Patent ID: 11971372
Assignee: FEI COMPANY
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G

Claim 7:
8. A charged particle microscope for examining a sample, comprising:
an optics column, including a charged particle source, a final probe forming lens and a scanner, for focusing a beam of charged particles emitted from said charged particle source onto a specimen;
a specimen stage positioned downstream of said final probe forming lens and arranged for holding said specimen;
a first detector for detecting emissions of a first type originating from said specimen in response to the incidence of charged particles emitted from said charged particle source;
a control unit and a processing device connected to said first detector;
wherein said charged particle microscope is arranged for executing a method comprising the steps of:
scanning said beam of charged particles over said specimen at a plurality of specimen locations;
detecting, using the first detector, emissions of the first type from the sample in response to the beam of charged particles being scanned over the plurality of specimen locations;
assigning, using spectral information of detected emissions of the first type
a plurality of mutually different phases to said specimen at corresponding locations within the plurality of specimen locations for which there is a substantially complete spectral profile; and
an undecided phase to corresponding locations of at least one other of the plurality of sample locations for which one or more similarity scores for the associated spectral data is not sufficient to assign a final conclusion on a particular phase;

providing, by the control unit, a data representation of said specimen containing at least information on said plurality of sample locations and said phases;
establishing, using information relating to at least one previously assigned phase and its respective specimen location, an estimated phase for said at least one other of the plurality of specimen locations based at least in part on the spectral information for the at least one other of the plurality of sample locations; and
assigning said estimated phase to said at least one other specimen location.