Method and apparatus for detecting patterns
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsShunji Maeda, Takashi Hiroi, Hitoshi Kubota, Hiroshi Makihira, Fumiaki Endo
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting a defect in a circuit pattern by detecting a gray image signal from each of a plurality of circuit patterns as objects of inspection, which circuit patterns have been fabricated so as to be identical with one another, and detecting a defect as a difference of edge position between two circuit patterns by comparing the detected gray image signal of one circuit pattern with the detected gray image signal of another circuit pattern.
Claims26
A method for detecting a defect in a circuit pattern comprising the steps:
- detecting a gray image signal from each of a plurality of circuit patterns as objects of inspection, which circuit patterns have been fabricated so as to be identical with one another;
- and
- detecting a defect as a difference of edge position between two circuit patterns by comparing the detected gray image signal of one circuit pattern with the detected gray image signal of another circuit pattern.
An apparatus for detecting a defect in a circuit pattern comprising:
- means for detecting a gray image signal from each of a plurality of circuit patterns as objects of inspection, which circuit patterns have been fabricated so as to be identical with one another;
- and
- means for detecting a defect as a difference of edge position between two circuit patterns by comparing the detected gray image signal of one circuit pattern with the detected gray image signal of another circuit pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.