METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING PATTERN DEFECTS
First Claim
1. An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus comprising:
- an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory;
a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction process by using the acquired image, which is read from the image memory; and
a defect detection unit which performs a defect detection process and a defect classification process based on a partial image containing a defect candidate that is extracted by the defect candidate extraction unit,wherein the processes performed by the defect detection unit is performed off-line asynchronously with an image acquisition process that is performed by the image acquisition unit.
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Abstract
An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus including: an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory; a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction process by using the acquired image, which is read from the image memory; and a defect detection unit which performs a defect detection process and a defect classification process based on a partial image containing a defect candidate that is extracted by the defect candidate extraction unit, wherein the processes performed by the defect detection unit is performed off-line asynchronously with an image acquisition process that is performed by the image acquisition unit.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus comprising:
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an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory; a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction process by using the acquired image, which is read from the image memory; and a defect detection unit which performs a defect detection process and a defect classification process based on a partial image containing a defect candidate that is extracted by the defect candidate extraction unit, wherein the processes performed by the defect detection unit is performed off-line asynchronously with an image acquisition process that is performed by the image acquisition unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus comprising:
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an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory; a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction process by using the acquired image, which is read from the image memory; and a defect detection unit which performs a defect detection process and a defect classification process based on a partial image containing a defect candidate that is extracted by the defect candidate extraction unit, wherein the processes performed by the defect candidate extraction unit and the defect detection unit are performed off-line asynchronously with an image acquisition process that is performed by the image acquisition unit. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification