The widespread use of digital image processing systems for high resolution morphometric applications has been limited by the cost and difficulty of interfacing systems to electron microscopes. The recent development of image acquisition boards and software for PC-AT based systems and the availability of scanning electron microscopes that are capable of scanning at true TV rates (RS-170 compatible signals), have alleviated these problems. We have assembled a system consisting of a Compaq Portable 286 (Compaq Computer Corp. Houston, TX) equipped with an FG-100 image acquisition board (Imaging Technology Inc. Woburn, MA), interfaced with a Philips 515 SEM containing a motorized stage and Edax stage controller (Philips Electronics Inc. Mahwah, NJ).Utilizing commercially available software, this system has extensive image processing and morphometric analysis capabilities. For example, because TV scan rates generate images with low signal to noise ratios, improvement of the image quality is possible via real time image averaging and background subtraction using the the FG-100 board Feedback/Input lookup table.
Automatic contrast adjustment for detail recognition in SEM images using on-line digital image processing
