IP Library Granted Patent US 10,539,411
Granted Patent B2
US 10,539,411 · App. 16/406,103 · Granted Jan 21, 2020

Sample shape measuring apparatus

Inventors: Mayumi Odaira (Akiruno, JP); Yoshimasa Suzuki (Kawasaki, JP)
Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
G01B11/24G01B11/30G02B7/28G02B21/18G02B21/26G02B21/36G01B2210/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,539,411
App. No.
16/406,103
Granted
Jan 21, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A sample shape measuring apparatus includes a light source unit, an illumination optical system, a detection optical system, a light detection element, and a processing apparatus. A scanning unit relatively moves a light spot and the sample. Illumination light applied to the sample is transmitted through the sample, and light transmitted through the sample is incident on the detection optical system. The light detection element receives light. The illumination optical system or the detection optical system includes an optical member. The processing apparatus obtains a quantity of light based on a received light, calculates at least one of a difference and a ratio between the quantity of light and a reference quantity of light, calculates an amount of tilt at a surface of the sample, and calculates a shape of the sample from the amount of tilt.

Claims (89)

1. A sample shape measuring apparatus, comprising:

a light source unit; an illumination optical system; a detection optical system; a light detection element; and a processing apparatus, wherein

the illumination optical system and the detection optical system are disposed to face each other with a sample interposed therebetween,

light emitted from the light source unit is incident on the illumination optical system,

a light spot is formed between the illumination optical system and the detection optical system by the illumination optical system,

a scanning unit is disposed in an optical path from the light source unit to the light detection element,

the scanning unit relatively moves the light spot and the sample,

illumination light applied to the sample by the illumination optical system is transmitted through the sample,

light transmitted through the sample is incident on the detection optical system,

the light detection element receives light emerged from the detection optical system,

at least one of the illumination optical system and the detection optical system includes an optical member, and

the processing apparatus

obtains a quantity of light based on a received light,

calculates at least one of a difference and a ratio between the quantity of light and a reference quantity of light,

calculates an amount of tilt at a surface of the sample based on at least one of the difference and the ratio, and

calculates a shape of the sample from the amount of tilt.

2. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the detection optical system includes the optical member,

the optical member is an aperture member having a light-shielding part or a darkening part, and a transmission part, and

the transmission part is positioned so as to include an outer side and a part of an inner side of an image of a pupil of the illumination optical system.

3. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the detection optical system includes the optical member,

the optical member is an aperture member having a light-shielding part or a darkening part, and a transmission part,

the light-shielding part or the darkening part is positioned so as to include an optical axis of the detection optical system, and

the transmission part is positioned so as to include an outer side and a part of an inner side of an image of a pupil of the illumination optical system.

4. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the detection optical system includes the optical member,

the optical member is an aperture member having a light-shielding part or a darkening part, and a transmission part,

the light-shielding part or the darkening part is positioned so as to include an optical axis of the detection optical system, and

the transmission part is positioned so as not to include the optical axis, but to include an entire edge of an image of a pupil of the illumination optical system.

5. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the illumination optical system includes an objective lens,

the detection optical system includes a pupil projection lens,

the following conditional expression is satisfied:

R 0 <Rill×β<R 1

where,

R0 denotes a length from an optical axis of the pupil projection lens up to a predetermined position,

R1 denotes a length from the optical axis of the pupil projection lens up to an outer edge of the transmission part, and denotes a length on a line connecting the optical axis of the pupil projection lens and a predetermined position, and here

the predetermined position is a position at which a length from the optical axis of the pupil projection lens is the minimum, from among positions on an inner edge of the light-shielding part,

Rill denotes a radius of the pupil of the illumination optical system, and

β denotes a value obtained by dividing a focal length of the pupil projection lens by a focal length of the objective lens.

6. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the detection optical system includes the optical member,

the optical member is an aperture member having a light-shielding part or a darkening part, and a transmission part,

the light-shielding part or the darkening part is positioned so as to include an optical axis of the detection optical system, and

the transmission part is eccentric with respect to the optical axis, and is positioned so as to include a part of an edge of an image of a pupil of the illumination optical system.

7. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination optical system includes the optical member, and

the optical member is an aperture member having a light-shielding part or a darkening part, and a transmission part.

8. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing apparatus has a function of reconstructing an image.

9. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination optical system include an objective lens,

further comprising a first aperture member and a second aperture member to be inserted to and removed from an optical path,

in the first aperture member, a portion including an optical axis of the objective lens is a light-shielding part,

the first aperture member has a first opening at a position eccentric with respect to the optical axis,

in the second aperture member, a portion including the optical axis of the objective lens is a light-shielding part,

the second aperture member has a second opening at a position eccentric with respect to the optical axis, and

a direction connecting the optical axis with a centroid of the first opening when the first aperture member is inserted to the optical path intersects a direction connecting the optical axis with a centroid of the second opening when the second aperture member is inserted to the optical path.

10. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination optical system include an objective lens,

the optical member is a aperture member,

in the aperture member, a portion including an optical axis of the objective lens is a light-shielding part,

the aperture member has a first opening and a second opening at a position eccentric with respect to the optical axis, and

a direction connecting the optical axis with a centroid of the first opening when the aperture member is inserted to the optical path intersects a direction connecting the optical axis with a centroid of the second opening.

11. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination optical system include an objective lens,

the optical member is a aperture member,

in the aperture member, a portion including an optical axis of the objective lens is a light-shielding part,

the aperture member has an opening at a position eccentric with respect to the optical axis, and

a direction connecting the optical axis with a centroid of the opening is changeable.

12. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination optical system include an objective lens,

the optical member is a aperture member which has a light-shielding part, and

at least one of a size of the light-shielding part and a numerical aperture on a sample side of the objective lens is variable.

13. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a change in a numerical aperture on a sample side of the objective lens is carried out by switching a plurality of objective lenses.

14. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in a step of calculating the amount of tilt, the amount of tilt is calculated based on a correspondence relation obtained in advance.

15. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the correspondence relation is represented by a lookup table including a quantity of light and an amount of tilt as parameters.

16. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the correspondence relation is represented by an expression including a quantity of light and an amount of tilt as parameters.

17. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a second light detection element to detect radiated light from the sample, wherein

detection of fluorescence is preformed by the second light detection element.

18. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the illumination light is applied to the sample by light of a first wavelength band and light of a second wavelength band, and

the first wavelength band includes at least a wavelength band which is different from the second wavelength band.

19. The sample shape measuring apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein

the light of the first wavelength band is light of a wavelength band in which fluorescent light is not excited,

the light of the second wavelength band is light of a wavelength band in which the fluorescent light is excited, and

the illumination light is applied to the sample such that the light of the first wavelength band is applied prior to applying the light of the second wavelength band.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062492/0267 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2019
From: ODAIRA, MAYUMI; SUZUKI, YOSHIMASA
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049110/0400 →