Method for Detecting The Impacts of Interfering Effects on Experimental Data

A system for detecting the impact of interfering effects on experimental data resulting from optical experiments, said system comprising:

• (i) means for supporting one or a plurality of samples in an inspection station (2),
• (ii) one or a plurality of photosensitive detectors (9, 10) which are positioned relative to the inspection station (2) so that electromagnetic radiation emitted from the samples impinges on the detectors (9, 10), and a
• (iii) signal processing unit (11) comprising
• means for addressing the photosensitive detectors (9, 10) to generate experimental data,
• means for determining values of one or a plurality of identification parameters from said data,
• means for storing the values in such a manner that preferably all the values which relate to any one of the samples are linked,
• means for creating a multi-dimensional histogram or distribution of the values of the identification parameters,
• means for determining one or a plurality of thresholds for the values of identification parameters from said histogram or distribution, which thresholds are indicative for the interfering effects, wherein the threshold for the values of a first identification parameter is a function of a corresponding second identification parameter,
• means for analyzing the values of the one or a plurality of identification parameters whether or not these fulfill one or a plurality of criteria with respect to the thresholds, and
• means for supplying as output information the experimental data influenced and/or the experimental data are not affected by the interfering effects.

A signal processing unit (11) for processing experimental data which may be deteriorated by interfering effects comprising

• means for storing experimental data,
• means for determining values of one or a plurality of identification parameters from said data,
• means for storing the values in such a manner that all the values which relate to any one of the samples are linked,
• means for creating a multi-dimensional histogram or distribution of the values of the identification parameters,
• means for determining one or a plurality of thresholds for the values of identification parameters from said histogram or distribution, which thresholds are indicative for the interfering effects, wherein the threshold for the values of a first identification parameter is a function of a corresponding second identification parameter,
• means for analyzing the values of one or a plurality of the identification parameters whether or not these fulfill one or a plurality of criteria with respect to the thresholds, and
• means for supplying as output information the experimental data influenced and/or the experimental data not affected by the interfering effects.