Patent ID: 7012254

Claim:
An electron microscope comprising: a support for supporting a specimen; a deflector for deflecting an electron beam to the specimen to form images; an image pickup device for obtaining the images; and a processor coupled to the image pickup device, said processor being programmed for observing the specimen in a field of view of the electron microscope, said programming causing the microscope to perform the acts of: presetting an arbitrary search target pattern similar to a search target form, determining whether the field of view has a brightness inappropriate for observation or search, adjusting electro-optical conditions of the electron microscope when it is determined that the field of view is appropriate for observation or search, searching the field of view for a form having the same pattern as the arbitrary search target pattern, and measuring a number of the forms obtained by the search; wherein said determining act is performed based on a degree of coincidence between one of said obtained images and a reference image which includes said arbitrary search target pattern.