Inspection method and apparatus for the inspection of either random or repeating patterns
First Claim
1. In an inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device, said inspection system includes first and second fields of view each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view creates a spatial domain pixel map of a portion of a first substrate pattern;
- and said second field of view provides a spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a method for detecting defects in said first substrate pattern in said first field of view comprising the steps of;
a. transforming said pixel maps from said first and second fields of view using a two dimensional Fourier like transform to convert those pixel maps from the spatial domain to the frequency domain;
b. identifying those frequencies in both dimensions having amplitude maxima in the frequency domain of step a. with the repeating pattern portions of each of said pixel maps from said first and second fields of view occurring at those frequencies in the frequency domain;
c. entering zero values for the amplitudes at the frequencies in both dimensions identified in step b. to remove the amplitude at the harmonic frequency values of the repeating portions of said first and second fields of view; and
d. inverse transforming the results from step c. using the inverse of the two dimensional Fourier like transformation of step a. to obtain modified spatial domain pixel maps of said first and second fields of view with the repeating patterns removed.
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Abstract
The present invention is a hybrid technique for finding defects on digitized device images using a combination of spatial domain and frequency domain techniques. The two dimensional spectra of two images are found using Fourier like transforms. Any strong harmonics in the spectra are removed, using the same spectral filter on both spectra. The images are then aligned, transformed back to the spatial domain, and subtracted. The resulting spectrally-filtered difference image is thresholded and analyzed for defects. Use of the hybrid technique of the present invention to process digitized images results in the highest-performance and most flexible defect detection system. It is the best performer on both array and random devices, and it can cope with problems such as shading variations and the dark-bright problem that no other technique can address. The hybrid technique of the present invention also uses frequency domain techniques to align the images with fewer errors than spatial domain techniques of similar or lesser complexity. Further, the relative offsets of the pairs of images are determined by frequency domain techniques—and this method may be the most accurate and the least expensive.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. In an inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device, said inspection system includes first and second fields of view each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view creates a spatial domain pixel map of a portion of a first substrate pattern;
- and said second field of view provides a spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a method for detecting defects in said first substrate pattern in said first field of view comprising the steps of;
a. transforming said pixel maps from said first and second fields of view using a two dimensional Fourier like transform to convert those pixel maps from the spatial domain to the frequency domain;
b. identifying those frequencies in both dimensions having amplitude maxima in the frequency domain of step a. with the repeating pattern portions of each of said pixel maps from said first and second fields of view occurring at those frequencies in the frequency domain;
c. entering zero values for the amplitudes at the frequencies in both dimensions identified in step b. to remove the amplitude at the harmonic frequency values of the repeating portions of said first and second fields of view; and
d. inverse transforming the results from step c. using the inverse of the two dimensional Fourier like transformation of step a. to obtain modified spatial domain pixel maps of said first and second fields of view with the repeating patterns removed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- and said second field of view provides a spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
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18. In an inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device, said inspection system includes first and second fields of view each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view creates a spatial domain pixel map of a portion of a first substrate pattern;
- and said second field of view provides a spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a method for detecting defects in said first substrate pattern in said first field of view comprising the steps of;
a. individually identifying and removing the repeating pattern portion of each of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the frequency domain to create modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps;
b. individually identifying and removing the random pattern portion of each of said modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the spatial domain to create further modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps; and
c. individually and collectively examining said further modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the spatial domain.
- and said second field of view provides a spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
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19. In an inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device, said inspection system includes first and second fields of view each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view creates a first spatial domain pixel map of a portion of a first substrate pattern;
- and said second field of view provides a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a method for detecting defects in said first substrate pattern in said first field of view comprising the steps of;
a. generating a residual spatial domain pixel map by subtracting one of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps from the other of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps;
b. determining the pixel gray level histogram of said residual spatial domain pixel map of step a.;
c. fitting the histogram of step b. to an exponential distribution function;
d. determining a threshold amplitude that is above the expected noise level and below the expected defect level from said exponential distribution function of step c.; and
e. thresholding said residual spatial domain pixel map of step a. with the determined threshold from step d. to identify all of those values that exceed said threshold as defects in said first spacial domain pixel map.
- and said second field of view provides a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
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20. In an inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device, said inspection system includes first and second fields of view each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view creates a first spatial domain pixel map of a portion of a first substrate pattern;
- and said second field of view provides a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a method for detecting defects in said first substrate pattern in said first field of view comprising the steps of;
a. generating a residual spatial domain pixel map by removing the repeating pattern from said first spatial domain pixel map;
b. determining the pixel gray level histogram of said residual spatial domain pixel map of step a.;
c. fitting the histogram of step b. to an exponential distribution function;
d. determining a threshold amplitude that is above the expected noise level and below the expected defect level from said exponential distribution function of step c.; and
e. thresholding said residual spatial domain pixel map of step a. with the determined threshold from step d. to identify all of those values that exceed said threshold as defects in said first spacial domain pixel map.
- and said second field of view provides a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
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21. An inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device comprising:
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a processor for controlling the operation of said inspection system;
first and second fields of view means each under the control of said processor and each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view for creating a first spatial domain pixel map of a first substrate pattern, and said second field of view for providing a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
a transform system for individually identifying and removing repeating patterns from each of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps, said transform system includes;
transform means for individually transforming said first and second spatial domain pixel maps into first and second frequency domain pixel maps using a two dimensional Fourier like transform;
harmonic trimming means for individually determining the frequencies of said first and second frequency domain pixel maps in both dimensions having amplitude maxima and individually zeroing out the values at the frequencies at which the maxima values are detected to create modified first and second frequency domain pixel maps; and
first inverse transformation means for transforming said modified first and second frequency domain pixel maps using the inverse of said two dimensional Fourier like transformation to obtain into modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps without the repeating patterns of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device comprising:
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a processor for controlling the operation of said inspection system;
first and second fields of view means each under the control of said processor and each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view for creating a first spatial domain pixel map of a first substrate pattern, and said second field of view for providing a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
repeating pattern identification means for individually identifying and removing the repeating pattern portion of each of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the frequency domain to create modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps;
random pattern identification means for individually identifying and removing the random pattern portion of each of said modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the spatial domain to create further modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps; and
defect identification means for individually and collectively examining said further modified first and second spatial domain pixel maps in the spatial domain.
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32. An inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device comprising:
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a processor for controlling the operation of said inspection system;
first and second fields of view means each under the control of said processor and each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view for creating a first spatial domain pixel map of a first substrate pattern, and said second field of view for providing a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
generation means for generating a residual spatial domain pixel map by subtracting one of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps from the other of said first and second spatial domain pixel maps;
histogram means for determining the pixel gray level histogram of said residual spatial domain pixel map of said generation means;
fitting means for fitting the histogram of the histogram means to an exponential distribution function;
selection means for determining a threshold amplitude that is above the expected noise level and below the expected defect level from said exponential distribution function of said fitting means; and
thresholding means for thresholding said residual spatial domain pixel map with the determined threshold to identify all of those values that exceed said threshold as defects in said first spacial domain pixel map.
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33. An inspection system for detecting defects in devices of any type having either random, repeating or mixed patterns within the same device comprising:
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a processor for controlling the operation of said inspection system;
first and second fields of view means each under the control of said processor and each positioned along a different optic axis, the first field of view for creating a first spatial domain pixel map of a first substrate pattern, and said second field of view for providing a second spatial domain pixel map against which said first substrate pattern is to be checked from either a pre-stored pixel map of the desired pattern, a scaled drawing of the desired pattern, a repeating pattern within the same device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, a pattern within a different device on said first substrate as in said first field of view, or a second substrate pattern;
generation means for generating a residual spatial domain pixel map by removing the repeating pattern from said first spatial domain pixel map;
histogram means for determining the pixel gray level histogram of said residual spatial domain pixel map of said generation means;
fitting means for fitting the histogram of the histogram means to an exponential distribution function;
selection means for determining a threshold amplitude that is above the expected noise level and below the expected defect level from said exponential distribution function of said fitting means; and
thresholding means for thresholding said residual spatial domain pixel map with the determined threshold to identify all of those values that exceed said threshold as defects in said first spacial domain pixel map.
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Specification