Applying Fast Scanning Method Coupled with Digital Image Processing Technology as Standard Acquisition Mode for Scanning Electron Microscopy

This study proposes an efficient and fast method of scanning (e.g., television (TV) scan) coupled with digital image processingtechnology to replace the conventional slow-scan mode as a standard model of acquisition for general-purpose scanningelectron microscopy (SEM). SEM images obtained using the proposed method had the same quality in terms of sharpness andnoise as slow-scan images, and it was able to suppress the adverse effects of charging in a full-vacuum condition, which is achallenging problem in this area. Two problems needed to be solved in designing the proposed method. One was suitablecompensation in image quality using the inversefilter based on characteristics of the frequency of a TV-scan image, and theother to devise an accurate technique of image integration (noise suppression), the position alignment of which is robust againstnoise. This involved using the image montage technique and estimating the number of images needed for the integration. Thefinal result of our TV-scan mode was compared with the slow-scan image as well as the conventional TV-scan image.