Patent WO-2011126220-A2 (WO)
Title: Image acquisition method for object to be measured using confocal microscope structure
Inventor: KIM TAI WOOK
IPC: G01N21/17
Filed: 2011-03-14
Abstract: The present invention relates to an image acquisition method for an object to be measured using a confocal microscope structure. According to the present invention, the image acquisition method of the object to be measured using the confocal microscope structure is to obtain an image by generating light from the upper part of the object to be measured and by sequentially deflecting and scanning the light on XY planes of a scan area through a deflection unit including an acousto-optic deflector. The image acquisition method comprises the steps of: an information setup step for obtaining intensity information of detected light according to optical properties of each scan position surface of the scan area, by using the deflection unit, and mapping the obtained intensity information of the light into location information at each scan position to set to mapping information; a loading step for loading the mapping information stored in the information setup step according to a control signal; a transmission step for setting acoustic intensity information on the basis of the loaded mapping information, and transmitting the set information to the acousto-optic deflector; a scanning step for allowing the light inputted to and outputted from the acousto-optic deflector to be outputted by adjusting the intensity of the light according to the acoustic intensity information as soon as the light is deflected, allowing the outputted light to be scanned and reflected at each scan position through a scanning unit, and allowing the reflected light to be inputted to the scanning unit; a recording step for detecting, by an optical detector, the light which is inputted to the scanning unit after having been reflected from each scan position, and recording detected optical detection signals; a Z-axis scanning step for changing a distance between the scanning unit and the object to be measured to a certain distance in a Z-axis direction, and sequentially performing the transmission step, the scanning step, and the recording step to record the optical detection signals at each scan position in accordance with the distance change, wherein the optical detection signals of each scan position in accordance with the distance change perform the steps at least one time; and an image acquisition step for selecting one of the plurality of optical detection signals at each scan position detected through the Z-axis scanning step, and forming images at each scan position in accordance with the acoustic intensity information to obtain the overall images of the scan area. Thus, the invention provides the image acquisition method for the object to be measured using the confocal microscope structure, in which images are obtained by adjusting the intensity of the scanned light according to the intensity of the light detected from each scan position so as to match with brightness differences of images caused by differences in detection signals which are changed according to surface information such as reflectivity, roughness, and reflection angles or the like at each scan position of the scan area, thereby improving measurement precision of the scan area.