HEIGHT INFORMATION ACQUISITION APPARATUS, HEIGHT INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain appropriate height information of an area of a specimen, or an object under observation, which is lacking in contrast. SOLUTION: An image processing section 207 first obtains, for each pixel belonging to a first pixel group which is a partial pixel group out of the constituent pixels of a microscopic image, the height of a part of the specimen 203 represented by the pixel on the basis of a plurality of microscopic images of the specimen 203 in which the focal positions are different from each other in the height direction of the specimen 203 and the visual field coverages are the same. The image processing section 207 then divides the microscopic image into a plurality of small areas and for each of the plurality of small areas generates a height representative value of the part of the specimen 203 represented by the small area on the basis of the height obtaind for the pixel belonging to the first pixel group. For each pixel belonging to a second pixel group which is a pixel group not belonging to the first pixel group out of the constituent pixels of the microscopic image, the height of the part of the specimen 203 represented by the pixel is obtaind by calculations through interpolating operations on the basis of the height representative value generated for each of the plurality of small areas. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT