Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Takahito Hashimoto

Kuniyasu Nakamura

Shigeto Isakozawa

Masanari Koguchi

Ruriko Tsuneta

Mikio Ichihashi

Hiroshi Kakibayashi

Hiromi Inada

Yuji Sato

Takashi Kubo

Toshie Yaguchi

Mitsuru Onuma

Norio Baba

Koichirou Saito

Disclosed is image processing: that significantly reduces false images and missing images in reconstructed images, improves reconstruction accuracy; and that can be applied to objects to be observed that are composed of a plurality of components, and to samples having an unknown number of structural compositions. An image processing device is provided with: a means, in an electron microscope having an imaging device and a tilting device that tilts an object to be observed, for tilting said object to be observed in an angle step, and storing the obtained tiled image; a means for aligning the position of said tilted images; a means for generating an initial reconstructed image based on said tilted images; a means for projecting said initial reconstructed image at arbitrarily-defined angles and generating a plurality of projected images; a means for calculating errors in the corresponding pixels between the tilted images and the projection images; a means for determining a processing priority from said errors; a means for calculating the density for each gradation level; a means for determining the processing priority from said densities; and a means for changing the density value of each pixel in the initial reconstructed image in each of the above-mentioned priorities.

Image processing method, image processing system, and X-ray computed tomography system

Electron microscope

Magnification errors are reduced in the required range of magnification in electric charged particle beam application apparatuses and critical dimension measurement instruments. To achieve this, a first image, whose magnification for the specimen is actually measured, is recorded, a second image, whose magnification for the specimen is unknown, is recorded, and the magnification of the second image for the first image is analyzed by using image analysis. Thereby, the magnification of the second image for the specimen is actually measured. Then, magnification is actually measured in the whole range of magnification by repeating the magnification analysis described above by taking the second image as the first image. Actually measuring the magnification of images for the specimen in the whole range of magnification and calibrating the same permits a reduction of magnification errors by a digit.

Electric charged particle beam microscopy, electric charged particle beam microscope, critical dimension measurement and critical dimension measurement system

A scanning transmission electron microscope for scanning a primary electron beam on a sample, detecting a transmitted electron from the sample by a detector, and forming an image of the transmitted electron. The scanning transmission electron microscope includes an electron-optics system which enables switching back the transmitted electron beam to the optical axis by a predetermined quantity, and a determining unit for determining the quantity based on a displacement of the transmitted electron with respect to the detector caused by the scanning of the primary electron beam.

Scanning transmission electron microscope and scanning transmission electron microscopy

A scanning transmission electron microscope which enhances correction accuracy of a de-scanning coil for canceling a transmitted-electron-beam position change on an electron detector. Here, this transmitted-electron-beam position change appears in accompaniment with a primary-electron-beam position change on a specimen caused by a scanning coil. First, control over the scanning coil is digitized. Moreover, while being synchronized with a digital control signal resulting from this digitization, values in a de-scanning table registered in a FM() are outputted to the de-scanning coil. Here, the de-scanning table is created as follows: Diffraction images before and after activating the scanning coil and the de-scanning coil are photographed using a camera. Then, based on a result acquired by analyzing a resultant displacement quantity of the diffraction images by the image processing, the de-scanning table is created.

A scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has an electron source for generating a primary electron beam and an electron illuminating lens system for converging the primary electron beam from the electron source onto a specimen for illumination. An electron deflecting system is provided for scanning the specimen with the primary electron beam. The STEM also has a scattered electron detector for detecting scattered electrons transmitted through the specimen. A projection lens system projects the scattered electrons onto a detection surface of the scattered electron detector. An image displaying device displays the scanning transmission electron microscope image of the specimen using a detection signal from the scattered electron detector. A detection angle changing device for establishes the range of the scattering angle of the scattered electrons detected by the scattered electron detector. This structure enhances the contrast of a desired portion of the specimen under observation for a scanning transmitted image by selective establishment of detection angle ranges for the scattered electron detector.

Method and apparatus for scanning transmission electron microscopy

An electron microscope and positioning method comprises a stage, an objective lens, a magnifying lens, a magnification setting the magnifying lens, a stage mover for mechanically moving the stage in two directions defining a two dimensional space so as to move a visual field of the speciment and a electrical shifting device which is disposed on opposite sides of an axis of rotation about which the image is rotated through an angle in the two dimensional directions so as to move the visual field in fine increments. The objective lens rotates the electron beam through the angle. A control panel sets the moving distance and moving direction of the stage mover and the electrical shifting device, and a computer selects the stage mover or the electrical shifting device according to the magnification setting and controls the stage mover or the electrical shifting device according to the moving distance and the moving direction. The stage mover and the electrical shifting device are automatically and selectively controlled by the control panel according to the magnification setting without changing the moving direction of the specimen image displayed in an image observing device.

Growing community of inventors

Hitachinaka, Japan

Takahito Hashimoto