Setting up care areas for inspection of a specimen

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing program instructions executable on a computer system for performing a computer-implemented method for setting up care areas for inspection of a specimen, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

• determining a number of defects detected in predefined cells within one or more images of a specimen generated by an imaging subsystem in a repeating patterned area formed on the specimen;
• comparing the number of the defects detected in each of two or more of the predefined cells to a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected to be lower than numbers of defects detected when systematic noise is present;
• designating any one or more of the two or more of the predefined cells in which the number of the defects is greater than the predetermined threshold as one or more care areas;
• and
• storing information for the one or more care areas for use in inspection of the specimen.

A computer-implemented method for setting up care areas for inspection of a specimen, comprising:

• determining a number of defects detected in predefined cells within one or more images of a specimen generated by an imaging subsystem in a repeating patterned area formed on the specimen;
• comparing the number of the defects detected in each of two or more of the predefined cells to a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected to be lower than numbers of defects detected when systematic noise is present;
• designating any one or more of the two or more of the predefined cells in which the number of the defects is greater than the predetermined threshold as one or more care areas;
• and
• storing information for the one or more care areas for use in inspection of the specimen, wherein the determining, comparing, designating, and storing steps are performed by a computer subsystem coupled to the imaging subsystem.