JPH08203464A - Scanning electron microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make intuitive operation easy and enhance operational capability by switching image observation operation and operation for processing an image data stored in a frame memory with the same knob. CONSTITUTION: On usual image observation, an operation switching switch 21 is connected to an N side, and image control and an observation condition are set with a knob in a console 20 for observation magnification, observation position, and contrast. The observation position is controlled with either one of an electromagnetic visual field moving coil 5 and a motor stage 12. When a desired image is obtained, an operator pushes a freeze switch and stores an image data of a frame in a frame memory 15. When the freeze of the image is finished, the operation of the nob becomes invalid. Thereupon, a CPU 22 connects the operation switching switch 21 to a P side, the image data moves to a processing mode, and the previously set operation is allocated to the knob. Since the image is varied same as usual observation, the operator can process the image data in a short time without learning special operating technique.

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 operating method for storing image data using a frame memory and processing the image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general structure of a scanning electron microscope will be described with reference to FIG. A general configuration of the scanning electron microscope is a state in which there is no operation changeover switch 21 in the figure, and the switch N side shown in the figure is fixed. In the figure, 1 is an electron gun, 2 is an electron beam,
3 is a converging lens for converging the electron beam 2, 4 is a deflection coil for deflecting and scanning the electron beam 2 in the X direction and the Y direction, 5 is an electromagnetic field moving coil for translating the electron beam 2, Reference numeral 6 is an objective lens, 7 to 10 are control circuits for each lens and coil, 11 is a sample, 12 is a motor stage for moving the sample 11 in the X and Y directions, and 13 is a detector for secondary electrons, reflected electrons and the like. . The signal detected by the detector 13 is A
The signal is converted into a digital signal by the / D converter 14 and stored in the frame memory 15. The image data in the frame memory 15 is output at the TV rate under the control of the address control circuit 16, the gradation is converted by the lookup table 18, and the image is displayed on the monitor 19. This series of controls is CP
Controlled by U22, console 20 or keyboard 23
It is controlled according to the user's instruction from.

In the scanning electron microscope apparatus configured as described above, the user monitors the magnified image on the sample 11 by the monitor 19
However, it has become common in recent years to perform image data processing by using the image data stored in the frame memory 15 by a freeze operation to help the image observation. Examples of image data processing include partial enlargement processing by controlling the frame memory 15 and its address control circuit 16, a so-called memory image zoom function,
The gradation conversion using the look-up table 18 and the smoothing and enhancement of the image by the spatial filter circuit 17 are performed. Conventionally, many of the operation methods for performing the image data processing imitate a general-purpose image processing apparatus, and a method of inputting a command using the keyboard 23 and selecting an item or a parameter using an operation menu is generally used.

[0004]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, the knob and switch operations, which are normal image observing operations, are completely different from the image data processing operation, and the user has two operation methods. I had to remember it, and it took a long time to operate, which made me feel uncomfortable.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to perform a normal image observation operation and an image data processing operation with the same knob or switch so that the operation is intuitive and easy. It is to provide a good scanning electron microscope.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the image observing operation and the operation of processing the image data stored in the frame memory, the respective functions or results are similar to each other. A means for switching the operation with the same knob or switch was provided. The operation items include partial enlargement magnification for the observation magnification, partial enlargement position for the observation position, contrast, gradation conversion using a look-up table for brightness, spatial filter processing for focus, and the like. Further, since the switching operation is also used as the image freeze operation, it is not necessary to be aware of the switching.

[0007]

The image data processing operation can be intuitively performed in a short time, that is, the operability can be greatly improved.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a scanning electron microscope which realizes the operation switching according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an example of a knob and a switch of an operation console 20. During normal image observation, the operation changeover switch 21 is connected to the N (NORMAL) side, and the operation console 2
0 observation magnification (MAG.), Observation position (SHIFT), contrast (CONTRAST), brightness (BRIGHT.), Focus
Use the knob such as (FOCUS) to adjust the image and set the observation conditions. Although FIG. 2 is an example of the knobs, the same applies to the up and down key switches. The observation position (SH
The control of the IFT) may be either the control of the electromagnetic field moving coil 5 or the motor stage 12.

Next, when the desired image is obtained, the operator presses the freeze switch to freeze the image, that is, store the image data of one frame in the frame memory 15. When the image freeze is completed, the above knob operation is normally invalid, and when post-processing such as image data processing, it is common to perform menu operation using a keyboard or command input. is there.

According to the present invention, at the end of the freeze of the image, C
The PU 22 connects the operation changeover switch 21 to the P (PROCESS) side, shifts to the image data processing mode, and assigns a preset operation to the knob. The setting of the operation changeover switch 21 may be changed not when the image is frozen but when the dedicated mode changeover switch is pressed. When the knob is operated, the knob operation is assigned in the image data processing mode by setting the change in the image resulting from the processing to be similar to that of the operation of the knob during normal observation. Moreover, the image changes as if it were during normal observation, and the operator can perform desired image data processing in a short time without having to learn a special operation method.

The assignment of the operation to the knob is as follows.
The following can be considered. First, for the observation magnification, the partial magnification of the memory image zoom function, for the observation position, the partial magnification position of the memory image zoom function, for the contrast, and for the brightness, a conversion table for gradation conversion using a lookup table. The gradient table, the shift amount, and the focus are, for example, the selection of the coefficient table in the spatial filter processing.

[0012]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.

That is, it is possible to perform a time-consuming image data processing operation as in the case of real-time image observation by an operation similar to the knob operation during normal observation. That is, it becomes possible to provide a scanning electron microscope with greatly improved operability of image data processing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a scanning electron microscope that realizes operation switching according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation console in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electron gun, 2 ... Electron beam, 3 ... Converging lens, 4 ... Deflection coil, 5 ... Electromagnetic field moving coil, 6 ... Objective lens, 7
... Converging lens control circuit, 8 ... Deflection coil control circuit, 9 ...
Electromagnetic field moving coil control circuit, 10 ... Objective lens control circuit, 11 ... Sample, 12 ... Motor stage, 13 ... Detector, 14 ... A / D converter, 15 ... Frame memory,
16 ... Address control circuit, 17 ... Spatial filter circuit, 1
8 ... Look-up table, 19 ... Monitor, 20 ... Console, 21 ... Operation changeover switch, 22 ... Control CPU, 2
3 ... Keyboard.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An electron gun, a converging lens for narrowing down an electron beam generated from the electron gun, a deflection coil for two-dimensionally scanning an electron beam converged by the converging lens on a sample, and an electron beam In a scanning electron microscope equipped with a detector that detects electrons emitted from the sample by irradiation, and a frame memory that stores a signal detected by the detector as a digital signal and then stores the image data in the scanning electron microscope. A scanning electron microscope having a console provided with a means for switching the operation of processing the image data stored in the memory with the same knob or switch. 2. The image observing operation and the operation for processing the image data stored in the frame memory according to claim 1, the magnification, the observing position, the contrast, the brightness,
A scanning electron microscope having a focus. 3. The magnification changing means for observing the image is control of the deflection coil, and the image data processing for the means is a two-dimensional partial enlargement or reduction of a recorded image of the frame memory. And a scanning electron microscope. 4. The position changing means for image observation according to claim 1 or 2, which is a control of an electromagnetic field moving coil or a movement of a sample stage, and image data processing corresponding thereto is a display position of a recorded image in the frame memory. And a scanning electron microscope. 5. The contrast / brightness changing means for image observation according to claim 1 or 2, which is an amplification factor and level control of the detector, and the image data processing corresponding thereto is performed by setting a set value of a display look-up table. A scanning electron microscope characterized by being a modification. 6. The focus changing means for image observation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the focus changing means is for controlling an objective lens, and the image data processing for the means is for controlling a spatial filtering coefficient of a recorded image in the frame memory. A scanning electron microscope. 7. The scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein the switching between the image observation operation and the operation for processing the image data stored in the frame memory is an image freeze operation.