Methods and devices for examining an electrically charged specimen surface
AssigneeCarl Zeiss SMT GmbH
InventorsMichael Budach, Michael Schnell, Bernd Schindler, Markus Boese
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Abstract
A method for examining a specimen surface with a probe of a scanning probe microscope, the specimen surface having an electrical potential distribution. The method includes (a) determining the electrical potential distribution of at least one first partial region of the specimen surface; and (b) modifying the electrical potential distribution in the at least one first partial region of the specimen surface and/or modifying an electrical potential of the probe of the scanning probe microscope before scanning at least one second partial region of the specimen surface.
Claims19
A method for examining a specimen surface with a charged particle beam of a scanning particle microscope, the specimen surface having an electrical potential distribution of an electrostatic charge, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining the electrical potential distribution of the electrostatic charge of at least one first partial local region of the specimen surface;
- and
- correcting at least one setting of the scanning particle microscope on the basis of a pixel-based determination of the potential distribution of the electrostatic charge to process at least one second partial local region of the specimen surface with the charged particle beam, the at least one first partial local region of the specimen surface containing the at least one second partial local region of the specimen surface.
A device for examining a specimen surface with a charged particle beam of a scanning particle microscope, the specimen surface having an electrical potential distribution of an electrostatic charge, comprising:
- means for determining the electrical potential distribution of the electrostatic charge of at least one first partial local region of the specimen surface;
- and
- means for correcting at least one setting of the scanning particle microscope on the basis of a pixel-based determination of the potential distribution of the electrostatic charge for processing at least one second partial local region of the specimen surface with the charged particle beam, the at least one first partial local region of the specimen surface containing the at least one second partial local region of the specimen surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.