KR-102964525-B1 - Integrated control system and control method with artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function

Abstract

An integrated control system and a control method having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function are disclosed. The integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function includes a plasma ion processing device that receives RF power to form an inductively coupled plasma and irradiates the surface of a sample with an ion beam extracted from the inductively coupled plasma to process the cross-section of the sample; a coater that forms a conductive thin film on the surface of the processed sample; a field emission scanning electron microscope that focuses an electron beam onto the sample on which the conductive thin film is formed to acquire an image; and a processor that inputs the acquired image into a pre-trained artificial intelligence model to improve the image quality. Accordingly, by improving the image quality of the surface of the sample based on artificial intelligence, the accuracy of the analysis of the surface of the sample can be improved.

Inventors

• 김기환
• 장동영
• 김승혁
• 조민진
• 김동욱
• 박건영
• 박형주
• 박정석
• 송규
• 윤찬녕
• 원종한
• 이재윤

Assignees

• 재단법인 한국전자기계융합기술원
• 인터젠컨설팅(주)

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251105

Claims (9)

1. A plasma ion processing device that forms an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) by receiving RF power and processes a cross-section of a sample by irradiating the sample surface with an ion beam extracted from the inductively coupled plasma; A coater for forming a conductive thin film on the surface of the above-mentioned processed sample; A field emission scanning electron microscope that acquires an image by focusing an electron beam onto a sample having the above-mentioned conductive thin film formed thereon; and A processor that improves image quality by inputting the acquired image into a pre-trained artificial intelligence model; The above processor is, Before inputting the above-mentioned acquired image into a pre-trained artificial intelligence model, An integrated control system having an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by normalizing the resolution and dynamic range of the above image and performing preprocessing including alignment and/or cropping.
2. In Article 1, The above plasma ion processing device is, An integrated control system having an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by being formed as a single quartz cylindrical tube structure.
3. In Article 1, The above plasma ion processing device is, An integrated control system with an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by expanding the processing area and improving processing speed, including an X-axis scanning function.
4. In Article 1, The above coater is, An integrated control system with an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by preventing charging phenomena by forming a conductive thin film on the surface of a sample through sputtering a metal target using argon gas via a DC plasma coating method.
5. In Article 1, An integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function, characterized in that the above-mentioned plasma ion processing device, coater, and field emission scanning electron microscope are included in a single vacuum system.
6. delete
7. In Article 1, The above processor is, After inputting the above-mentioned acquired image into a pre-trained artificial intelligence model, An integrated control system having an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by performing post-processing including tone correction, gamma correction, and/or measurement coordinate matching on the above image.
8. In Article 1, The above artificial intelligence model is, An integrated control system having an AI-based image enhancement function characterized by a U-Net structure including a symmetric encoder-decoder network.
9. In a control method in an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function, A step of normalizing the resolution and dynamic range of an image acquired by a field emission scanning electron microscope, and performing preprocessing including alignment and/or cropping; A step of inputting an image acquired by the above field emission scanning electron microscope into a pre-trained artificial intelligence model; and A control method comprising the step of improving the quality of the image using the aforementioned pre-trained artificial intelligence model.

Description

Integrated control system and control method with artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function The present invention relates to an integrated control system and a control method having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function. More specifically, it relates to an integrated control system and a control method having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function capable of improving image quality from low quality to high quality by integrating a configuration for performing a process for analyzing the surface of a sample into a single vacuum system and utilizing artificial intelligence technology. Generally, to analyze the surface of a sample, processes such as processing, coating, and inspection (image acquisition) are performed. In this process, the aforementioned device, such as an ICP Ion Miller for precisely cutting and/or machining the surface of the sample to be analyzed, a Coater for coating the surface of the sample to convert a non-conductive sample into a conductive one, and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for inspecting the surface of the sample are each used independently. However, according to the conventional technology described above, since the devices performing each process use different vacuum chambers, there were problems such as oxidation and/or contamination of the sample due to exposure to the outside during transfer between processes, potential damage to the sample due to handling, and the overall analysis process taking a long time. In addition, even if the surface of the sample is coated, oxidation begins as the sample is exposed to the outside during movement between processes; consequently, even when the sample is scanned by a scanning electron microscope, there was a problem in that accurate analysis of the surface could not be performed due to image quality degradation. Accordingly, there has been an increased need for technology that integrates the devices required for sample surface analysis into a single unit, thereby preventing sample oxidation and/or contamination, shortening the analysis process time, and improving the quality of images for sample surface analysis. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings for explaining an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method in an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the specific configuration of an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function illustrated in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a drawing relating to a software module stored in a storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, specific descriptions of related known functions or configurations are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. Additionally, the terms described below are defined considering their functions in the present invention, and these may vary depending on the intentions or relationships of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the content throughout this specification. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining an integrated control system having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment, an integrated control system (100) having an artificial intelligence-based image enhancement function may be an integrated control system that performs processes such as processing the cross-section of a sample, cross-section coating, image scanning, and applying an artificial intelligence algorithm to the scanned image to improve quality (applying a filter). The above-described processes are executed within a single chamber (CB) by sharing common vacuum piping, such as a dry pump or a turbo pump, and a door and an alignment optical system are installed between the components (modules) performing each process, so that automatic alignment and position correction can be performed while maintaining vacuum continuity even during the movement of the sample. A more detailed description of the integrated c