SYSTEM, METHOD AND PRODUCT FOR CALIBRATING INSPECTION TOOLS

• US 20100161266A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Meijles, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/94
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00509 Microcolumns
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/93 Detection standards; Calibrating baseline adjustment, drift correction

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for examining a number of components that have been assembled onto a substrate. In general, the invention relates to the calibration of inspection tools for inspecting components on the substrate. In particular, the invention relates to the calibration of inspection tools for detecting the accuracy of the array pegs positions on an assembled HTA plate.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an inspection tool for inspecting a plurality of components on a substrate, comprising:

supporting a calibration substrate comprising a plurality of component fiducials, wherein each fiducial indicates a theoretical location of a single component to be inspected;

(a) moving a camera over a first component fiducial, wherein the camera moves in an X,Y direction;

(b) imaging the first component fiducial on the calibration substrate;

(c) measuring an X, Y position for the first component fiducial on the calibration substrate;

(d) calculating an XY offset value for the X,Y position of the first component fiducial by utilizing the measured X,Y position of the first component fiducial;

repeating steps (a)-(d) on each of the component fiducials until the pairs of XY calibration offset values for the component fiducials are calculated;

placing the pairs of XY calibration offset values in an XY map; and

using the XY map as a source of calibrated XY offset values for each component when inspecting the plurality of components on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration substrate is made of glass.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of component fiducials are etched onto the glass substrate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of component fiducials are within 3 microns of their theoretical location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the components are sensor pegs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor is a biological microarray.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises an X,Y tolerance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 1 to 50 microns.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 1 to 30 microns.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 3 to 25 microns.

11. A system for calibrating an inspection tool for inspecting a plurality of components on a substrate, comprising:

a table for supporting a calibration substrate comprising a plurality of component fiducials, wherein each component fiducial indicates a theoretical location of each component that is to be inspected;

a camera to view the plurality component fiducials;

a robot to move the camera in an X,Y direction to go over each component fiducial;

a vision system to image each component fiducial on the calibration substrate;

a measuring device to measure an X,Y position for each component fiducial on the calibration substrate;

a processor to calculate an XY calibration offset values for the X,Y position of each component fiducial;

a computer to place the XY offset values in an XY map which is used as a source for calibrated XY offset values per each component fiducial for inspecting the plurality of components on the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the calibration substrate made of glass.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of component fiducials are etched onto the glass substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of fiducials are within 3 microns of their theoretical location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the components are sensor pegs.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor is a biological microarray.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises an X, Y tolerance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 1 to 50 microns.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 1 to 30 microns.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the X,Y tolerance is in the range of 3 to 25 microns.

21. An apparatus for calibrating an inspection tool for inspecting a plurality of components on a substrate, comprising:

(a) a first component for receiving a calibration substrate comprising a plurality of component fiducials, one fiducial per component, wherein each fiducial indicates a theorectical location of each component that is to be inspected;

(b) a second component for moving a camera in an X,Y direction over a first component fiducial;

(c) a third component for imaging the first component fiducial on the calibration substrate;

(d) a fourth component for measuring an X,Y direction over the first component fiducial;

(e) a fifth component for calculating a pair of XY offset value for the X,Y position of the first component fiducial by utilizing the measured X,Y position of the first component fiudical;

(f) a sixth component for repeating the moving, imaging, measuring and calculating steps on each of the component fiducials until the pairs of the XY calibration offset values for the component fiducials are calculated; and

(g) a seventh component for placing the pairs of XY calibration offset values in an XY map; and

using the XY map as a source of calibrated XY offset values for each component when inspecting the plurality of components on the substrate.