| Hitachi High-Technologies, Corp. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20110102781 | OPTICAL DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - A laser beam oscillated from a laser source is folded in its path by first and second plane mirrors and enters a beam expander. The surface of each plane mirror is deteriorated with illumination by the laser beam and the reflectance is reduced. To avoid a light quantity of the laser beam entering the beam expander from being reduced below a reference value, when the laser beam is illuminated over a certain time, a position on each of the first and second plane mirrors at which the laser beam is illuminated is changed by a structure for rotating and/or translating a reflecting surface of each plane mirror on a plane, which includes the plane mirror, while an optical axis is kept same. Thus, the useful life of each plane mirror can be prolonged without displacing the optical axis. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20100282414 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS - A plasma processing apparatus including a chamber having an inner wall with a protective film thereon and a sample stage disposed in the chamber in which plasma is generated by supplying high-frequency wave energy to processing gas to conduct plasma processing for a sample on the sample stage using the plasma. The apparatus includes a control device which determines, based on monitor values of a wafer attracting current monitor (Ip) to monitor a current supplied from a wafer attracting power source, an impedance monitor (Zp) to monitor plasma impedance viewed from a plasma generating power source, and an impedance monitor (Zb) to monitor a plasma impedance viewed from a bias power supply, presence or absence of occurrence of an associated one of abnormal discharge in inner parts, deterioration in insulation of an insulating film of a wafer attracting electrode, and abnormal injection in a gas injection plate. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20100141936 | OPTICAL DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - A laser beam oscillated from a laser source is folded in its path by first and second plane mirrors and enters a beam expander. The surface of each plane mirror is deteriorated with illumination by the laser beam and the reflectance is reduced. To avoid a light quantity of the laser beam entering the beam expander from being reduced below a reference value, when the laser beam is illuminated over a certain time, a position on each of the first and second plane mirrors at which the laser beam is illuminated is changed by a structure for rotating and/or translating a reflecting surface of each plane mirror on a plane, which includes the plane mirror, while an optical axis is kept same. Thus, the useful life of each plane mirror can be prolonged without displacing the optical axis. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100138801 | System and Method for Detecting a Defect - A system and a method for detecting a defect, capable of extracting a defect occurring depending on finishing accuracy required for circuit operation are provided. The system includes a timing analyzer for extracting a critical path in which a high accuracy is required for a signal transmission operation as compared with other portions based on circuit design data, a critical path extractor for comparing the circuit design data with layout design data on a pattern and for extracting graphical data including the critical path extracted by the timing analyzer, an inspection recipe creator for deciding a portion to be inspected, based on coordinate information on the graphical data including the critical path extracted by the critical path extractor, and an SEM defect review apparatus for acquiring an image of the decided portion to be inspected on a wafer according to an inspection recipe created by the inspection recipe creator. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100020315 | METHOD FOR DETECTING PARTICLES AND DEFECTS AND INSPECTION EQUIPMENT THEREOF - A method and equipment which includes an illustrated-spot illumination-distribution data table for storing an illumination distribution within an illustrated spot and which calculates a coordinate position for a particle or a defect and the diameter of the particle on the basis of detection light intensity data about the particle or defect and the illustrated-spot illumination-distribution data table. Thus, even when the illumination distribution within the illustrated spot based on an actual illumination optical system is not a Gaussian distribution, the calculation of the particle diameter of the detected particle or defect and the calculation of a coordinate position on the surface of an object to be inspected can be attained with an increased accuracy. | 01-28-2010 |