Patent ID: 7205531
Filing Date: 2007-04-17
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A sample information measuring method, comprising: irradiating a sample with light from a light source through an object lens; discretely changing a relative position between a beam condensing position of the object lens and the sample in an optical axis direction of the converging beam; obtaining light intensity information from the sample at each relative position; extracting plural pieces of light intensity information from a light intensity information group; estimating a maximum value on a change curve adaptive to the plural pieces of extracted light intensity information and the relative position for the maximum value; and obtaining the estimated maximum value of the light intensity information and relative position as brightness information and height information, wherein the brightness information and height information about the sample can be continuously obtained by discretely performing an iterative operation on the relative position between a beam condensing position of the object lens and the sample in an optical axis direction of the converging beam, and processing light intensity information from the sample at each relative position obtained in a time between an inverse operation of the moving mechanism and a next inverse operation during the iterative operation.