Electron Microscope Field of View Arrangement for Irregular Samples
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electron microscope methods for imaging wide regions with favorable resolution are inefficient due to unnecessary field of view definitions, leading to excessive imaging and data storage requirements, especially when dealing with objects of irregular shapes.
Innovation Solution
A method that defines outlines or points along the outline of the object to be observed, allowing for selective arrangement of electron microscope fields of view, enabling efficient imaging by specifying necessary field of view definitions that conform to the object's shape, and allowing for flexible field of view movement directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If consecutive fields of view are imaged a plurality of times to record a wide region with favorable resolution, then imaging resolution is improved, but imaging time and data storage requirements increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary parts of the sample for imaging by defining outlines or points along the outline that indicate regions of interest. This allows the imaging system to skip unnecessary fields of view and focus only on areas that need to be observed, thereby reducing total imaging time while maintaining resolution quality for the important regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different imaging strategies to different regions of the sample. By defining outlines or points along the outline, the system identifies regions with different importance levels and applies high-resolution imaging only to necessary areas while using lower resolution or skipping imaging in less important areas, thus optimizing the balance between resolution and imaging time.
2Measurement precision
If consecutive fields of view are imaged a plurality of times to record a wide region with favorable resolution, then imaging resolution is improved, but data storage requirements increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the necessary image data by defining outlines or points along the outline that specify regions of interest. This reduces the total quantity of image data that needs to be stored while preserving high resolution for the important regions, thereby reducing data storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent stores image data with different quality levels for different regions. High-resolution data is stored only for regions defined by the outline or points along the outline, while lower-resolution or no data is stored for other regions, optimizing the balance between data quality and storage requirements.
3Device complexity
If rectangular regions are used to define fields of view, then field of view arrangement is simplified, but imaging efficiency decreases for irregularly shaped objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static rectangular field of view definitions to dynamic outline-based definitions. By allowing users to define outlines or points along the outline that conform to the actual shape of the object, the system adapts the field of view arrangement to match the object geometry, thereby improving imaging efficiency without significantly increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter used to define fields of view from fixed rectangular coordinates to flexible outline-based coordinates. This allows the field of view boundaries to conform to the actual shape of the object, improving imaging efficiency by eliminating unnecessary imaging of empty spaces while maintaining manageable complexity through the use of simple outline definitions.
Data Source
AI summary
A sample observation method of the present invention comprises a step of defining, with respect to an electron microscope image, an outline of an observation object with respect to a sample (3), or a plurality of points located along the outline, and a step of arranging a plurality of fields of view for an electron microscope along the outline, wherein electron microscope images of the plurality of fields of view that have been defined and arranged along the shape of the observation object through each of the above-mentioned steps are acquired. It is thus made possible to provide a sample observation method that is capable of selectively acquiring, with respect to observation objects of various shapes, an electron microscope image based on a field of view definition that is in accordance with the shape of the observation object, as well as an electron microscope apparatus that realizes such a sample observation method.