Charged particle beam apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of composing a full-focused image, comprising the steps of:
- reducing noise of a plurality of input images each read with a different focus;
evaluating noise amounts of the noise-reduced images whose noise has been reduced and evaluating in-focus degrees of said noise-reduced images to calculate signal change amount evaluation values;
generating a maximum signal change amount evaluation value and composition information based on the calculated signal change amount evaluation values;
generating favorableness degree information by determining a noise influence degree using said maximum signal change amount evaluation value and said noise amount evaluation values;
the series of steps being performed by a plurality of full-focused image composing means; and
generating a composite image based on a plurality of pieces of said favorableness degree information and a plurality of pieces of said composition information generated by said plurality of full-focused image composing means.
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Abstract
It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of composing a full-focused image, comprising the steps of:
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reducing noise of a plurality of input images each read with a different focus;
evaluating noise amounts of the noise-reduced images whose noise has been reduced and evaluating in-focus degrees of said noise-reduced images to calculate signal change amount evaluation values;
generating a maximum signal change amount evaluation value and composition information based on the calculated signal change amount evaluation values;
generating favorableness degree information by determining a noise influence degree using said maximum signal change amount evaluation value and said noise amount evaluation values;
the series of steps being performed by a plurality of full-focused image composing means; and
generating a composite image based on a plurality of pieces of said favorableness degree information and a plurality of pieces of said composition information generated by said plurality of full-focused image composing means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A full-focused image composing apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of full-focused image composing means including;
noise reducing means for reducing noise of a plurality of input images each read with a different focus to generate noise-reduced images;
noise amount evaluating means for evaluating noise amounts of said noise-reduced images to calculate noise amount evaluation values;
signal change amount evaluating means for calculating said noise amount evaluation values, and evaluating in-focus degrees of said noise-reduced images to calculate signal change amount evaluation values;
focus determination means for evaluating said signal change amount evaluation values to generate a maximum signal change amount evaluation value and composition information; and
noise determination means for determining a noise influence degree using said maximum signal change amount evaluation value and said noise amount evaluation values to generate favorableness degree information; and
composing means for generating a composite image based on a plurality of pieces of said favorableness degree information and a plurality of pieces of said composition information generated by said plurality of full-focused image composing means. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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Specification