3D measurements of features on a workpiece, such as ball height, co-planarity, component thickness, or warpage, are determined. The system includes a broadband light source, a microlens array, a tunable color filter, a lens system, and a detector. The microlens array can focus a light beam to points in a focal plane of the microlens array. The tunable color filter can narrow the light beam to a band at a central wavelength. The lens system can provide longitudinal chromatic aberration whereby different wavelengths are imaged at different distances from the lens system.

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.

The present invention relates to a microscope assembly for the three-dimensional capture of a sample to be microscopically examined and for the display of three-dimensional images of the sample under the microscope. The microscope assembly comprises an image capture unit for obtaining photographs of the sample and an image processing unit for generating three-dimensional images of the sample from the photographs of the image capture unit. In addition, the microscope assembly comprises at least one display unit for the three-dimensional display of the generated threedimensional images of the sample. According to the invention, the microscope assembly for generating and displaying the three-dimensional images of the sample is configured with an image refresh rate of at least 1 frame per second.

The present invention relates to a microscope assembly for the three-dimensional capture of a sample to be microscopically examined and for the display of three-dimensional images of the sample under the microscope. The microscope assembly comprises an image capture unit for obtaining photographs of the sample and an image processing unit for generating three-dimensional images of the sample from the photographs of the image capture unit. In addition, the microscope assembly comprises at least one display unit for the three-dimensional display of the generated threedimensional images of the sample. According to the invention, the microscope assembly for generating and displaying the three-dimensional images of the sample is configured with an image refresh rate of at least 1 frame per second.

An imaging system is described for measuring the position or movement of a particle having a size of less than about 20 microns. The system comprises an optional sample holder configured to hold a sample with a particle, an optional illumination source configured to illuminate the sample, a lens having a magnification ratio from about 1:5 to about 5:1 and configured to generate the image of the sample, an image sensor having a pixel size of up to about 20 microns and configured to sense the image of the sample, and an image processor operatively connected to the image sensor to process the image of the particle in order to determine the position or movement of the particle. The dimension of the image of each particle is at least about 1.5 times the dimension of the particle multiplied by the magnification ratio of the lens, and the image of each particle is distributed on at least two pixels of the sensor. The imaged area of the sample is at least about one millimeter squared.

An imaging system is described for measuring the position or movement of a particle having a size of less than about 20 microns. The system comprises an optional sample holder configured to hold a sample with a particle, an optional illumination source configured to illuminate the sample, a lens having a magnification ratio from about 1:5 to about 5:1 and configured to generate the image of the sample, an image sensor having a pixel size of up to about 20 microns and configured to sense the image of the sample, and an image processor operatively connected to the image sensor to process the image of the particle in order to determine the position or movement of the particle. The dimension of the image of each particle is at least about 1.5 times the dimension of the particle multiplied by the magnification ratio of the lens, and the image of each particle is distributed on at least two pixels of the sensor. The imaged area of the sample is at least about one millimeter squared.

The observation apparatus includes an imaging unit that images an observation target accommodated in a cultivation container, a movement unit that scans the observation target by relatively moving the cultivation container with respect to the imaging unit in accordance with a scheduled trajectory, a measurement unit that acquires measured shape information of the cultivation container by measuring the cultivation container along a scanning trajectory using an observation region, a storage unit that stores reference shape information obtained by measuring a shape of the cultivation container using the measurement unit along a reference trajectory which is a reference in a case where the shape of the cultivation container is measured, a calculation unit that calculates a shift of a scanning trajectory with respect to a reference trajectory based on the reference shape information and the measured shape information, and a control unit that corrects the scheduled trajectory based on the shift and scans the imaging unit based on the corrected scheduled trajectory.

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.