Producing images of a specimen

US8957371B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Elke Haustein · Gaildorf, DE
• Wolfram Buhler · Hermaringen, DE
• Camille Stebler · Fehren, CH
• Holger Dömer · Bopfingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 18, 2011
• Grant date: Feb 17, 2015
• Expiry date: Mar 18, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J2237/2809
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Producing images of a specimen includes introducing a specimen into a specimen chamber of a particle-beam device, selecting a specific position on the surface of the specimen, supplying a contrast-agent precursor on the specific position, providing a particle beam and/or a light beam, guiding the particle beam and/or the light beam onto the specific position, applying a contrast-agent layer to the specific position as a result of the interaction of the particle beam and/or the light beam with the contrast-agent precursor, leaving the contrast-agent layer on the surface of the specimen for a predetermined amount of time. During the predetermined amount of time, a first part of the contrast-agent layer diffuses into the specimen and a second part of the contrast-agent layer remains on the surface of the specimen. The specimen is imaged using an optical device and/or a particle-optical device and/or using the particle beam.