value changing means. And an automatic brightness contrast adjusting device for a scanning electron microscope.