Automatic optical inspection system & method

• US 20070154081A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orbotech Limited (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Orbotech Limited (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Levi, Michael, Fridman, Elad, Solomon, Bernard, Aspir, Doron
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/145
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95607 using a comparative method
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection

Abstract

A system comprising automatic apparatus for automatic optical inspection (AOI), verification and correction of defects in an article, and a processor operative to select between AOI, verification and correction for performing on the article.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a chassis, comprising;

a first station comprising an automatic optical inspection (AOI) device which performs AOI of an electrical circuit to identify candidate defects on the electrical circuit, and

a second station comprising a verification device which performs verification of candidate defects identified by the AOI device;

a first transportable support table which supports and transports a first electrical circuit between the first station and the second station;

a second transportable table which supports and transports a second electrical circuit between the first station and the second station; and

a controller which controls the first transportable table and the second transportable table;

wherein AOI is performed on the first and second electrical circuits and verification is performed on the first and second electrical circuits without changing a relative height of the AOI device with respect to the chassis and without changing a relative height of the verification device with respect to the chassis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the AOI device of the first station and the verification device of the second station are operable to respectively perform AOI and verification simultaneously.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the AOI device comprises an image acquisition device comprising a charge coupled device (CCD) array.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a computer image processor, in operational communication with the AOI device, which outputs a report indicating suspected defects in an electrical circuit inspected by the AOI device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the verification device comprises an image acquisition device which acquires an image of a candidate defect in an electrical circuit and an image display device which displays the acquired image to an operator.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the verification device comprises an automatic verification device which automatically verifies, without input from an operator, whether a candidate defect identified by the AOI means is a correctable real defect, a non-correctable real defect, or a false defect.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the verification device is positioned a sufficient distance from an electronic circuit being verified that the operator may manually correct a defect on the electronic circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the chassis further comprises:

a third station comprising a correction device which corrects defects on the electrical circuits.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first transportable support table and the second transportable support tale move in a first plane when moving towards the second station and move in a second plane, different form the first plane, when moving away from the second station.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the first transportable support table and the second transportable support table moves from the second plane to the first plane upon reaching the first station.

11. A system comprising:

a chassis, comprising;

an automatic optical inspection (AOI) means for performing AOI of an electrical circuit to identify candidate defects on the electrical circuit, and

a verification means for performing verification of the candidate defects identified by the AOI means;

a first transport means for supporting and transporting an electrical circuit between the AOI means and the verification means;

a second transport means for supporting and transporting an electrical circuit between the AOI means and the verification means; and

a controller means for controlling the first transport means and the second transport means;

wherein the AOI means comprises means for performing AOI without changing a relative height of the AOI means with respect to the chassis; and

wherein the verification means comprises means for performing verification without changing a relative height of the verification means with respect to the chassis.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising output means, in operational communication with the AOI means, for outputting a report indicating a suspected defect in an electrical circuit inspected by the AOI means.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the verification means comprises:

image acquisition means for acquiring an image of a candidate defect in an electrical circuit; and

display means for displaying the image to an operator.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the verification means comprises automatic verification means for automatically verifying, without input from an operator, whether a candidate defect identified by the AOI means is a correctable real defect, a non-correctable real defect, or a false defect.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the verification means further comprises:

means for correcting correctable real defects; and

means for discarding an electrical circuit including a non-correctable real defect.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the first transport means and the second transport means is operable to move in a first plane when moving towards the verification means and are operable to move in a second plane, different form the first plane, when moving away from the verification means.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the first transport means and the second transport means are operable to move from the second plane to the first plane upon reaching the first AOI means.