The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 21, 2026
Filed:
Jun. 21, 2022
Delmic Ip B.v., Delft, NL;
Daan Benjamin Boltje, Delft, NL;
Mart Guus Ferdinand Last, Delft, NL;
Marit Rosa Smeets, Delft, NL;
Caspar Theodorus Hugo Jonker, Delft, NL;
Marcin Stefan Zielinski, Delft, NL;
DELMIC IP B.V., Delft, NL;
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for micromachining samples are provided. The apparatus includes an integral combination of a sample holder, a focused ion beam (FIB) exposure system for projecting a FIB onto a sample, and a light optical microscope (LM). The LM is configured for imaging or monitoring the sample during and/or after FIB exposure. The method includes the steps of using the LM projecting light towards the sample and collecting reflected and/or transmitted light from said sample; analyzing the collected light and establishing a measure for the modulation of an intensity of said collected light due to an optical interference of light from a first surface of the sample and light from a second surface of the sample; and using the measure for the modulation of the intensity for establishing a measure for the distance between said first surface and said second surface.