Computer-implemented methods, carrier media, and systems for creating a defect sample for use in selecting one or more parameters of an inspection recipe

A carrier medium, comprising program instructions executable on a computer system for performing a computer-implemented method for creating a defect sample for use in selecting one or more parameters of an inspection recipe, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

• separating defects into bins based on regions in which the defects are located, defect type, and values of the defects for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm, wherein the defects are detected on a wafer by performing a hot inspection on the wafer, and wherein the detection algorithm is included in an inspection recipe;
• determining a number of the defects to be selected from each bin by distributing a user-specified target number of defects across the bins for different regions and different defect types in proportion to a number of the defects in each of the different regions and having each of the different defect types and across the bins for different values for the one or more parameters, wherein distributing the user-specified target number proportionally across the bins for the different regions comprises separately determining the number of the defects to be selected from each of the bins for the different regions by dividing a square root of total number of defects in each of the different regions by the square root of the total number of defects detected on the wafer and multiplying results of said dividing by the user-specified target number;
• and
• selecting defects from the bins based on the determined numbers thereby creating a defect sample for use in selecting values of one or more parameters of the detection algorithm for use in the inspection recipe.

A system configured to create a defect sample for use in selecting one or more parameters of an inspection recipe, comprising:

• an inspection system configured to detect defects on a wafer by performing a hot inspection on the wafer;
• and
• a computer system configured to:
• separate the defects into bins based on regions in which the defects are located, defect type, and values of the defects for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm, wherein the detection algorithm is included in an inspection recipe;
• determine a number of the defects to be selected from each bin by distributing a user-specified target number of defects across the bins for different regions and different defect types in proportion to a number of the defects in each of the different regions and having each of the different defect types and across the bins for different values for the one or more parameters, wherein distributing the user-specified target number proportionally across the bins for the different regions comprises separately determining the number of the defects to be selected from each of the bins for the different regions by dividing a square root of total number of defects in each of the different regions by the square root of the total number of defects detected on the wafer and multiplying results of said dividing by the target number;
• and
• select defects from the bins based on the determined numbers thereby creating a defect sample for use in selecting values of one or more parameters of the detection algorithm for use in the inspection recipe.