Scanning electron microscope image enhancement using spread spectrum through dither signal imposition

Abstract

Noise is a primary issue in obtaining an image in a scanning microscope. This noise needs to be minimized in order to have a clear image of the sample in case of a nanosize level measurement. In this work, we propose a method to improve the image quality by applying dither signal injection to the scanning signal. This method involves minimizing the noise that occurs in scan control circuits, which results in a blurry or distorted image. The collected secondary electrons are first multiplied through a photomultiplier tube and are then converted into digital form using an analog/digital (A/D) converter. We propose a solution for the noise from the scan control circuit that appears on the image by adopting the spread spectrum method.