# US 2026/0086042 A1 · Defect detection devices and method for detecting defects

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- Number: US 2026/0086042 A1
- Document ID: US20260086042A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/265,388
- Filed: 2025-07-10
- Published: 2026-03-26
- Earliest claimed: 2024-09-26
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jiho Park; Hyenok Park; Jong Chul Kim; Younghoon Sohn; Hyung Keun Yoo; Yongdeok Jeong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260086042A1

## CPC

- G01N 21/95607: {using a comparative method}
- G01N 21/41: Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length (G01N21/21 takes precedence)
- G01N 21/9501: {Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20)}
- G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection}
- G06T 7/001: {using an image reference approach}
- G01N 2021/1765: {Method using an image detector and processing of image signal}
- G06T 2207/30148: Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
- 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)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A defect detection method according to an embodiment includes: performing a zero padding on a defect image and a reference image having the same focus offset as the defect image; converting the defect image and the reference image into a defect phase image and a reference phase image, respectively, using a phase enhanced algorithm; generating a phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image; and detecting a defective signal from the phase enhanced image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A defect detection method for detecting a presence of a defect in at least one semiconductor die, the method comprising:
performing a zero padding on a defect image and a reference image having a same focus offset as the defect image;
converting the defect image and the reference image into a defect phase image and a reference phase image, respectively, using a phase enhanced algorithm;
generating a phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image;
detecting a defective signal indicative of a defect in a first semiconductor die from the phase enhanced image; and
controlling a camera to capture a second image of a second semiconductor die if the defective signal indicative of a defect in the first semiconductor die is detected in the phase enhanced image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The defect detection method of claim 1, wherein:
converting the defect image and the reference image into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, using the phase enhanced algorithm includes:
setting an initial value of a phase value of the phase enhanced algorithm; and
converting the defect image and the reference image into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, using the phase enhanced algorithm, in which a convergence speed of the phase value is accelerated according to the setting of the initial value,
generating the phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image includes
generating an optimized phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image generated as the initial value of the phase value of the phase enhanced algorithm is set, and
detecting a defective signal from the phase enhanced image includes
detecting a defective signal from the optimized phase enhanced image.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The defect detection method of claim 2, wherein:
converting the defect image and the reference image into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, includes:
generating the defect phase image through the phase enhanced algorithm based on a difference between a first defect image having a first focus offset and a second defect image having a second focus offset different from the first focus offset; and
generating the reference phase image through the phase enhanced algorithm based on the difference between the first reference image with the first focus offset and the second reference image with the second focus offset.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The defect detection method of claim 2, wherein:
generating the optimized phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image includes:
generating the optimized phase enhanced image by subtracting the defect phase image from the reference phase image.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The defect detection method of claim 2, wherein:
the phase enhanced algorithm comprises an algorithm configured to determine a phase value for which the following Equation 1 becomes a minimum:
W=argmin[|Δlz+Δ⊥W|*α+|∂BS−0|*β+|BS−0|*γ] (Equation 1)
wherein, W is a phase value, Δlz is a difference value between defect images with different focus offsets or a difference value between reference images with different focus offsets, Δ⊥W is a curvature of a phase change in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of the defect phase image or a curvature of the phase change in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the reference phase image, ∂BS is a change rate of an edge value of the defect phase image or the reference phase image, BS is the edge value of the defect phase image or the reference phase image, α is a weight value of |Δlz+Δ⊥W|, β is a weight value of |∂BS−0|, and γ is a weight value of |BS−0|.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The defect detection method of claim 5, wherein:
performing the zero padding on the defect image and the reference image having the same focus offset as the defect image includes:
setting pixel values of an edge region of each of the defect image and the reference image to 0.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The defect detection method of claim 6, further comprising:
masking a noise region distributed within each of the defect image and the reference image.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The defect detection method of claim 6, wherein:
when converting the defect image and the reference image, in which the pixel value of the edge region is set to 0, into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, the weight value β of |∂BS−0| and the weight value γ of |BS−0| in Equation 1 are set to 0.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The defect detection method of claim 8, wherein:
setting the initial value of the phase value of the phase enhanced algorithm includes:
setting the initial value of the phase value of the phase enhanced algorithm to 0; and
determining the phase value at which [|Δlz+Δ⊥W|*α] becomes a minimum in Equation 1 of the phase enhanced algorithm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The defect detection method of claim 1, wherein:
detecting the defective signal from the phase enhanced image includes:
detecting the defective signal through a burn mark positioned away from a defective region where the defective signal exists in the phase enhanced image.

### Claim 11

A defect detection device, comprising:
a light source configured to illuminate a wafer including a plurality of dies;
a camera configured to capture a first image of at least one die of the plurality of dies; and
an electronic device configured:
to provide configuration settings that include at least one of a pixel size, a wavelength, an aperture, a polarization, or a scan speed;
to control the camera and the light source to capture the first image of the at least one die based on the configuration settings;
to receive information about a defect image and a reference image of the at least one die from the camera;
to convert the defect image and the reference image into a defect phase image and a reference phase image, respectively, through a phase enhanced algorithm;
to generate a phase enhanced image based on the defect phase image and the reference phase image; and
to control the camera and the light source to capture a second image of another one of the plurality of dies based on the configuration settings if a defective signal indicative of a defect in the at least one die is detected in the phase enhanced image.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The defect detection device of claim 11, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured:
to receive, from the camera, information about a first defect image with a first focus offset, a second defect image with a second focus offset different from the first focus offset, a first reference image with the first focus offset, a second reference image with the second focus offset;
to generate a defect phase image through the phase enhanced algorithm based on a difference between the first defect image and the second defect image; and
to generate a reference phase image through the phase enhanced algorithm based on a difference between the first reference image and the second reference image.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The defect detection device of claim 12, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to generate the phase enhanced image by subtracting the defect phase image from the reference phase image.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The defect detection device of claim 11, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to reset at least one of the pixel size, the wavelength, the aperture, the polarization, or the scan speed included in the configuration settings if a defective signal within the die is not detected in the phase enhanced image and to control the camera and the light source to capture images of the at least one die based on the reset configuration settings.

### Claim 15

A defect detection device for detecting a defect in a die, comprising:
a storage device configured to store a defect image and a reference image;
an electronic device configured to perform a zero padding on the defect image and the reference image that has a same focus offset as the defect image, and to convert the defect image and the reference image into a defect phase image and a reference phase image, respectively, using a phase enhanced algorithm; and
a camera configured to capture images of the die by adjusting a focus offset of a lens responsive to one or more operations of the electronic device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The defect detection device of claim 15, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to perform the zero padding on the defect image and the reference image having the same focus offset as the defect image by setting pixel values of an edge region of each of the defect image and the reference image to 0.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The defect detection device of claim 16, wherein:
the phase enhanced algorithm comprises an algorithm configured to determine a phase value for which the following Equation 1 becomes a minimum:
W=argmin[|Δlz+Δ⊥W|*α+|∂BS−0|*β+|BS−0|*γ] (Equation 1)
wherein, W is a phase value, Δlz is a difference value between defect images with different focus offsets or a difference value between reference images with different focus offsets, Δ⊥W is a curvature of a phase change in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of the defect phase image or the curvature of the phase change in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the reference phase image, ∂BS is a change rate of an edge value of the defect phase image or the reference phase image, BS is the edge value of the defect phase image or the reference phase image, a is a weight value of |Δlz+Δ⊥W|, β is a weight value of |∂BS−0|, and γ is a weight value of |BS−0|.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The defect detection device of claim 17, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to set an initial value of the phase value of the phase enhanced algorithm to 0, and to convert the defect image and the reference image into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, through the phase enhanced algorithm.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The defect detection device of claim 18, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to convert the defect image and the reference image into the defect phase image and the reference phase image, respectively, through the phase value where [|Δlz Δ⊥W|*α] becomes the minimum in Equation 1 of the phase enhanced algorithm.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The defect detection device of claim 19, wherein:
the electronic device is further configured to generate an optimized phase enhanced image by subtracting the reference phase image from the defect phase image, and to detect a defective signal based on the optimized phase enhanced image, the defective signal indicative of the defect in the die.