Patent attributes
An apparatus and method for scanning a pattern. The method includes: (i) directing a charged particle beam such as to interact with the pattern along a first scan path, and (ii) directing a beam such as to interact with the pattern along a second scan path. The pattern changes one of its characteristics as a result of an interaction with the beam. The distance between the first and the second scan paths may be bigger than the diameter of the charged electron beam. Each of the first and second scan paths may include a plurality of consecutive samples and the distance between the first and second scan paths may be bigger than a distance between adjacent samples. The location of scan paths may be changed between measurements and especially between measurement sessions. The charged particle beam may have an ellipsoid cross section.
