Improved navigation for electron microscopy

A method for analyzing a specimen in a microscope, the method comprising:

• acquiring a series of compound image frames using a first detector and a second detector, different from the first detector, wherein acquiring a compound image frame comprises:
• a) causing a charged particle beam to traverse a region of a specimen, the region corresponding to a configured field of view of the microscope, wherein:
• when a mode parameter has a first value, the traversal of the beam is along a first traversal path on the region and is according to a first set of traversal conditions, and
• when the mode parameter has a second value, the traversal of the beam is along a second traversal path on the region and is according to a second set of traversal conditions,
• wherein a first total time required for the beam to traverse the entire first traversal path according to a first set of traversal conditions is less than a second total time required for the beam to traverse the entire second traversal path according to the second set of traversal conditions, and
• wherein the value of the mode parameter is configured field of view is changing or unchanging;
• b) monitoring a first set of resulting particles generated within the specimen at a first plurality of locations within the region using the first detector so as to obtain a first image frame, the first image frame comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to, and having values derived from the monitored particles generated at, the first plurality of locations,
• c) monitoring a second set of resulting particles generated within the specimen at a second plurality of locations within the region using the second detector, so as to obtain a second image frame, the second image frame comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to, and having respective sets of values derived from the monitored particles generated at, the second plurality of locations, and
• d) combining the first image frame and the second image frame so as to produce the compound image frame, such that the compound image frame provides data derived from particles generated at the first and second pluralities of locations within the region and monitored by each of the first detector and the second detector;
• and displaying the series of compound image frames in real-time on a visual display, wherein the visual display is updated to show each compound image frame in sequence.