US 12,340,972 B2
Method for operating a particle beam microscope, particle beam microscope and computer program product
Martin Ross-Messemer, Essingen (DE); Ivo Ihrke, Scheuerfeld (DE); and Arian Kriesch, Aalen (DE)
Assigned to Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Jena (DE)
Filed by Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Jena (DE)
Filed on Jul. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/810,783.
Claims priority of application No. 102021117592.5 (DE), filed on Jul. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0011964 A1, Jan. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. H01J 37/244 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/244 (2013.01) [H01J 2237/2445 (2013.01); H01J 2237/24475 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a particle beam microscope, the method comprising:
directing a particle beam onto a multiplicity of locations of an object;
for each given location of the multiplicity of locations:
storing location information representing the given location onto which the particle beam is directed;
detecting electrons generated by the particle beam directed onto the given location;
storing electron radiation information representing an intensity of the detected electrons in association with the location information;
detecting x-ray radiation generated by the particle beam directed onto the given location; and
storing x-ray radiation information representing an intensity of the detected x-ray radiation in association with the location information; and
for a plurality of given locations of the multiplicity of locations:
generating improved x-ray radiation information; and
storing the improved x-ray radiation information in association with the location information representing the given location,
wherein generating the improved x-ray radiation information comprises combining a plurality of weighted pieces of x-ray radiation information, and
wherein the following holds true for each weight of weights of the x-ray radiation information used in the combining:
the weight decreases with increasing distance between the given location and a location represented by the location information associated with the weighted x-ray radiation information; and
the weight decreases with increasing absolute value of a difference between the intensity represented by the electron radiation information associated with the location information representing the given location and the intensity represented by the electron radiation information associated with the location information which is also associated with the weighted x-ray radiation information.