Apparatus and method for inspection of a film on a substrate
AssigneesBWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc., BWXT NOG Technologies, Inc.
InventorsAaron C. Havener, James D. Jogerst, Thomas C. Mohr, Keith B. Rider
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Abstract
Methods of and apparatus for inspecting composite layers of a first material formed on a second material are provided including providing an illumination source, illuminating at least a portion of the composite at the layer, receiving light reflected from the sample, determining a spectral response from the received light, and comparing the received spectral response to an expected spectral response.
Claims29
A method of inspecting a composite of a layer of a first material formed on a second material that is different from the first material, comprising:
- providing an illumination source that outputs light encompassing a wavelength range over which an expected spectral response occurs when light of said wavelength range reflects from the composite, where the composite has a said first material layer at a thickness expected in absence of a predetermined defect;
- illuminating at least a portion of the composite at the first material layer with light from the illumination source;
- receiving the light output from the illumination source that has reflected from the composite;
- determining a spectral response from the received light;
- and
- comparing the spectral response determined from the received light to the expected spectral response.
A system for inspecting a first composite of a layer of a first material formed on a second material that is different from the first material, comprising:
- a camera configured to capture image data including at least a portion of the first composite;
- a spectrometer disposed and configured to receive light reflected from at least a portion of the first composite at which the layer is present and determine an intensity spectrum of the light;
- an illumination source that outputs light encompassing a wavelength range over which a predetermined spectral response occurs when light of said wavelength range reflects from the at least a portion of the composite at which the layer is present;
- and
- processing circuitry in operative communication with the spectrometer and user interface, comprising
- a processor and a memory including computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the processing circuitry to
- receive a said intensity spectrum from the spectrometer arising from light output from the illumination source that has reflected from the first composite,
- compare the received intensity spectrum with a reference spectrum expected when light of the wavelength range reflects from a second composite comprised of the first material formed on the second material in absence of a predetermined defect.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.