Complex type microscopic device

• US 20100091362A1
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Horiba Limited
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Nunokawa, Kazuo, Isozaki, Hisashi, Ohtomo, Fumio
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/369
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/367 providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/226 Optical arrangements for illuminating the object; optical arrangements for collecting light from the object
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/228 whereby illumination and light collection take place in the same area of the discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/28 with scanning beams H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence

Abstract

A complex type microscopic device includes a slider unit moving a stage, an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope with an electron axis intersecting with an optical axis of the optical microscope, an optical measurement/observation unit having a magnification between those of the scanning electron microscope and the optical microscope and co-using an objective lens with the optical microscope, and a control unit controlling the entire device, and a display unit having a display screen. During display of a low-magnification optical microscopic image, the control unit controls the display unit to display, on the image, a representation to designate an area to be observed at a magnification of the optical measurement/observation unit, and to display, on the image, another representation to designate an area to be observed at a magnification of the scanning electron microscope during display of a high-magnification optical microscopic image.

Claims

1. A complex type microscopic device comprising:

a slider unit which moves, along a horizontal plane, a stage on which a sample is placed;

an optical microscope which has an optical axis parallel to a vertical direction in an area in which the stage is moved by the slider unit;

a scanning electron microscope which has an electron axis intersecting with the optical axis on the stage;

an optical measurement/observation unit having a magnification intermediate between magnifications of the scanning electron microscope and the optical microscope, and co-using an objective lens with the optical microscope;

a control unit which generates an image from image data on the sample obtained with each of the optical measurement/observation unit, the scanning electron microscope, and the optical microscope, and which controls the slider unit to move the stage; and

a display unit which includes a display screen on which the image is displayed under control of the control unit, wherein;

during display of a low-magnification optical microscopic image obtained with the optical microscope on the display screen, the control unit controls the display unit to display, on the low-magnification optical microscopic image, a first representation to designate an area to be observed at the magnification of the optical measurement/observation unit; and

during display of a high-magnification optical microscopic image obtained with the optical measurement/observation unit on the display screen, the control unit controls the display unit to display, on the high-magnification optical microscopic image, a second representation to designate an area to be observed at the magnification of the scanning electron microscope.

2. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the slider unit to move the stage by an amount obtained by converting a direction and an interval between two arbitrary points on the display screen into a direction and an interval on the stage.

3. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction element with which an arbitrary position on the display screen can be designated and which gives an instruction to switch among the optical microscope, the optical measurement/observation unit, and the scanning electron microscope, wherein

during the display of the low-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen, when an arbitrary position is designated with the instruction element, the control unit controls the display unit to display the first representation on the low-magnification optical microscopic image in such a manner that a center of the first representation is to be the designated position, and

when the instruction element instructs to switch the optical microscope to the optical measurement/observation unit, the control unit controls the slider unit to move the stage so that the designated position is located on the optical axis, to display the high-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen.

4. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an instruction element with which an arbitrary position on the display screen can be designated and which gives an instruction to switch among the optical microscope, the optical measurement/observation unit, and the scanning electron microscope, wherein

during the display of the low-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen, when an arbitrary position is designated with the instruction element, the control unit controls the display unit to display the first representation on the low-magnification optical microscopic image in such a manner that a center of the first representation is to be the designated position, and

when the instruction element instructs to switch the optical microscope to the optical measurement/observation unit, the control unit controls the slider unit to move the stage so that the designated position is located on the optical axis, to display the high-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen.

5. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction element with which an arbitrary position on the display screen can be designated and which gives an instruction to switch among the optical microscope, the optical measurement/observation unit, and the scanning electron microscope, wherein

during the display of the high-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen, when an arbitrary position is designated with the instruction element, the control unit controls the display unit to display the second representation on the high-magnification optical microscopic image in such a manner that a center of the second representation is to be the designated position, and

when the instruction element instructs to switch the optical measurement/observation unit to the scanning electron microscope, the control unit controls the slider unit to move the stage so that the designated position is located on the optical axis, to display an electron microscopic image from the scanning electron microscope on the display screen.

6. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an instruction element with which an arbitrary position on the display screen can be designated and which gives an instruction to switch among the optical microscope, the optical measurement/observation unit, and the scanning electron microscope, wherein

during the display of the high-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen, when an arbitrary position is designated with the instruction element, the control unit controls the display unit to display the second representation on the high-magnification optical microscopic image in such a manner that a center of the second representation is to be the designated position, and

when the instruction element instructs to switch the optical measurement/observation unit to the scanning electron microscope, the control unit controls the slider unit to move the stage so that the designated position is located on the optical axis, to display an electron microscopic image from the scanning electron microscope on the display screen.

7. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, wherein

during display of the low-magnification optical microscopic image on the display screen, the control unit controls the display unit to display, on the first representation, a third representation to designate an area to be observed at the magnification of the scanning electron microscope in such a manner that the third representation is located at a center of the first representation.

8. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, further comprising

a storage unit in which the low and high-magnification optical microscopic images and the electron microscopic image are stored, wherein

the control unit allows the low-magnification optical microscopic image displayed on the display screen to be stored in the storage unit, allows the high-magnification optical microscopic image displayed on the display screen to be stored in the storage unit along with positional data of the low-magnification optical microscopic image, and allows the electron microscopic image displayed on the display screen to be stored in the storage unit along with positional data of the low-magnification optical microscopic image and the high-magnification optical microscopic image.

9. A complex type microscopic device according to claim 1, wherein

the optical measurement/observation unit is able to measure a height of the sample.