Image analysis – Applications – Manufacturing or product inspection
Reexamination Certificate
2008-07-08
2008-07-08
LaRose, Colin (Department: 2624)
Image analysis
Applications
Manufacturing or product inspection
C382S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
10702800
ABSTRACT:
One embodiment disclosed relates to a method of detecting defects in a microminiature pattern repeated over a particular surface of an object. The method includes providing an image detector capable of resolving intensity data for each pixel of an array of m×n pixels of an image projected thereupon. An area of the surface of the object is illuminated with incident electrons, radiation from the illuminated area is detected, and image data from the detected radiation is retrieved into a data processor. If necessary, the image data is rotated for alignment purposes. The scale of the image data is then adjusted such that a dimension of a cell of the repeated pattern in the image data is equivalent to a distance across an integer number of pixels of the m×n pixel array. With the scale adjusted, then features in one cell of the repeated pattern are compared with features in another cell of the repeated pattern to detect said defects.
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KLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation
LaRose Colin
Okamoto & Benedicto LLP
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