# US 10,502,699 B2 · X-ray apparatus and structure production method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,699 B2 - Document ID: US10502699B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/502,120 - Filed: 2014-08-07 - Published: 2017-08-03 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-07 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Applicants: Nikon Corporation - Inventors: Toshihisa Tanaka; Shinsuke Takeda; Naoshi Sakaguchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502699B2 ## CPC - G01N 23/046: using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT] - G01N 23/04: and forming images of the material - G01N 23/083: the radiation being X-rays - G01N 2223/03: by transmission - G01N 2223/419: computed tomograph - G01N 2223/505: scintillation - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract An X-ray apparatus includes: a mounting unit upon which an object to be measured is mounted; an X-ray generation unit that irradiates X-rays, from above the mounting unit or from below the mounting unit, to the object to be measured upon the mounting unit; an X-ray detector that acquires a transmission image of the object to be measured being irradiated by the X-rays; a first movement unit that moves at least one of the mounting unit, the X-ray generation unit, and the X-ray detector along a direction of irradiation of the X-rays; a position detection unit that detects a relative position of the mounting unit, the X-ray generation unit, and the X-ray detector; and a calculation unit that calculates a magnification of a transmission image of the object to be measured acquired by the X-ray detector, in a state in which deflection of the mounting unit has occurred while the object to be measured is mounted upon the mounting unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An X-ray apparatus, comprising: a mounting unit upon which an object to be measured is mounted; an X-ray generator that irradiates X-rays, from above the mounting unit or from below the mounting unit, to the object to be measured that is mounted upon the mounting unit; an X-ray detector that acquires a transmission image of the object to be measured that is being irradiated by the X-rays, in a state in which a magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured is set; and a calculator that calculates the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured that is acquired by the X ray detector when the object to be measured is mounted upon the mounting unit and corrects the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured according to a deflection amount of the mounting unit caused by mounting the object to be measured upon the mounting unit. ### Claim 2 An X-ray apparatus, comprising: a mounting unit upon which an object to be measured is mounted; an X-ray generator that irradiates X-rays, from above the mounting unit or from below the mounting unit, to the object to be measured that is mounted upon the mounting unit; a mark for magnification measurement that is formed upon a mounting surface of a region or upon an underside surface of the region of the mounting unit, the object to be measured being mounted on the region of the mounting unit; an X-ray detector that acquires a transmission image of the object to be measured and a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement, which are being irradiated by the X-rays; a first movement unit that moves at least one of the mounting unit, the X-ray generator, and the X-ray detector along a direction of irradiation of the X-rays; and a calculator that calculates a magnification of a transmission image of the object to be measured based on a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement, wherein the transmission image of the object to be measured and the transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement detected by the X-ray detector appear upon the same projection image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mark for magnification measurement is formed upon the mounting surface of the mounting unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: a contact detector that detects contact of the mounting unit against the X-ray generator, while the first movement unit moves at least one of the mounting unit and the X-ray generator; and wherein the X-ray generator irradiates the X-rays against the object to be measured from below the mounting unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the contact detector comprises an electrically conductive member that is provided upon the underside surface of the mounting unit, and an electrically conductive member that is provided upon the X-ray generator; and the contact detector detects contact between the electrically conductive member that is provided upon the underside surface of the mounting unit and the electrically conductive member that is provided upon the X-ray generator unit electrically. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mark for magnification measurement comprises an electrically conductive member that is formed upon the rear surface of the mounting unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an extraction unit that extracts a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement from a transmission image of the object to be measured and a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement; and wherein the calculator calculates the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured based on the transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement extracted by the extraction unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if distortion has been occurred in the mark for magnification measurement along with deflection of the mounting unit occurred by mounting the object to be measured on the mounting unit, the calculator corrects the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured based on the transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement in which the distortion has been occurred, and the state of distortion of the mark for magnification measurement. ### Claim 9 An X-ray apparatus, comprising: a mounting unit upon which an object to be measured is mounted; an X-ray generator that irradiates X-rays, from above the mounting unit or from below the mounting unit, to the object to be measured that is mounted upon the mounting unit; a mark for magnification measurement that is formed upon a mounting surface or upon an underside surface of the mounting unit; an X-ray detector that acquires a transmission image of the object to be measured and a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement, which are being irradiated by the X-rays; a first movement unit that moves at least one of the mounting unit, the X-ray generator, and the X-ray detector along a direction of irradiation of the X-rays; a position detector that detects a relative position of the mounting unit, the X-ray generator, and the X-ray detector; a first calculator that calculates a magnification of a transmission image of the object to be measured based on the relative position detected by the position detector; a second calculator that calculates the magnification of a transmission image of the object to be measured based on a transmission image of the mark for magnification measurement acquired by the X-ray detector; and a control unit that selects either the first calculator or the second calculator to calculate the magnification of the object to be measured; and wherein when the magnification corresponding to the relative position detected by the position detector is smaller than a predetermined value, the control unit causes the first calculator to calculate the magnification of the object to be measured, and when the magnification corresponding to the relative position detected by the position detector is greater than the predetermined value, the control unit causes the second calculator to calculate the magnification of the object to be measured. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a contact detector that detects contact of the mounting unit against the X-ray generator, while the first movement unit moves at least one of the mounting unit and the X-ray generator; and wherein: the X-ray generator irradiates the X-rays against the object to be measured from below the mounting unit; the mark for magnification measurement is formed upon the underside surface of the mounting unit; and the contact detector detects that the mark for magnification measurement has contacted to the X-ray generator. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: the mark for magnification measurement comprises an electrically conductive member; the X-ray generator comprises an electrically conductive member; and the contact detector detects contact between the mark for magnification measurement and the electrically conductive member comprised in the X-ray generator electrically. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reconstruction unit that creates internal structural information about the object to be measured based on a plurality of transmission images detected by the X-ray detector, in a state in which the positions of the X-ray generator and the X-ray detector with respect to the object to be measured are different. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A structure production method, comprising: creating design information related to a shape of a structure; forming the structure based on the design information; acquiring shape information by measuring the shape of the structure, which has been formed, by using the X-ray apparatus according to claim 1; and comparing the shape information that has been acquired and the design information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The structure production method according to claim 13, further comprising performing re-processing of the structure based on a result of comparison of the shape information and the design information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The structure production method according to claim 14, wherein the re-processing of the structure comprises again performing formation of the structure based on the design information. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a proximity detector that detects contact between or proximity of a deflected region occurred on the mounting unit and the X-ray generator; and wherein the calculator calculates the corrected magnification when the contact or the proximity is detected by the proximity detector. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the proximity detector comprises a first electrically conductive member that is provided upon a surface of the mounting unit that opposes the X-ray generator and a second electrically conductive member that is provided upon the X-ray generator, and detects contact between the first and second conductive members electrically. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a position detector that detects a relative position of the mounting unit relative to the X-ray generator or the X-ray detector; and wherein the calculator calculates the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured based upon the relative position, the transmission image to be acquired by the X-ray detector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 18, wherein: based upon the relative position detected by the position detector when the contact or the proximity is detected by the proximity detector, the calculator performs a correction process in which the corrected magnification is calculated by correcting the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a deflection detection unit that detects the deflection amount of the mounting unit while the object to be measured is mounted upon the mounting unit; and wherein the calculator calculates the magnification of the transmission image of the object to be measured based on the position detected by the position detector and the deflection amount detected by the deflection detection unit. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a first movement unit that moves at least one of the mounting unit, the X-ray generator, and the X-ray detector along a direction of irradiation of the X-ray. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the magnification is set by the first movement unit moving at least one of the mounting unit, the X-ray generator, and the X-ray detector to a predetermined position. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a second movement unit that moves at least one of the mounting unit and the X-ray generator in a plane that intersects a direction of movement by the first movement unit. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deflection of the mounting unit is occurred by mounting the object to be measured upon the mounting unit.