Selection process for sequentially combining multiple sets of overlapping surface-profile interferometric data to produce a continuous composite map
US5991461A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 17, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 17, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T11/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The process of combining various sets of measured data is carried out by first selecting a section of the test surface and its data set as the starting point and comparing the regions of overlap with adjacent sections of the test sample. All pixels containing an invalid data point in at least one of the data sets of each overlapping region are eliminated from consideration and the remaining valid pixels are counted. Then the adjacent section having an overlapping region with the largest number of valid pixels is selected for combination with the first section and their data sets are fitted according to a predetermined procedure, thereby producing an enlarged composite set of corrected data. The process is then repeated by comparing the overlapping regions of all sets adjacent to the composite section to determine the one having the largest number of pixels with valid data points. That set is then fitted to the existing composite profile to produce a new composite set of corrected data. These steps are repeated until the measured data corresponding to all sections are corrected and combined to produce a single uniform map of the sample surface.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.