JPH11223612A - Electronic probe micro analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily grasp an area of a specific concentration value as to an element, a distribution of an area within a specific concentration range, and a relation between a concentration distribution of an element and a concentration distribution of another element. SOLUTION: A control part 4 has a function for preparing a map image, a specific concentration display mode, and a relative concentration display mode. In the specific concentration display mode, only an area having an indicated specific concentration or specific concentration range is extracted from a map image of a selected element to be displayed. In the relative concentration display mode, a concentration distribution of the map image of the selected element and a concentration distribution of another selected element are correlated to be displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to display of a map obtained as a result of measurement in an electronic probe microanalyzer (EPMA).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art EPMA irradiates a sample with an electron beam, detects characteristic X-rays (hereinafter simply referred to as X-rays) emitted from the sample at that time, and performs analysis. As one of the techniques, there is a technique called mapping for obtaining information from a two-dimensional plane in a predetermined range of a sample. When analyzing by this mapping method, when analyzing a relatively wide range of a sample, the sample stage is driven without deflecting the electron beam (hereinafter, this is referred to as a sample stage driving method). When analyzing a relatively small area, the sample is two-dimensionally scanned with an electron beam while the sample is fixed (hereinafter, this is referred to as an electron beam scanning method).

[0003] Then, X radiated from the sample at that time.
Lines, secondary electrons, reflected electrons, etc. are detected, the detection signals are analyzed, the concentration of each element at each position in the area is determined, and the concentration distribution of each element is represented in monochrome or pseudo color. It is represented by This is called a map image.

[0004]

However, in the conventional map display, for example, for a certain element, how the area where the concentration is a specific value or the area where the concentration range is a specific range is distributed. It was very difficult to judge. In other words, when a map is displayed by a pseudo color in which display colors are assigned and displayed for each predetermined density range, many colors are included in the displayed map image, and a specific color is selected from the colors. Even if it is attempted to grasp the distribution of the region, it is very difficult to accurately grasp the distribution because other colors interfere.

As a map display method, in addition to the pseudo-color display, contour lines may be displayed by connecting positions of the same density. In this case as well, a plurality of contour lines are included in the map image. Since it is displayed, it is not easy to grasp the distribution of the area having the specific density or the area where the density is within the specific range by observing the map.

Further, in the prior art, since the maps for each element are only displayed independently of each other, for example, in a region where the concentration of a certain element is at a certain value or within a certain range, another specific map is displayed. It was very difficult to grasp how the concentrations of the elements are distributed. Thus, as a method for grasping the relationship between the concentration distribution of a certain element and the concentration distribution of another certain element,
Conventionally, maps of multiple elements are combined and displayed,
Alternatively, the position of one map is made to correspond to the position of the other map, and the values of both are added or subtracted and displayed. Contains a lot of information other than the desired information, it is difficult to grasp only the desired information from such an image.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object in which a concentration of a certain element is a specific value,
Alternatively, it is possible to easily grasp how the concentration range is in a specific range and to easily understand the relationship between the concentration distribution of one element and the concentration distribution of another element. It is an object to provide an electronic probe micro analyzer.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an electron probe microanalyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that, when displaying a map showing a concentration distribution of a predetermined element, a desired concentration or a desired concentration is displayed. It is characterized in that a map showing the distribution of the range can be displayed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron probe micro-analyzer, wherein a concentration distribution of a predetermined element and a concentration distribution of another predetermined element can be displayed in association with each other.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an electron probe microanalyzer according to the present invention, in which 1 is a lens barrel, 2 is a detector, 3 is a signal processing unit, 4 is a control unit, 5 is an input unit, Reference numeral 6 denotes a monitor, and 7 denotes a storage unit.

The lens barrel 1 is a main body of the EPMA, and includes an electron gun,
It includes a lens system, a sample stage, a spectral crystal (none is shown), a detector 2 and the like. When creating a map image, not only X-rays but also secondary electrons and backscattered electrons are detected, but in FIG. 1, all detectors such as an X-ray detector, a secondary electron detector, and a backscattered electron detector are used. Are collectively shown as one detector 2. In addition, it is natural that the position where the electron beam of the sample placed on the sample stage is irradiated, the spectral crystal, and the X-ray detector are controlled so as to be on the Rowland circle.

The output signal from the detector 2 is subjected to predetermined processing such as amplification, waveform shaping, and A / D conversion in a signal processing section 3, and is taken into a control section 4.

The control section 4 performs the overall operation of the EPMA, and has a function of analyzing data fetched from the signal processing section 3 and creating a map image. The control unit 4 has two display modes, a specific density display mode and a related density display mode. The specific concentration display mode is a mode for extracting and displaying only an area having a specified specific concentration or a specific concentration range from a map image of the selected element, and the related concentration display mode is a mode for extracting the selected element. Density distribution of the map image of
This is a mode in which a display is made in association with the concentration distribution of another selected element. The details will be described later.

The input section 5 is composed of an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The monitor 6 is a display device such as a color CRT. It is clear that the control unit 4, the input unit 5, and the monitor 6 are configured using a personal computer or a workstation. Storage unit 7
Is composed of a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk.

To create a map image, the input unit 5 instructs execution of a map image by a sample stage driving method or an electron beam scanning method. Thus, the control unit 4 controls the electron gun, the lens system, the sample stage, the spectral crystal and the like of the lens barrel 1 to two-dimensionally scan a predetermined range of the sample with the electron beam, and at that time, the detector 2 , A signal processed by the signal processing unit 3 and subjected to predetermined processing to generate a map image, and stores the data of the generated map image in the storage unit 7. It should be noted that a technique for creating a map image is well-known, and the technique itself is not an essential matter in the present invention, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, it is needless to say that the information may be displayed on the monitor 6 without being stored in the storage unit 7.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a display screen of the monitor 6. The display screen of the monitor 6 has a map image display area A,
It is divided into other areas B. Only one map image may be displayed in the map image display area A (hereinafter, such a display is referred to as single display), and the map image display area A is further divided to display a plurality of map images. Display at the same time (hereinafter, such display is called multi-display)
You may make it. Further, the display may be arbitrarily switched between the single display and the multi display. Here, it is assumed that single display is performed for convenience.

In the other area B of the display screen of the monitor 6, a processing menu or the like is displayed or used for setting various parameters. In the area B,
A color bar C for indicating the density range of the map image displayed in the map image display area A is displayed. The display of the color bar C is conventionally widely performed.

When examining the distribution of a specific density or a region having a specific density range in a map image of a specific element, a specific density display mode is set from the input unit 5. I do. Then, the map image of the element is displayed in the map image display area A, and the concentration or the concentration range to be examined is input by the input unit 5 to instruct execution. The setting of the density or the density range may be performed in the area B.

When execution is instructed, the control unit 4 determines whether or not the density value of each pixel of the map image currently displayed in the map image display area A is the previously set density, or whether or not the density is set. Check whether the pixel is within the density range, extract only pixels whose density value is the set density or the pixels within the set density range, delete other pixels, and map only the extracted pixels. The image is displayed in the image display area A.

By the above processing, for example, a map image as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. From this image, how a specific density set in the element or a region in a specific density range is determined. The distribution can be clearly and easily grasped.

In the above description, the density or density range to be examined is input as a numerical value through the input unit 5. However, if the density range of a specific color of the color bar C is to be examined, the color bar C May be clicked with the mouse on the portion of the color.

Next, the related density display mode will be described. Now, when a map image is created for a certain sample, a map image of Fe-Kα, that is, a map image of Kα line of iron (Fe), and a map image of Mn-Kα, that is, a map image of Kα line of manganese (Mn), Suppose that a map image has been obtained, and it is desired to examine how the concentration of the substance emitting Mn-Kα is distributed in a region where the concentration is within a specific range in the map image of Fe-Kα.

At this time, first, in the above-described specific density display mode, only an area where the density is within a specific range is displayed in the Fe-Kα map image. Here, it is assumed that the density range of the Fe-Kα map image is as shown by the hatched portion in FIG.

Next, a related density display mode is set from the input unit 5, and an image showing only the relevant density range of Fe-Kα,
The execution of the logical product with the map image of Mn-Kα is instructed.
Here, it is assumed that the map image of Mn-Kα is as shown in FIG.

At this time, the control unit 4 extracts only the pixel at the position where the concentration of Fe-Kα is within the range from the map image of Mn-Kα, deletes the other pixels, and extracts the pixel. Is displayed in the map image display area A.
That is, in this case, using the image shown in FIG. 3 as a mask, only the pixels in the shaded region in FIG. 3 are extracted from the Mn-Kα map image. In this case, FIG. The image shown is obtained. According to this image, Fe-
It is possible to clearly and easily grasp at what concentration the substance emitting the Mn-Kα ray is distributed in a region where the substance emitting the Kα ray is in a specific concentration range.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and that various modifications are possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of an electron probe microanalyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a monitor 6.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image obtained in a specific density display mode.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map image for explaining a related density display mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image obtained in a related density display mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... lens barrel, 2 ... detector, 3 ... signal processing part, 4 ... control part,
5: input unit, 6: monitor, 7: storage unit, A: map image display area, C: color bar.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electronic probe microanalyzer characterized in that a map showing a desired concentration or a distribution of a desired concentration range can be displayed when displaying a map showing a concentration distribution of a predetermined element. 2. An electron probe microanalyzer, wherein a concentration distribution of a predetermined element and a concentration distribution of another predetermined element can be displayed in association with each other.