Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080285841 | IMAGE PROCESSING UNIT FOR WAFER INSPECTION TOOL - An image processing apparatus for wafer inspection tool that is able to perform continuously cell to cell comparison inspection, die to die comparison inspection, and cell-to-cell and die-to-die hybrid comparison inspection, employing a plurality of processors. This image processing apparatus for wafer inspection tool comprises a plurality of processors for performing parallel processing, means for cutting out image data including a forward end overlap and a rear end overlap at partition boundaries in order to cut serial data into a predetermined image size, means for distributing the cutout image data to the plurality of processors, and means for assembling results of processing performed by the plurality of processors. The forward end overlap is set greater than a pitch of the cell subject to cell to cell comparison inspection. | 11-20-2008 |
20090309022 | APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING A SUBSTRATE, A METHOD OF INSPECTING A SUBSTRATE, A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE, AND A METHOD OF PRODUCING AN IMAGE USING A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE - An object of the present invention provides an inspection apparatus and an inspection method which use an electron beam image to accurately detect a defect that is difficult to detect in an optical image, the apparatus and method also enabling prevention of a possible decrease in focus accuracy of an inspection image which affect the defect detection. To accomplish the object, the present invention includes a height measurement section which measures height of the electron beam irradiation position on the substrate after the substrate is loaded onto a movable stage, a height correction processing section which corrects the measured height, and a control section which adjusts a focus of the electron beam according to the height corrected by the height correction processing section, wherein a stage position set when the height measurement section measures the height differs from a stage position set when the substrate is irradiated with the electron beam, and the height correction processing section corrects a possible deviation in height resulting from movement from the stage position for the height measurement to the stage position for the electron beam irradiation. | 12-17-2009 |
20100246933 | Pattern Inspection Method And Apparatus - An apparatus for processing a defect candidate image, including: a scanning electron microscope for taking an enlarged image of a specimen by irradiating and scanning a converged electron beam onto the specimen and detecting charged particles emanated from the specimen by the irradiation; an image processor for processing the image taken by the scanning electron microscope to detect defect candidates on the specimen and classify the detected defect candidates into one of plural classes; a memory for storing output from the image processor including images of the detected defect candidates; and a display unit which displays information stored in the memory and an indicator, wherein the display unit displays a distribution of the detected and classified defect candidates in a map format by distinguishing by the classified class, and the display unit also displays an image of a defect candidate stored in the memory together with the map which is indicated on the map by the indicator. | 09-30-2010 |
20110129141 | CIRCUIT PATTERN EXAMINING APPARATUS AND CIRCUIT PATTERN EXAMINING METHOD - Provided is an examination technique to detect defects with high sensitivity at an outer-most repeative portion of a memory mat of a semiconductor device and even in a peripheral circuit having no repetitiveness. | 06-02-2011 |
20110163230 | CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE - There is provided a substrate inspection device which uses a charged particle beam and is capable of more quickly extracting a defect candidate than ever before. The configuration of the substrate inspection device is such that a substrate having a circuit pattern is irradiated with a primary charged particle beam, the substrate is moved at a constant speed or at an increasing or a decreasing speed, a position resulting from the movement is monitored, the position of irradiation with the primary charged particle beam is controlled according to the coordinates of the substrate, an image in a partial region on the substrate is captured at a speed lower than the velocity of the movement, a defect candidate is detected based on the captured image, and the detected defect candidate is displayed in a map format. | 07-07-2011 |
20110188735 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DEFECT INSPECTION - Provided are a method and a device for defect inspection, wherein, in a state where a few DOIs exist in a large number of nuisances, a classification performance can be improved by a few appropriate defect instructions and a high classification performance is ensured while mitigating the burden of user's defect instructions. The method and device for defect inspection is characterized by repeating extraction of one or more defects from a plurality of defects detected by imaging a sample, instruction of a classification class of the extracted defects, and calculation of a classification criterion and a classification performance from the image information and classification class of the defects, and determining, based on the finally obtained classification criterion, the classification class of the unknown defects. This makes it possible to improve a classification performance by a few appropriate defect instructions and ensure a high classification performance while mitigating the burden of user's defect instructions. | 08-04-2011 |
20110298915 | PATTERN INSPECTING APPARATUS AND PATTERN INSPECTING METHOD - In conventional methods, efficient analyses with respect to detected defects were not given consideration. A detected image is matched against pre-obtained partial images of a normal part and a defect part to determine a defect in the detected image. Then, the partial images and the detected image are synthesized to generate a review image in which the identifiability of the detected image is improved. Thus, the operator is able to readily make a determination with respect to the detected defect. | 12-08-2011 |
20120045115 | DEFECT INSPECTION DEVICE AND DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD - Although there is a method for optimizing a threshold for each of regions to be inspected of an acquired detected image, only a single threshold is applied to a single detected image. Thus, when being included in a single image, an insignificant defect is detected at the same sensitivity level as that for a significant defect. The invention proposes a mechanism in which multiple sensitivity regions are set in a single inspection region, and thereby a defect only in a region where a DOI (Defect of interesting) is present in the single inspection region can be detected while being discriminated from the other ones. Specifically, the multiple sensitivity regions are set based on features of an image in the inspection region, and set sensitivities for the respective sensitivity regions are applied to a detected image, a difference image or a determination threshold for a defect determination unit. | 02-23-2012 |
20120305768 | Circuit-Pattern Inspection Device - Provided is a circuit-pattern inspection device which enables efficient inspection of a semiconductor wafer by selectively inspecting areas on the semiconductor wafer, such as boundaries between patterns thereon, where defects are likely to occur during the step of producing the semiconductor wafer while changing the beam scanning direction for each area. Two-dimensional beam-deflection control is employed for inspection operations in a continuous-stage-movement-type circuit-pattern inspection device in which only one-dimensional scanning has been employed conventionally. That is, by employing a combination of an electron-beam-deflection control in a first direction parallel to the stage-movement direction and an electron-beam-deflection control in a second direction intersecting the stage-movement direction, it is possible to obtain an image of any desired area for inspection that is set within a swath. The amplitude of deflection signals for the electron-beam-deflection and the rise and fall timings of the signals are suitably controlled according to inspection conditions. | 12-06-2012 |
20130010100 | IMAGE GENERATING METHOD AND DEVICE USING SCANNING CHARGED PARTICLE MICROSCOPE, SAMPLE OBSERVATION METHOD, AND OBSERVING DEVICE - In a process of acquiring an image of semiconductor patterns by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), this invention provides an image generating method and device that allows a high-resolution SEM image to be produced while suppressing damages caused by SEM imaging to a sample as a result of irradiation of an electron beam. A plurality of areas having similarly shaped patterns (similar areas) are extracted from a low-resolution SEM image which has been imaged while suppressing the irradiation energy of electron beam. From the image data of the extracted areas a single high resolution image of the patterns is generated by image restoration processing. Further, the method of this invention also uses design data in determining the similar areas and the SEM imaging position and imaging range for performing the image restoration processing. | 01-10-2013 |
20130082177 | CIRCUIT PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS AND CIRCUIT PATTERN INSPECTION METHOD - High-speed inspection is performed with appropriate sensitivity according to the pattern density and pattern characteristic of a device. | 04-04-2013 |
20130119250 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD, AND DEVICE THEREOF - A conventional pattern inspection, which compares an image to be inspected with a reference image and subjects the resulting difference value to the defect detection using the threshold of defect determination, has difficulty in highly-sensitive inspection. Because defects occur only in specific circuit pattern sections, false reports occur in the conventional pattern inspections which are not based on the position. Disclosed are a defect inspection method and a device thereof which perform a pattern inspection by acquiring a GP image in advance, designating a place to be inspected and a threshold map to the GP image on the GUI, setting the identification reference of the defects, next acquiring the image to be inspected, applying the identification reference to the image to be inspected, and identifying the defects with the identification reference, thereby enabling the highly-sensitive inspection. | 05-16-2013 |
20130248709 | DEFECT INSPECTING APPARATUS - A semiconductor wafer | 09-26-2013 |
20130271595 | CIRCUIT PATTERN INSPECTING DEVICE AND INSPECTING METHOD THEREOF - Provided are a high speed circuit pattern inspecting method and inspecting device which have a short preparation time for inspection and are capable of determining a defect by detecting only an image of one die. A coordinate which is expected to obtain the same pattern as a corresponding coordinate and an alignment coordinate are selected by referring to design information. The detected image and the design information are aligned using the alignment coordinate to correct the deviated amount and a pattern of the corresponding coordinate is compared with a pattern of the coordinate which is expected to obtain the same pattern to compare the patterns by detecting only an image of one die. | 10-17-2013 |
20130322737 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - A defect inspection method comprising: picking up an image of a subject under inspection to thereby acquire an inspection image; extracting multiple templates corresponding to multiple regions, respectively from design data of the subject under inspection; finding a first misregistration amount between the inspection image and the design data using a first template as any one template selected from among the plural templates; finding a second misregistration amount between the inspection image and the design data using a second template other than the first template, the second template being selected from among the plural templates, and the first misregistration-amount; and converting the design data, misregistration thereof being corrected using the first misregistration-amount, and the second misregistration-amount, into a design data image, and comparing the design data image with the inspection image to thereby detect a defect of the subject under inspection. | 12-05-2013 |