US 12,525,425 B2Granted

Pattern inspection apparatus, and method for acquiring alignment amount between outlines

AssigneeNuFlare Technology, Inc.

InventorShinji Sugihara

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A pattern inspection apparatus includes an actual outline image generation circuit to generate an actual outline image of a predetermined region defined by a function, where the gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region including plural actual image outline positions on an actual image outline of a figure pattern in an inspection image is dependent on a distance from the center of a pixel concerned to the closest actual image outline position in the plural actual image outline positions, and a reference outline image generation circuit to generate a reference outline image of the predetermined region defined by the function, where a gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region is dependent on a distance from the center of a pixel concerned to the closest reference outline position in plural reference outline positions on a reference outline to be compared with the actual image outline.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A pattern inspection apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition mechanism configured to acquire an inspection image of a substrate on which a figure pattern is formed;
an actual outline image generation circuit configured to generate an actual outline image of a predetermined region defined by a predetermined function, in which the predetermined function defines a gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region including a plurality of actual image outline positions on an actual image outline of the figure pattern in the inspection image is dependent on a distance from a center of a pixel concerned to a closest actual image outline position in the plurality of actual image outline positions;
a reference outline image generation circuit configured to generate a reference outline image of the predetermined region defined by the predetermined function, in which the predetermined function defines a gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region is dependent on a distance from a center of a pixel concerned to a closest reference outline position in a plurality of reference outline positions on a reference outline to be compared with the actual image outline;
an alignment amount calculation circuit configured to calculate an alignment amount for performing alignment between the actual outline image and the reference outline image by using a gray scale difference between the actual outline image and the reference outline image;
and
a comparison circuit configured to compare the actual image outline with the reference outline by using the alignment amount,
wherein a derivative of the predetermined function is substantially continuous.

4 more elements

A method for acquiring an alignment amount between outlines comprising:

acquiring an inspection image of a substrate on which a figure pattern is formed;
generating an actual outline image of a predetermined region defined by a predetermined function, in which the predetermined function defines a gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region including a plurality of actual image outline positions on an actual image outline of the figure pattern in the inspection image is dependent on a distance from a center of a pixel concerned to a closest actual image outline position in the plurality of actual image outline positions;
generating a reference outline image of the predetermined region defined by the predetermined function, in which the predetermined function defines a gray scale value of each pixel in the predetermined region is dependent on a distance from a center of a pixel concerned to a closest reference outline position in a plurality of reference outline positions on a reference outline to be compared with the actual image outline;
and
calculating an alignment amount for performing alignment between the actual outline image and the reference outline image by using a gray scale difference between the actual outline image and the reference outline image, and outputting a result,
wherein a derivative of the predetermined function is substantially continuous.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/148,588Filed 30 Dec 2022 · continuation
Priority: JP 2020-12813429 Jul 2020
Published: US 2023/0145411 A111 May 2023
Granted: 13 Jan 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

H01J 37/222
Optical , image processing or photographic arrangements associated with the tube: image processing arrangements associated with the tube
G01N 21/956
Characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined: inspecting patterns on the surface of objects
G01N 23/2251
Using electron or ion: using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM]
G06T 1/00
General purpose image data processing

Family

PCT/JP2021/018380Parent of this continuation · filed 14 May 2021
US 2023/0145411 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 May 2023
US 12,525,425 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key