Charged Particle Beam Device Brightness Contrast Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing charged particle beam devices face challenges in performing brightness, contrast, and focus adjustments quickly when there are a small number of detection signals, leading to rough image quality and insufficient information for dimension measurement and defect inspection.

Innovation Solution

A charged particle beam device equipped with a detector and a control unit that performs statistical processing on gray level values to adjust brightness, contrast, and lens conditions, reducing variance and improving image quality even with limited detection signals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If image integration is performed to detect contrast in the region of interest, then contrast detection capability is improved, but processing time increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrast detection capabilityVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing statistical processing on gray level values before final image processing. The control unit calculates statistical values (mean, standard deviation) from detection signals in advance, enabling rapid brightness and contrast adjustments without requiring extensive image integration, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Device complexity

If the number of gray levels is limited to the number of detection signals, then data processing complexity is reduced, but image quality deteriorates and measurement precision is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata processing complexityVSAvoidimage quality for dimension measurement

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the limited detection signal data into enhanced image quality through statistical parameter calculation. The control unit computes statistical values (mean, standard deviation) from the detection signals, creating multiple gray level representations that exceed the original signal count. This enables high-quality dimension measurement and defect inspection while maintaining manageable data processing complexity through efficient statistical methods

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If brightness and contrast adjustment is performed with a small number of detection signals, then processing speed is improved, but image quality becomes rough and measurement precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies mechanics substitution by replacing traditional mechanical image integration methods with statistical signal processing. Instead of accumulating multiple images to improve quality (mechanical approach), the system uses mathematical statistical operations on detection signals to rapidly generate high-quality images with proper brightness and contrast, achieving both fast processing speed and high measurement precision simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables rapid and accurate brightness, contrast, and focus adjustments, ensuring high-quality image processing and effective dimension measurement and defect inspection, even under conditions with a small number of detection signals.

Implementation Method 1

an objective lens that focuses a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic focusing: Electromagnet

Implementation Method 2

a detector that detects charged particles obtained on the basis of irradiation of a specimen with a charged particle beam

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCharged particle detection:

Data Source

PatentUS10991542B2Charged particle beam device

Publication Date: 2021.04.27 HITACHI HIGH TECH CORP

AI summary

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device which adjusts brightness and contrast or adjusts focus and the like appropriately in a short time even if there are few detected signals. Proposed as an aspect for achieving this purpose is a charged particle beam device provided with: a detector for detecting charged particles obtained on the basis of irradiation of a specimen with a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source; and a control unit for processing a signal obtained on the basis of the output of the detector, wherein the control unit performs statistical processing on gray level values in a predetermined region of an image generated on the basis of the output of the detector, and executes signal processing for correcting a difference between a statistical value obtained by the statistical processing and reference data relating to the gray level values of the image.