Control system and method of semiconductor inspection system

• US 7,642,796 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Shinobu, Yamamoto, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Ha Tran T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez; Roberto
• Application Number:
  US11/723,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/750.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06716 Elastic

Abstract

A control system and method of a semiconductor inspection system are disclosed, wherein the inspection can be conducted without reducing the reliability of measurement even in the case where the supply voltage drops. The control system has a controller, a power supply for a power on-off circuit constituting a switching regulator designed to maintain the output voltage against a supply voltage drop, and a supply voltage drop detector. In the case where a supply voltage drop is detected during the measurement, the measurement is automatically suspended, and after restoring the supply voltage, the measurement is automatically restarted.

Claims

1. A method for operating a control system of a semiconductor measurement apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises a measurement circuit for electrically processing measurement data of an object to be measured;

a controller for controlling a measurement operation of the measurement circuit;

a first circuit for supplying a drive power to the measurement circuit based on a drive power from a power source; and

a second circuit for supplying a drive power to the controller based on a drive power from the power source, and wherein the method comprises the steps of;

dropping, by the first circuit, a voltage supplied to the measurement circuit with a drop of voltage supplied from the power source to the first circuit, and

maintaining, by the second circuit, a voltage supplied to the controller against the drop of voltage supplied from the power source to the second circuit.

2. A control system of a semiconductor measurement apparatus, comprising:

a measurement circuit for electrically processing measurement data of an object to be measured;

a controller for controlling operation of the measurement circuit;

a first circuit for supplying a drive power to the measurement circuit based on a drive power from a power source, wherein the first circuit drops a voltage supplied to the measurement circuit upon a drop of voltage of drive power supplied from the power source to the first circuit; and

a second circuit for supplying a drive power to the controller based on a drive power from the power source, the second circuit maintaining a voltage supplied to the controller against a drop of voltage of drive power supplied from the power source to the second circuit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first circuit is a series regulator being used as a DC power supply, and

the second circuit is a switching regulator being used as a DC power supply.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller stops a measurement operation of the measurement circuit based on the drop of voltage of the drive power supplied from the power source.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller re-starts the measurement operation of the measurement circuit based on detection of restoring of voltage supplied to the controller after the dropping of the voltage of the drive power supplied from the power source.