Patent ID: 6853459
Filing Date: 2005-02-08
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
1. A method for measuring surface topologies with microscopic resolution comprising the following steps: displacing a measuring sensor and a specimen in relation to each other, in x-y directions; controlling the displacement of the specimen and sensor via a controller recording the x-y values of said sensor wherein the displacement control is initiated via software instruction to start the displacement movement; reading said sensor at defined intervals after said sensor and displacement movement have been started; tapping position transmitting trigger pulses in discrete and constant local intervals from the displacing element for position-related readout of said sensor; combining a set of individual detected profiles which are locally offset from each other in a dimension extending perpendicular to the direction of the detected profiles wherein these profiles are combined to form a measured area after the measurement has been completed; generating derived position related signals from basic signals via electronic data processing, wherein said derived position related signals are for triggering the recording of a set of measured values of the sensor; storing said set of measured values; and asynchronously transmitting said set of measured values to said controller.