Patent ID: 7463996

Claim:
A method of scanning comprising the steps of: providing a scanning apparatus having a scanning device and a rotatable sample mount, the mount and at least a portion of the scanning device being relatively linearly displaceable in a direction toward and away from an article held by the mount in a direction parallel to a rotary axis of the mount, wherein, when the mount is rotated, a slice scan of the article is produced and, when the mount is rotated and the scanning device and mount are relatively displaced by movement in the direction parallel to the rotary axis, a helical scan of the article is produced; locating the article on the sample mount such that a first part of the article is scannable by the scanning device; scanning the first part of the article; relatively displacing the article with respect to the scanning device whereby a second part of the article is scannable; noting the relative displacement between the article and the scanning device; and scanning the second part.