JP6473019B2 - Electron microscope and control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electron microscope and a control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an electron microscope provided with means for displaying a state of a vacuum exhaust device (opening / closing state of a valve, operating state of a vacuum pump) on an exhaust system diagram (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-007245 A

  In the conventional electron microscope, it is difficult to instantly grasp which chamber (exhaust chamber) is evacuated by which vacuum pump.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and according to some aspects of the present invention, it is easy to grasp which exhausted chamber is exhausted by which vacuum pump. A possible electron microscope or the like can be provided.

  (1) An electron microscope according to the present invention is provided in a vacuum pump, an exhausted chamber that is evacuated by the vacuum pump, an exhaust path that connects the vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber, and the exhaust path. An electron microscope including a vacuum valve, a signal acquisition unit that acquires a signal indicating an operation state of the plurality of vacuum pumps, and a signal that indicates an open / closed state of the plurality of vacuum valves, and the signal acquisition unit Display control for controlling the display unit to display an exhaust system diagram representing the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in a form that can be identified for each vacuum pump based on the acquired signal Part.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily grasp which exhausted chamber is exhausted by which vacuum pump and by which exhaust path.

  (2) The electron microscope according to the present invention further includes a storage unit that stores, for each combination, the exhaust system diagram corresponding to a combination of an operation state of the plurality of vacuum pumps and a plurality of open / close states of the vacuum valves. The display control unit displays, on the display unit, the exhaust system diagram corresponding to the combination specified based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit among the plurality of exhaust system diagrams stored in the storage unit. You may perform control to display.

  According to the present invention, the processing burden for displaying an exhaust system diagram can be reduced.

  (3) In the electron microscope according to the present invention, the display control unit is configured to convert the exhaust system diagram into an electric circuit diagram based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit. The voltage of the location corresponding to each of the chambers is calculated, and based on the calculated voltage, the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber can be identified for each vacuum pump in the exhaust system diagram. You may perform control displayed in a mode.

According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to store a plurality of exhaust system diagrams in the storage unit in advance, the storage capacity of the storage unit can be suppressed.

  (4) A control method according to the present invention is provided in a vacuum pump, an exhausted chamber that is evacuated by the vacuum pump, an exhaust path that connects the vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber, and the exhaust path. A control method for displaying an exhaust system diagram of an electron microscope equipped with a vacuum valve on a display unit, wherein a signal indicating an operation state of a plurality of vacuum pumps and a plurality of open / close states of the vacuum valves are displayed. In a mode in which the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber can be identified for each vacuum pump based on a signal acquisition step of acquiring a signal to be shown and the signal acquired in the signal acquisition step And a display control step for performing control to display the exhaust system diagram to be displayed on the display unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily grasp which exhausted chamber is exhausted by which vacuum pump and by which exhaust path.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the electron microscope which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the exhaust system figure displayed on the display part of the electron microscope of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the combination of the open / close state of a some vacuum valve, and the operation state of a some vacuum pump. It is a figure which shows an example of the model which converted the exhaust system diagram into the electrical circuit diagram. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the sequence after setting a sample holder in a preliminary | backup exhaust chamber, exhausting a preliminary | backup exhaust chamber, and inserting a sample holder into a sample chamber. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the exhaust system figure which shows the exhaust state in the sequence shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the exhaust system figure which shows the exhaust state in the sequence shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the exhaust system figure which shows the exhaust state in the sequence shown in FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below do not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Also, not all of the configurations described below are essential constituent requirements of the present invention.

1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an electron microscope according to the present embodiment. Here, the case where an electron microscope has the structure of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is demonstrated. Note that the electron microscope of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (each unit) in FIG. 1 are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electron microscope 1 includes an electron microscope main body 10, a processing unit 100, an operation unit 110, a display unit 120, and a storage unit 130.

  The electron microscope main body 10 is an electron gun chamber 11, a sample chamber 12, an observation chamber 13, and a preliminary exhaust chamber 14 (sample exchange chamber) which are exhausted chambers that are evacuated by a vacuum pump, and a vacuum pump for main pulling. A turbo molecular pump 20 and an oil diffusion pump 21, rotary pumps 22 and 23, which are roughing vacuum pumps, an exhaust path (shown by a solid line in the figure) connecting the vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber, and a vacuum valve 31 -45 are included.

The vacuum valves 31 to 42 are provided in an exhaust path (vacuum exhaust pipe), and the vacuum valves 43 to 45 are provided between adjacent exhausted chambers. The vacuum valves 32, 34, 39, and 42 are valves for opening the atmosphere (atmospheric valves) into which the atmosphere (or nitrogen gas) flows. The vacuum valves 31 to 44 are composed of electromagnetic valves and are controlled by the vacuum valve control device 50. The vacuum valve 45 provided between the sample chamber 12 and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is a valve that is opened when an operation of inserting the sample holder into the sample chamber 12 is performed. The vacuum valve control device 50 controls the opening and closing of the vacuum valves 31 to 44 based on a control signal from the processing unit 100, and outputs a signal indicating the open / closed state of the vacuum valves 31 to 45 to the processing unit 100.

  The turbo molecular pump 20 exhausts the electron gun chamber 11 and the sample chamber 12, the oil diffusion pump 21 exhausts the observation chamber 13 and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14, and the rotary pump 22 roughly exhausts the preliminary exhaust chamber 14. The rotary pump 22 functions as an auxiliary pump for the oil diffusion pump 21, and the rotary pump 23 functions as an auxiliary pump for the turbo molecular pump 20. Each vacuum pump (the turbo molecular pump 20, the oil diffusion pump 21, and the rotary pumps 22 and 23) is controlled by a vacuum pump control device 60. The vacuum pump control device 60 controls driving of each vacuum pump based on a control signal from the processing unit 100 and outputs a signal indicating an operation state of each vacuum pump to the processing unit 100.

  The operation unit 110 is for the user to input operation information, and outputs the input operation information to the processing unit 100. The function of the operation unit 110 can be realized by hardware such as a keyboard, a mouse, a button, and a touch panel.

  The display unit 120 displays an image generated by the processing unit 100, and its function can be realized by an LCD, a CRT, a touch panel, or the like.

  The storage unit 130 stores programs and various data for causing the computer to function as each unit of the processing unit 100, and also functions as a work area of the processing unit 100. The function can be realized by a hard disk, a RAM, or the like.

  The processing unit 100 performs processing for controlling the optical system and sample stage of the electron microscope main body, processing for controlling the vacuum valve control device 50 and the vacuum pump control device 60, processing for acquiring a transmission electron microscope image, display control processing, and the like. . The functions of the processing unit 100 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) and programs. The processing unit 100 includes a signal acquisition unit 102 and a display control unit 104.

  The signal acquisition unit 102 acquires a signal indicating the open / closed state of the vacuum valves 31 to 45 from the vacuum valve control device 50 and acquires a signal indicating the operation state of each vacuum pump from the vacuum pump control device 60.

  The display control unit 104 performs control for causing the display unit 120 to display an exhaust system diagram of the vacuum exhaust system of the electron microscope main body 10. In particular, the display control unit 104 according to the present embodiment uses the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber (the electron gun chamber 11, the sample chamber 12, the observation chamber) based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102. 13, the preliminary exhaust chamber 14) is controlled in such a manner that the exhaust system diagram is displayed on the display unit 120 so as to be identifiable for each vacuum pump (for example, color-coded for each vacuum pump). That is, the display control unit 104 is exhausted by the exhaust pump and exhausted chamber exhausted by the turbo molecular pump 20, the exhaust exhaust route and exhausted chamber exhausted by the oil diffusion pump 21, and the rotary pumps 22 and 23. An exhaust system diagram representing the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber in a manner that can be identified for each vacuum pump is displayed on the display unit 120. In the exhaust system diagram, the display control unit 104 displays the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber that are open to the atmosphere in a manner different from the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber that are not open to the atmosphere.

  Further, the exhaust system diagram corresponding to the combination of the operating states of the plurality of vacuum pumps and the open / closed states of the plurality of vacuum valves 31 to 45 is stored in the storage unit 130 for each combination, and the display control unit 104 stores Among the plurality of exhaust system diagrams stored in the unit 130, the display unit 120 may be controlled to display the exhaust system diagram corresponding to the combination specified based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102. Good (first technique).

  In addition, the display control unit 104 sets the voltages at locations corresponding to the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber in the model obtained by converting the exhaust system diagram into an electrical circuit diagram based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102. Based on the calculated voltage and the calculated voltage, in the exhaust system diagram, control may be performed to display the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in an identifiable manner for each vacuum pump. (Second method).

2. Next, the method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an exhaust system diagram displayed on the display unit 120 of the electron microscope 1 of the present embodiment.

  In the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2, “V1” to “V15” indicate vacuum valves 31 to 45, and the closed vacuum valve is shown by a combination of two triangles, and the open vacuum valve Is shown in a circle. For example, in the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2A, V1, V3, V5, V6, V8, V10, V11 (vacuum valves 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41) are in an open state. This indicates that the other vacuum valves are closed. Further, in the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2, “TMP” indicates the turbo molecular pump 20, “DP” indicates the oil diffusion pump 21, and “RP1” and “RP2” indicate the rotary pumps 22 and 23. Yes. Here, all the vacuum pumps are operating.

  The exhaust system diagram EF displays the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in a form that can be identified for each vacuum pump (a different form for each vacuum pump). That is, in the exhaust system diagram EF, the exhaust path exhausted by the turbo molecular pump 20 and the exhausted chamber are displayed in the first mode (in the example shown in FIG. 2, the lower left oblique line pattern), and exhausted by the oil diffusion pump 21. The exhaust paths and exhausted chambers that are provided are displayed in the second mode (vertical line pattern in the example shown in FIG. 2), and the exhaust paths and exhausted chambers that are exhausted by the rotary pumps 22 and 23 are the third type. It is displayed in a mode (dot pattern in the example shown in FIG. 2). Further, in the exhaust system diagram EF, the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber that are open to the atmosphere are displayed in a fourth mode (in the example shown in FIG. 2, a cross diagonal pattern). In addition, instead of displaying the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber with a different filling pattern for each vacuum pump, when displaying by color for each vacuum pump, for example, first The second mode is displayed in blue, the second mode is displayed in green, the third mode is displayed in yellow, and the fourth mode is displayed in red.

In the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2A, the electron gun chamber 11 and the sample chamber 12 are exhausted by the turbo molecular pump 20, the observation chamber 13 is exhausted by the oil diffusion pump 21, and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is rotated by the rotary pump 22. Represents the exhaust state when exhausting. That is, in the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2A, the exhaust path from the turbo molecular pump 20 (TMP) to the electron gun chamber 11 and the sample chamber 12 and the electron gun chamber 11 and the sample chamber 12 are in the first mode. The exhaust path from the oil diffusion pump 21 (DP) to the observation chamber 13 (and the exhaust path from the oil diffusion pump 21 to V7) and the observation chamber 13 are displayed in the second mode, and the rotary pump 22 (RP1 ) To the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 (and the rotary pump 22 to the oil diffusion pump 21)
The exhaust path from the rotary pump 23 to the turbo molecular pump 20) and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 are displayed in the third mode.

  2B shows an exhaust system diagram EF when the electron gun chamber 11 is opened to the atmosphere, the sample chamber 12 and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 are sealed, and the observation chamber 13 is exhausted by the oil diffusion pump 21. It represents the exhaust state. That is, in the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2B, the exhaust path from V2 (atmospheric valve) to the electron gun chamber 11 (and the path from V2 to V1, V3) and the electron gun chamber 11 are the fourth. The exhaust path from the oil diffusion pump 21 to the observation chamber 13 (and the exhaust path from the oil diffusion pump 21 to V7) and the observation chamber 13 are displayed in the second mode. Further, the sealed sample chamber 12, the preliminary exhaust chamber 14, and the exhaust path are displayed in a default mode (in this case, displayed without a fill pattern).

  In this way, by displaying the exhaust system diagram EF on the display unit 120 in such a manner that the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber can be identified for each vacuum pump, which exhausted chamber has which vacuum It is possible to easily grasp instantaneously which exhaust path is exhausted by the pump.

2-1. First Method Next, a first method for displaying (generating) the exhaust system diagram EF will be described. In the first method, a plurality of exhaust system diagrams corresponding to combinations of operating states of a plurality of vacuum pumps and opening / closing states of a plurality of vacuum valves are created in advance and stored in the storage unit 130 and stored in the storage unit 130. Among the plurality of exhaust system diagrams, an exhaust system diagram corresponding to the combination specified based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102 is selected and displayed on the display unit 120.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing examples of combinations of open / close states of a plurality of vacuum valves (V1 to V15) and operation states of a plurality of vacuum pumps (TMP, DP, RP1, RP2). is there.

  The exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 2 (A) is stored as an exhaust system diagram corresponding to each combination of states as shown in FIG. 3 (A), and the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. It is stored as an exhaust system diagram corresponding to each combination of states as shown in FIG. That is, in the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102, when the open / close state of the plurality of vacuum valves and the operation state of the plurality of vacuum pumps are the states shown in FIG. When the exhaust system diagram EF as shown in FIG. 3 is selected and displayed on the display unit 120, and the opening / closing states of the plurality of vacuum valves and the operating states of the plurality of vacuum pumps are the states shown in FIG. The exhaust system diagram EF as shown in FIG. 2B is selected and displayed on the display unit 120. When the operation state of the vacuum pump and the open / close state of the vacuum valve change in the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102, the displayed exhaust system diagram EF is changed to the exhaust system diagram EF corresponding to the changed state. Replace with and display. The first method is a method that can be realized because there is a one-to-one correspondence between the combination of the operating states of a plurality of vacuum pumps and the opening / closing states of a plurality of vacuum valves and the exhaust state represented by the exhaust system diagram.

  According to the first method, since it is only necessary to select an exhaust system diagram corresponding to the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102 from a plurality of exhaust system diagrams prepared in advance, the processing burden for displaying the exhaust system diagram Can be reduced.

2-2. Second Method Next, a second method for displaying (generating) the exhaust system diagram EF will be described. In the second method, a model obtained by converting the exhaust system diagram of the electron microscope 1 into an electrical circuit diagram is used to determine which exhausted chamber is exhausted by which vacuum pump.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a model (electric circuit model) obtained by converting the exhaust system diagram of the electron microscope 1 into an electric circuit diagram. In the electric circuit model EM, “voltage” corresponds to “pressure” (degree of vacuum) in the exhaust system diagram, and the voltage is higher as the pressure is closer to the atmospheric pressure (the higher the pressure is), and the pressure is lower (the pressure is lower). The circuit is set so that the voltage becomes low.

  In the electric circuit model EM, each vacuum pump is replaced with a voltage source. For example, a turbo molecular pump (TMP) that is a high vacuum pump is a voltage source of 1V, and an oil diffusion pump (DP) that is a medium vacuum pump is 10V. The rotary pumps (RP1, PR2), which are low vacuum pumps, are replaced with a 100V voltage source, and the atmosphere (Air) is replaced with a 1000V voltage source. It is assumed that the voltage source has a finite internal resistance. When the vacuum pump is not operating, the voltage of the voltage source corresponding to the vacuum pump is set to 0V.

  In the electric circuit model EM, each vacuum valve (V1 to V12) is replaced with a switch, and the corresponding switch opens and closes according to the open / close state of the vacuum valve (the corresponding switch is closed when the vacuum valve is open). Therefore, when the vacuum valve is closed, the corresponding switch is opened).

  In addition, in the electric circuit model EM, the vacuum valve is set so as not to be in an electrically floating state regardless of the open / closed state of each vacuum valve. Use to ground to ground. When the vacuum pumps are connected in series, the negative side of the voltage source corresponding to the high vacuum side pump (TMP, DP) is grounded. The voltage source corresponding to the low vacuum side pumps (RP1, RP2) is connected to the negative side of the voltage source corresponding to the high vacuum side pump via a resistor or the like. This resistance terminal voltage is a voltage indicating the back pressure of the high vacuum pump. When the turbo molecular pump (TMP) is not operating, S1 in the figure is closed, S2 is open in the figure, and when the turbo molecular pump (TMP) is operating, S1 is open. S2 is in a closed state.

In the second method, the operation state of each vacuum pump and the open / close state of each vacuum valve specified based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102 are determined based on the voltage of each voltage source of the electric circuit model EM and the open / close state of each switch. Reflected in the state, in the electric circuit model EM, a location corresponding to each exhausted chamber (location P _G corresponding to the electron gun chamber 11, location P _C corresponding to the sample chamber 12, location P _D corresponding to the observation chamber 13 Then, the voltage at the location P _S ) corresponding to the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 and the voltage at the appropriate location corresponding to each exhaust path are calculated. The voltage calculated for each location is a voltage range corresponding to high vacuum (exhaust by TMP) (for example, greater than 0 and 1 or less), or a voltage range corresponding to medium vacuum (exhaust by DP) (for example, Or a voltage range corresponding to low vacuum (exhaust by RP1, RP2) (for example, greater than 10 and less than 100), or a voltage range corresponding to atmospheric pressure (for example, In the exhaust system diagram EF, the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber are displayed in an identifiable manner for each vacuum pump based on the determination result. Take control.

In other words, the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber corresponding to the portion where the calculated voltage is in the voltage range corresponding to high vacuum is displayed in the first mode as being exhausted by the turbo molecular pump (TMP). The exhaust path and the exhausted chamber corresponding to the voltage range corresponding to the medium vacuum are displayed in the second mode as being exhausted by the oil diffusion pump (DP), and the voltage corresponding to the low vacuum The exhaust path and the exhausted chamber corresponding to the range that has become the range are displayed in the third mode as being exhausted by the rotary pumps (RP1, RP2), and the voltage range corresponding to the atmospheric pressure is displayed. The corresponding exhaust path and exhausted chamber are displayed in the fourth mode as being open to the atmosphere. In addition, the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber corresponding to the portion where the calculated voltage is 0 V are displayed in a default mode, assuming that they are sealed areas.

For example, when the operation state of the open and closed states and a plurality of vacuum pumps of the plurality of vacuum valve is in the state shown in FIG. 3 (A), P _G, the voltage of the P _C in an electric circuit model EM 1V, P _D the voltage 10V, the voltage of _{P S} is calculated as 100 V, in the exhaust system diagram EF, sample chamber 12 corresponding to the electron gun chamber 11 and _{P C} corresponding to _{P G} is displayed in a first aspect, observation chamber 13 corresponding to P _D is displayed in the second embodiment, the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 corresponding to P _S is displayed in the third embodiment (FIG. 2 (a)). Further, when the operation state of the open and closed states and a plurality of vacuum pumps of the plurality of vacuum valve is in the state shown in FIG. 3 (B), the voltage of the P _G in the electric circuit model EM is 1000V, the voltage of the P _C is 0V, since the voltage of the _{P D} 10V, the voltage of _{P S} is calculated as 0V, the exhaust system diagram EF, the electron gun chamber 11 corresponding to the _{P G} is displayed in a fourth aspect, corresponding to the _{P C} pre-evacuation chamber 14 corresponding to the sample chamber 12 and P _S is displayed in the default mode, the observation chamber 13 corresponding to P _D is displayed in the second embodiment (FIG. 2 (B)).

  According to the second method, since it is not necessary to store a plurality of exhaust system diagrams corresponding to combinations of operating states of a plurality of vacuum pumps and open / close states of a plurality of vacuum valves in the storage unit 130, the storage unit 130. Storage capacity can be reduced.

  Note that the method for generating the exhaust system diagram is not limited to the first and second methods described above. For example, in the exhaust system diagram, the control for displaying the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber existing in the path from the operating vacuum pump to the closed vacuum valve in a (unique) manner corresponding to the vacuum pump is in operation. By performing for each vacuum pump, control may be performed to display the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in a manner that can be identified for each vacuum pump.

3. Example of Display of Exhaust System Diagram FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of an exhaust sequence from setting the sample holder in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 and exhausting the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 to inserting the sample holder into the sample chamber 12. It is. FIGS. 6 to 8 show display examples of the exhaust system diagram EF showing the exhaust state in this sequence. Here, in the electron microscope main body 10, the oil diffusion pump 21 (DP) and the rotary pump 23 (RP 2) are omitted, and the turbo molecular pump 20 (TMP) is replaced with the exhaust of the observation chamber 13 and the preliminary exhaust instead of the oil diffusion pump 21. A case where the main exhaust of the chamber 14 is configured to be performed will be described as an example.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an exhaust system diagram EF displayed on the display unit 120 in a state before the sample holder is set in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14. As shown in FIG. 6, in this state, the electron gun chamber 11, the sample chamber 12, and the observation chamber 13 are evacuated by a turbo molecular pump (TMP), and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is open to the atmosphere.

  First, the processing unit 100 determines whether a sample holder is set in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 based on a signal from a sensor provided in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 (step S10 in FIG. 5). When the sample holder is set (Y in step S10), the processing unit 100 performs control to close the vacuum valve 31 (V1) to seal off the sample chamber 12, and the vacuum valve 42 ( Control for closing V12) is performed (step S12). FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an exhaust system diagram EF displayed on the display unit 120 in this state. In the figure, “SH” indicates a sample holder.

Next, the processing unit 100 performs control for closing the vacuum valve 38 (V8) and opening the vacuum valve 40 (V10), and starts roughing of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 (step S14). FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an exhaust system diagram EF displayed on the display unit 120 in this state. Looking at the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 7A, the exhaust path from the rotary pump (RP) to the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 are displayed in the third mode (dot pattern). It can be seen that the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is exhausted by the rotary pump (RP).

  Next, in the processing unit 100, the vacuum valve 45 (V15) is opened based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 102 (that is, an operation of inserting the sample holder into the sample chamber 12 is performed). ) Or not (step S16), and when it is in the open state (Y in step S16), the process proceeds to step S28. When the vacuum valve (V15) is not open (N in Step S16), the processing unit 100 performs roughing of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 based on a signal from a vacuum gauge provided in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14. Is determined (step S18), and if not completed (N in step S18), the roughing is continued.

  When the roughing of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is completed (Y in Step S18), the processing unit 100 opens the vacuum valves 37 and 38 (V7, V8) and closes the vacuum valve 40 (V10). The main pulling of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is started (step S20). FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an exhaust system diagram EF displayed on the display unit 120 in this state. Looking at the exhaust system diagram EF shown in FIG. 7B, the exhaust path from the turbo molecular pump (TMP) to the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 and the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 are displayed in the first mode (lower left oblique line pattern). Therefore, it can be seen that the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is exhausted by the turbo molecular pump (TMP).

  Next, the processing unit 100 determines whether or not the vacuum valve (V15) is in an open state (step S22). If the vacuum valve (V15) is in an open state (Y in step S22), the processing unit 100 proceeds to step S28. When the vacuum valve (V15) is not open (N in step S22), the processing unit 100 performs main pulling of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 based on a signal from a vacuum gauge provided in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14. Is determined (step S24), and if not completed (N in step S24), the main pulling is continued.

  When main pulling of the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is completed (Y in Step S24), the processing unit 100 determines whether or not the vacuum valve (V15) is in an open state (Step S26), and enters the open state. In the case (Y in step S26), it is determined whether or not the degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 12 is normal (high vacuum) based on a signal from a vacuum gauge provided in the sample chamber 12 (step S28). ).

  When the degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 12 is not normal (N in step S28), the processing unit 100 performs control to open the vacuum valve (V1) and close the vacuum valve 35 (V5), The sample chamber 12 is evacuated by the turbo molecular pump (TMP) (step S30). Next, the processing unit 100 determines whether or not the degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 12 has become normal (step S32), and if not normal (N in step S32), the sample chamber 12 continues to be evacuated. When the degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 12 is normal (Y in step S32), the processing unit 100 performs control to open the vacuum valve 35 (V5), and the turbo molecular pump (TMP) The exhausted chamber is exhausted (step S34). Next, the processing unit 100 determines whether or not the degree of vacuum of all the exhausted chambers is normal based on a signal from a vacuum gauge provided in each exhausted chamber (step S36). Continue exhausting until is normal.

  On the other hand, when the degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 12 is normal (Y in step S28), the processing unit 100 performs control to open the vacuum valve (V1) (step S38). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an exhaust system diagram EF displayed on the display unit 120 in a state where the sequence is completed.

According to the above sequence, when the sample holder is set in the preliminary exhaust chamber 14, the vacuum chamber (V1) is closed and the sample chamber 12 is sealed (step S12), so that the preliminary exhaust chamber 14 is being roughed. When the operation (erroneous operation) of inserting the sample holder into the sample chamber is performed during the main pulling (Y in step S16, Y in step S22), the air inflow generated can be restricted to the sample chamber 12 only. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of damage due to the inflow of air into a vacuum pump (turbo molecular pump) or an electron gun to which a high voltage is applied. Further, when the atmosphere flows into the sample chamber 12 due to the above-described erroneous operation, the sample chamber 12 whose pressure has increased is preferentially evacuated (step S30), so that the degree of vacuum of all the exhausted chambers can be quickly and normalized. It can be returned to the state.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. The present invention includes configurations that are substantially the same as the configurations described in the embodiments (for example, configurations that have the same functions, methods, and results, or configurations that have the same objects and effects). In addition, the invention includes a configuration in which a non-essential part of the configuration described in the embodiment is replaced. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration that exhibits the same operational effects as the configuration described in the embodiment or a configuration that can achieve the same object. Further, the invention includes a configuration in which a known technique is added to the configuration described in the embodiment.

1 electron microscope, 10 electron microscope main body, 11 electron gun chamber, 12 sample chamber, 13 observation chamber, 14 preliminary exhaust chamber, 20 turbo molecular pump, 21 oil diffusion pump, 22, 23 rotary pump, 31-45 vacuum valve, 50 Vacuum valve control device, 60 vacuum pump control device, 100 processing unit, 102 signal acquisition unit, 104 display control unit, 110 operation unit, 120 display unit, 130 storage unit

Claims (4)

An electron microscope comprising a vacuum pump, an exhausted chamber evacuated by the vacuum pump, an exhaust path connecting the vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber, and a vacuum valve provided in the exhaust path. And
A signal acquisition unit for acquiring a signal indicating an operation state of the plurality of vacuum pumps, and a signal indicating an opening / closing state of the plurality of vacuum valves;
Based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit, the display unit displays an exhaust system diagram representing the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in a manner that can be identified for each vacuum pump. An electron microscope including a display control unit that performs control. In claim 1,
A storage unit that stores the exhaust system diagram corresponding to a combination of operating states of the plurality of vacuum pumps and a plurality of open / close states of the vacuum valves for each combination;
The display control unit
Among the plurality of exhaust system diagrams stored in the storage unit, control is performed to display the exhaust system diagram corresponding to the combination specified based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit on the display unit. electronic microscope. In claim 1,
The display control unit
Based on the signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit, in the model in which the exhaust system diagram is converted into an electric circuit diagram, the voltage corresponding to each of the exhaust path and the exhausted chamber is calculated, and the calculated voltage is obtained. Based on the exhaust system diagram, an electron microscope that performs control to display the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in an identifiable manner for each vacuum pump. Evacuation of an electron microscope comprising a vacuum pump, an exhausted chamber evacuated by the vacuum pump, an exhaust path connecting the vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber, and a vacuum valve provided in the exhaust path A control method for performing control to display a system diagram on a display unit,
A signal acquisition step of acquiring a signal indicating an operating state of the plurality of vacuum pumps, and a signal indicating an open / closed state of the plurality of vacuum valves;
Based on the signal acquired in the signal acquisition step, an exhaust system diagram representing the exhaust path exhausted by each vacuum pump and the exhausted chamber in a form that can be identified for each vacuum pump is displayed on the display unit. A display control step for performing control.

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