# US 12,222,294 B2 · Optical inspection device and inspecting method using the same

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- Number: US 12,222,294 B2
- Document ID: US12222294B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/737,663
- Filed: 2022-05-05
- Published: 2023-05-11
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-08
- Assignees: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Display Co., LTD.
- Inventors: Jeong Moon Lee; Dae Hong Kim; Hyung Jin Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222294B2

## CPC

- G01N 21/8806: {Specially adapted optical and illumination features}
- G01N 21/3151: {using two sources of radiation of different wavelengths (G01N21/33 - G01N21/39 take precedence)}
- G01N 21/33: using ultraviolet light (G01N21/39 takes precedence)
- G01N 21/35: using infrared light (G01N21/39 takes precedence)
- G01N 21/8422: {Investigating thin films, e.g. matrix isolation method}
- G01N 21/88: Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
- 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 21/94: Investigating contamination, e.g. dust (G01N21/85 takes precedence)
- G01N 21/31: Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)}
- G01N 21/45: using interferometric methods; using Schlieren methods
- G01N 21/95: characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined (G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence)
- G01N 2021/3155: {Measuring in two spectral ranges, e.g. UV and visible}
- G01N 2021/3174: {Filter wheel}
- G01N 2021/8835: {Adjustable illumination, e.g. software adjustable screen}
- G01N 2021/8845: {Multiple wavelengths of illumination or detection}
- G01N 2021/945: {Liquid or solid deposits of macroscopic size on surfaces, e.g. drops, films, or clustered contaminants}
- G01N 2201/066: Modifiable path; multiple paths in one sample
- 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)

## Abstract

An optical inspection device includes: a barrel; a first light source unit at a first side of the barrel and configured to irradiate light of a first wavelength range through a first light path; a second light source unit at a second side of the barrel, the second side being different from the first side, and configured to irradiate light of a second wavelength range that is different from the first wavelength range through a second light path; and a camera. At least a portion of the first light path is different from the second light path.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical inspection device comprising:
a barrel forming an optical path, the barrel having a first opening at a first side of the barrel and a second opening at a second side of the barrel;
a first light source unit adjacent to the first opening of the barrel and configured to irradiate light of a first wavelength range into the optical path in the barrel to a target to be inspected through a first light path;
a second light source unit adjacent to the second opening of the barrel, the second side being different from the first side, and configured to irradiate light of a second wavelength range that is different from the first wavelength range into the optical path in the barrel to the target to be inspected through a second light path; and
a camera configured to receive the light of the first light source unit or the second light source unit reflected by the target to be inspected through the optical path in the barrel,
wherein at least a portion of the first light path is different from the second light path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical inspection device of claim 1, wherein the first light source unit is configured to emit ultraviolet or infrared light, and
wherein the second light source unit is configured to emit light of a visible range.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The optical inspection device of claim 2, wherein the second light source unit comprises a white light source and a color selector between the white light source and the barrel, the color selector comprising a plurality of color filters.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The optical inspection device of claim 3, wherein the color selector further comprises a rotatable turntable, and
wherein the color filters are at an edge of the rotatable turntable.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The optical inspection device of claim 3, wherein the color filters comprise a white filter and a plurality of color filters.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The optical inspection device of claim 3, further comprising a driver configured to select one of the color filters and align it with the second light path according to a color or transparency of a target to be inspected.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The optical inspection device of claim 3, wherein the color filters comprise a plurality of color filters having a complementary color relationship with each other.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The optical inspection device of claim 2, further comprising an image processing unit configured to receive an image captured by the camera and to process the image to extract an image of a target to be inspected.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The optical inspection device of claim 8, wherein the image processing comprises binarization processing.

### Claim 10

An optical inspection device comprising:
a barrel having a first opening at a first side of the barrel and a second opening at a second side of the barrel;
a first light source unit adjacent to the first opening and configured to irradiate ultraviolet or infrared light through a first light path;
a second light source unit adjacent to the second opening and configured to irradiate visible light through a second light path, the second light source unit comprising a white light source and a color selector comprising a plurality of color filters; and
a camera configured to capture an image of a target object irradiated with light from the first light source unit or the second light source unit,
wherein at least a portion of the first light path is different from the second light path.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The optical inspection device of claim 10, wherein the color selector further comprises a turntable configured to rotate the color filters.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The optical inspection device of claim 10, wherein the color filters comprise a plurality of color filters having a complementary color relationship with each other.

### Claim 13

An inspection method using an optical inspection device, the optical inspection device comprising: a barrel forming an optical path, the barrel having a first opening at a first side of the barrel and a second opening at a second side of the barrel; a first light source unit adjacent to the first opening of the barrel and configured to irradiate ultraviolet or infrared light into the optical path in the barrel to a target object to be inspected through a first light path; a second light source unit adjacent to the second opening of the barrel that is different from the first side of the barrel and configured to irradiate visible light into the optical path in the barrel to the target object to be inspected through a second light path; and a camera configured to receive the light of the first light source unit or the second light source unit the method comprising:
selecting the first light source unit when the target object to be inspected is a transparent film;
selecting the second light source unit when the target object to be inspected is a colored film or an opaque film;
capturing, by the camera, the light of the first light source unit or the second light source unit reflected by the target object to be inspected through the optical path in the barrel; and
capturing, by the camera, an image of the target object to be inspected formed by the light of the selected one of the first light source unit or the second light source unit reflected by the target object to be inspected through the optical path in the barrel.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The inspection method of claim 13, wherein the captured image of the target object comprises a fringe area corresponding to the target object to be inspected.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The inspection method of claim 14, further comprising processing the captured image of the target object to be inspected to extract the fringe area.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The inspection method of claim 13, wherein the second light source unit comprises a white light source and a color selector comprising a plurality of color filters.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The inspection method of claim 16, further comprising processing the captured image of the target object to be inspected to extract an image in which a deviation from surroundings of the image of the target object to be inspected is increased.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The inspection method of claim 16, wherein the capturing of the image of the target object comprises irradiating visible light of a first color and a second color in a complementary color relationship with the first color to generate a first image and a second image having different luminance for an image of the target object to be inspected.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The inspection method of claim 18, further comprising:
processing the first image and the second image; and
extracting an image in which cleanness of the image of the target object to be inspected is increased by merging luminance intensities of the processed first image and the processed second image.