Patent ID: 11965910
Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 27:
28. The method of claim 27, comprising using the programmable logic circuit to switch between at least two of the operating modes of the bending beam in at least one of a transient-free manner or a voltage-spike-free manner;
wherein in the contact mode, a measuring tip of the bending beam is placed onto a sample surface and scanned over the sample surface;
wherein in the non-contact mode, the bending beam is designed to carry out an oscillation when the measuring tip of the bending beam is scanned over the surface of the sample without contacting the sample surface;
wherein in the intermittent mode, the bending beam is designed to carry out an oscillation having an oscillation period, and the measuring tip of the bending beam reaches the sample surface only during a portion of the oscillation period; and
wherein in the step-in mode, lateral movement and vertical movement of the measuring tip of the bending beam are separated in time.