Recursive calibration

A method of calibrating a device comprising the steps of:

• inputting a representative sample as a current input to the device to be calibrated;
• converting the current input to a current output based on current machine settings of the device to reproduce the current input as an output and wherein the output is scaled down to nano-dimensions;
• outputting a nano-scale reproduction of the current input as a current output;
• measuring an error pattern of said current output with a metrology system;
• transforming the error pattern back to a scale equal to a scale of the current input;
• comparing a pattern of the current input with the transformed error pattern;
• aligning the error pattern with the pattern of the current input by linear regression;
• if one or more errors within the error pattern are greater than predetermined error thresholds, adjusting one or more machine settings of device to be calibrated to form current machine settings for a next recursive cycle;
• and
• repeating said inputting, converting, outputting, measuring, transforming, comparing, aligning and adjusting steps to perform additional recursive cycles until current errors are all within said predetermined error thresholds or until a predetermined recursion cycle limit has been met.

A system for calibrating a device for which it is not possible to provide another device having a higher degree of precision to be used as a standard against which the device to be calibrated can be compared to perform the calibration, said system comprising:

• a processor and programming to perform the functions of:
• comparing machine instructions used by the device to reproduce a current input as a current output, with machine instructions that were used by the device to reproduce the current input as the previous output, based on a previous input;
• determining error based upon results from said means for comparing;
• and
• determining whether calibration of the device has been successfully completed, based on errors determined by said means for determining error, wherein if errors between the machine instructions used to produce the current output and the machine instructions used to produce the previous output are within predetermined thresholds, then it is determined that the calibration has been successfully completed, and wherein if it is not determined that the calibration has been successfully completed, adjustment of one or more operational parameters of the device is performed, and the current output is used as an input to iterate the comparison of machine instructions.

A system used to calibrate a device that replicates and reduces an input to a scale for which it is not possible to provide another device having a higher degree of precision to be used as a standard against which the device to be calibrated can be compared to perform the calibration, said system comprising:

• a processor and programming to perform the functions of:
• inputting a representative sample as a current input to the device to be calibrated;
• converting the current input to a current output based on current machine settings of the device to reproduce the current input as an output and wherein the output is scaled down to nano-dimensions;
• and outputting a nano-scale reproduction of the current input as a current output;
• and
• a metrology system for measuring an error pattern of a current output produced as a nano-scale reproduction of a current input by the device based on inputting the current input to the device;
• wherein said processor transforms the error pattern back to a scale equal to a scale of the current input;
• compares a pattern of the current input with the transformed error pattern;
• aligns the error pattern with the pattern of the current input by linear regression;
• and
• determines whether calibration has been successfully completed, wherein if all errors within the error pattern are less than or equal to one or more predetermined error thresholds, then it is determined that successful calibration has been completed.

A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, wherein execution of one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• comparing machine instructions used by a device to reproduce a current input as a current output, with machine instructions that were used by the device to reproduce the current input as the previous output, based on a previous input;
• determining error based upon results from said comparing;
• and
• determining whether calibration of the device has been successfully completed, based on errors determined by said determining error, wherein if errors between the machine instructions used to produce the current output and the machine instructions used to produce the previous output are within predetermined thresholds, then it is determined that the calibration has been successfully completed, and wherein if it is not determined that the calibration has been successfully completed, adjustment of one or more operational parameters of the device is performed, and the current output is used as an input to iterate the comparison of machine instructions.