# US 11,114,324 B2 · Defect candidate generation for inspection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,114,324 B2 - Document ID: US11114324B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/653,939 - Filed: 2019-10-15 - Published: 2020-10-15 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-10 - Assignees: KLA Corporation - Applicants: KLA Corporation - Inventors: Martin Plihal; Erfan Soltanmohammadi; Prasanti Uppaluri; Mohit Jani; Chris Maher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114324B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like} - G01N 21/8851: {Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges (G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002)} - G01N 21/9501: {Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20)} - G01N 21/956: Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects {(contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20)} - G03F 7/7065: {Defects, e.g. optical inspection of patterned layer for defects} - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/136: involving thresholding - H01J 37/222: {Image processing arrangements associated with the tube} - H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} - G01N 2021/8867: {using sequentially two or more inspection runs, e.g. coarse and fine, or detecting then analysing} - G06T 2207/10152: Varying illumination - G06T 2207/30148: Semiconductor; IC; Wafer - H01J 2237/221: Image processing - H01J 2237/24475: Scattered electron detectors - H01J 2237/24578: Spatial variables, e.g. position, distance - H01J 2237/2817: Pattern inspection - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract Systems and methods for detecting defect candidates on a specimen are provided. One method includes, after scanning of at least a majority of a specimen is completed, applying one or more segmentation methods to at least a substantial portion of output generated during the scanning thereby generating two or more segments of the output. The method also includes separately detecting outliers in the two or more segments of the output. In addition, the method includes detecting defect candidates on the specimen by applying one or more predetermined criteria to results of the separately detecting to thereby designate a portion of the detected outliers as the defect candidates. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system configured to detect defect candidates on a specimen, comprising: an inspection subsystem configured for scanning energy over a specimen, detecting energy from the specimen during the scanning, and generating output responsive to the detected energy; and a computer subsystem configured for: after the scanning of at least a majority of the specimen is completed, applying one or more segmentation methods to at least a substantial portion of the output generated during the scanning thereby generating two or more segments of the output; separately detecting outliers in the two or more segments of the output; and detecting defect candidates on the specimen by applying one or more predetermined criteria to results of said separately detecting to thereby designate a portion of the detected outliers as the defect candidates. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more segmentation methods is determined independent of the output generated during the scanning. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured for determining at least one of the one or more segmentation methods based on the output generated during the scanning. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more segmentation methods is a design based segmentation method. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more segmentation methods is an image based segmentation method. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more segmentation methods is a specimen based segmentation method. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein said separately detecting the outliers comprises analyzing a distribution of nuisances in a user-defined space defined by one or more values of the output generated for the specimen. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined criteria comprise an overall target defect count. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more predetermined criteria further comprise a distribution of the overall target defect count over the two or more segments. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured to determine the distribution algorithmically. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the distribution is an equal distribution of the overall target defect count over the two or more segments. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the distribution is proportional to a nuisance count in the two or more segments. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured for determining the one or more predetermined criteria by algorithmic detection of a nuisance floor edge. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured for determining a threshold for detecting the nuisance floor edge. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein parameters used for said separately detecting and said detecting are not tuned based on ground truth data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the specimen is produced by a production manufacturing process. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the specimen is produced by a fabrication process performed on the specimen with one or more experimental parameters. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the energy scanned over the specimen by the inspection subsystem comprises light. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the energy scanned over the specimen by the inspection subsystem comprises electrons. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the specimen is a wafer. ### Claim 21 A computer-implemented method for detecting defect candidates on a specimen, comprising: after scanning of at least a majority of a specimen is completed, applying one or more segmentation methods to at least a substantial portion of output generated during the scanning thereby generating two or more segments of the output, wherein the scanning is performed by an inspection subsystem that scans energy over the specimen, detects energy from the specimen during the scanning, and generates the output responsive to the detected energy; separately detecting outliers in the two or more segments of the output; and detecting defect candidates on the specimen by applying one or more predetermined criteria to results of said separately detecting to thereby designate a portion of the detected outliers as the defect candidates, wherein said applying, said separately detecting, and said detecting are performed by a computer subsystem coupled to the inspection subsystem. ### Claim 22 A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing program instructions executable on a computer system for performing a computer-implemented method for detecting defect candidates on a specimen, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises: after scanning of at least a majority of a specimen is completed, applying one or more segmentation methods to at least a substantial portion of output generated during the scanning thereby generating two or more segments of the output, wherein the scanning is performed by an inspection subsystem that scans energy over the specimen, detects energy from the specimen during the scanning, and generates the output responsive to the detected energy; separately detecting outliers in the two or more segments of the output; and detecting defect candidates on the specimen by applying one or more predetermined criteria to results of said separately detecting to thereby designate a portion of the detected outliers as the defect candidates, wherein said applying, said separately detecting, and said detecting are performed by the computer system coupled to the inspection subsystem.