Method and apparatus for image formation
AssigneeCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
InventorAriel D. Antonovsky
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Abstract
A method of forming a color image using image signals generated by a scanning electron microscope. Three different image signals are generated, a first representing a monochromatic image derived from secondary electrons of energies over a broad range of energies, a second representing a monochromatic image derived from secondary electrons having high energies only and a third representing a monochromatic image derived from backscattered electrons. The three so generated image signals are used to construct the color image by assigning respective colors of an additive primary set to the monochromatic images represented by the three signals. The image signals are combined to form the color image by a process which results in additive mixing, in the color image, of the three monochromatic images.
Claims10
A method of image formation wherein a sample is scanned by use of a scanning electron microscope to cause an electron microscope to cause an electron beam to be incident on the sample, and three image signals are generated by respectively detecting the intensity of secondary electron emission in a first energy band resulting from said incidence, the intensity of secondary electron emission in a second energy band resulting from said incidence, and the intensity of back-scattered electrons resulting from said incidence, said image signals being used to form a colour image of said sample in which the relative intensities of three image colours at each location in the image are repesentative of the prevailing relationship between said intensity of secondary electron emission in a first energy band, said intensity of secondary electron emission in a second energy band and said intensity of backscattered electron, at a corresponding location on the said sample.
Apparatus for image formation comprising a scanning electron microscope having means for directing an electron beam to be incident on and scan a sample, detector means for generating three image signals by respectively detecting the intensity of secondary electron emission in a first energy band resulting from said incidence, the intensity of secondary electron emission in a second energy band resulting from said incidence and the intensity of back-scattered electrons resulting from said incidence, and means for generating from image signals a colour image of said sample in which the relative intensities of three image colours at each location in the image are representative of the prevailing relationship between said intensity of secondary electron emission in a first energy band, said intensity of secondary electron emission in a second energy band and said intensity of backscattered electrons at a corresponding location on said sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.