Automatic defect review and classification system

• US 20060282190A1
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hirai, Takehiro, Aoki, Kazuo, Obara, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/110
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32218 Sort workpieces as function of quality data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention proposes a system that interrupts a processing associated with an ADC having low priority when an ADC processing cannot catch up with ADR by an ADC alone that is not under execution but uses an ADC for an ADR having high priority. To preferentially execute ADR/ADC having high priority, the invention employs an algorithm for serially selecting ADR/ADC in the order of higher processing capacity (in the order of greater numerical values in the expression by a DPH unit) from among ADR/ADCs that have the lowest priority, no matter whether the ADR/DC is now under execution or not.

Claims

1. An automatic defect review and classification system including at least one automatic defect review apparatus (hereinafter called “

ADR apparatus”

) for specifically observing defect portions of a sample and automatically acquiring images and at least one automatic defect classification function (hereinafter called “

ADC apparatus”

) for automatically classifying the defects by using the images acquired by said ADR apparatus in accordance with the kind of the defects, wherein one of said automatic defect review apparatus is used in combination with a plurality of said automatic defect classification apparatuses.

2. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 1, which further comprises means for providing the combination of said ADR apparatus with said ADC apparatuses providing the highest through-put of said automatic defect review and classification system as a whole.

3. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 2, which further comprises means for providing the combination making the difference between through-put of said ADR apparatus and through-put of said ADC apparatuses minimal.

4. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 1, wherein setting itself is changed in accordance with a manual change in GUI display about the selection of said ADC apparatuses.

5. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 3, wherein an apparatus among said ADR apparatus and said ADC apparatuses which is not executed is displayed on said GUI.

6. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 1, which further comprises means for calculating an estimation value for a time necessary for executing a processing to be executed from now on the basis of a past processing history corresponding to a set imaging condition for the function of each of said automatic defect review apparatus and said automatic defect classification apparatuses, and providing the estimation value.

7. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 6, which further comprises means for deciding and providing without delay an ADC apparatus necessary for the ADC processing to one set of said ADR apparatus on the basis of the estimation value calculated.

8. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 6, wherein said estimation value is estimated by taking the difference of a processing time resulting from the difference of a specification of an information processing unit provided to each of said ADR/ADC into consideration.

9. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 7, wherein said estimation value is estimated by taking the difference of a processing time resulting from the difference of a specification of an information processing unit provided to each of aid ADR/ADC into consideration.

10. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 8, wherein, as to which of said information processing units is used, a combination is selected from 1) a combination that makes the number of sets of PCs used minimal and selects those PCs which have high processing capacity and 2) a combination that reduces as much as possible an over-specification in regard to the capacity and saves waste.

11. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 9, wherein, as to which of said information processing units is used, a combination is selected from 1) a combination that makes the number of sets of PCs used minimal and selects those PCs which have high processing capacity and 2) a combination that reduces as much as possible an over-specification in regard to the capacity and saves waste.

12. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 1, which has the function of setting priority representing the order of processing when at least one of the functions of said ADR apparatus and said ADC apparatus is executed.

13. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 2, wherein, when a processing by a first ADR/ADC system having high priority is executed, control is so made as to select and use a second ADC apparatus having a higher processing capacity than said first ADC apparatus in said first ADR/ADC from among said second ADR/ADC system that is under execution and has low priority.

14. An automatic defect review and classification system according to claim 13, which further comprises means for estimating the delay of a processing finish time of said second ADR/ADC system associated with interruption in said second ADR/ADC system and displaying the change of the estimated finish time.

15. A method for deciding a combination of apparatuses in an automatic defect review and classification system including at least one automatic defect review apparatus (hereinafter called “

ADR apparatus”

) for specifically observing defect portions of a sample and acquiring images, and at least one automatic defect classification function (hereinafter called “

ADC apparatus”

) for automatically classifying the defects by using the images acquired by said ADR apparatus in accordance with the kind of the defects, said method comprising the steps of;

setting an ADR mode, an imaging condition and the number of cases of processing;

retrieving an ADR processing time (through-put) from a past history on the basis of said setting, and calculating said ADR processing time by appropriately correcting said ADR processing time; and

deciding a combination of ADCs necessary for executing an ADC processing without delay to ADR through-put.

16. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps as described in claim 15.