US 9,070,014 B2Granted

System, method and computer program product for defect detection based on multiple references

AssigneeApplied Materials Israel Ltd.

InventorsMoshe Amzaleg, Yehuda Cohen, Nir Ben-David Dodzin, Efrat Rozenman

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Abstract

A defect detection system for computerized detection of defects, the system including: an interface for receiving inspection image data including information of an analyzed pixel and of a plurality of reference pixels; and a processor, including: a differences analysis module, configured to: (a) calculate differences based on an inspected value representative of the analyzed pixel and on multiple reference values, each of which is representative of a reference pixel among the plurality of reference pixels; wherein the differences analysis module is configured to calculate for each of the reference pixels a difference between the reference value of the reference pixel and the inspected value; and (b) compute a representative difference value based on a plurality of the differences; and a defect analysis module, configured to determine a presence of a defect in the analyzed pixel based on the representative difference value.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A defect detection system for computerized detection of defects in an inspected object based on processing of an inspection image, the system comprising:

an interface for receiving inspection image data including information of an analyzed pixel and of a plurality of reference pixels;
a memory;
and
a processor operatively coupled to the interface and the memory to:
identify an analyzed pixel from a first cell of the inspection image of the inspected object;
identify a plurality of reference pixels from a plurality of cells of the inspection image of the inspected object, the plurality of cells being other cells in the inspection image than the first cell of the inspection image;
obtain an inspected value representative of the analyzed pixel of the first cell of the inspected image, and a plurality of reference values of the plurality of cells of the inspection image, wherein each of the plurality of reference values is representative of a reference pixel among the plurality of reference pixels from the plurality of cells other than the first cell;
for each of the plurality of reference pixels, calculate a difference between the reference value of a respective reference pixel and the inspected value of the analyzed pixel of the first cell;
compute a representative difference value based on a plurality of the differences;
and
determine a presence of a defect in the analyzed pixel based on the representative difference value.

8 more elements

A method for computerized detection of defects in an inspected object based on processing of an inspection image of the inspected object, the method comprising:

identifying an analyzed pixel from a first cell of the inspection image of the inspected object;
identifying, by a processor, a plurality of reference pixels from a plurality of cells of the inspection image of the inspected object, the plurality of cells being other cells in the inspection image than the first cell of the inspection image;
obtaining an inspected value representative of the analyzed pixel of the first cell of the inspected image, and a plurality of reference values of the plurality of cells of the inspection image, wherein each of the plurality of reference values is representative of a reference pixel among the plurality of reference pixels from the plurality of cells other than the first cell;
for each of the plurality of reference pixels, calculating a difference between the reference value of a respective reference pixel and the inspected value of the analyzed pixel of the first cell;
computing a representative difference value based on a plurality of the differences;
and
determining a presence of a defect in the analyzed pixel based on the representative difference value.

4 more elements

A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations for computerized detection of defects in an inspected object based on processing of an inspection image, the operations comprising:

identifying an analyzed pixel from a first cell of the inspection image of the inspected object;
identifying, by the machine, a plurality of reference pixels from a plurality of cells of the inspection image of the inspected object, the plurality of cells being other cells in the inspection image than the first cell of the inspection image;
obtaining an inspected value representative of the analyzed pixel of the first cell, and a plurality of reference values of the plurality of cells of the inspection image, wherein each of the plurality of reference values is representative of a reference pixel among the plurality of reference pixels from the plurality of cells other than the first cell;
for each of the plurality of reference pixels, calculating a difference between the reference value of a respective reference pixel and the inspected value of the analyzed pixel of the first cell;
computing a representative difference value based on a plurality of the differences;
and
determining a presence of a defect in the analyzed pixel based on the representative difference value.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/773,535Filed 21 Feb 2013
Published: US 2014/0233844 A121 Aug 2014
Granted: 30 Jun 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06T 7/001
Industrial image inspection: using an image reference approach
G06F 2218/12
Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing: classification; Matching
G06T 2207/10061
Microscopic image: from scanning electron microscope
G06T 2207/30148
Industrial image inspection: semiconductor; IC; Wafer