S.E.M. Multi-Detector Color Synthesizer

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This is a simplified diagram and description of my new ”S.E.M. Multi-Detector Color Synthesizer” (U.S. Patent No. 5,212,383 and others) designed, developed, and built by D. Scharf. This system uses multiple secondary electron detectors which share the electron emission from the sample. Each detector’s signal is encoded with an arbitrary color using a signal mixing system.

The R. G. B. signals from the mixer are then sent to an A/D (analog to digital) converter to facilitate acquisition in digital format. The resulting color complexity and shading enhance perception of depth and interpretation of the subject’s topography.

The new images are purely digital and never passed through an optical lens.

Demonstration of the S.E.M. Multi-Detector Color Synthesizer

This illustration demonstrates the process of color image formation using the Scharf S.E.M. Multi-Detector Color Synthesizing system (U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,383).

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A standard Scanning Electron Microscope (S.E.M.) has one secondary electron detector and would generally supply the #2 (center) gray scale image of the three detector images shown above. But with multiple secondary electron detectors (in this case three) providing multiple "lighting" views of the object and color-encoding it, additional useful information is added to the image. This additional directional illumination information in the form of color, greatly enhances the readability and visual interpretation of the topography of SEM subjects. Additionally, there is a distinct enhancement of depth perception which can be quite dramatic; at times creating a virtual 3D effect. This is the current state-of-the-art in the graphics aspect of scanning electron microscope imagery.

For purposes of simplification, the detector images above have been encoded to the primary colors of red, green, and blue, but in practice, each detectors image may be encoded with any color, thereby providing a virtually unlimited pallet.