Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080205743 | MASK DEFECT ANALYSIS - A method of inspecting a photomask includes directing radiation from a radiation source onto a photomask so that at least a portion of the radiation is transmitted through the photomask. A first photomask image is detected from the transmitted portion of the radiation transmitted through the photomask and perceptible at a second side of the photomask. A second photomask image is created by applying an exposure simulation model to a photomask design. A difference between the first photomask image and the second photomask image is then determined. | 08-28-2008 |
20080205744 | Drawing Point Data Obtainment Method and Apparatus - In a method for obtaining drawing point data that is used for drawing an image on a substrate by moving, relative to the substrate, a plurality of drawing point formation units for forming drawing points based on the drawing point data and by sequentially forming, based on the movement, drawing points on the substrate, an address in a memory, at which image data representing an image corresponding to a drawing start position of each of drawing point formation units is stored, is obtained as a readout start address of each of the drawing point formation units. Further, drawing point data for each of the drawing point formation units is obtained by sequentially reading out image data from respective readout start addresses along the respective drawing point data paths in image data corresponding to the drawing paths of the drawing point formation units on the substrate. | 08-28-2008 |
20080212869 | Pattern correcting method of mask for manufacturing a semiconductor device - A method of correcting a mask pattern for manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes extracting a corner portion of a transistor portion. A distance from the corner portion to a line portion is extracted. A distance where the line portion does not overlap a rounding of the corner portion generated after a wafer process is obtained. A correction rule is made for a correction whether the corner portion is notched or not from the obtained distance. A corresponding relationship between the distance and an intersection part is obtained and a correction is made based on the correction rule to the corner portion. | 09-04-2008 |
20080226157 | Inspection methods and systems for lithographic masks - Disclosed are apparatus and methods for finding lithographically significant defects on a reticle. In general, at least a pair of related intensity images of the reticle in question are obtained using an inspection apparatus. The intensity images are obtained such that each of the images experience different focus settings for the reticle so that there is a constant focus offset between the two focus values of the images. These images are then analyzed to obtain a transmission function of the reticle. This transmission function is then input into a model of the lithography system (e.g., a stepper, scanner, or other related photolithography system) to then produce an aerial image of the reticle pattern. The aerial image produced can then be input to a photoresist model to yield a “resist-modeled image” that corresponds to an image pattern to be printed onto the substrate using the reticle. This resist-modeled image can then be compared with a reference image to obtain defect information. In particular, due to the introduction of the lithography tool and photoresist model, this defect information pertains to lithographically significant defects. | 09-18-2008 |
20080232671 | MASK PATTERN VERIFYING METHOD - A mask pattern verifying method include obtaining first information about a hot spot from design data of a mask pattern, obtaining second information about the mask pattern actually formed on a photo mask, and determining a measuring spot of the mask pattern actually formed on the photo mask, based on the first and second information. | 09-25-2008 |
20080247632 | Method for Mask Inspection for Mask Design and Mask Production - The invention relates to a mask inspection method that can be used for the design and production of masks, in order to detect relevant weak points early on and to correct the same. According to said method for mask inspection, an aerial image simulation, preferably an all-over aerial image simulation, is carried out on the basis of the mask design converted into a mask layout, in order to determine a list of hot spots. The mask/test mask is analysed by means of an AIMS tool, whereby real aerial images are produced and compared with the simulated aerial images. The determined differences between the aerial images are used to improve the mask design. The inventive arrangement enables a method to be carried out for mask inspection for mask design and mask production. The use of the AIMS tool directly in the mask production process essentially accelerates the mask production, while reducing the error rate and cost. | 10-09-2008 |
20080260234 | PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS, CORRECTED IMAGE GENERATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM - A pattern inspection apparatus includes a first unit configured to acquire an optical image of a target workpiece to be inspected, a second unit configured to generate a reference image to be compared, a third unit configured, by using a mathematical model in which a parallel shift amount, an expansion and contraction error coefficient, a rotation error coefficient, a gray-level offset and an image transmission loss ratio are parameters, to calculate each of the parameters by a least-squares method, a forth unit configured to generate a corrected image by shifting a position of the reference image by a displacement amount, based on the each of the parameters, and a fifth unit configured to compare the corrected image with the optical image. | 10-23-2008 |
20080260235 | System And Method Of Providing Mask Defect Printability Analysis - A simulated wafer image of a physical mask and a defect-free reference image are used to generate a severity score for each defect, thereby giving a customer meaningful information to accurately assess the consequences of using a mask or repairing that mask. The defect severity score is calculated based on a number of factors relating to the changes in critical dimensions of the neighbor features to the defect. A common process window can also be used to provide objective information regarding defect printability. Certain other aspects of the mask relating to mask quality, such as line edge roughness and contact corner rounding, can also be quantified by using the simulated wafer image of the physical mask. | 10-23-2008 |
20080279442 | Inspection method and apparatus, lithographic apparatus, lithographic processing cell and device manufacturing method - A method of measuring a property of a substrate includes generating a patterned mask configured to cause a radiation beam passing through the mask to acquire the pattern, simulating radiating the substrate with a patterned radiation beam that has been patterned using the mask to obtain a simulated pattern, determining at least one location of the simulated pattern that is prone to patterning errors, and irradiating the substrate with the patterned radiation beam using a lithographic process. The method also includes measuring an accuracy of at least one property of the at least one location of the pattern on the substrate that has been determined as being prone to patterning errors, and adjusting the lithographic process according to the measuring. | 11-13-2008 |
20080279443 | MASK INSPECTION PROCESS ACCOUNTING FOR MASK WRITER PROXIMITY CORRECTION - A mask inspection method and system. Provided is a mask fabrication database describing geometrical shapes S to be printed as part of a mask pattern on a reticle to fabricate a mask through use of a mask fabrication tooling. The shapes S appear on the mask as shapes S′ upon being printed. At least one of the shapes S′ may be geometrically distorted relative to a corresponding at least one of the shapes S due to a lack of precision in the mask fabrication tooling. Also provided is a mask inspection database to be used for inspecting the mask after the mask has been fabricated by the mask fabrication tooling. The mask inspection database describes shapes S″ approximating the shapes S′. A geometric distortion between the shapes S′ and S″ is less than a corresponding geometric distortion between the shapes S′ and S. | 11-13-2008 |
20080292176 | Pattern inspection method and pattern inspection apparatus - In a pattern inspection apparatus for comparing images of areas corresponding to patterns each formed so as to be the same pattern and determining a non-coincident portion of the image as a defect, an image comparison processing unit configured with a processing system mounting a plurality of CPUs operating in parallel is provided, whereby an effect of brightness irregularity between the comparison images generated from a difference of a film thickness, a difference of a pattern thickness, and the like can be reduced, and a highly sensitive pattern inspection can be performed without setting parameters. Further, a feature amount of each pixel is calculated between the comparison images, and a plurality of feature amounts are compared, so that distinction between a defect and a noise, which is impossible by a luminance value, can be performed with high accuracy. | 11-27-2008 |
20080310703 | METHOD FOR INSPECTING PHOTOMASK AND REAL-TIME ONLINE METHOD FOR INSPECTING PHOTOMASK - A method for inspecting a photomask is provided, which is applicable for the photomask with a pattern region and a blank region. First, a wafer is performed a photolithography process by the photomask. The wafer includes a plurality of exposure regions, each of which has a component pattern region. Each component pattern region is surrounded by a scribe line region. Each component pattern region corresponds to the pattern region of the photomask, while the scribe line region corresponds to the blank region of the photomask. Afterwards, the scribe line region is divided into a plurality of virtual pattern regions. The virtual pattern regions are processed by an overlap comparison step one by one. As at least one of the virtual pattern regions overlaps the others incompletely, a part of the blank region on the photomask corresponding to the incompletely-overlapping virtual pattern region has a haze. | 12-18-2008 |
20090016595 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING DEFECTS IN A RETICLE DESIGN PATTERN - Computer-implemented methods and systems for detecting defects in a reticle design pattern are provided. One computer-implemented method includes acquiring images of the reticle design pattern using a sensor disposed on a substrate arranged proximate to an image plane of an exposure system configured to perform a wafer printing process using the reticle design pattern. The images illustrate how the reticle design pattern will be projected on a wafer by the exposure system at different values of one or more parameters of the wafer printing process. The method also includes detecting defects in the reticle design pattern based on a comparison of two or more of the images corresponding to two or more of the different values. | 01-15-2009 |
20090016596 | REMOVAL OF RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT SHAPES FROM A SET OF SHAPES - A method for reducing a number of shapes, and a computer readable program code adapted to perform said method. The method forms first and second shape patterns. The second shape pattern includes the first shape pattern and error shapes. The error shapes are extracted from the second shape pattern. At least one environment shape corresponding to each error shape is derived from a subset of the error shapes. For example, each error shape in the subset may be expanded to form a corresponding expanded shape, and at least one environment shape corresponding to each expanded shape may be formed by removing all portions of the expanded shape common to the second shape pattern. The environment shape reflects a local geometric environment of its corresponding error shape. A subset of the environment shapes are deleted such that only unique environment shapes satisfying a selection criterion remain. | 01-15-2009 |
20090028420 | PHOTOMASK DEFECT-SHAPE RECOGNITION APPARATUS, PHOTOMASK DEFECT-SHAPE RECOGNITION METHOD, AND PHOTOMASK DEFECT CORRECTION METHOD - To recognize a defect portion and a mask pattern with a distinctly distinguished state through AFM observation of a photomask without being influenced by a double-tips image, provided is a method of recognizing, through AFM observation of a photomask including a substrate ( | 01-29-2009 |
20090028421 | IMAGING CHARACTERISTICS FLUCTUATION PREDICTING METHOD, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A method for predicting imaging characteristics fluctuation of a projection optical system in an exposure apparatus which projects a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate through the projection optical system is provided. In a measurement step, the projection optical system is irradiated with exposure light under a first exposure condition to measure first imaging characteristics fluctuation of the projection optical system. Then, before an imaging characteristics value is restored to an initial value at the start of irradiation after irradiation is stopped, the projection optical system is irradiated with the exposure light under a second exposure condition to measure second imaging characteristics fluctuation of the projection optical system. Approximate expressions of the measured first and second imaging characteristics fluctuations are calculated based on an imaging characteristics model. | 01-29-2009 |
20090034828 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING COMPONENTS - A method for inspecting a component is provided. The method includes generating an image of the component, generating a signal indication mask, and generating a noise mask using a signal within the signal indication mask. The noise mask facilitates reducing a quantity of prospective signals contained in the signal indication mask. The method further includes utilizing the signal indication mask and the generated noise mask to calculate the signal-to-noise ratio of at least one potential flaw indication that may be present in the image. | 02-05-2009 |
20090034829 | METHOD FOR INSPECTING A FOREIGN MATTER ON MIRROR-FINISHED SUBSTRATE - Provided is a foreign matter inspection method for positively detecting a foreign matter in the neighborhood of the edge of a mirror-finished substrate without fail. Edge-emphasis and binarization are performed following the taking of an image of a substrate-under-inspection at a contour of its inspection area, to further detect a plurality of sampling points representative of a contour of the inspection area. An estimated inspection area is determined by determining the size, position and rotation angle of contour lines defined, size-reducibly, from the coordinates of the plurality of sampling points. After applying a mask to the binary image data in an area other than the estimated inspection area, a foreign-matter detection step is performed. | 02-05-2009 |
20090034830 | PSEUDO LOW VOLUME RETICLE (PLVR) DESIGN FOR ASIC MANUFACTURING - A Pseudo Low Volume Reticle (PLVR) which consists of multiple design layers on a single reticle. Specifically, the reticle can include two instances of each layer in order to facilitate die-to-die inspection techniques. A scribe is wrapped around each instance of the layer, such that both the frame and active area of the chip can be inspected with the die-to-die method. The chip consists of design data for a given part. The scribe, or frame, is preferably standard data across products which is used for yield and in line testing during the chip manufacturing process. Since only one chip and scribe unit is necessary to manufacture a device at each layer, it is only necessary that one chip and scribe instance yield during the reticle manufacturing process. | 02-05-2009 |
20090046920 | Approximating Wafer Intensity Change To Provide Fast Mask Defect Scoring - To provide fast mask defect scoring, approximated wafer simulations (e.g. using one convolution) are performed on the defect inspection image and its corresponding reference inspection image. Using the approximated defect wafer image and the approximated reference wafer image generated by these approximated wafer simulations, a defect maximum intensity difference (MID) is computed by subtracting one approximated wafer image from the other approximated wafer image to generate a difference image. After a defect region of the difference image is clearly defined, a simulation at the centroid (i.e. a single point) of the defect region is performed. After the defect MID is computed (represented by an intensity) it can be compared to a prototype MID, which can represent a generic nuisance defect. | 02-19-2009 |
20090074286 | DATA MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT USED TO DEFECT REVIEW EQUIPMENT AND TESTING SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS - A data management equipment connected with a general inspection system for detecting a defect candidate on a wafer and acquiring a location thereof, a design data server for storing a design data for a semiconductor circuit and a defect review system for acquiring a defect data image on the basis of the location and comparing the defect candidate image with a defect-free reference image to identify a defect. The data management equipment includes a first detecting unit for finding that the general inspection system is acquiring a location, a storage controlling unit responsive to the finding to start to store the location from the general inspection system in a storage unit and a defect-circumferential design data acquiring unit for acquiring from a portion of the design data a defect-circumferential design data such that a reference image including the location can be produced from the defect-circumferential design data. | 03-19-2009 |
20090074287 | MASK DATA GENERATION METHOD, MASK FABRICATION METHOD, EXPOSURE METHOD, DEVICE FABRICATION METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - The invention provides a generation method of generating data of a mask, comprising a calculation step of calculating an aerial image formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, an extraction step of extracting a two-dimensional image from the aerial image, a determination step of determining a main pattern of the mask based on the two-dimensional image, an extraction step of extracting, from the aerial image, a peak portion at which a light intensity takes a peak value in a region other than a region in which the main pattern is projected, a determination step of determining an assist pattern based on the light intensity of the peak portion, and a generation step of inserting the assist pattern into a portion of the mask, which corresponds to the peak portion, thereby generating, as the data of the mask, pattern data including the assist pattern and the main pattern. | 03-19-2009 |
20090087081 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PHOTO MASK, MASK PATTERN SHAPE EVALUATION APPARATUS, METHOD OF JUDGING PHOTO MASK DEFECT CORRECTED PORTION, PHOTO MASK DEFECT CORRECTED PORTION JUDGMENT APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method comprising detecting a defect of a pattern formed on the photo mask, acquiring a pattern image of a first region on the photo mask, extracting a pattern contour from the pattern image to acquire pattern contour extracted data, producing first graphic data based on the pattern contour extracted data and a pixel size, acquiring pattern data including the first region and corresponding to a second region from design data, producing second graphic data from the pattern data, replacing the second graphic data with the first graphic data to produce third graphic data only in a region where the first graphic data is superimposed upon the second graphic data, producing transfer patterns of pattern shapes represented by the second and third graphic data, and comparing the transfer patterns to judge whether or not the defect needs to be corrected. | 04-02-2009 |
20090110260 | Inspection System and a Method for Detecting Defects Based Upon a Reference Frame - A method for inspecting objects and an inspection system, the system includes: an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire multiple images, according to a predefined image acquisition scheme, of multiple portions of a diced wafer that comprises multiple dice; and a processor adapted to locate multiple unique features within the multiple images, at least partially during the acquisition of images; associate multiple unique features with multiple dice, at least partially during the location of multiple unique features; determine multiple transformations between multiple die coordinate systems and a global coordinate system, in response to a locations of unique features and their associations with multiple dice, at least partially during an association between multiple unique features with multiple dice; and detect defects in response to a comparison between dice and corresponding reference dice, in response to the transformations, at least partially during the determination of the multiple transformations. | 04-30-2009 |
20090123057 | Method and System for Obtaining Bounds on Process Parameters for OPC-Verification - Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of performing printability verification of a mask layout. The method includes creating one or more tight clusters; computing a set of process parameters associated with a point on said mask; comparing said set of process parameters to said one or more tight clusters; and reporting an error when at least one of said process parameters is away from said one or more tight clusters. | 05-14-2009 |
20090123058 | MASK PATTERN DIMENSIONAL INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - A sidewall shape correction function is determined in advance which represents the relationship of the difference between contour positions of two or more items of pattern contour position data of different thresholds obtained from an SEM image and optical pattern contour positions determined through an optical method. Two or more items of pattern contour position data of different thresholds are obtained from SEM image data on which a lithographic simulation is to be conducted. Pseudo-optical pattern contour position data are determined from the contour position difference and the sidewall shape correction function. A lithographic simulation is conducted using the pseudo-optical pattern contour position data. | 05-14-2009 |
20090136116 | Method and apparatus for inspecting reticle - The present invention provides a reticle inspection technology that enables a relative position between patterns to be evaluated for a pattern that may become a defect at the time of exposure to a sample, such as a wafer, in the double patterning technology on the same layer. An apparatus for inspecting a reticle for inspecting two reticles that are used in order to form patterns in the same layer on a substrate using the double patterning technology has: a coordinate information input unit for inputting coordinate information of a pattern of a measuring object; an image input unit for acquiring images of patterns of the two reticles based on the obtained coordinate information; an image overlay unit for overlaying the images of the two reticles at the same coordinates; a relative position calculation unit for finding the relative position between the patterns on the two reticles; an evaluation unit for assigning an index of the overlaying accuracy based on the relative position and evaluates whether the two reticles need repair; and an evaluation result output unit for outputting an evaluation result. | 05-28-2009 |
20090180680 | PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT, PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS METHOD AND PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS PROGRAM - A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship. | 07-16-2009 |
20090185739 | Multi-Modal Data Analysis for Defect Identification - A technique for identifying a defect in an object produced by a controllable process. A first type of data generated as a result of production of the object by the controllable process is obtained. A second type of data generated as a result of production of the object by the controllable process is obtained. The first type of data and the second type of data are jointly analyzed. A defect is identified in the object based on the joint analysis of the first type of data and the second type of data. By way of example, the controllable process comprises a semiconductor manufacturing process such as a silicon wafer manufacturing process and the object produced by the semiconductor manufacturing process comprises a processed wafer. The first type of data comprises tool trace data and the second type of data comprises wafer image data. The tool trace data is generated by a photolithographic tool. | 07-23-2009 |
20090202136 | Polarization analyzing system, exposure method, and method for manufacturing semiconductor device - A polarization analyzing system includes a data collector collecting information on resist patterns formed over step patterns by first and second lights, the first and second lights being polarized parallel and perpendicular to the step patterns, a residual resist analyzer obtaining first and second relations between a ratio of a space to a line width of the resist patterns and the first and second residues, the first and second residues remaining at orthogonal points of the step patterns and the resist patterns, and a direction chooser choosing an optimum polarization direction reducing residues by comparing the first and second relations. | 08-13-2009 |
20090214102 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS - A method of inspecting patterns, including: adjusting a brightness of at least one of a first bright field image and a second bright field image detected from a specimen and directed to similar patterns on differing parts of the specimen, so as to more closely match a brightness; comparing the images which are adjusted in brightness to match with each other to detect dissimilarities indicative of a defect of the pattern, wherein in adjusting the brightness, the brightness between the first bright field image and the second bright field image is adjusted by performing a gradation conversion of at least one of the brightness between the first bright field image and the second bright field image; and wherein in the comparing, said defect of the pattern is detected by using information of a scattered diagram of brightness of the first bright field image and the second bright field image. | 08-27-2009 |
20090232384 | Mask Making Decision for Manufacturing (DFM) on Mask Quality Control - The present disclosure provide a method for making a mask. The method includes assigning a plurality of pattern features to different data types; writing the plurality of pattern features on a mask; inspecting the plurality of pattern features with different inspection sensitivities according to assigned data types; and repairing the plurality of pattern features on the mask according to the inspecting of the plurality of pattern features. | 09-17-2009 |
20090238440 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR EDGE DETECTION - A method for edge detection, the method includes: obtaining an image of an area of a lithographic mask; wherein the image is generated by an optical system that is partially coherent; calculating a gradient of the image and a second derivative of the image in a direction of the gradient of the image; calculating a function that is proportional to the second derivative of the image in the direction of the gradient of the image and is inversely proportional to a ratio between a square of the gradient of the image and the image; and detecting at least one edge of at least one feature of the area in response to values of the function. | 09-24-2009 |
20090238441 | PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS, PATTERN INSPECTION METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM STORING A PROGRAM - A pattern inspection apparatus includes a magnification conversion unit configured to input first sample optical image data, and to convert the first sample optical image data to second sample optical image data which has a resolution N times that of the first sample optical image data, a low-pass filter configured to input first design image data which has a resolution N times that of the first sample optical image data and in which a gray level value corresponding to the first sample optical image data is defined, and to calculate second design image data by convolving the first design image data with a predetermined low-pass filtering function, an optical filter configured to calculate third design image data by convolving the second design image data with a predetermined optical model function, a coefficient acquisition unit configured to acquire a coefficient of the predetermined optical model function by performing a predetermined calculation by using the second sample optical image data and the third design image data, an optical image acquisition unit configured to acquire actual optical image data of an inspection target workpiece on which a pattern is formed, a reference image data generation unit configured to generate reference image data corresponding to the actual optical image data by using the coefficient, and a comparison unit configured to input the actual optical image data, and to compare the actual optical image data with the reference image data. | 09-24-2009 |
20090245618 | Performing OPC on Hardware or Software Platforms with GPU - Optical proximity correction techniques performed on one or more graphics processors improve the masks used for the printing of microelectronic circuit designs. Execution of OPC techniques on hardware or software platforms utilizing graphics processing units. GPUs may share the computation load with the system CPUs to efficiently and effectively execute the OPC method steps. | 10-01-2009 |
20090245619 | IMAGE DENSITY-ADAPTED AUTOMATIC MODE SWITCHABLE PATTERN CORRECTION SCHEME FOR WORKPIECE INSPECTION - An image correction device for use in a pattern inspection apparatus is disclosed, which has automatic adaptability to variations in density of a pattern image of a workpiece being tested. The device is operable to identify a two-dimensional (2D) linear predictive model parameters from the pattern image of interest and determine the value of a total sum of these identified parameters. This value is then used to switch between a corrected pattern image due to the 2D linear prediction modeling and a corrected image that is interpolated by bicubic interpolation techniques. A pattern inspection method using the image correction technique is also disclosed. | 10-01-2009 |
20090304258 | Visual Inspection System - [Problems] To provide a visual inspection system able to greatly suppress the increase of the amount of processing and detect scratches or other defects of the surface of an object being inspected by a suitable resolution and able to judge the state of formation of films on that object surface. | 12-10-2009 |
20090316978 | MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR INSPECTION DEVICE - In a manufacturing method for an inspection device, a distortion measurement step has a first step of a line sensor picking up an image of a linear pattern extending substantially in parallel with a main scanning axis direction to create two-dimensional image data of the linear pattern, and calculating a distortion amount in a sub-scanning axis direction in a two-dimensional image from the created two-dimensional image data of the linear pattern; and a second step of the line sensor picking up an image of an oblique linear pattern extending in an inclined direction with respect to the main scanning axis direction to create two-dimensional image data of the oblique pattern, and calculating a distortion amount in the main scanning axis direction in the two-dimensional image from the created two-dimensional image data of the oblique pattern and the distortion amount in the sub-scanning axis direction calculated in the first step. | 12-24-2009 |
20090324054 | System and method for determing reticle defect printability - A method and software program for determining printability of a defect on a reticle or photomask onto a substrate during processing. That is performed by creating a pixel grid image having a plurality of individual pixel images showing the defect. A gray scale value is assigned to each pixel image of the pixel grid image and a probable center pixel of the defect is selected. Then the polarity of the defect is determined, with a coarse center pixel of the defect optionally selected using the probable center defect and polarity of the defect. If a coarse center pixel is selected, then a fine center of the defect can optionally be selected from the coarse center pixel and polarity of the defect. From the center pixel the physical extent of the defect can be determined followed by the determination the transmissivity energy level of the physical extent of the defect. Optionally, the proximity of the defect to a pattern edge on the reticle or photomask can be determined using the physical extent and polarity of the defect. Then the printability of the defect can be determined from the transmissivity energy level of the defect and characteristics of the wafer fabrication process being used to produce the substrate from the reticle or photomask. | 12-31-2009 |
20100002930 | APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING PATTERN DEFECTS, A METHOD THEREOF, AND A COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING RECORDED THEREIN A PROGRAM THEREOF - The present invention realizes examining defects with high accuracy by compensating a strain of an obtained image utilizing only image information of an obtained image and a reference image. An optical simulation execution means | 01-07-2010 |
20100008562 | LATENT IMAGE INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION EVALUATION METHOD, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND LATENT IMAGE INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION EVALUATION PROGRAM - A latent image intensity distribution calculating unit calculates a latent image intensity distribution in the thickness direction of a resist film based on an exposure condition and a mask pattern. An evaluated position calculating unit calculates an evaluated position in the thickness direction of the resist film based on the latent image intensity distribution calculated by the latent image intensity distribution calculating unit. A pattern evaluating unit evaluates a characteristic of a pattern formed on the resist film based on latent image intensity at the evaluated position calculated by the evaluated position calculating unit. | 01-14-2010 |
20100021042 | Photo-Mask and Wafer Image Reconstruction - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 01-28-2010 |
20100021043 | Photo-Mask and Wafer Image Reconstruction - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 01-28-2010 |
20100054577 | PHOTOMASK INSPECTION METHOD, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INSPECTION METHOD, AND PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS - A plurality of photomasks used to manufacture the same semiconductor device, each of the photomasks having a plurality of mutually replaceable unit regions set therein, are inspected to detect a defect. It is determined whether or not the detected defect has a redundancy defect positioned in a unit region replaceable with another unit region to remedy the photomask. Then, when inspecting the second or subsequent photomask, a unit region including the coordinate of a redundancy defect detected in another photomask inspected previously is set to be a non-inspection region, and the non-inspection region is not inspected. | 03-04-2010 |
20100067777 | EVALUATION PATTERN GENERATING METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND PATTERN VERIFYING METHOD - An evaluation pattern generating method including dividing a peripheral area of an evaluation target pattern into a plurality of meshes; calculating an image intensity of a circuit pattern when the evaluation target pattern is transferred onto a wafer by a lithography process in a case where a mask function value is given to a predetermined mesh; calculating a mask function value of the mesh so that a cost function of the image intensity, in which an optical image characteristic amount that affects a transfer performance of the evaluation target pattern to the wafer is set to the image intensity, satisfies a predetermined reference when evaluating a lithography performance of the evaluation target pattern; and generating an evaluation pattern corresponding to the mask function value. | 03-18-2010 |
20100074512 | PHOTOMASK INSPECTION METHOD - A photomask inspection method that identifies a foreign particle such as dirt on a photomask with high sensitivity by suppressing erroneous identification due to an influence of noise is provided. The photomask inspection method includes acquiring image data of a photomask having regions with different layer structures on a surface thereof, creating inverted image data by subtracting the image data from pixel value data of the regions, creating offset inverted image data by raising pixel values of the inverted image data by a fixed amount, creating normalized correlation image data by computing a normalized correlation of the offset inverted image data and an offset Gaussian distribution-type kernel, and identifying foreign particles by comparing the normalized correlation image data and a predetermined threshold. | 03-25-2010 |
20100074513 | MASK INSPECTION APPARATUS AND MASK INSPECTION METHOD - The present invention provides a mask inspection apparatus and method capable of eliminating distortion of each optical image, which is caused by distortions of mirrors and flexure of a mask, and performing a mask inspection with satisfactory accuracy. A stage with the mask held thereon is moved in X and Y directions and an optical image of each pattern written onto the mask is acquired while using the results of measurement by laser interferometers (Step S | 03-25-2010 |
20100080443 | Photo-Mask and Wafer Image Reconstruction - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 04-01-2010 |
20100080444 | PROCESSING APPARATUS, PROCESSING METHOD, METHOD OF RECOGNIZING TARGET OBJECT AND STORAGE MEDIUM - A CCD detector | 04-01-2010 |
20100086194 | ALIGNMENT MARK OF MASK - A lithography mask is disclosed, comprising an alignment mark, including a first bar, a second bar crossing the first bar, and a specific pattern having different signatures with the first and second bars connecting to the second bar. | 04-08-2010 |
20100086195 | Photo-Mask and Wafer Image Reconstruction - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 04-08-2010 |
20100098322 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS ON MASK - A defect to be reviewed is selected from a plurality of defects obtained from inspection results. When the selected defect is a defect of a pattern written using an iteration expression in design data on the mask, another pattern written using the iteration expression in the design data is extracted. A defect present in another pattern is extracted. A peripheral pattern portion located at the periphery of the selected defect and a peripheral pattern portion located at the periphery of the extracted defect are extracted. It is determined whether the peripheral pattern portions extracted are similar to each other. When the peripheral pattern portions are similar to each other, the selected defect and the extracted defect are grouped. It is determined whether the selected defect is an actual defect or a pseudo defect. The determination result is applied to the other grouped defect. | 04-22-2010 |
20100119143 | Photo-Mask and Wafer Image Reconstruction - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 05-13-2010 |
20100128969 | HARMONIC RESIST MODEL FOR USE IN A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND A DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A method for determining an image of a mask pattern in a resist coated on a substrate, the method including determining an aerial image of the mask pattern at substrate level; and convolving the aerial image with at least two orthogonal convolution kernels to determine a resist image that is representative of the mask pattern in the resist. | 05-27-2010 |
20100135568 | PHOTO-MASK AND WAFER IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 06-03-2010 |
20100135569 | Source Mask Optimization For Microcircuit design - A method and apparatus for generating a source illuminator profile and a mask design, subsequently optimizing the source illuminator profile and mask design based upon a set of target intensity profiles. In various implementations, the Lagrange method of optimization is employed to optimize the radiation source, wherein an optimum intensity for each pixel of the source is determined. Subsequently, a continuous tone mask is generated based upon the diffraction orders of the optimized source. With various implementations, the target intensity profile is generated by deriving a set of band limited target frequencies corresponding to the optical lithographic system. Subsequently, homotopy methods may be employed to optimize the source illuminator profile and the continuous tone mask based upon the set of band limited target frequencies. | 06-03-2010 |
20100150426 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING PATTERN - An operation part in a pattern inspection apparatus includes a defect candidate image generator for generating a binary defect candidate image representing a defect candidate area in an inspection image by comparing the inspection image with a reference image, in an inspection image masking part the inspection image is masked with the defect candidate image to obtain a masked inspection image. In a feature value calculation part, an autocorrelation feature value is obtained from the masked inspection image, and outputted to a classifying part. The classifying part comprises a classifier outputting a classification result on the basis of the autocorrelation feature value and a classifier construction part for constructing the classifier by learning. It is thereby possible to easily perform the high accurate classification of defect candidate using the autocorrelation feature value which is hard to characterize as compared with geometric feature value or feature value representing density. | 06-17-2010 |
20100166289 | FEATURE-QUANTITY EXTRACTING METHOD, DESIGNED-CIRCUIT-PATTERN VERIFYING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT - Feature-quantity extraction parameters used by feature-quantity extraction functions for calculating feature quantities used as explanatory variables of a resist model for predicting a resist image are set. The feature-quantity extraction functions, for which the feature-quantity extraction parameters are set, are caused to act on optical images of a pattern of a photomask to calculate feature quantities from the optical images. | 07-01-2010 |
20100232679 | PATTERN VERIFICATION METHOD, PATTERN VERIFICATION APPARATUS, AND PATTERN VERIFICATION PROGRAM - A pattern verification apparatus includes a correction section creating a plurality of first data pieces; a determination section performing light intensity simulation to create a plurality of plots, determine whether or not each of the plurality of simulation result plots falls within an allowable range, and recognize two or more simulation result plots which do not fall within the allowable range as a plurality of second data pieces; an extraction section extracting a reference pattern of the plurality of original design patterns corresponding to the plurality of second data pieces; and a classifying section classifying the plurality of second data pieces into categories of the reference pattern. | 09-16-2010 |
20100246932 | METHOD FOR INSPECTING AND JUDGING PHOTOMASK BLANK OR INTERMEDIATE THEREOF - A photomask blank having a film on a substrate is inspected by (A) measuring a surface topography of a photomask blank having a film to be inspected for stress, (B) removing the film from the photomask blank to provide a treated substrate, (C) measuring a surface topography of the treated substrate, and (D) comparing the surface topography of the photomask blank with the surface topography of the treated substrate, thereby evaluating a stress in the film. | 09-30-2010 |
20100254591 | VERIFICATION METHOD FOR REPAIRS ON PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY MASKS - A method for verifying repairs on masks for photolithography is provided. A mask fabricated based on a mask layout is inspected for defects, and the positions at which defects are found on the mask are stored in a position file. In a repair step, the defects are repaired and, for each repaired position, in a verification step, an aerial image of the mask is taken at that position and the aerial image is analyzed to determine whether at that position the mask meets tolerance criteria established for one or more selected target parameters, and if the tolerance criteria have been met, the repair is verified. The verification can include a) based on the position file, a desired structure is defined in the mask layout at the repaired position, b) an aerial image is simulated for the desired structure, c) the captured aerial image is compared with the simulated one, and d) based on the comparison, a decision is made as to whether the repair at that position is verified. | 10-07-2010 |
20100266194 | METHOD OF DETERMINING DEFECT SIZE OF PATTERN USED TO EVALUATE DEFECT DETECTION SENSITIVITY AND METHOD OF CREATING SENSITIVITY TABLE - A defect size determining method measures a dimension A | 10-21-2010 |
20100278416 | Method for Inspecting Overlay Shift Defect during Semiconductor Manufacturing and Apparatus Thereof - A method of inspecting for overlay shift defects during semiconductor manufacturing is disclosed. The method can include the steps of providing a charged particle microscopic image of a sample, identifying an inspection pattern period in the charged particle microscopic image, averaging the charged particle microscopic image by using the inspection pattern period to form an averaged inspection pattern period, estimating an average width from the averaged inspection pattern period, and comparing the average width with a predefined threshold value to determine the presence of an overlay shift defect. | 11-04-2010 |
20100322505 | REAL-TIME S-PARAMETER IMAGER - Disclosed is a fully automated system capable of producing high quality real-time S-parameter images. It is a useful and versatile tool in Material Science and Solid State Technology for determining the location of subsurface defect types and concentrations on bulk-materials as well as thin-films. The system is also useful in locating top surface metallizations and structures in solid state devices. This imaging system operates by scanning the sample surface with either a small positron source ( | 12-23-2010 |
20110044528 | INSPECTION SYSTEM - The entire surface of a photomask | 02-24-2011 |
20110044529 | INSPECTION SYSTEM AND INSPECTION METHOD - A control computer | 02-24-2011 |
20110058729 | PATTERN CHARACTERISTIC-DETECTION APPARATUS FOR PHOTOMASK AND PATTERN CHARACTERISTIC-DETECTION METHOD FOR PHOTOMASK - According to one embodiment, a pattern characteristic detection apparatus for a photomask includes a detection-data creating portion, a reference-data creating portion, an extracting portion, a first area-setting portion, a detecting portion and an collecting portion. The detection-data creating portion is configured to create detection data on the basis of an optical image of a pattern formed on a photomask. The reference-data creating portion is configured to create reference data of the pattern. The extracting portion is configured to extract a pattern for pattern characteristic detection and positional information of the extracted pattern. The first area-setting portion is configured to set an area where pattern characteristics are to be detected, and configured to extract a target pattern. The detecting portion is configured to detect pattern characteristics of the target pattern within the area. In addition, the collecting portion is configured to collect the detected pattern characteristics. | 03-10-2011 |
20110081069 | Optical Simulation Site Determination - The length of an optical simulation site for an edge fragment may be determined based on the maximum and minimum intensity locations near the edge fragment. The width/space centerline's location may be used to approximate the minimum/maximum intensity location. The methods help reduce the optical proximity correction runtime without sacrificing the optical proximity correction output quality. | 04-07-2011 |
20110085723 | Mask Program Defect Test - A method and programmed defect test database for designing and building programmed defect test masks. The method uses a defect free mask that is compared to a ‘defective’ database. A variety of defect types and sizes is programmed into the database and used to inspect the defect-free mask. All defects programmed into the database are not affected by performing the method, regardless of size, so the resolution capability of an inspection tool can be determined. | 04-14-2011 |
20110096979 | METHOD OF CORRECTING PATTERNS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A method of correcting patterns includes attaining a correcting amount distribution map using a photo mask, the photo mask including a transparent substrate having first and second surfaces opposite to each other and a mask pattern on the first surface, attaining a plurality of shadowing maps based on the correction amount distribution map, each of the shadowing maps including a unit section having a different plane area, and forming a plurality of shadowing regions with shadowing elements in the transparent substrate of the photo mask using respective shadowing maps. | 04-28-2011 |
20110110578 | Evaluation of Image Processing Algorithms - One exemplary aspect of this invention pertains to a method to evaluate an image processing algorithm. The method includes varying a parameter of a model of an imaging system and, for each variation of the parameter, calculating with a data processor a corresponding image of a sample; applying an image processing algorithm to the calculated corresponding images of the sample; and determining an ability of the image processing algorithm to detect the variation in the parameter. | 05-12-2011 |
20110142325 | METHOD OF INSPECTING A MASK - In a method of inspecting a mask, an image of a pattern on the mask may be obtained. A histogram of the image by grey levels may be obtained. The histogram may be compared with information of the pattern to detect a defect of the mask. Thus, reliability of defect detection in the mask may be remarkably improved. | 06-16-2011 |
20110188732 | METHOD FOR ANALYZING MASKS FOR PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY - The invention relates to a method for analyzing masks for photolithography. In this method, an aerial image of the mask for a first focus setting is generated and stored in an aerial image data record. The aerial image data record is transferred to an algorithm that simulates a photolithographic wafer exposure on the basis of this data record. In this case, the simulation is carried out for a plurality of mutually different energy doses. Then, at a predetermined height from the wafer surface, contours which separate regions with photoresist from those regions without photoresist are in each case determined. The result, that is to say the contours, are stored for each of the energy doses in each case in a contour data record with the energy dose as a parameter. Finally, the contour data records are combined to form a three-dimensional multicontour data record with the reciprocal of the energy dose as a third dimension, and, on the basis of the transitions from zero to values different than zero in the contours, a three-dimensional profile of the reciprocal of the energy dose depending on the position on the mask is generated. This profile, the so-called effective aerial image, is output or stored or automatically evaluated. The same can also occur with sections through said profile. | 08-04-2011 |
20110194751 | PATTERN VERIFICATION METHOD, PATTERN GENERATING METHOD, DEVICE FABRICATION METHOD, PATTERN VERIFICATION PROGRAM, AND PATTERN VERIFICATION SYSTEM - A pattern verification method and the like for forming a desired pattern by using the imprint method are provided. A pattern verification method for a pattern forming method in which a template pattern of a template is transferred to a resist on a substrate to thus form a resist pattern, and the substrate is processed by using the resist pattern as a mask to thus form a processed pattern, the pattern verification method comprises: extracting any one of a design pattern of the processed pattern, a target pattern of the resist pattern, and a target pattern of the template pattern, as a verification pattern; and verifying whether the verification pattern is a critical pattern or not by comparing a feature value of the verification pattern with a feature value of a critical pattern. | 08-11-2011 |
20110200247 | METHOD FOR IMAGING WORKPIECE SURFACES AT HIGH ROBOT TRANSFER SPEEDS WITH CORRECTION OF MOTION-INDUCED DISTORTION - A method is provided for imaging a workpiece by capturing successive frames of an elongate stationary field of view transverse to a workpiece transit path of a robot, while the workpiece is transported by the robot. The robot transit path is illuminated with an elongate illumination pattern transverse to the transit path to obtain a workpiece image of successive frames. Motion-induced image distortion is corrected by computing respective correct locations of respective ones of the frames along the transit path. | 08-18-2011 |
20110206270 | STORAGE MEDIUM STORING COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR DETERMINING AT LEAST ONE OF EXPOSURE CONDITION AND MASK PATTERN - A computer readable storage medium is provided, storing a computer-executable program for causing a computer to determine at least one of mask pattern and exposure condition of an exposure apparatus having an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask with light from a light source and a projection optical system for projecting the mask pattern onto a substrate. The program causes the computer to perform calculation of an image of a pattern on an object plane of the projection optical system using information about lateral shift of an image caused by the exposure apparatus, and determination of at least one of the exposure condition and the mask pattern based on a calculation result. | 08-25-2011 |
20110206271 | Pattern measurement apparatus and pattern measurement method - A pattern measurement apparatus includes: an irradiation unit for irradiating a sample with an electron beam; an electron detection unit for detecting the amount of electrons generated from the sample on which a pattern is formed; an image processor for generating an SEM image of the pattern based on the amount of electrons; and a controller for acquiring a rectangular measurement specification region of the SEM image and calculating a loss ratio of a corner portion of the pattern from areas of the measurement specification region and the corner portion of the pattern. The controller detects edge positions in a predetermined range including a position where a corner of the measurement specification region intersects with a side of the SEM image, and adjusts the measurement specification region in accordance with the edge positions. | 08-25-2011 |
20110211748 | Full-Field Mask Error Enhancement Function - A technique for determining a full-field Mask Error Enhancement Function (MEEF) associated with a mask pattern for use in a photo-lithographic process is described. In this technique, simulated wafer patterns corresponding to the mask pattern are generated at an image plane in an optical path associated with the photo-lithographic process. Then, the full-field MEEF is determined. This full-field MEEF includes MEEF values in multiple directions at positions along one or more contours that define boundaries of one or more features in the one or more simulated wafer patterns. Moreover, at least one of the MEEF values is at a position on a contour where a critical dimension for a feature associated with the contour is undefined. | 09-01-2011 |
20110229009 | PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS AND PATTERN INSPECTION METHOD - A pattern inspection apparatus includes: an optical image acquiring unit configured to acquire optical image data of a target object on which each of a plurality of identical patterns is respectively formed at a respective corresponding position of a plurality of forming positions with distortion; a cut-out unit configured to cut out a plurality of partial optical image data from the optical image data; a correction unit configured to correct positions of the plurality of partial optical image data by using distortion information from which each amount of distortion of the plurality of identical patterns respectively formed at the respective corresponding position of the plurality of forming positions on the target object can be acquired; and a comparison unit configured to compare a plurality of corrected partial optical image data against each other on a pixel to pixel basis. | 09-22-2011 |
20110229010 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE RELATIVE LOCAL POSITION ERROR OF ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF AN OBJECT THAT IS EXPOSED SECTION BY SECTION - A method for measuring the relative local position error of one of the sections of an object that is exposed section by section, in particular of a lithography mask or of a wafer, is provided, each exposed section having a plurality of measurement marks, wherein a) a region of the object which is larger than the one section is imaged in magnified fashion and is detected as an image, b) position errors of the measurement marks contained in the detected image are determined on the basis of the detected image, c) corrected position errors are derived by position error components which are caused by the magnified imaging and detection being extracted from the determined position errors of the measurement marks, d) the relative local position error of the one section is derived on the basis of the corrected position errors of the measurement marks. | 09-22-2011 |
20110235895 | PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - A pattern inspection apparatus is used for inspecting a fine pattern, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI), a liquid crystal panel, and a photomask (reticle) for the semiconductor or the liquid crystal panel, which are fabricated based on data for fabricating the fine pattern such as design data. The pattern inspection apparatus includes a reference pattern generation device configured to generate a reference pattern represented by one or more lines, comprising one of a line segment and a curve, from the data, an image generation device configured to generate the image of the pattern to-be-inspected, a detecting device configured to detect an edge of the image of the pattern to-be-inspected, and an inspection device configured to inspect the pattern to-be-inspected by comparing the edge of the image of the pattern to-be-inspected with the one or more lines of the reference pattern. | 09-29-2011 |
20110243424 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING MASK PROCESS IMPACT ON LITHOGRAPHY PERFORMANCE - The present disclosure is directed generally to a method and apparatus for monitoring mask process impact on lithography performance. A method including receiving a physical wafer pattern according to a mask, extracting a mask contour from the mask, and extracting a deconvolution pattern based on the mask contour. A lithography process is simulated to create a virtual wafer pattern based on the deconvolution pattern. The virtual wafer pattern is then compared to the physical wafer pattern. | 10-06-2011 |
20110249885 | Mask inspection apparatus and image generation method - A mask inspection system includes irradiation means for irradiating a sample with an electron beam, electron detection means for detecting a quantity of electrons generated from the sample, image processing means, storage means, and control means for calculating the number of divided images, which foam an entire combined image, on the basis of a size of a specified observed area of the sample, determining divided areas in such a way that divided images adjacent to each other overlap with each other, acquiring the divided images of the respective divided areas, and storing the divided images in the storage means, the divided images forming an entire combined image. The control means extracts two divided images adjacent to each other in a predetermined sequence starting from a specified one of the divided images. For each of the two divided images adjacent to each other, the control means then detects an image of a same pattern formation area included in an overlap area, and determines the detected image to be a combination reference image. The control means then combines the two divided images adjacent to each other on the basis of the combination reference image to thereby form an entire SEM image of the observed area. | 10-13-2011 |
20110255770 | INSPECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING LINE WIDTH AND/OR POSITIONAL ERRORS OF A PATTERN - A method and system for imaging an object to be inspected and obtaining an optical image; creating a reference image from design pattern data; preparing an inspection recipe including one or more templates and parameter settings necessary for the inspection; checking the pattern and the template against each other, and selecting the reference image which corresponds to the template; detecting first and second edges in the selected reference image in accordance with the parameter setting using determined coordinates as a reference; detecting first and second edges in the optical image, this optical image corresponds to the selected reference image; and determining an inspection value by acquiring the difference between the line width of the optical image and the reference image using the first edge and second edge of the reference image and the first edge and second edges of the optical image. | 10-20-2011 |
20110286656 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UTILIZING DESIGN DATA IN COMBINATION WITH INSPECTION DATA - Various methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data are provided. One computer-implemented method for binning defects detected on a wafer includes comparing portions of design data proximate positions of the defects in design data space. The method also includes determining if the design data in the portions is at least similar based on results of the comparing step. In addition, the method includes binning the defects in groups such that the portions of the design data proximate the positions of the defects in each of the groups are at least to similar. The method further includes storing results of the binning step in a storage medium. | 11-24-2011 |
20110299758 | Wafer Plane Detection of Lithographically Significant Contamination Photomask Defects - Provided are novel methods and systems for inspecting photomasks to identify lithographically significant contamination defects. Inspection may be performed without a separate reference image provided from a database or another die. Inspection techniques described herein involve capturing one or more test images of a photomask and constructing corresponding test “simulation” images using specific lithographic and/or resist models. These test simulation images simulate printable and/or resist patterns of the inspected photomask. Furthermore, the initial test images are used in parallel operations to generate “synthetic” images. These images represent a defect-free photomask pattern. The synthetic images are then used for generating reference simulation images, which are similar to the test simulation images but are free from lithographically significant contamination defects. Finally, the reference simulation images are compared to the test simulation images to identify the lithographically significant contamination defects on the photomask. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299759 | RETICLE DEFECT INSPECTION WITH MODEL-BASED THIN LINE APPROACHES - Provided are novel inspection methods and systems for inspecting photomasks to identify various defects using a model-based approach and information obtained from modeled images. Modeled or simulation images are generated directly from test or reference images. Some examples include aerial images that represent expected patterns projected by a lithography system on a substrate as well as photoresist images that represent expected resist patterns. Test images are first represented as a band limited mask pattern, which may include only linear terms for faster image processing. This pattern is then used to construct a modeled image, which in turn is used to construct a model-based feature map. This map serves as a base for inspecting the original test images to identify photomask defects and may include information that allows differentiating between various feature types based on their lithographic significance and other characteristics. | 12-08-2011 |
20120027284 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WAFER INSPECTION - A method for inspecting semiconductor wafers patterned by a photomask includes loading a first wafer and scanning a first image of the first wafer, loading a second wafer and scanning a second image of the second wafer, comparing the first and second images, and classifying a difference detected between the first and second images as a potential defect on the photomask. The potential defect includes a haze defect on the photomask. | 02-02-2012 |
20120039522 | MASK INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - Apparatus for optical inspection of an object, comprising: an optical imaging system ( | 02-16-2012 |
20120039523 | Method for matching high-numerical aperture scanners - A method for matching characterizing features of an optical scanner against target characterizing features is provided. The characterizing features are produced from characterizing data (also referred to as a signature characteristic) produced from a scan of a mask by the scanner against target scanner signature characteristics produced from a scan of the mask by another optical scanner that produces the target scanner signature characteristic. | 02-16-2012 |
20120063666 | Method For Determining The Registration Of A Structure On A Photomask And Apparatus To Perform The Method - A method for determining a registration error of a feature on a mask, including providing a first aerial image that was captured by means of a position measuring device and includes at least the feature, simulating, from pattern specifications of the mask, a second aerial image that includes at least the feature, taking into account at least one effect that causes distortion of the first aerial image, and determining the registration error of the feature as the distance of the position of the feature in the first aerial image from the position of the feature in the second aerial image. Also provided is a method for simulating an aerial image from pattern specifications of a mask and a position measuring device for carrying out the method. | 03-15-2012 |
20120063667 | MASK DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, in a method for inspecting a defect of an exposure mask, using an optical system which acquires a dark-field image, an arbitrary partial region where a uniform dark-field image is obtained on the mask is allocated at a defocus position to acquire an image. A detection threshold is decided using signal intensities of the acquired image and an area ratio between a desired inspection region and the partial region, so that a signal count indicating signal intensities greater than the detection threshold in the inspection region is less than a target false detection count. The mask is allocated in a just-in-focus position to acquire an image of the inspection region. A signal having a signal intensity of the acquired image, which indicates an intensity greater than the detection threshold, is determined as a defect. | 03-15-2012 |
20120070064 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING MASK OPERATION ACTIVITIES - A method and system arrangement for controlling and determining mask operation activities. Upon obtaining chip physical layout design data and running resolution enhancement technology on the chip physical layout design to generate mask features which may include any sub-resolution assist features, a placement sensitivity metric is determined for each of the generated mask features or edge fragments. In one alternative embodiment an edge placement sensitivity metric is determined for each edge of the generated mask features or edge fragments. The determined sensitivity metrics for each feature are classified and applied to subsequent mask operational activities such as post processing, write exposure and mask repair. The types of decisions based on the sensitivity metric may include minimizing or maximizing OPC processing; e-beam exposure adjustment in mask write; and selection of which mask features to repair as well as what repair criteria to then apply, and adjusting quality requirement criteria for manufacturing assessment. | 03-22-2012 |
20120114220 | INSPECTION METHOD - A Method for inspecting flat objects , especially wafers, with an object surface, comprises the steps of: scanning a digital image with a plurality of image points of said object surface with color- or grey values for each of said image points; detecting defects on said object surface by comparing said scanned digital image to a digital reference image; defining and selecting corresponding portions in said scanned digital image and in the digital reference image; determining a representative color- or grey value for each of said selected portions; calculating a compare value from said representative color- or grey value of said scanned digital image of a portion and a representative color- or grey value of said digital reference image of the same portion; and correcting each image point of said scanned digital image with a correction value determined from said compare value of step (e). | 05-10-2012 |
20120128228 | Method for Matching of Patterns - A method for matching of two detailed patterns is disclosed in which abstracts of each of the detailed patterns are created, where the abstracts are less complex than the detailed patterns. The abstracts are then compared to determine if the detailed patterns may possibly match, where comparison of the abstracts is faster than comparison of the detailed patterns. If comparison of the abstracts indicates a possible match, then the detailed patterns are compared, otherwise no detailed pattern comparison is needed. | 05-24-2012 |
20120163699 | MASK DETERMINATION METHOD, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - According to one embodiment, a mask determination method includes at least one of the in-plane error average value and the distribution of in-plane dispersions in a mask plane are measured with respect to at least one of the dimension and the optical characteristics of a mask pattern formed on a mask. Then, an illumination condition, under which a cost function representing an image performance formed on a substrate approaches a desired value when the exposure light is irradiated onto the mask and an on-substrate pattern is formed, is calculated based on at least one of the measured values. Further, whether the mask is acceptable or defective is determined based on the image performance when the on-substrate pattern is formed under the illumination condition. | 06-28-2012 |
20120189187 | PHOTO-MASK AND WAFER IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION - A system receives a mask pattern and a first image of at least a portion of a photo-mask corresponding to the mask pattern. The system determines a second image of at least the portion of the photo-mask based on the first image and the mask pattern. This second image is characterized by additional spatial frequencies than the first image. | 07-26-2012 |
20120201447 | Methods And Apparatuses For Correcting A Mask Layout - Methods of correcting a mask layout are provided. The methods may include acquiring two-dimensional (2D) geometry information of a mask pattern. The methods may further include acquiring an After Development Inspection (ADI) image parameter of the mask pattern. The methods may additionally include calculating an etch skew using the 2D geometry information and the ADI image parameter. | 08-09-2012 |
20120207381 | Systems and Methods Eliminating False Defect Detections - A method for inspecting a manufactured product includes applying a first test regimen to the manufactured product to identify product defects. The first test regimen produces a first set of defect candidates. The method further includes applying a second test regimen to the manufactured product to identify product defects. The second test regimen produces a second set of defect candidates, and the second test regimen is different from the first test regimen. The method also includes generating a first filtered defect set by eliminating ones of the first set of defect candidates that are not indentified in the second set of defect candidates. | 08-16-2012 |
20120243772 | METHOD FOR EXTRACTING CONTOUR OF PATTERN ON PHOTO MASK, CONTOUR EXTRACTION APPARATUS, METHOD FOR GUARANTEEING PHOTO MASK, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - According to one embodiment, a method includes acquiring information about a two-dimensional distribution of secondary electron intensity for a measurement target pattern, extracting, by a first method, an edge position of an edge for correction value acquisition, extracting, by a second method, an edge position of the edge for correction value acquisition, acquiring a difference between the edge positions extracted by the first and second methods, as a correction value, extracting, by the second method, an edge position of a desired edge based on the information about the two-dimensional distribution, and correcting the edge position of the desired edge based on the correction value. | 09-27-2012 |
20120257813 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING PROGRAM FOR EXECUTING THE SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD RECORDED THEREIN - Provided is a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a peripheral exposing unit that performs a peripheral exposing process by irradiating light to a peripheral portion of a substrate while rotating the substrate held by a substrate holding unit using a rotation driving unit; a substrate inspecting unit that performs a substrate inspecting process based on a picked up image of the substrate while moving the substrate using a movement driving unit; and a control unit. The control unit controls the predetermined substrate processing to be stopped when the peripheral exposing process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the peripheral exposing unit, and controls the substrate inspecting process to be skipped when no error occurs in both of the peripheral exposing unit and a transport unit, the substrate inspecting process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the substrate inspecting unit. | 10-11-2012 |
20120269421 | System and Method for Lithography Simulation - In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a technique of, and system for simulating, verifying, inspecting, characterizing, determining and/or evaluating the lithographic designs, techniques and/or systems, and/or individual functions performed thereby or components used therein. In one embodiment, the present invention is a system and method that accelerates lithography simulation, inspection, characterization and/or evaluation of the optical characteristics and/or properties, as well as the effects and/or interactions of lithographic systems and processing techniques. | 10-25-2012 |
20130004056 | Determining Calibration Parameters For a Lithographic Process - A technique for determining a set of calibration parameters for use in a model of a photo-lithographic process is described. In this calibration technique, images of a test pattern that was produced using the photo-lithographic process are used to determine corresponding sets of calibration parameters. These images are associated with at least three different focal planes in an optical system, such as a photo-lithographic system that implements the photo-lithographic process. Moreover, an interpolation function is determined using the sets of calibration parameters. This interpolation function can be used to determine calibration parameters at an arbitrary focal plane in the photo-lithographic system for use in simulations of the photolithographic process, where the set of calibration parameters are used in a set of transmission cross coefficients in the model of the photo-lithographic process. | 01-03-2013 |
20130028505 | ANALYSES OF MEASUREMENT DATA - A method includes generating, using a data processor, information showing variations of a parameter across a photo mask relative to an average value of the parameter measured at various locations on the photo mask. For example, the information can include data points, and each data point can be determined based on a ratio between a measurement value and an average of a plurality of measurement values. | 01-31-2013 |
20130058558 | DEFECT INSPECTION SYSTEM - A defect inspection system is disclosed for easily setting inspection conditions and providing an inspection condition and a defect signal intensity to an operator. The defect inspection system digitizes a defective image, and a reference image corresponding thereto and a mismatched portion of the defective image and the reference image as a defect signal intensity and accumulates them in association with the inspection condition. The inspection conditions are changed to repeat evaluations while repeating accumulating works until the evaluation of all the inspection conditions in a set range is completed. A recipe file including the accumulated conditions having the high defect signal intensity and an inspection condition item distribution as a inspection condition recipe is automatically outputted and provided to the operator. | 03-07-2013 |
20130108146 | Method and System for Optical Inspection Using Known Acceptable Dies | 05-02-2013 |
20130129188 | ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR DEFECT DETECTION - An electronic device configured for defect detection is described. The electronic device includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The electronic device performs background suppression on the image data based on a transform of the image data to obtain a score map. The electronic device also applies thresholding to the score map to generate a detection mask. The thresholding comprises bi-thresholding. The electronic device additionally detects any defects based on the detection mask. The electronic device further indicates any defects. | 05-23-2013 |
20130148876 | IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus and a computer program such that correspondence points between design data and an edge line or between edge lines can be accurately identified for their matching. In an embodiment for achieving the purpose, when positioning between a first pattern formed by a first line segment and a second pattern formed by a second line segment is performed, a first correspondence point and a second correspondence point are set on the first line segment and the second line segment, respectively; a degree of alignment for performing the positioning of the first pattern and the second pattern is calculated on the basis of the distance between the first correspondence point and the second correspondence point; and the position of the first correspondence point and/or the second correspondence point is changed in accordance with a shape difference between the first line segment and the second line segment (see FIG. | 06-13-2013 |
20130163850 | MASK PATTERN AND CORRECTING METHOD THEREOF - A mask pattern and a correcting method thereof are provided. The correcting method includes the following steps. An original pattern having a first original contour and a second original contour is provided. The first original contour has a first original corner. The second original contour has a second original corner, which is near the first original corner. The first and second original corners are cut to form a cut pattern. An optical proximity correction (OPC) process is applied to the cut pattern to form the mask pattern. | 06-27-2013 |
20130182938 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD FOR WAFER AND WAFER DEFECT INSPECTION SYSTEM USING THE SAME - A defect inspection method for a wafer is provided. The wafer comprises a component pattern. The method comprises the following steps: providing a defect inspection apparatus for inspecting the defects on the wafer to obtain a defect distribution map; providing a photo mask, wherein the photo mask comprises a exposure pattern corresponding to the component pattern; and comparing the defect distribution map with the exposure pattern and dividing the defects in the defect distribution map into a first killer defect group and a first non-killer defect group according to their corresponding locations in the exposure pattern. In addition, a wafer defect inspection system applying the same method is also provided. | 07-18-2013 |
20130182939 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING CRITICAL DIMENSION AND MONITORING FABRICATION UNIFORMITY - A method for measuring critical dimension (CD) includes steps of: scanning at least one area of interest of a die to obtain at least one scanned image; aligning the scanned image to at least one designed layout pattern to identify a plurality of borders within the scanned image; and averaging distances each measured from the border or the plurality of borders of a pattern associated with a specific type of CD corresponding to the designed layout pattern to obtain a value of CD of the die. The value of critical dimensions of dies can be obtained from the scanned image with lower resolution which is obtained by relatively higher scanning speed, so the above-mentioned method can obtain value of CD for every die within entire wafer to monitor the uniformity of the semiconductor manufacturing process within an acceptable inspection time. | 07-18-2013 |
20130182940 | Method and Apparatus for Performing Model-Based OPC for Pattern Decomposed Features - A method for decomposing a target circuit pattern containing features to be imaged into multiple patterns. The process includes the steps of separating the features to be printed into a first pattern and a second pattern; performing a first optical proximity correction process on the first pattern and the second pattern; determining an imaging performance of the first pattern and the second pattern; determining a first error between the first pattern and the imaging performance of the first pattern, and a second error between the second pattern and the imaging performance of said second pattern; utilizing the first error to adjust the first pattern to generate a modified first pattern; utilizing the second error to adjust the second pattern to generate a modified second pattern; and applying a second optical proximity correction process to the modified first pattern and the modified second pattern. | 07-18-2013 |
20130216120 | INSPECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - An inspection region of a mask is virtually divided by stripes, and a pattern on a position error correcting unit is also virtually divided by stripes. Then, a stage is moved such that all the stripes of both the mask and the position error correcting unit are continuously scanned, so that optical images of these stripes are acquired. Fluctuation values of position coordinates of the patterns formed on the position error correcting unit are acquired from the optical images of the position error correcting unit. Based upon the fluctuation values, fluctuation values of the position coordinates of the respective patterns in the inspection region of the mask are obtained so that the position coordinates are corrected. Thereafter, a map is generated from the fluctuation values of the position coordinates of the respective patterns in the inspection region of the mask. | 08-22-2013 |
20130236083 | DETECTION OF THIN LINES FOR SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY DURING RETICLE INSPECTION USING PROCESSED IMAGES - A detection method for a spot image based thin line detection is disclosed. The method includes a step for generating a band limited spot image from a transmitted and reflected optical image of the mask. The spot image is calibrated to minimize a plurality of optical aberrations from the spot image. The spot image is restored back to a mask image to allow at least one of: a more reliable segmentation between thin line and non-thin line areas on the mask image or a more accurate line width measurement for facilitating segmentation. Thin line features and non-thin lines features are distinguished on the restored mask image. Areas containing thin line features are grown while preventing the thin line growth from encroaching the non-thin line features. | 09-12-2013 |
20130236084 | RETICLE DEFECT INSPECTION WITH SYSTEMATIC DEFECT FILTER - A stream of defect data is received from a reticle inspection system. The defect data identifies defects that were detected for a plurality of different portions of a reticle. Before reviewing the defect data to determine whether the reticle passes inspection and as the stream of defect data continues to be received, some of the defects are automatically grouped with other most recently one or more received defects on as form groups of substantially matching defects. Before reviewing the defect data to determine whether the reticle passes inspection and after all of the defect data for the reticle is received, one or more of the groups of defects that have a number above a predetermined threshold are automatically filtered from the defect data on as to form filtered defect data. The filtered defect data may then be provided to a review station for determining whether the reticle passes. | 09-12-2013 |
20130251237 | HARMONIC RESIST MODEL FOR USE IN A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND A DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A method for determining an image of a mask pattern in a resist coated on a substrate, the method including determining an aerial image of the mask pattern at substrate level; and convolving the aerial image with at least two orthogonal convolution kernels to determine a resist image that is representative of the mask pattern in the resist. | 09-26-2013 |
20130279790 | DEFECT CLASSIFICATION USING CAD-BASED CONTEXT ATTRIBUTES - A method for classification includes receiving an image of an area of a semiconductor wafer on which a pattern has been formed, the area containing an image location of interest, and receiving computer-aided design (CAD) data relating to the pattern comprising a CAD location of interest corresponding to the image location of interest. At least one value for one or more attributes of the image location of interest is computed based on a context of the CAD location of interest with respect to the CAD data. | 10-24-2013 |
20130287287 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEFECT IDENTIFICATION - A method of identifying defects including producing, with an imaging system, an original image of a fabricated article having a feature thereon, the feature having an intended height and extracting a contour image from the original image, the contour image having an outline of those portions of the feature having a height approximate to the intended height. The method also includes producing a simulated image of the article based upon the contour and creating a defect image based on the differences between the simulated image and the original image, the defect image including any portions of the feature having a height less than the intended height. | 10-31-2013 |
20130322735 | DEFECT INSPECTION DEVICE, DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD, AND DEFECT INSPECTION PROGRAM - A defect inspection device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a light source, a detector that receives light from an illuminated region of a sample, a stage that changes a relative position between light from the light source and the sample in order to sequentially inspect a plurality of unit inspection regions, a comparator that compares a detection signal output from the detector with a threshold according to scanning in the stage, a mask position setting unit that sets a common position of the plurality of unit inspection regions as a mask position in order to mask the common position when the plurality of unit inspection regions are sequentially inspected, and a defect detection unit that detects a defect based on a comparison result in the comparison unit in another region than the mask position. | 12-05-2013 |
20130336571 | MASK PATTERN ANALYSIS APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING MASK PATTERN - A pattern analysis method includes the steps of: grouping a plurality of polygons in a circuit layout into a plurality of polygon groups; locating a potential defect area of each polygon group according to an aerial image of the circuit layout; determining a representing point of the potential defect area of each polygon group; determining representing points of the plurality of polygons in each polygon group; and comparing a distribution pattern of the representing points of the plurality of polygons relative to the representing point of the potential defect area in one of the polygon groups with a distribution pattern of the representing points of the plurality of polygons relative to the representing point of the potential defect area in another of the polygon groups. The steps aforesaid are executed by a processor in a computer system. | 12-19-2013 |
20130336572 | Focus Monitoring Method Using Asymmetry Embedded Imaging Target - A method for monitoring mask focus includes measuring profile asymmetries in a target feature including sub-resolution assist features and deriving a focus response based on a known correlation between the profile and focus of a corresponding mask. A computer system in a lithographic process may adjust mask focus based on such derived information to conform to a desired fabrication process. | 12-19-2013 |
20140079311 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CLASSIFICATION - A computerized system for classification of pixels in an inspection image into noise-indicative populations, the system including: an interface operable to obtain an inspection image and to provide information of the inspection image to a processor connected thereto which includes: a noise estimation module and a classification module configured to and provide a classification of the plurality of pixels of the inspection image into noise-indicative population types. | 03-20-2014 |
20140086475 | Model-Based Registration and Critical Dimension Metrology - A method and system for performing model-based registration and critical dimension measurement is disclosed. The method includes: utilizing an imaging device to obtain at least one optical image of a measurement site specified for a photomask; retrieving a design of photomask and utilizing a computer model of the imaging device to generate at least one simulated image of the measurement site; adjusting at least one parameter of the computer model to minimize dissimilarities between the simulated images and the optical images, wherein the parameters includes at least a pattern registration parameter or a critical dimension parameter; and reporting the pattern registration parameter or the critical dimension parameter of the computer model when dissimilarities between the simulated images and the optical images are minimized. | 03-27-2014 |
20140198972 | HARMONIC RESIST MODEL FOR USE IN A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND A DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A method for determining an image of a mask pattern in a resist coated on a substrate, the method including determining an aerial image of the mask pattern at substrate level; and convolving the aerial image with at least two orthogonal convolution kernels to determine a resist image that is representative of the mask pattern in the resist. | 07-17-2014 |
20140205179 | RETICLE DEFECT INSPECTION WITH SYSTEMATIC DEFECT FILTER - Disclosed are methods and apparatus for inspecting a photolithographic reticle. A stream of defect data is received from a reticle inspection system, wherein the defect data identifies a plurality of defects that were detected for a plurality of different portions of the reticle. Before reviewing the defect data to determine whether the reticle passes inspection and as the stream of defect data continues to be received, some of the defects are automatically grouped with other most recently one or more received defects so as form groups of substantially matching defects. Before reviewing the defect data to determine whether the reticle passes inspection and after all of the defect data for the reticle is received, one or more of the groups of defects that have a number above a predetermined threshold are automatically filtered from the defect data so as to form filtered defect data. The filtered defect data may then be provided to a review station for determining whether the reticle passes. | 07-24-2014 |
20140247975 | SOURCE AND MASK OPTIMIZATION BY CHANGING INTENSITY AND SHAPE OF THE ILLUMINATION SOURCE AND MAGNITUDE AND PHASE OF MASK DIFFRACTION ORDERS - An illumination source is optimized by changing the intensity and shape of the illumination source to form an image in the image plane that maximizes the minimum ILS at user selected fragmentation points while forcing the intensity at the fragmentation points to be within a small intensity range. An optimum mask may be determined by changing the magnitude and phase of the diffraction orders to form an image in the image plane that maximizes the minimum ILS at user selected fragmentation points while forcing the intensity at the fragmentation points to be within a small intensity range. Primitive rectangles having a size set to a minimum feature size of a mask maker are assigned to the located minimum and maximum transmission areas ad centered at a desired location. The edges of the primitive rectangle are varied to match optimal diffraction orders O(m,n). The optimal CPL mask O | 09-04-2014 |
20140254913 | MULTISTAGE EXTREME ULTRA-VIOLET MASK QUALIFICATION - A technique for inspecting, qualifying and repairing photo-masks for use at extreme ultra-violet (EUV) wavelengths is described. In this technique, multiple images of a substrate and/or a blank that includes multiple layers deposited on the substrate are measured and compared to identify first potential defects. Using information associated with the first potential defects, such as locations of the first potential defects, another image of the EUV photo-mask that includes a mask pattern defined in an absorption layer, which is deposited on top of the multiple layers, is measured. Based on the other image and the first potential defects, second potential defects in the EUV photo-mask are identified. Next, a qualification condition of the EUV photo-mask is determined based on the first potential defects and the second potential defects. | 09-11-2014 |
20140254914 | METHOD FOR TESTING ORGANIC PATTERN - A method for testing an organic pattern including: forming an organic pattern on a test substrate through a mask; acquiring a test image by photographing a predetermined test area of the test substrate; and checking whether an edge of the organic pattern displayed to the test image goes over an edge of a virtual test figure. | 09-11-2014 |
20140254915 | METHOD FOR ANALYZING A PHOTOMASK - A method for analyzing a photomask comprises the determination of a Bossung plot. | 09-11-2014 |
20140270468 | DETECTION OF WEAK POINTS OF A MASK - An inspection system, and a computer program product that stores instructions for: obtaining an aerial image of an area of the mask; wherein the aerial image represents an expected image to be formed on a photoresist of an object during a lithography process that involves illuminating the area of the mask, by a lithography tool; wherein the photoresist has a printability threshold; wherein the lithography process exhibits a process window that introduces allowable changes at pixels of the expected image that do not exceed an intensity threshold; and searching for at least one weak point at the area of the mask, each weak point is a local extremum point of the aerial image that is spaced apart from the printability threshold by a distance that does not exceed the intensity threshold or is a crossing point of the printability threshold and being of a slope that is below a predefined threshold. | 09-18-2014 |
20140294283 | INSPECTION METHOD AND INSPECTION APPARATUS - An inspection method and apparatus comprising, acquiring a plurality of optical images of a sample in which a plurality of dies having repetitive pattern are provided, comparing the optical images to each other by a die-to-die method and detecting a defect, obtaining at least one of a dimension difference and a dimension ratio between the repetitive pattern of the optical image to be inspected and the repetitive pattern of the optical image to be reference in the die-to-die method, extracting a die of the optical image having the dimension difference or dimension ratio closest to that at a defect position of a die of the optical image in which the defect is detected, compared, and stored, and determining that the defect does not exist in the optical image when the defect is not detected from the optical image in which the defect is originally detected. | 10-02-2014 |
20140307943 | INSPECTING HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY MASKS - Optical inspection methods and apparatus for high-resolution photomasks using only a test image. A filter is applied to an image signal received from radiation that is transmitted by or reflected from a photomask having a test image. The filter may be implemented using programmed control to adjust and control filter conditions, illumination conditions, and magnification conditions. | 10-16-2014 |
20140348414 | INSPECTION SENSITIVITY EVALUATION METHOD - An inspection sensitivity evaluation method includes generating a reference design image where plural figure patterns are arranged, based on reference design data, generating plural position shift design images whose positional deviation amounts are mutually different such that positions of the plural figure patterns in the reference design image are uniformly shifted, acquiring an optical image of a photo mask fabricated based on the reference design data where there is no positional deviation from the plural figure patterns, calculating a first positional deviation amount between the reference design image and the optical image, calculating plural second positional deviation amounts each of which is a respective positional deviation amount between a corresponding position shift design image of the plural position shift design images and the optical image, and acquiring a detectable positional deviation amount by using the first and the plural second positional deviation amounts. | 11-27-2014 |
20140369592 | METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING DISTORTION PROPERTIES OF AN OPTICAL SYSTEM IN A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT SYSTEM - A method for establishing distortion properties of an optical system in a microlithographic measurement system is provided. The optical system has at least one pupil plane, in which the distortion properties of the optical system are established on the basis of measuring at least one distortion pattern, which the optical system generates when imaging a predetermined structure in an image field. The distortion properties of the optical system are established on the basis of a plurality of measurements of distortion patterns, in which these measurements differ from one another in respect of the intensity distribution present in each case in the pupil plane. | 12-18-2014 |
20140369593 | DETECTION OF THIN LINES FOR SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY DURING RETICLE INSPECTION USING PROCESSED IMAGES - A detection method for a spot image based thin line detection is disclosed. The method includes a step for constructing a band limited spot image from a transmitted and reflected optical image of the mask. The spot image is calibrated to reduce noise introduced by the one or more inspection systems. Based on the band limited spot image, a non-printable feature map is generated for the non-printable features and a printable feature map is generated for the printable features. One or more test images of the mask are analyzed to detect defects on such mask. A sensitivity level of defect detection is reduced in areas of the one or more test images defined by the non-printable feature map, as compared with areas of the one or more test images that are not defined by the non-printable features map | 12-18-2014 |
20150131891 | METHOD FOR DETECTING DEFECT IN PATTERN - Provided is a method of detecting a defect of a pattern using vectorization to increase accuracy and efficiency in OPC modeling and OPC verification. The method includes acquiring a target layout image associated with a target pattern, acquiring a pattern image associated with a pattern formed on a substrate, extracting an edge image from the pattern image, producing a first vector form based on the target layout image, producing a second vector form based on the edge image, and comparing the first vector form with the second vector form. | 05-14-2015 |
20150131892 | DEFECT ESTIMATION DEVICE AND METHOD AND INSPECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - Acquired mask data of a defect portion is sent to a simulated repair circuit | 05-14-2015 |
20150310600 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CLASSIFICATION WITHIN INSPECTION IMAGES - An analysis system capable of classifying possible defects identified within an inspection image of an inspected object includes a storage device and a processor. The processor matches a template and a portion of the inspection image, thus giving rise to a matching portion of the inspection image. The inspection image is captured by an inspection tool. The processor associates, using a mask corresponding to the template and defining one or more segments within the matching portion of the inspection image, a potential defect with a segment defined by the mask and corresponding to a location of the potential defect, and classifies the potential defect in accordance with the segment defined by the mask within the matching portion of the inspection image and associated with the potential defect. | 10-29-2015 |
20150324664 | AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION SAMPLE SELECTION FOR DIE-TO-DATABASE PHOTOMASK INSPECTION - A method for selecting samples of reticle design data patterns in order to calibrate the parameters based on which the reference image used in a die-to-database reticle inspection method is rendered, the method comprising the steps of applying local binary pattern (LBP) analysis to a plurality of samples to obtain a p-dimensional vector output for each of the plurality of samples, clustering the q-D data points to M groups, selecting one sample from each clustered group, calculating evaluation scores for the samples selected, and, selecting a portion of the M samples on the representativeness score and the diversity score. | 11-12-2015 |
20150324963 | Reticle Inspection Using Near-Field Recovery - Systems and methods for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. The embodiments include generating and/or using a data structure that includes pairs of predetermined segments of a reticle pattern and corresponding near-field data. The near-field data for the predetermined segments may be determined by regression based on actual image(s) of a reticle generated by a detector of a reticle inspection system. Inspecting a reticle may then include separately comparing two or more segments of a pattern included in an inspection area on the reticle to the predetermined segments and assigning near-field data to at least one of the segments based on the predetermined segment to which it is most similar. The assigned near-field data can then be used to simulate an image that would be formed for the reticle by the detector, which can be compared to an actual image generated by the detector for defect detection. | 11-12-2015 |
20150324965 | Using High Resolution Full Die Image Data for Inspection - Methods and systems for determining a position of inspection data with respect to a stored high resolution die image are provided. One method includes aligning data acquired by an inspection system for alignment sites on a wafer with data for predetermined alignment sites. The predetermined alignment sites have a predetermined position in die image space of a stored high resolution die image for the wafer. The method also includes determining positions of the alignment sites in the die image space based on the predetermined positions of the predetermined alignment sites in the die image space. In addition, the method includes determining a position of inspection data acquired for the wafer by the inspection system in the die image space based on the positions of the alignment sites in the die image space. | 11-12-2015 |
20160042505 | MASK INSPECTION APPARATUS AND MASK INSPECTION METHOD - In a mask inspection apparatus, an optical image acquisition unit acquires an optical image of a pattern in a mask by irradiating light. A reference image generation unit generates a corresponding reference image. A defect detection unit detects a defect of the pattern by comparing the two images. A misplacement data processing unit obtains a misplacement amount of the pattern from the images, and generates misplacement data. A misplacement map processing unit generates and outputs the map to the defect detection unit. The defect detection unit includes, a first comparison unit for comparing the images, a threshold value reconfiguring unit for specifying a portion of the map corresponding to the defect detected, reconfiguring a threshold value according to the shape of the defect and the misplacement direction of the optical image of the specified portion, and a second comparison unit for re-comparing both images using the reconfigured threshold value. | 02-11-2016 |
20160093041 | DEPOSITION ACCURACY DETERMINATION APPARATUS AND DEPOSITION ACCURACY DETERMINATION METHOD USING THE SAME - A deposition accuracy determination method, including: capturing an image of a thin film for inspection formed on a substrate by depositing a mask; and converting the image to a color profile to distinguish false measurement data. | 03-31-2016 |
20160180517 | METHOD OF MEASURING ASYMMETRY, INSPECTION APPARATUS, LITHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD | 06-23-2016 |