Patent ID: 7109482

Claim:
In a scanning probe microscope and/or nanomachining system having scanning probe functionality and non-scanning-probe functionality, the system including a probe and/or tool, the probe and/or tool collectively being referred to as the probe, positioned relative to a sample volume and having relative motion between the probe and the sample volume in the X, Y and Z space and controlled and sensed in desired directions with respect to the sample volume and/or any element thereof, the sample volume and/or any element thereof collectively being referred to as the sample volume, and producing data responsive to the sample volume and/or a property of the sample volume, a method for accurately measuring a parameter of the sample volume or performing a task related to the sample volume, the method including the following steps: providing a first scan, by the probe, on the sample volume in X, Y and Z to produce data representative of a true surface of the sample volume, the true surface including at least one portion that is a non-function wherein for at least one pair of x,y coordinate values, there is more then one z coordinate value, and storing the data representative of the sample volume, and/or data representative of any parametric representation of the sample volume.