Koichi Hamada

Method of improving image sharpness for annular-illumination scanning electron microscopes

Annular illumination is effective in enhancing the depth of focus for scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). However, owing to high side lobes of the point-spread function (PSF), annular illumination results in poor image sharpness. The conventional deconvolution method, which converts the PSF to a delta function, can improve image sharpness, but results in artifacts due to noise amplification. In this paper, we propose an image processing method that can reduce the deterioration of image sharpness. With this method, the PSF under annular illumination is converted to that under standard illumination. Through simulations, we verified that the image sharpness of SEM images under annular illumination with the proposed method can be improved without noise amplification.

Area detection technology for air conditioner

We developed room layout detection technology for air conditioners. This technology uses an image camera that is equipped with the air conditioners. The technology controls the direction of the wind and their air capacity. It has been installed in commercial products as a “layout search.”.