Thermal analysis equipment

• US 7,748,894 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SII NanoTechnology Inc. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nakatani, Rintaro
• Primary Examiner(s): VERBITSKY, GAIL KAPLAN
• Application Number:
  US11/661,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080025367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1, 250/339.01, 250/339.02, 250/339.04, 250/339.06, 250/339.11, 250/340, 250/340.1, 250/341.1, 250/341.6, 250/341.8, 250/336.01, 219/698, 219/710, 219/711, 219/712, 219/200, 219/201
• US Class Current: 374/11
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws

Abstract

A thermal analysis equipment includes a thermal analysis data preservation function that preserves, as thermal analysis data, signals from a temperature sensor and a physical quantity sensor that detect a temperature and a change in physical quantity, respectively, of a sample. An electromagnetic-wave data acquisition control function controls acquisition of electromagnetic wave data in accordance with setting of a trigger to acquire the electromagnetic wave data. An electromagnetic-wave data preservation function preserves the electromagnetic wave data. An electromagnetic-wave data correlation function correlates the preserved electromagnetic wave data to a position on the thermal analysis data when the trigger is set.

Claims

1. A thermal analysis equipment for performing thermal analysis, the thermal analysis equipment comprising:

a heating furnace that heats a sample;

a temperature controller that controls a temperature of the heating furnace;

a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the sample;

a physical quantity sensor that detects a change in physical quantity of the sample;

thermal analysis data preservation means for preserving, as thermal analysis data, signals from the temperature sensor and the physical quantity sensor;

electromagnetic-wave data acquisition means for acquiring electromagnetic wave data obtained by detecting electromagnetic waves from the sample;

electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means for setting a trigger to acquire the electromagnetic wave data;

electromagnetic-wave data acquisition control means for controlling acquisition of the electromagnetic wave data in accordance with setting of the trigger by the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means;

electromagnetic-wave data preservation means for preserving the electromagnetic wave data; and

electromagnetic-wave data correlation means for correlating the preserved electromagnetic wave data to a position on the thermal analysis data obtained by a thermal analysis data position indicating means obtained by a thermal analysis data position indicating means when the trigger is set by the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means.

2. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic wave data acquired by the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition means comprises a sample picture of visible light or a sample picture of light except for visible light.

3. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic wave data acquired by the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition means comprises a spectrum of respective wavelength components or of a strength of respective wavelength components of the electromagnetic-wave data.

4. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of times after the start of a thermal analysis or sets the trigger at specific time intervals after the start of the thermal analysis.

5. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified temperatures or temperature intervals corresponding to sample temperatures detected by the temperature sensor.

6. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified values or signal intervals corresponding to the change in physical value of the sample detected by the physical quantity sensor.

7. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger to the start or the termination of a region in which a differential of a signal from the physical quantity sensor stable in a certain range for at least a predetermined period of time.

8. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 1;

further comprising;

thermal analysis data display means for displaying the thermal analysis data preserved by the thermal analysis data presentation means;

thermal analysis data position indicating means for indicating on the thermal analysis data displayed by the thermal analysis data display means an arbitrary position corresponding to the position on the thermal analysis data to which the electromagnetic wave data is correlated by the electromagnetic-wave data correlation means;

electromagnetic-wave data specifying means for specifying electromagnetic wave data, which is presented by the electromagnetic-wave data preservation means, in the vicinity of the arbitrary position indicated by the thermal analysis data position indicating means; and

electromagnetic-wave data output means for outputting the specified electromagnetic wave data into the thermal analysis data display means.

9. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of times after the start of a thermal analysis or sets the trigger at specific time intervals after the start of the thermal analysis.

10. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified temperatures or temperature intervals corresponding to sample temperatures detected by the temperature sensor.

11. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified values or signal intervals corresponding to the change in physical value of the sample detected by the physical quantity sensor.

12. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger to the start or the termination of a region in which a differential of a signal from the physical quantity sensor is stable in a certain range for at least a predetermined period of time.

13. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

further comprising;

thermal analysis data display means for displaying the thermal analysis data preserved by the thermal analysis data preservation means;

thermal analysis data position indicating means for indicating on the thermal analysis data displayed by the thermal analysis data display means an arbitrary position corresponding to the position on the thermal analysis data to which the electromagnetic wave data is correlated by the electromagnetic-wave data correlation means;

electromagnetic-wave data specifying means for specifying electromagnetic wave data, which is preserved by the electromagnetic-wave data preservation means, in the vicinity of the arbitrary position indicated by the thermal analysis data position indicating means; and

electromagnetic-wave data output means for outputting the specified electromagnetic wave data into the thermal analysis data display means.

14. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 2;

wherein the electromagnetic wave data comprises a sample picture of infrared light.

15. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 3;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of times after the start of a thermal analysis or sets the trigger at specific time intervals after the start of the thermal analysis.

16. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 3;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified temperatures or temperature intervals corresponding to sample temperatures detected by the temperature sensor.

17. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 3;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger for a plurality of specified values or signal intervals corresponding to the change in physical value of the sample detected by the physical quantity sensor.

18. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 3;

wherein the electromagnetic-wave data acquisition trigger setting means sets the trigger to the start or the termination of a region in which a differential of a signal from the physical quantity sensor is stable in a certain range for at least a predetermined period of time.

19. A thermal analysis equipment according to claim 3;

further comprising;

thermal analysis data display means for displaying the thermal analysis data preserved by the thermal analysis data preservation means;

thermal analysis data position indicating means for indicating on the thermal analysis data displayed by the thermal analysis data display means an arbitrary position corresponding to the position on the thermal analysis data to which the electromagnetic wave data is correlated by the electromagnetic-wave data correlation means;

electromagnetic-wave data specifying means for specifying electromagnetic wave data, which is preserved by the electromagnetic-wave data preservation means, in the vicinity of the arbitrary position indicated by the thermal analysis data position indicating means; and

electromagnetic-wave data output means for outputting the specified electromagnetic wave data into the thermal analysis data display means.