A method of investigating a specimen using charged-particle microscopy, comprising the following steps: (a) On a surface of the specimen, selecting a virtual sampling grid extending in an XY plane and comprising grid nodes to be impinged upon by a charged-particle probing beam during a two-dimensional scan of said surface; (b) Selecting a landing energy E.sub.i for said probing beam, with an associated nominal Z penetration depth d.sub.i below said surface; (c) At each of said nodes, irradiating the specimen with said probing beam and detecting output radiation emanating from the specimen in response thereto, thereby generating a scan image I.sub.i; (d) Repeating steps (b) and (c) for a series {E.sub.i} of different landing energies, corresponding to an associated series {d.sub.i} of different penetration depths, further comprising the following steps: (e) Pre-selecting an initial energy increment ΔE.sub.i by which E.sub.i is to be altered after a first iteration of steps (b) and (c); (f) Associating energy increment ΔE.sub.i with a corresponding depth increment Δd in the value of d.sub.i; (g) Selecting said sampling grid to have a substantially equal node pitch p in X and Y, which pitch p is matched to the value of Δd so as to produce a substantially cubic sampling voxel; (h) Selecting subsequent energy values in the series {E.sub.i} so as to maintain a substantially constant depth increment Δd between consecutive members of the series {d.sub.i}, within the bounds of selected minimum and maximum landing energies E.sub.min and E.sub.max, respectively.

There is described herein methods and systems for comparing an engine fluid signature of a first engine with engine fluid signatures of other engines of a same engine family. A delta signature is obtained via the comparison and delta signatures below a given threshold are considered similar. Historical data for each engine having a similar signature may then be used to determine the condition and the future states of the first engine.

The invention relates to a photon detector (10), in particular an x-ray detector, in the form of a measurement finger, which extends along a detector axis (23) and has a detector head (11) at a first end of the measurement finger, wherein the detector head (11) comprises a plurality of at least two detector modules (22), each comprising a sensor chip (12) sensitive to photon radiation (14), in particular x-radiation, said sensor chip having an exposed end face (13) and a face facing away from the end face (13), wherein the detector modules (22) are arranged around the detector axis (23) in a plane (24) extending orthogonally to the detector axis (23).

Disclosed herein is a method of generating a high resolution image of a cellular sample, the method including i) labeling a cellular sample with at least one mass tag, thereby producing a labeled sample in which a biological feature of interest is associated with the at least one mass tag, ii) scanning the sample with a continuous or near-continuous primary ion beam to generate sputtered secondary ions and sputtered neutral species, iii) photoionizing the sputtered neutrals to generate ionized neutral species, wherein the sputtered neutrals are photoionized at a site that is proximal to their source on the sample, iv) detecting the ionized neutral species by mass spectrometry, thereby obtaining spatially addressed measurements of the abundance of the at least one mass tag across an area of the sample, and v) producing an image of the sample using the measurements. A system for performing the method is also provided.

Production of perforated two-dimensional materials with holes of a desired size range, a narrow size distribution, and a high and uniform density remains a challenge, at least partially, due to physical and chemical inconsistencies from sheet-to-sheet of the two-dimensional material and surface contamination. This disclosure describes methods for monitoring and adjusting perforation or healing conditions in real-time to address inter- and intra-sheet variability. In situ or substantially simultaneous feedback on defect production or healing may be provided either locally or globally on a graphene or other two-dimensional sheet. The feedback data can be used to adjust perforation or healing parameters, such as the total dose or efficacy of the perforating radiation, to achieve the desired defect state.

The present application relates to a scanning probe microscope comprising a probe arrangement for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer, wherein the scanning probe microscope comprises: (a) at least one first probe embodied to analyze the at least one defect; (b) means for producing at least one mark, by use of which the position of the at least one defect is indicated on the mask or on the wafer; and (c) wherein the mark is embodied in such a way that it may be detected by a scanning particle beam microscope.

The present invention discloses a combination of two existing approaches for mineral analysis and makes use of the Similarity Metric Invention, that allows mineral definitions to be described in theoretical compositional terms, meaning that users are not required to find examples of each mineral, or adjust rules. This system allows untrained operators to use it, as opposed to previous systems, which required extensive training and expertise.

A defect observation apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store defect information about defects detected by an external inspection apparatus; a first imaging unit configured to capture an image of a defect using a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition; a control unit configured to correct positional information on the defect using the image captured with the first imaging unit; and a second imaging unit configured to capture an image of the defect based on the corrected positional information.

An inspection method for a substrate, the inspection method including: providing an electron beam having a first polarization state to a sample of the semiconductor substrate; detecting a first response signal of the sample caused by interaction of the electron beam having the first polarization state with the sample; providing an electron beam having a second polarization state to the sample of the semiconductor substrate; detecting a second response signal of the sample caused by interaction of the electron beam having the second polarization state with the sample; and determining a geometric or material property of the sample, based on the first response signal and the second response signal.

The present invention provides a method for evaluating a semiconductor substrate subjected to a defect recovery heat treatment to recover a crystal defect in the semiconductor substrate having the crystal defect, flash lamp annealing is performed as the defect recovery heat treatment, and the method includes steps of measuring the crystal defect in the semiconductor substrate, which is being recovered, by controlling treatment conditions for the flash lamp annealing and analyzing a recovery mechanism of the crystal defect on the basis of a result of the measurement. Consequently, the method for evaluating a semiconductor substrate which enables evaluating a recovery process of the crystal defect is provided.