Inspection method and apparatus for the inspection of either random or repeating patterns

• US 7,218,768 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Jason Z., Tsai, Bin-Ming Ben, Evans, David M. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US10/366,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 382/141, 382/145, 382/278, 382/280, 382/294
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7065 Defects, e.g. optical inspection of patterned layer for defects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20056 Discrete and fast Fourier transform, [DFT, FFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/37 using transform domain methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/431 Frequency domain transformation; Autocorrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching

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.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a patterned substrate, comprising:

a) imaging a first portion of said substrate;

b) imaging a second portion of said substrate; and

c) comparing said first portion to said second portion, wherein data from at least one of said first portion and said second portion is divided into a plurality of areas, and data from each of said areas are simultaneously and independently processed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said processing includes transforming at least a portion of said data into a frequency domain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said processing includes simultaneously and independently processing data derived from sub-images taken from within a single field of view.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said processing includes simultaneously and independently processing data derived from differing fields of view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate is a semiconductor wafer.

6. A method of inspecting a patterned substrate, comprising:

a) imaging a first portion of said substrate;

b) imaging a second portion of said substrate; and

c) comparing said first portion to said second portion, wherein a mathematical algorithm is used to analyze data within said portions and said algorithm runs differently depending on whether first and second portions of said substrate are selected from random or repeating areas.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said algorithm is selected automatically.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said algorithm is selected based on a frequency domain analysis of patterns contained in said first or second portions.