Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automatically determining a plurality of positions (P1-P8) in a sample arrangement (40) in the object space of a microscope (1) comprising a microscope objective (10) which defines an optical axis (8), wherein: a measurement beam (30) is generated by a measurement beam device (19) and directed at the sample arrangement (40), and a measurement beam (32, 32?) reflected by the sample arrangement (40) is detected by a detector (28) which produces an output signal; the sample arrangement (40) is displaced in at least one direction perpendicular to the optical axis (8); and the plurality of positions (P1-P8) in the sample arrangement is determined on the basis of the displacement by means of output signals of the detector (28) generated during the displacement in the at least one direction. The invention also relates to a corresponding microscope (1).

Abstract: The invention concerns an optical measurement arrangement having an ellipsometer, in which an incident beam (16) of polarized light is directed at an angle of incidence &agr;≠0° onto a measurement location (M) on the surface of a specimen (P). Information concerning properties of the specimen (P), preferably concerning layer thicknesses and optical material properties such as refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, and the like, is obtained from an analysis of a return beam (17) reflected from the specimen (P). The incident beam (16) is directed by a mirror objective (15) onto the surface of the specimen (P). The return beam (17) is also captured by the mirror objective (15). The result is to create an optical measurement arrangement, operating on the ellipsometric principle, which has a simple, compact configuration and permits a high measurement accuracy down to the sub-nanometer range.

Abstract: The invention concerns an optical measurement arrangement having an ellipsometer, in which an incident beam (16) of polarized light is directed at an angle of incidence &agr;≠0° onto a measurement location (M) on the surface of a specimen (P). Information concerning properties of the specimen (P), preferably concerning layer thicknesses and optical material properties such as refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, and the like, is obtained from an analysis of a return beam (17) reflected from the specimen (P). The incident beam (16) is directed by a mirror objective (15) onto the surface of the specimen (P). The return beam (17) is also captured by the mirror objective (15). The result is to create an optical measurement arrangement, operating on the ellipsometric principle, which has a simple, compact configuration and permits a high measurement accuracy down to the sub-nanometer range.