Apparatus and methods for the inspection of objects

• US 20040120571A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orbotech Limited (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Orbotech Limited (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Smilansky, Zeev, Klingbell, Eyal, Gilat-Bernshtein, Tally, Duvdevani, Sharon, Mayo, Meir, Rippa, Shmuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30141 Printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/469 Contour-based spatial representations, e.g. vector-coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/752 Contour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding

Abstract

This invention discloses a system and method for inspecting objects, the method including creating a reference image for a representative object, the reference image comprising an at least partially vectorized first representation of boundaries within the image, acquiring an image of an object under inspection comprising a second representation of boundaries within the image, and comparing the second representation of boundaries to said at least partially vectorized first representation of boundaries, thereby to identify defects.

A method and system for image processing in a software environment, the method including providing to a software based image processor a combination of user defined regions and defect triggers received from a hardware processor, and inspecting each of the user defined regions and regions surrounding hardware defect triggers each with a dynamically chosen set of inspection algorithms is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An electrical circuitry inspection method comprising:

for each of a plurality of types of local characteristics, each type occurring at least once within electrical circuitry to be inspected, identifying at least one portion of interest within the electrical circuitry whereat said local characteristic is expected to occur; and

inspecting an image of each portion of interest, using an inspection task selected in response to the type of local characteristic expected to occur in the portion of interest.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of types of local characteristics includes at least one of the following types:

a bonding pad;

a ball structure;

a target;

a chip area.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said identifying of at least one portion of interest comprises identification of at least one spatial region within said electrical circuitry.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said identification of at least one spatial region is at least partly based on a user input.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said identification of at least one spatial region is at least partly based on a computer generated input.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said identification of at least one spatial region is at least partly based on a computer generated input.

7. A method according to claim 1, and also comprising computer-assigning an inspection task to at least one individual portion of interest in response to the type of local characteristic expected to occur in the individual portion of interest.

8. A method according to claim 1, and also comprising outputting at least one indication of defects responsive to said inspecting step.

9. Electrical circuitry inspection apparatus comprising:

a portion of interest identifier operative, for each of a plurality of types of local characteristics, each type occurring at least once within electrical circuitry to be inspected, to identify at least one portion of interest within the electrical circuitry whereat said local characteristic is expected to occur; and

an image inspector inspecting an image of each portion of interest, using an inspection task selected in response to the type of local characteristic expected to occur in the portion of interest.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of types of local characteristics includes at least one of the following types:

a bonding pad;

a ball structure;

a target;

a chip area.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said identifier identifies at least one spatial region within said electrical circuitry.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said identifier identifies at least one spatial region at least partly based on a user input.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said identifier identifies at least one spatial region is at least partly based on a computer generated input.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said identifier identifies at least one spatial region at least partly based on a computer generated input.

15. Apparatus according to claim 9, and also comprising a task assigner computer-assigning an inspection task to at least one individual portion of interest in response to the type of local characteristic expected to occur in the individual portion of interest.

16. Apparatus according to claim 9, and also comprising a defect indicator outputting at least one indication of defects responsive to output generated by said image inspector.