Inspection instrument
OwnerJizhong Heinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates an inspection instrument adapted to increase testing throughput in a manufacturing process. In one embodiment, the inspection instrument includes a base plate and a vertical frame, where the base plate and the vertical frame are configured to provide structural support of the inspection instrument, a first mounting mechanism coupled to the base plate, where the first mounting mechanism is configured to hold a sample for inspection, and a second mounting mechanism coupled to the vertical frame, where the second mounting mechanism is configured to hold a set of sensors and an optical system for inspecting the sample. The first mounting mechanism and the second mounting mechanism are decoupled from each other to reduce impact of movements of the sample to the set of sensors and the optical system.
Claims28
An inspection instrument, comprising:
- a base plate and a vertical frame, the base plate and the vertical frame providing a structural support of the inspection instrument, wherein the base plate includes an opening provided for a spindle to go through, the spindle is caused to rotate at high speed and to position steadily a sample to be inspected in the inspection instrument;
- a first mounting mechanism, coupled to the base plate, provided to hold the sample stationary for inspection;
- an optical system;
- a sensor turret provided to hold a plurality of sensors having different characteristics, provided to sense different defects on the sample, wherein the sensor turret is caused to rotate the sensors;
- a second mounting mechanism, coupled to the vertical frame, provided to hold the sensor turret so as to support the sensors and the optical system, wherein the sensors are sequentially rotated with the sensor turret to take turns for inspecting the sample for one of the different defects, images of the different defects are captured through the optical system by a camera mounted on a vertical plate slidable on a pair of linear guides,
- wherein the first mounting mechanism and the second mounting mechanism are decoupled from each other to reduce an impact of movements of the sample to the set of sensors and the optical system.
A method for constructing an inspection instrument, comprising:
- providing a base plate and a vertical frame for a structural support of the inspection instrument, wherein the base plate includes an opening provided for a spindle to go through, the spindle is configured to rotate at high speed and to position steadily a sample to be inspected in the inspection instrument, wherein the spindle is provided to hold a sample on a disk chuck;
- providing a first mounting mechanism, coupled to the base plate, to hold the sample for inspection;
- providing a second mounting mechanism, coupled to the vertical frame, to support a sensor turret mounted with a set of sensors and an optical system for inspecting the sample, each of the sensors having different characteristics provided to detect different defects on the sample, wherein the sensor turret is caused to rotate the sensors sequentially for inspecting the sample for the different defects;
- and
- capturing images of the different defects by the sensors via the same optical system mounted on a vertical plate slidable on a pair of linear guides,
- wherein the first mounting mechanism and the second mounting mechanism are decoupled from each other to reduce impact of movements of the sample to the set of sensors and the optical system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.