Pattern matching method, program and semiconductor device manufacturing method

• US 8,036,445 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Onishi, Atsushi, Yamazaki, Yuichiro, Mitsui, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, JULIAN D
• Application Number:
  US11/255,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20060110042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,181 Days
• Field of Search: 382141-151, 382/199, 382/197, 382/204, 382/209, 382/242
• US Class Current: 382/144
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10056 Microscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0006 using a design-rule based approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/757 Matching configurations of points or features

Abstract

A pattern matching method includes: detecting an edge of a pattern in a pattern image obtained by imaging the pattern; segmenting the detected pattern edge to generate a first segment set consisting of first segments; segmenting a pattern edge on reference data which serves as a reference for evaluating the pattern to generate a second segment set consisting of second segments; combining any of the segments in the first segment set with any of the segments in the second segment set to define a segment pair consisting of first and second segments; calculating the compatibility coefficient between every two segment pairs in the defined segment pairs; defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the defined segment pairs by calculating local consistencies of the defined segment pairs on the basis of the calculated compatibility coefficients and by excluding segment pairs having lower local consistencies; determining an optimum segment pair by repeating the calculating the compatibility coefficient and the defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the segment pairs; calculating a feature quantity of a shift vector that links the first and second segments making up the optimum segment pair; and performing position matching between the pattern image and the reference data on the basis of the calculated feature quantity of the shift vector.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium containing a program which causes a computer to execute a pattern matching, the pattern matching comprising:

detecting a first pattern edge in a pattern image obtained by imaging the pattern;

generating a first segment set comprising first straight-line and curved-line pattern segments by segmenting the detected first pattern edge with a plurality of predetermined first straight-line and curved-line patterns;

generating a second segment set comprising second straight-line and curved-line pattern segments by segmenting a second pattern edge on reference data into a plurality of second straight-line and curved-line patterns;

combining any of the segments in the first segment set with any of the segments in the second segment set to define segment pairs consisting of first and second segments of the first and second segment sets, respectively;

calculating a compatibility coefficient between every two segment pairs in the defined segment pairs, the compatibility coefficient between each two segment pairs indicating a compatibility between a first segment pair and a second segment pair;

defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the defined segment pairs by calculating local consistencies of the defined segment pairs on the basis of the calculated compatibility coefficients and by excluding segment pairs having lower local consistencies;

determining an optimum segment pair by repeating the calculating the compatibility coefficient and the defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the segment pairs;

calculating a feature quantity of a shift vector that links the first and second segments making up the optimum segment pair; and

performing position matching between the pattern image and the reference data on the basis of the calculated feature quantity of the shift vector,

wherein the calculating the compatibility coefficient between the first segment pair and the second segment pair includes;

defining a first circumscribed rectangle and a second circumscribed rectangle respectively surrounding a first segment of the first segment pair and a second segment of the first segment pair;

defining a third circumscribed rectangle and a fourth circumscribed rectangle respectively surrounding a first segment of the second segment pair and a second segment of the second segment pair;

defining a first set of shift vectors each running from a vertex of the first circumscribed rectangle to a corresponding vertex of the second circumscribed rectangle;

defining a second set of shift vectors each running from a vertex of the third circumscribed rectangle to a corresponding vertex of the fourth circumscribed rectangle;

plotting the first set of shift vectors and the second set of shift vectors from a same origin;

defining a first shift rectangle and a second shift rectangle respectively formed by ends of the first set of shift vectors and the second set of shift vectors; and

defining the compatibility coefficient based on a distance between the first shift rectangle and the second shift rectangle.

2. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of predetermined first straight-line and curved-line patterns comprise a function curve.

3. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1,

wherein the segmenting the detected first pattern edge includes determining a curvature of the pattern edge by using a chain code.

4. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1,

wherein the pattern matching further comprises rounding corner portions in the reference data.

5. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1,

wherein the defining the segment pairs includes checking a relative positional relation between the first segments;

and

the calculating the compatibility coefficient further includes, if there are first segments that are substantially parallel to each other, setting the compatibility coefficient of the substantially parallel first segments to a value smaller than the value of the compatibility coefficient between first segments that are in other positional relations with each other.

6. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1,

wherein the generating the first segment set includes storing information about first connectivity representing whether or not the generated first segments are connected with each other before the segmentation;

the generating the second segment set includes storing information about second connectivity representing whether or not the generated second segments are connected with each other before the segmentation; and

the calculating the compatibility coefficient further includes comparing the first connectivity with the second connectivity and, if they do not agree with each other, setting the compatibility coefficient to a value smaller than the value of compatibility coefficient that is set in the case where the first connectivity agrees with the second connectivity.

7. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the pattern image is obtained using a scanning electron microscope.

8. A semiconductor device manufacturing method, comprising:

obtaining an image of a pattern using an imaging device; and

performing a pattern matching method using a processor, the pattern matching method comprising;

detecting a first pattern edge in the pattern image;

generating a first segment set comprising first straight-line and curved-line pattern segments by segmenting the detected first pattern edge with a plurality of predetermined first straight-line and curved-line patterns;

generating a second segment set comprising second straight-line and curved-line pattern segments by segmenting a second pattern edge on reference data into a plurality of second straight-line and curved-line patterns;

combining any of the segments in the first segment set with any of the segments in the second segment set to define segment pairs consisting of first and second segments of the first and second segment sets, respectively;

calculating a compatibility coefficient between every two segment pairs in the defined segment pairs, the compatibility coefficient between each two segment pairs indicating a compatibility between a first segment pair and a second segment pair;

defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the defined segment pairs by calculating local consistencies of the defined segment pairs on the basis of the calculated compatibility coefficients and by excluding segment pairs having lower local consistencies;

determining an optimum segment pair by repeating the calculating the compatibility coefficient and the defining new segment pairs by narrowing down the segment pairs;

calculating a feature quantity of a shift vector that links the first and second segments making up the optimum segment pair; and

performing position matching between the pattern image and the reference data on the basis of the calculated feature quantity of the shift vector,

wherein the calculating the compatibility coefficient between the first segment pair and the second segment pair includes;

defining a first circumscribed rectangle and a second circumscribed rectangle respectively surrounding a first segment of the first segment pair and a second segment of the first segment pair;

defining a third circumscribed rectangle and a fourth circumscribed rectangle respectively surrounding a first segment of the second segment pair and a second segment of the second segment pair;

defining a first set of shift vectors each running from a vertex of the first circumscribed rectangle to a corresponding vertex of the second circumscribed rectangle;

defining a second set of shift vectors each running from a vertex of the third circumscribed rectangle to a corresponding vertex of the fourth circumscribed rectangle;

plotting the first set of shift vectors and the second set of shift vectors from a same origin;

defining a first shift rectangle and a second shift rectangle respectively formed by ends of the first set of shift vectors and the second set of shift vectors; and

defining the compatibility coefficient based on a distance between the first shift rectangle and the second shift rectangle.

9. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 8,

wherein the plurality of predetermined first straight-line and curved-line patterns comprise a function curve.

10. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 8,

wherein the defining the segment pairs includes checking a relative positional relation between the first segments;

and

the calculating the compatibility coefficient further includes, if there are first segments that are substantially parallel to each other, setting the compatibility coefficient of the substantially parallel first segments to a value smaller than the value of the compatibility coefficient between first segments that are in other positional relations with each other.

11. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 8,

wherein the generating the first segment set includes storing information about first connectivity representing whether or not the generated first segments are connected with each other before the segmentation;

the generating the second segment set includes storing information about second connectivity representing whether or not the generated second segments are connected with each other before the segmentation; and

the calculating the compatibility coefficient includes comparing the first connectivity with the second connectivity and, if they do not agree with each other, setting the compatibility coefficient to a value smaller than the value of compatibility coefficient that is set in the case where the first connectivity agrees with the second connectivity.

12. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein the obtaining an image of a pattern is performed using a scanning electron microscope.