Method for determining a height position of an object

A method for determining an elevation of an object at a lateral first location of the object using a microscope, which images the object with a point spread function in a z-direction that coincides with the elevation, comprising the following steps:

• imaging the object with the microscope in wide field and determining a wide field intensity,
• calculating a maximum intensity expected at the first location by multiplying the wide field intensity with a specified scaling factor,
• partially confocally imaging the object at the first location with the focus at a measurement position in the z-direction, wherein for the partially confocal recording a pinhole device having an opening which is greater than a diffraction limit is used, and wherein the partially confocal imaging establishes a depth of field range and the focus is situated in the depth of field range, and determining a partially confocal intensity of the partially confocal image at the first location,
• calculating an intensity corresponding to the point spread function at the first location by way of subtraction between the partially confocal intensity and the product of the wide field intensity and a specified linking factor,
• calculating a z-coordinate of the focus at which the point spread function is maximum using a previously known form of the point spread function, the calculated intensity corresponding to the point spread function and the calculated expected maximum intensity, and
• using the z-coordinate as the elevation of the object at the first location.