Substrate inspecting apparatus for obtaining synthetic image data and method of inspecting substrate by obtaining synthetic image data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12456203-B2
Application number	US-202217960324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2022
Priority date	Dec 30, 2021
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

A substrate inspection apparatus includes: an image sensor which obtains first image data of a first substrate and second image data of a second substrate; and a processor which obtains synthetic image data by using the first and second image data, where the processor obtains first first spot information and first non-spot information of a first first spot area and a first non-spot area on the first substrate, based on the first image data, obtain first second spot information and second non-spot information of a first second spot area and a second non-spot area on locations on the second substrate corresponding to locations of the first first spot area and the first non-spot area on the first substrate, based on the second image data, and obtain the synthetic image data by using the first first spot information, the first second spot information and the first and second non-spot information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate inspection apparatus comprising:
a light source which radiates light onto a first substrate and a second substrate; an image sensor which obtains first image data with respect to the first substrate by capturing the first substrate based on the light scattered, emitted, or reflected from the first substrate and obtains second image data with respect to the second substrate by capturing the second substrate based on the light scattered, emitted, or reflected from the second substrate; and a processor which obtains synthetic image data by using the first image data and the second image data, wherein the synthetic image data are image data with respect to a virtual synthetic substrate, wherein the processor obtains first first spot information with respect to a first first spot area on the first substrate and first non-spot information with respect to a first non-spot area on the first substrate, based on the first image data, obtains first second spot information with respect to a first second spot area on a location on the second substrate corresponding to a location of the first first spot area on the first substrate and second non-spot information with respect to a second non-spot area on a location on the second substrate corresponding to a location of the first non-spot area on the first substrate, based on the second image data, and obtains the synthetic image data by using the first first spot information, the first second spot information, the first non-spot information, and the second non-spot information, wherein the substrate inspection apparatus provides the synthetic image data to a user.

2 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the first first spot information includes a location of the first first spot area, a size of the first first spot area, a shape of the first first spot area, and a brightness of the first first spot area, the first second spot information includes a location of the first second spot area, a size of the first second spot area, a shape of the first second spot area, and a brightness of the first second spot area, the first non-spot information includes a location of the first non-spot area and a brightness of the first non-spot area, and the second non-spot information includes a location of the second non-spot area and a brightness of the second non-spot area.

3 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor
calculates a first average value which is an average of the brightness of the first first spot area and the brightness of the first second spot area, and a second average value which is an average of the brightness of the first non-spot area and the brightness of the second non-spot area, and obtains the synthetic image data including information with respect to a first synthetic spot area corresponding to the first first spot area and having a same brightness as the first average value and information with respect to a synthetic non-spot area corresponding to the first non-spot area and having a same brightness as the second average value.

4 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
calculate a first normal value and a second normal value, wherein the first normal value is obtained by normalizing a sum of the brightness of the first first spot area and the brightness of the first second spot area, and the second normal value is obtained by normalizing a sum of the brightness of the 1 st non-spot area and the brightness of the second non-spot area; and obtain the synthetic image data including information with respect to a first synthetic spot area corresponding to the first first spot area and having a same brightness as the first normal value and information with respect to a synthetic non-spot area corresponding to the first non-spot area and having a same brightness as the second normal value.

5 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to
calculate the first normal value and the second normal value by subtracting a same value from each of the sum of the brightness of the first first spot area and the brightness of the first second spot area and the sum of the brightness of the first non-spot area and the brightness of the second non-spot area, such that an average value of the first normal value and the second normal value is the same as an average value of a brightness of the first substrate and a brightness of the second substrate.

6 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
calculate a first correction value and a second correction value, wherein the first correction value is a sum of a value obtained by multiplying the brightness of the first first spot area by a first weight and a value obtained by multiplying the brightness of the first second spot area by a second weight different from the first weight, and the second correction value is a sum of a value obtained by multiplying the brightness of the first non-spot area by the first weight and a value obtained by multiplying the brightness of the second non-spot area by the second weight; and obtain the synthetic image data including information with respect to a first synthetic spot area corresponding to the first first spot area and having a same brightness as the first correction value and information with respect to a synthetic non-spot area corresponding to the first non-spot area and having a same brightness as the second correction value.

7 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, when a value obtained by subtracting the brightness of the first non-spot area from the brightness of the first first spot area is less than a value obtained by subtracting the brightness of the second non-spot area from the brightness of the first second spot area, the first weight is less than the second weight.

8 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor
obtains second first spot information with respect to a second first spot area on the first substrate, based on the first image data, and obtains second second spot information with respect to a second second spot area on the second substrate, based on the second image data, the second first spot information includes a location of the second first spot area, a size of the second first spot area, a shape of the second first spot area, and a brightness of the second first spot area, and the second second spot information includes a location of the second second spot area, a size of the second second spot area, a shape of the second second spot area, and a brightness of the second second spot area.

9 . The substrate inspection apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor
calculates a third average value and a second average value when the location of the first first spot area overlaps the location of the second first spot area, the location of the first second spot area overlaps the location of the second second spot area, the shape of the first first spot area is the same as the shape of the first second spot area, and the shape of the second first spot area is the same as the shape of the second second spot area, wherein the third average value is an average of the brightness of the second first spot area and the brightness of the second second spot area, and the second average value is an average of the brightness of the first non-spot area and the brightness of the second non-spot area, and obtains the synthetic image data including information with respect to a second synthetic spot area corresponding to the second first spot area and having a same brightness as the third

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Myoungchul
• Shin Eonpil
• Lee Donghoon
• Kim Taejun
• Seo Jihoon
• Yong Moonkyoung
• Jung Jiyong

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• G06T7/11 Primary

  Region-based segmentation · CPC title

• G06T2207/30148

  Semiconductor; IC; Wafer · CPC title

• G01N2021/8887

  based on image processing techniques · CPC title

• G01N2021/8864

  Mapping zones of defects · CPC title