Magnifying observation apparatus

• US 8,674,301 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Original Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Inventors: Takagi, Shigenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore, David A
• Assistant Examiner(s): STOFFA, WYATT A
• Application Number:
  US13/152,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20120001070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 250/306, 250/307, 250/310, 250/311
• US Class Current: 250/307
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0004 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/26 Stages; Adjusting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/023 Means for mechanically adjusting components not otherwise provided for mechanically adjusting from the outside of electron or ion-optical components H01J37/067; positioning the object or material H01J37/20; vacuum locks, means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the tube H01J37/18; other manipulating devices H01L21/48, G21F
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/16 Vessels; Containers
• 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

Work to obtain an optical and an electron microscope images at an identical display size is facilitated. A magnifying observation apparatus includes: an electron beam imaging device that obtains an electron microscope image in a chamber; an optical imaging device that obtains an optical image in the chamber; a moving device that moves the both devices such that an optical axis direction of one of the both devices is aligned with an optical axis direction of the other device; a display section that displays the electron microscope and the optical images; and a magnifying power conversion section that recognizes a magnifying power of an image obtained by one of the imaging devices and converts the magnifying power, which is used to obtain an image having a display size substantially identical to that of the image, by the other device into a magnifying power on a basis of the other device.

Claims

1. A magnifying observation apparatus comprising:

a specimen chamber being able to decompress as an internal space;

an electron beam imaging device as a first observation device for obtaining an electron microscope image in the specimen chamber, and wherein said electron beam imaging device has an adjustable electron magnifying power range;

an electron microscope magnifying power adjusting section that adjusts an electron microscope magnifying power of the electron microscope image obtained by the electron beam imaging device;

an optical imaging device as a second observation device for obtaining an optical image in the specimen chamber, and wherein said optical imaging device has an adjustable optical magnifying power range, and said adjustable electron magnifying power range has an overlapping range with said adjustable optical power range;

an optical magnifying power adjusting section that adjusts an optical magnifying power, the optical magnifying power being a magnifying power of the optical image obtained by the optical imaging device, the optical magnifying power being determined on a basis different from that of the electron microscope magnifying power;

a moving device that moves each of the observation devices such that an optical axis direction of one of the observation devices is substantially aligned with an optical axis direction of the other observation device;

a display section that displays the electron microscope image obtained by the electron beam imaging device and the optical image obtained by the optical imaging device while switching between the electron microscope image and the optical image, or simultaneously displays the electron microscope image and the optical image; and

a magnifying power conversion section that recognizes the magnifying power of a first image obtained by the optical imaging device within the overlapping range and converts the magnifying power into a converted magnifying power, on a basis of the electron beam imaging device, which is used by the electron beam imaging device, to obtain a second image having a display size that is substantially identical to that of the first image; and

wherein the electron microscope magnifying power adjusting section adjusts the electron microscope magnifying power to the converted magnifying power from the magnifying power conversion section.

2. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a converted magnifying power in which the electron microscope magnifying power or optical magnifying power of the image obtained by one of the observation devices and displayed on the display section is converted into the electron microscope magnifying power or optical magnifying power of the other observation device by the magnifying power conversion section is displayed on the display section, or a magnifying power that is set close to the converted magnifying power is displayed on the display section when the converted magnifying power is not set by the other observation device.

3. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the converted magnifying power in which the electron microscope magnifying power or optical magnifying power of the image obtained by one of the observation devices is converted into the electron microscope magnifying power or optical magnifying power of the other observation device by the magnifying power conversion section is automatically set by the magnifying power adjusting section of the other observation device, or a magnifying power that is set close to the converted magnifying power is automatically set by the magnifying power adjusting section of the other observation device when the converted magnifying power is not set by the other observation device.

4. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image synthesizing section that synthesizes the electron microscope image obtained by the electron beam imaging device and the optical image obtained by the optical imaging device.

5. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical imaging device includes:

a zoom mechanism that magnifies the optical image; and

a magnifying power recognizing section that recognizes a magnifying power magnified by the zoom mechanism, and

the electron microscope magnifying power adjusting section includes;

a parameter setting section that sets a parameter relating to the magnifying power of the electron microscope image obtained by the electron beam imaging device; and

an electron microscope magnifying power computing section that recognizes the parameter set by the parameter setting section and computes the electron microscope magnifying power obtained by the parameter.

6. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section is configured to simultaneously display the electron microscope image and the optical image at an identical magnifying power in terms of the converted magnifying power on the basis of one of the magnifying powers.

7. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate in a comparative mode and a synthetic mode, and wherein comparative observation of the electron microscope image and the optical image is performed in the comparative mode, and wherein a synthetic image in which the electron microscope image and the optical image are synthesized is displayed in the synthetic mode.

8. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a magnifying power range display section that one-dimensionally displays an electron microscope magnifying power range and an optical magnifying power range on the display section while converting the electron microscope magnifying power range and the optical magnifying power range into a magnifying power on an identical basis, the electron microscope magnifying power range being obtained by the electron beam imaging device, the optical magnifying power range being obtained by the optical imaging device.

9. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the converted magnifying power, that is used by the electron beam imaging device to obtain the second image having the display size that is substantially identical to that of the first image, is a magnifying power that is not set by the electron beam imaging device, and the magnifying power conversion section outputs as the converted magnifying power a magnifying power that is closest to the converted magnifying power and which is selected from the magnifying powers that are set by the electron beam imaging device.

10. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving device is a rotating device that rotates the electron beam imaging device and the optical imaging device along a cylindrical shaped outer surface of the body portion such that a distance to a common rotation axis is kept constant while optical axes of the electron beam imaging device and the optical imaging device are maintained in a posture oriented toward the common rotation axis.

11. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specimen stage includes a horizontal surface moving mechanism that moves the specimen stage in a horizontal plane while the specimen stage is maintained in a non-tilted state in a horizontal posture and a height adjusting mechanism that adjusts the height of the specimen stage.

12. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the height adjusting mechanism comprises a rotating device configured to rotate about an axis of rotation.

13. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnifying power is defined by a value in which an identical display range is divided by the observation visual field range.

14. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical imaging device includes an optical magnifying power reading section that reads the set magnifying power.

15. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the optical magnifying power reading section is configured to read the magnifying power of the optical image, the magnifying power conversion section is configured to convert the magnifying power of the electron microscope image corresponding to the read optical magnifying power, and the display section is configured to display the electron microscope image of the converted magnifying power.

16. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the converted magnifying power converted by the magnifying power conversion section is configured to switch between a state in which the converted magnifying power is displayed on the display section and a state in which the converted magnifying power is not displayed.

17. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a controller that controls the electron beam imaging device also controls the optical imaging device.

18. A magnifying observation apparatus comprising:

a specimen chamber being able to decompress as an internal space;

a first specimen stage on which a first specimen of an observation target is placed;

an electron beam imaging device as a first observation device for obtaining an electron microscope image in the specimen chamber, and wherein said electron beam imaging device has an adjustable electron magnifying power range;

an electron microscope magnifying power adjusting section that adjusts an electron microscope magnifying power of the electron microscope image obtained by the electron beam imaging device;

a second specimen stage on which a second specimen of an observation target is placed;

an optical imaging device as a second observation device for obtaining an optical image of the second specimen, and wherein said optical imaging device has an adjustable optical magnifying power range, and said adjustable electron magnifying power range has an overlapping range with said adjustable optical power range;

an optical magnifying power adjusting section that adjusts an optical magnifying power, the optical magnifying power being a magnifying power of the optical image obtained by the optical imaging device, the optical magnifying power being determined on a basis different from that of the electron microscope magnifying power;

a display section that displays the electron microscope image of the first specimen obtained by the electron beam imaging device and the optical image of the second specimen obtained by the optical imaging device while switching between the electron microscope image and the optical image, or simultaneously displays the electron microscope image and the optical image; and

a magnifying power conversion section that recognizes a magnifying power of a first image obtained by the optical imaging device within the overlapping range and converts the magnifying power into a converted magnifying power, on a basis of the electron beam imaging device, which is used by the electron beam imaging device, to obtain a second image having a magnifying power that is substantially identical to that of the first image; and

wherein the electron microscope magnifying power adjusting section adjusts the electron microscope magnifying power to the converted magnifying power from the magnifying power conversion section.