Patent ID: 7941286
Filing Date: 2011-05-10
Classification: B82Y,G01Q

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, in a controller, information indicative of a position of a region of interest of a sample; using said controller for generating a scan waveform including a first waveform segment configured to obtain a first data density in the region of interest of the sample and. a second waveform segment configured to obtain a second data density less than the first data density outside the region of interest of the sample, where both said first data density and said second data density are obtained from the same sample sample and are used by a measurement instrument to obtain sampled information, scanning the measurement instrument relative to the sample using the scan waveform; wherein the scanning the measurement instrument relative to the sample using the scan waveform comprises scanning the measurement instrument along a fast scan axis, and wherein scanning the measurement instrument along the fast scan axis comprises using the first waveform segment to scan the measurement instrument along a first scan segment and using the second waveform segment to scan the measurement instrument along a second scan segment, and wherein the first scan segment and the second scan segment are linear, and wherein the scanning waveform further comprises a third waveform segment configured to obtain a third data density in the region of interest of the sample and a fourth waveform segment configured to obtain a fourth data density less than the third data density outside the region of interest of the sample, and wherein the scanning the measurement instrument relative to the sample using the scan waveform further comprises scanning the measurement instrument along a slow scan axis, and wherein scanning the measurement instrument along the slow scan axis comprises using the third waveform segment to scan the measurement instrument along a third scan segment and using the fourth waveform segment to scan the measurement instrument along a fourth scan segment.