Patent ID: 7307724
Filing Date: 2007-12-11
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of reducing the effect of noise during determination of at least one sample characterizing parameter, comprising the steps of: a) providing a material system investigation system comprising a source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation, a a material system supporting stage, and a detector means; b) causing said source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation and direct it to interact with a sample which is placed on said material system supporting stage, and then proceed into said detector means, which in turn produces data corresponding to intensity vs. wavelength as an independent variable, and therefrom determining sample characterizing parameter data vs. wavelength; c) determining that an effective plot of said sample characterizing parameter data obtained in step b, as a function of wavelength, has systematic or substantially random noise superimposed thereupon; d) for at least one subset range of wavelength selecting and fitting a mathematical function to said sample characterizing parameter data vs. wavelength such that a plot of said mathematical function vs. wavelength as independent variable is positioned substantially centrally in said dependent sample characterizing parameter data which has systematic or substantially random noise superimposed therepon, over said independent variable subset range; e) evaluating said mathematical function at at least one selected independent variable value and accepting the result as the value of said dependent sample characterizing parameter variable at that value of independent variable; f) displaying at least some results determined in steps d and e; the result being that the value of a dependent sample characterizing parameter at least one value of said at least one independent variable is determined, with the effect of noise on said result being decreased.