Method and system for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and method and system for inspecting semiconductor devices

An inspection system comprising:

• an automatic inspection unit that extracts defect in a product according to predetermined inspecting standards;
• a defect classifying and feature extracting unit that receives information about the extracted defects from the automatic inspection unit, classifies the defects on the basis of the analogy of the defects with information about the defects, provides the result of defect classification and extracts the feature data of the defects on the basis of the result of defect classification;
• and a feature data converting unit that converts the feature date into inspecting standards to be used by the automatic inspection unit and feeds back the inspecting standards determined by converting the feature data to the automatic inspection unit to adjust the automatic inspection unit.

An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, comprising an inspection system that extracts defects in a semiconductor device or the like, classifies the defects by category on the basis of information about the extracted defects, and extracts the feature data of the defects on the basis of the result of defect classification;

• characterized in that the feature data of the extracted defects is fed back to a relevant manufacturing machine.

An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, comprising:

• an automatic inspection unit that extracts defects in a semiconductor device or the like manufactured by a manufacturing machine, according to predetermined inspecting standards;
• a defect classifying and feature extracting unit (2) that receives information about the defects extracted by the automatic inspection unit, classifies the defects by category on the basis of the analogy of the defects with information about the defects, provides the result of defect classification, and extracts the feature data of the defects on the basis of the result of defect classification;
• a control means that converts the feature data into control parameters for controlling the condition of the manufacturing machine, and controls the manufacturing machine according to the parameters.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, characterized by attaching information relating to either the result of inspection or the result of measurement of a semiconductor device or the like or both the result of inspection and the result of measurement of the semiconductor device or the like to the inspected semiconductor device or the like.