公开(公告)号：US07539583B2

公开(公告)日：2009-05-26

申请号：US11201279

申请日：2005-08-10

申请人： Yonghang Fu ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Michael J. Darwin

发明人： Yonghang Fu ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Michael J. Darwin

IPC分类号： G01N37/00

CPC分类号： G01N21/9501

摘要： A method for inspecting objects such as semiconductor wafers. A staging platform and an optical platform are arranged so that the object may be staged and its surface scanned by optical equipment situated on the optical platform. During the scanning process, the surface is illuminated with light of a plurality of wavelengths, each strobed at a predetermined rate so that multiple images may be collected using time and frequency multiplexing. The multiple images are stored in a database for analysis, which includes processing selected ones of the multiple images according to one or more algorithms. The defect-detection algorithms used for each object are determined by referenced to a predetermined or calculated defect detection protocol, then a defect mask is created for each pixel in the images that is suspected to be defective. The defect mask is then compared to threshold parameters to determine which if any of the suspected defects should be reported.

摘要翻译： 用于检查诸如半导体晶片的物体的方法。 布置了分段平台和光学平台，使得物体可以通过位于光学平台上的光学设备进行分级和其表面扫描。 在扫描过程中，表面被多个波长的光照射，每个以预定的速率被选通，使得可以使用时间和频率复用来收集多个图像。 多个图像存储在用于分析的数据库中，其包括根据一种或多种算法处理多个图像中的选定的图像。 通过参照预定或计算的缺陷检测协议来确定用于每个对象的缺陷检测算法，然后为怀疑是有缺陷的图像中的每个像素创建缺陷掩码。 然后将缺陷掩模与阈值参数进行比较，以确定是否应报告任何可疑缺陷。

公开(公告)号：US06864971B2

公开(公告)日：2005-03-08

申请号：US10094119

申请日：2002-03-08

申请人： YouLing Lin ,  A. Kathleen Hennessey ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Yonghang Fu ,  Masami Yamashita ,  Ichiro Shimomura

发明人： YouLing Lin ,  A. Kathleen Hennessey ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Yonghang Fu ,  Masami Yamashita ,  Ichiro Shimomura

IPC分类号： G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/88

CPC分类号： G01N21/9501

摘要： A system and method for performing optical inspection of structures on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. The wafer surface is illuminated with a polychromatic light source. A multiple-charged couple-device (CCD) camera is positioned to capture light diffracted by the structures on the wafer surface at the first order of diffraction. The captured light is then separated into a plurality of component wavelengths which are directed onto the CCDs. A digital filter creates a plurality of digitized diffractive images of the wafer surface at different component wavelengths. The diffractive images may be integrated and analyzed to detect defects in the structures, or may be, analyzed individually. An image at a particular wavelength may be selected and analyzed by using the known grating pitch of the structures to calculate the wavelength.

摘要翻译： 一种用于对半导体晶片的表面上的结构执行光学检查的系统和方法。 用多色光源照射晶片表面。 定位多电荷耦合器件（CCD）照相机以捕获在第一衍射级上由晶片表面上的结构衍射的光。 然后将捕获的光分离成指向CCD的多个分量波长。 数字滤波器在不同的分量波长处产生晶片表面的多个数字化的衍射图像。 衍射图像可以被整合和分析以检测结构中的缺陷，或者可以单独地分析。 可以通过使用结构的已知光栅间距来选择和分析特定波长的图像以计算波长。

公开(公告)号：US20060199287A1

公开(公告)日：2006-09-07

申请号：US11201279

申请日：2005-08-10

申请人： Yonghang Fu ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Michael Darwin

发明人： Yonghang Fu ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Michael Darwin

IPC分类号： H01L21/66 ,  G01R31/26

CPC分类号： G01N21/9501

摘要： A method for inspecting objects such as semiconductor wafers. A staging platform and an optical platform are arranged so that the object may be staged and its surface scanned by optical equipment situated on the optical platform. During the scanning process, the surface is illuminated with light of a plurality of wavelengths, each strobed at a predetermined rate so that multiple images may be collected using time and frequency multiplexing. The multiple images are stored in a database for analysis, which includes processing selected ones of the multiple images according to one or more algorithms. The defect-detection algorithms used for each object are determined by referenced to a predetermined or calculated defect detection protocol, then a defect mask is created for each pixel in the images that is suspected to be defective. The defect mask is then compared to threshold parameters to determine which if any of the suspected defects should be reported.

公开(公告)号：US06813376B1

公开(公告)日：2004-11-02

申请号：US09697807

申请日：2000-10-27

申请人： Kathleen Hennessey ,  Youling Lin ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Veera V. S. Khaja ,  Yonghang Fu

发明人： Kathleen Hennessey ,  Youling Lin ,  Yongqiang Liu ,  Veera V. S. Khaja ,  Yonghang Fu

IPC分类号： G06K900

CPC分类号： G06T7/0006 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G01N21/95607 ,  G01N2021/95615 ,  G06T2207/30148

摘要： A method of collating and using captured semiconductor-wafer image data in an automated defect analysis. The method includes the steps of receiving image data and, if necessary, converting it to a digital format. Once the data is in pixel-by-pixel form, each pixel is assigned a slope value derived from the direction of the structure edge, if any, on which it lies. The pixel-slope data is then evaluated to determine whether a photo-resist anomaly is present. The method may also include evaluated an average pixel slope value for each inspected wafer. Dependant claims further define the invention to claim an inspection system for employing the method.

摘要翻译： 一种在自动化缺陷分析中整理和使用捕获的半导体晶片图像数据的方法。 该方法包括接收图像数据的步骤，如有必要，将其转换为数字格式。 一旦数据以像素为单位的形式，每个像素被分配一个从它所在的结构边缘（如果有的话）的方向导出的斜率值。 然后评估像素斜率数据以确定是否存在光刻胶异常。 该方法还可以包括评估每个被检查晶片的平均像素斜率值。 从属权利要求进一步限定本发明以要求用于采用该方法的检查系统。