US 2018/0018542 A1 · AUGMENTED AUTOMATIC DEFECT CLASSIFICATION

Abstract

A method for managing defects for an augmented automatic defect classification (ADC) process is disclosed. The method includes receiving a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen; extracting, from a design database, relevant design data associated with a patch surrounding a location of a defect from the defect record; performing, by a processor, lithographic simulation on the relevant design data associated with the patch to determine a context patch; comparing, by the processor, the context patch with an image of the defect from the defect record to determine whether there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect; and defining the defect as a systematic defect based on a determination that there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for managing defects for an augmented automatic defect classification (ADC) process, comprising:

receiving a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen;
extracting, from a design database, relevant design data associated with a patch surrounding a location of a defect from the defect record;
performing, by a processor, lithographic simulation on the relevant design data associated with the patch to determine a context patch;
comparing, by the processor, the context patch with an image of the defect from the defect record to determine whether there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect;
and
defining the defect as a systematic defect based on a determination that there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect.

3 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions which when executed by a processor of a computer system become operational with the processor for managing defects for an augmented automatic defect classification (ADC) process, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen;
instructions for extracting, from a design database, relevant design data associated with a patch surrounding a location of a defect from the defect record;
instructions for performing lithographic simulation on the relevant design data associated with the patch to determine a context patch;
instructions for comparing the context patch with an image of the defect from the defect record to determine whether there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect;
and
instructions for defining the defect as a systematic defect based on a determination that there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect.

3 more elements

A system for managing defects for an augmented automatic defect classification (ADC) process, the system comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store a set of instructions which when executed by the processor become operational with the processor to:
receive a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen;
extract, from a design database, relevant design data associated with a patch surrounding a location of a defect from the defect record;
perform lithographic simulation on the relevant design data associated with the patch to determine a context patch;
compare the context patch with an image of the defect from the defect record to determine whether there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect;
and
define the defect as a systematic defect based on a determination that there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Augmented automatic defect classification

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Augmented automatic defect classification

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Abstract

Claims20