Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080251719 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING AN IMAGE OBTAINED BY THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE - In the case where a specimen is imaged by a scanning electron microscope, it is intended to acquire an image of a high quality having a noise component reduced, thereby to improve the precision of an image processing. The intensity distribution of a beam is calculated on the basis of an imaging condition or specimen information, and an image restoration is performed by using a resolving power deterioration factor other than the beam intensity distribution as a target of a deterioration mode, so that a high resolving power image can be acquired under various conditions. In the scanning electron microscope for semiconductor inspections and semiconductor measurements, the restored image is used for pattern size measurement, defect detections, defect classifications and so on, so that the measurements can be improved in precision and so that the defect detections and classifications can be made high precise. | 10-16-2008 |
20090208090 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING DEFECT OF PATTERN FORMED ON SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - In the inspection apparatus for a defect of a semiconductor and the method using it for automatically detecting the defect on a semiconductor wafer and presuming the defect occurrence factor using the circuit design data, a plurality of shapes are formed from the circuit design data by deforming the design data with respect to shape deformation items stipulated for respective defect occurrence factor for comparison with the inspection object circuit pattern. The defect is detected by comparison of the group of shapes formed and the actual pattern. Further, the occurrence factors of these defects are presumed, and the defects are classified according to respective factor. | 08-20-2009 |
20090212212 | Scanning Electron Microscope system and Method for Measuring Dimensions of Patterns Formed on Semiconductor Device By Using the System - The present invention is for providing a scanning electron microscope system adapted to output contour information fitting in with the real pattern edge end of a sample, and is arranged to generate a local projection waveform by projecting the scanning electron microscope image in the tangential direction with respect to the pattern edge at each point of the pattern edge of the scanning electron microscope image, estimate the cross-sectional shape of the pattern transferred on the sample by applying the local projection waveform generated at each point to a library, which has previously been created, correlating the cross-sectional shape with the electron beam signal waveform, obtain position coordinate of the edge end fitting in with the cross-sectional shape, and output the contour of the pattern as a range of position coordinates. | 08-27-2009 |
20090242760 | Method and Apparatus for Measuring Dimension of Circuit Patterm Formed on Substrate by Using Scanning Electron Microscope - In the dimension measurement of a circuit pattern using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), in order to make it possible to automatically image desired evaluation points (EPs) on a sample, and automatically measure the circuit pattern formed at the evaluation points, according to the present invention, in the dimension measurement of a circuit pattern using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), it is arranged that coordinate data of the EP and design data of the circuit pattern including the EP are used as an input, creation of a dimension measurement cursor for measuring the pattern existing in the EP and selection or setting of the dimension measurement method are automatically performed based on the EP coordinate data and the design data to automatically create a recipe, and automatic imaging/measurement is performed using the recipe. | 10-01-2009 |
20090266985 | Scanning Type Charged Particle Beam Microscope and an Image Processing Method Using the Same - Design data and sample characteristic information corresponding to individual areas on the design data are used to perform an image quality improvement operation to make appropriate improvements on image quality according to sample characteristic corresponding to the individual areas on the image, allowing a high speed area division on the image. Further, the use of a database that stores image information associated with the design data allows for an image quality improvement operation that automatically emphasizes portions of the image that greatly differ from past images of the similar design data. | 10-29-2009 |
20090268959 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - Disclosed is a method for reviewing defects in a large number of samples within a short period of time through the use of a defect review apparatus. To collect defect images steadily and at high throughput, a defect detection method is selected before imaging and set up for each of review target defects in the samples in accordance with the external characteristics of the samples that are calculated from the design information about the samples. The defect images are collected after an imaging sequence is set up for the defect images and reference images in such a manner as to reduce the time required for stage movement in accordance with the defect coordinates of the samples and the selected defect detection method. | 10-29-2009 |
20100280378 | ULTRASONOGRAPHIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING ULTRASONOGRAPHIC DEVICE IMAGE QUALITY - It is possible to improve an image quality of an ultrasonographic device and improve visibility of a tissue structure and a lesion. According to a noise amount estimated for each of at least two resolution levels and reliability of the noise amount estimation, a corrected noise amount is calculated. An intensity conversion is performed on a decomposition coefficient obtained by a multi-resolution decomposition process using the corrected noise amount. Moreover, by performing intensity conversion of the respective decomposition coefficients according to a plurality of decomposition coefficients, it is possible to generate a high-quality image. Furthermore, by switching processing parameters in accordance with the imaging condition, the image type, and the imaging object, it is possible to simultaneously realize the processing time and the image quality appropriate for the purpose. | 11-04-2010 |
20110074817 | COMPOSITE PICTURE FORMING METHOD AND PICTURE FORMING APPARATUS - A composite picture forming method and picture forming apparatus forms pattern attribute information contained in an overlapping domain for the overlapping domain between a plurality of pictures to select the pictures to be targeted for a composition in accordance with the pattern attribute information and combine the selected pictures, and the composition of the pictures is also performed in plural stages by using the pattern attribute information in the overlapping domain. | 03-31-2011 |
20110125030 | MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF IMPROVING IMAGE QUALITY OF MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE - A medical diagnostic device is characterized in that an image processing means ( | 05-26-2011 |
20110127429 | Method and Apparatus For Measuring Dimension Of Circuit Pattern Formed On Substrate By Using Scanning Electron Microscope - In the dimension measurement of a circuit pattern using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), in order to make it possible to automatically image desired evaluation points (EPs) on a sample, and automatically measure the circuit pattern formed at the evaluation points, according to the present invention, in the dimension measurement of a circuit pattern using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), it is arranged that coordinate data of the EP and design data of the circuit pattern including the EP are used as an input, creation of a dimension measurement cursor for measuring the pattern existing in the EP and selection or setting of the dimension measurement method are automatically performed based on the EP coordinate data and the design data to automatically create a recipe, and automatic imaging/measurement is performed using the recipe. | 06-02-2011 |
20110181688 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SYNTHESIZING PANORAMA IMAGE USING SCANNING CHARGED-PARTICLE MICROSCOPE - Provided is a panorama image synthesis technique using a scanning charged-particle microscope and capable of obtaining a panorama image synthesis that is robust against contamination and the imaging shift and distortion of an image in a wide-field imaging region (EP) for semiconductor fine patterns. The panorama image synthesis technique in the wide-field imaging region (EP) using the scanning charged-particle microscope is characterized in that the layout of each adjustment point, each local imaging region, and an imaging sequence comprising the imaging order of the each adjustment point are optimized and created as an imaging recipe. | 07-28-2011 |
20110187847 | SCANNING TYPE CHARGED PARTICLE MICROSCOPE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING IMAGE ACQUIRED WITH SCANNING TYPE CHARGED PARTICLE MICROSCOPE DEVICE - The present method comprises the steps of imaging the sample under different imaging conditions to acquire multiple images, generating degradation functions for the multiple acquired images, and then generating an image with an improved resolution using the multiple acquired images and the degradation functions corresponding to the acquired images to process the image with the improved resolution. | 08-04-2011 |
20110285839 | DEFECT OBSERVATION METHOD AND DEVICE USING SEM - An imaging region of a high-magnification reference image capable of being acquired in a low-magnification field without moving a stage from a position at which a defective region has been imaged at a low magnification is searched for and if the search is successful, an image of the imaging region itself is acquired and the high-magnification reference image is acquired. If the search is unsuccessful, the imaging scheme is switched to that in which the high-magnification reference image is acquired from a chip adjacent to the defective region. | 11-24-2011 |
20120002861 | Method and Apparatus For Inspecting Defect Of Pattern Formed On Semiconductor Device - An apparatus and method for inspecting a defect of a circuit pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer includes a defect classifier have a comparison shape forming section for forming a plurality of comparison shapes corresponding to an SEM image of an inspection region by deforming the shape of the circuit pattern in accordance with a plurality of shape deformation rules using design data corresponding to the circuit pattern within the inspection region and a shape similar to the SEM image of the inspection region out of the plurality of comparison shapes formed and selected as the comparison shape, and a shape comparing and classifying section for classifying the SEM image using information of the comparison shape selected in the comparison shape forming section and the inspection shape of the circuit pattern of the SEM image of the inspection region. | 01-05-2012 |
20120026317 | Inspection Apparatus and Method for Producing Image for Inspection - In order to obtain a quality image without deterioration owing to radiation noise in inspection using the optical video camera in high radiation environment, an inspection apparatus is formed of an image pick-up unit, an image obtaining unit which fetches a video image that contains a signal (noise) that is substantially independent of each frame obtained by the image pick-up unit, a local alignment unit which locally aligns frames with different time phases for forming the image fetched by the image obtaining unit, a frame synthesizing unit which synthesizes the plurality of frames aligned by the local alignment unit for generating a synthesis frame with an SN ratio higher than the SN ratio of the frame before frame synthesis, and an image output unit for displaying or recording the image formed of the synthesis frame generated by the frame synthesizing unit. | 02-02-2012 |
20120041312 | Method for Improving Image Quality of Ultrasonic Image, Ultrasonic Diagnosis Device, and Program for Improving Image Quality - In an ultrasonic diagnosis device, while a signal component is preserved, a factor of degrading image quality such as a flicker of a noise is suppressed. An input image is separated into a signal component image and a noise component image. After frame synthesis processing is performed on the noise component image, the signal component image is synthesized with the noise component image having undergone the frame synthesis. Thus, the noise is suppressed. Otherwise, after the input image is separated into the signal component image and noise component image, the frame synthesis processing is performed on the signal component image. The noise component image is then synthesized with the signal component image having undergone the frame synthesis. Thus, discernment of a signal can be improved. | 02-16-2012 |
20120098952 | CHARGED-PARTICLE MICROSCOPE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING SAMPLE USING SAME - A high-performance image quality improvement process, capable of improving the image quality of low-definition areas (lower layer patterns in a multilayer, bottoms of holes in a hole pattern, etc.), is performed to a captured image. Definition enhancement intensity is calculated using height information included in design data or estimate values of sample height information calculated from the captured image, and the image quality improvement process is performed to the captured image using the definition enhancement intensity. | 04-26-2012 |
20120098953 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE DEVICE AND PATTERN DIMENSION MEASURING METHOD USING SAME - In a panoramic image construction technology of dividing a wide-range imaging area (EP) of semiconductor patterns into a plurality of imaging areas (SEP), and joining a group of images, which are obtained by imaging the SEPs using an SEM, through image processing, a fact that although a pattern serving as a key to joining is not contained in an overlap area between some of the SEPs, all the images can be joined in some cases is noted so that: although the number of patterns serving as keys to joining is small, SEPs whose images are all joined can be determined; or even if such SEPs cannot be determined, SEPs satisfying user's request items as many as possible can be determined. The cases are extracted by optimizing an SEP arrangement, whereby the number of cases in which SEPs whose images are all joined can be determined is increased. | 04-26-2012 |
20120104254 | CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE - A charged particle beam device enabling prevention of degradation of reproducibility of measurement caused by an increase of the beam diameter attributed to an image shift and having a function of dealing with device-to-device variation. The charged particle beam device is used for measuring the dimensions of a pattern on a specimen using a line profile obtained by detecting secondary charged particles emitted from the specimen when the specimen is scanned with a primary charged particle beam converged on the specimen. A lookup table in which the position of image shift and the variation of the beam diameter are associated is prepared in advance by actual measurement or calculation and registered. When the dimensions are measured, image processing is carried out so as to correct the line profile for the variation of the beam diameter while the lookup table is referenced, and thereby the situation where the beam diameter is effectively equal is produced irrespective of the position of the image shift. Whit this, measurement by the charged particle beam excellent reproducibility can be carried out. | 05-03-2012 |
20120112067 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING DIMENSIONS OF PATTERNS FORMED ON SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE BY USING THE SYSTEM - The present invention is for providing a scanning electron microscope system adapted to output contour information fitting in with the real pattern edge end of a sample, and is arranged to generate a local projection waveform by projecting the scanning electron microscope image in the tangential direction with respect to the pattern edge at each point of the pattern edge of the scanning electron microscope image, estimate the cross-sectional shape of the pattern transferred on the sample by applying the local projection waveform generated at each point to a library, which has previously been created, correlating the cross-sectional shape with the electron beam signal waveform, obtain position coordinate of the edge end fitting in with the cross-sectional shape, and output the contour of the pattern as a range of position coordinates. | 05-10-2012 |
20120126117 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING AN IMAGE OBTAINED BY THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE - In the case where a specimen is imaged by a scanning electron microscope, it is intended to acquire an image of a high quality having a noise component reduced, thereby to improve the precision of an image processing. The intensity distribution of a beam is calculated on the basis of an imaging condition or specimen information, and an image restoration is performed by using a resolving power deterioration factor other than the beam intensity distribution as a target of a deterioration mode, so that a high resolving power image can be acquired under various conditions. In the scanning electron microscope for semiconductor inspections and semiconductor measurements, the restored image is used for pattern size measurement, defect detections, defect classifications and so on, so that the measurements can be improved in precision and so that the defect detections and classifications can be made high precise. | 05-24-2012 |
20120181426 | Scanning Electron Microscope and a Method for Imaging a Specimen Using the Same - (1) part or all of the number, coordinates and size/shape and imaging sequence of imaging points each for observation, the imaging position change method and imaging conditions can be calculated automatically from CAD data, (2) a combination of input information and output information for imaging recipe creation can be set arbitrarily, and (3) decision is made of imaging or processing at an arbitrary imaging point as to whether to be successful/unsuccessful and in case a failure is determined, a relief process can be conducted in which the imaging point or imaging sequence is changed. | 07-19-2012 |
20120274757 | CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE AND A METHOD OF IMPROVING IMAGE QUALITY OF THE SAME - The invention relates to a technique of improving a contrast of a lower-layer pattern in a multi layer by synthesizing detected signals from a plurality of detectors by using an appropriate allocation ratio in accordance with pattern arrangement. In a charged particle beam device capable of improving image quality by using detected images obtained from a plurality of detectors and in a method of improving the image quality, a method of generating one or more output images from detected images corresponding to respective outputs of the detectors that are arranged at different locations is controlled by using information of a pattern direction, an edge strength, or others calculated from a design data or the detected image. In this manner, a detection area of the detected signals can be expanded by using the plurality of detectors, and the image quality such as the contrast can be improved by synthesizing the detected signals by using the pattern direction or the edge strength calculated from the design data or the detected images. | 11-01-2012 |
20130010100 | IMAGE GENERATING METHOD AND DEVICE USING SCANNING CHARGED PARTICLE MICROSCOPE, SAMPLE OBSERVATION METHOD, AND OBSERVING DEVICE - In a process of acquiring an image of semiconductor patterns by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), this invention provides an image generating method and device that allows a high-resolution SEM image to be produced while suppressing damages caused by SEM imaging to a sample as a result of irradiation of an electron beam. A plurality of areas having similarly shaped patterns (similar areas) are extracted from a low-resolution SEM image which has been imaged while suppressing the irradiation energy of electron beam. From the image data of the extracted areas a single high resolution image of the patterns is generated by image restoration processing. Further, the method of this invention also uses design data in determining the similar areas and the SEM imaging position and imaging range for performing the image restoration processing. | 01-10-2013 |
20130090560 | ULTRASOUND IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION METHOD, DEVICE THEREFOR, AND ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE - In order to acquire high resolution ultrasound images while maintaining an appropriate frame rate in ultrasound diagnostic devices, the disclosed method generates high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images captured along a time series and the magnitudes of positional shifts, or forms high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images acquired by controlling the ultrasound probe and varying scan orientation or scan focal length frame by frame. | 04-11-2013 |
20130114881 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - Disclosed is a method for reviewing defects in a large number of samples within a short period of time through the use of a defect review apparatus. To collect defect images steadily and at high throughput, a defect detection method is selected before imaging and set up for each of review target defects in the samples in accordance with the external characteristics of the samples that are calculated from the design information about the samples. The defect images are collected after an imaging sequence is set up for the defect images and reference images in such a manner as to reduce the time required for stage movement in accordance with the defect coordinates of the samples and the selected defect detection method. | 05-09-2013 |
20130195346 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF A PATTERN FORMED ON A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - To enable SEM-based management of a cross-sectional shape or manufacturing process parameters of a semiconductor device pattern to be measured, the association between the shape or parameters and SEM image characteristic quantities effective for estimating the shape or parameters is saved as learning data. The image characteristic quantities are collated with learning data to estimate the shape or to monitor the process parameters. Accuracy and reliability is achievable by calculating three kinds of reliability (reliability of the image characteristic quantities, reliability of estimation engines, and reliability of estimating results) based on the distribution of the image characteristic quantities and then judging whether additional learning is necessary, or selecting and adjusting image characteristic quantities and estimation engine based on the reliability. | 08-01-2013 |
20130234019 | GLOBAL ALIGNMENT USING MULTIPLE ALIGNMENT PATTERN CANDIDATES - In order to provide a technique for performing global alignment (detecting position shift and rotation of a wafer) stably and automatically using an optical microscope, as a pattern for global alignment, multiple alignment pattern candidates are calculated ( | 09-12-2013 |
20130262027 | SHAPE MEASUREMENT METHOD, AND SYSTEM THEREFOR - A model based measurement method is capable of estimating a cross-sectional shape by matching various pre-created cross-sectional shapes with a library of SEM signal waveforms. The present invention provides a function for determining whether or not it is appropriate to create a model of a cross-sectional shape or a function for verifying the accuracy of estimation results to a conventional model based measurement method, wherein a solution space (expected solution space) is obtained by matching library waveforms and is displayed before measuring the real pattern by means of model based measurement. Moreover, after the real pattern is measured by means of model based measurement, the solution space (real solution space) is obtained by matching the real waveforms with the library waveforms and is displayed. | 10-03-2013 |
20130322737 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - A defect inspection method comprising: picking up an image of a subject under inspection to thereby acquire an inspection image; extracting multiple templates corresponding to multiple regions, respectively from design data of the subject under inspection; finding a first misregistration amount between the inspection image and the design data using a first template as any one template selected from among the plural templates; finding a second misregistration amount between the inspection image and the design data using a second template other than the first template, the second template being selected from among the plural templates, and the first misregistration-amount; and converting the design data, misregistration thereof being corrected using the first misregistration-amount, and the second misregistration-amount, into a design data image, and comparing the design data image with the inspection image to thereby detect a defect of the subject under inspection. | 12-05-2013 |
20140145078 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND A METHOD FOR IMAGING A SPECIMEN USING THE SAME - (1) part or all of the number, coordinates and size/shape and imaging sequence of imaging points each for observation, the imaging position change method and imaging conditions can be calculated automatically from CAD data, (2) a combination of input information and output information for imaging recipe creation can be set arbitrarily, and (3) decision is made of imaging or processing at an arbitrary imaging point as to whether to be successful/unsuccessful and in case a failure is determined, a relief process can be conducted in which the imaging point or imaging sequence is changed. | 05-29-2014 |
20140210988 | Inspection Apparatus and Method for Producing Image for Inspection - In order to obtain a quality image without deterioration owing to radiation noise in inspection using the optical video camera in high radiation environment, an inspection apparatus is formed of an image pick-up unit, an image obtaining unit which fetches a video image that contains a signal (noise) that is substantially independent of each frame obtained by the image pick-up unit, a local alignment unit which locally aligns frames with different time phases for forming the image fetched by the image obtaining unit, a frame synthesizing unit which synthesizes the plurality of frames aligned by the local alignment unit for generating a synthesis frame with an SN ratio higher than the SN ratio of the frame before frame synthesis, and an image output unit for displaying or recording the image formed of the synthesis frame generated by the frame synthesizing unit. | 07-31-2014 |