Defect inspection method and defect inspection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9865046-B2
Application number	US-201314758063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Dec 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

In order to achieve highly precise alignment of inspection images when integrating a plurality of inspection images having different imaging conditions to improve inspection performance, and in order to achieve highly precise alignment of images acquired at different inspection angles and different polarization states, an inspection device is configured to comprise: an image acquiring unit that acquires image data, under a plurality of imaging conditions, for a sample; a feature extracting unit that extracts at least one feature point; a position correction calculating unit that calculates, on the basis of the feature point, the amount of position correction for the plurality of image data sets; a position correcting unit that corrects the position of the plurality of image data sets with the amount of position correction; and an integrating unit that detects defects by integrating a plurality of data sets for which position correction is done.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A defect inspection method comprising:
irradiating illumination light onto a sample;
detecting a plurality of images having different imaging conditions based on scattered light emitted from the sample by the irradiated illumination light;
extracting feature data based on the detected plurality of images having different imaging conditions, the feature data being at least one of a feature amount image having one or more values for each pixel constituting the detected plurality of images, a feature point having information on a coordinate on the sample, and a weighed feature point at which the respective feature points each have a feature amount of a real value or an attribute of a discrete value based on a histogram which includes a frequency of each respective feature amount;
calculating a plurality of position correction amounts for the detected plurality of images by comparing the extracted feature data of an image of a preset reference condition, using at least one position correction template, from among the detected plurality of images having different imaging conditions, with the extracted feature data of the remaining images from the detected plurality of images, other than the image of the preset reference condition;
correcting positions of the plurality of images based on the calculated position correction amounts;
extracting a defect candidate based on the corrected plurality of images; and
calculating a correction amount wafer map which indicates position correction amounts for an alignment reference condition for a defect having one feature amount selected from a plurality of feature amounts,
wherein said different imaging conditions comprise at least two different image resolutions, and
wherein said calculating a plurality of position correction amounts comprises calculating a first position correction amount and thereafter calculating a second position correction amount, said first position correction amount being calculated using an edge corner feature, and said second position correction amount providing fine alignment calculated using a signal strength feature.

2. The defect inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the feature amount image whose feature data is extracted is a feature amount image acquired by extracting an edge strength of a background pattern as the feature amount; the feature points correspond to a distribution of feature points acquired by quantizing the feature amount image; and the weighed feature points are acquired by giving the feature amounts to the respective feature points in the feature amount image.

3. The defect inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the image of the reference condition is determined based on one of a direction of a wiring pattern on the sample, a polarization state of the illumination light at the irradiating step, and a direction in which the sample is scanned.

4. A defect inspection device comprising:
an illumination light source configured to irradiate illumination light onto a sample; and
a processor configured to:
detect a plurality of images having different imaging conditions based on scattered light emitted from the sample by the irradiated illumination light;
extract feature data based on the detected plurality of images having different imaging conditions, the feature data being at least one of a feature amount image having one or more values for each pixel constituting the detected plurality of images, a feature point having information on a coordinate on the sample, and a weighed feature point at which the respective feature points each have a feature amount of a real value or an attribute of a discrete value based on a histogram which includes a frequency of each respective feature amount;
calculate a plurality of position correction amounts for the detected plurality of images by comparing the extracted feature data of an image of a preset reference condition, using at least one position correction template, from among the detected plurality of images having different imaging conditions, with the extracted feature data of the remaining images from the detected plurality of images, other than the image of the preset reference condition;
correct positions of the plurality of images based on the calculated position correction amounts;
extract a defect candidate based on the corrected plurality of images; and
calculate a correction amount wafer map which indicates position correction amounts for an alignment reference condition for a defect having one feature amount selected from a plurality of feature amounts,
wherein said different imaging conditions comprise at least two different image resolutions, and
wherein said calculating of a plurality of position correction amounts comprises calculating a first position correction amount and thereafter calculating a second position correction amount, said first position correction amount being calculated using an edge corner feature, and said second position correction amount providing fine alignment calculated using a signal strength feature.

5. The defect inspection device according to claim 4 , wherein the feature amount image is a feature amount image acquired by extracting an edge strength of a background pattern as the feature amount; the feature points correspond to a distribution of feature points acquired by quantizing the feature amount image; and the weighed feature points are acquired by giving the feature amounts to the respective feature points in the feature amount image.

6. The defect inspection device according to claim 4 , wherein the image of the reference condition is determined based on one of a direction of a wiring pattern on the sample, a polarization state of the illumination light, and a direction in which the sample is scanned.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Urano Takahiro
• Honda Toshifumi

Classifications

• G06T2207/30244

  Camera pose · CPC title

• G06T7/0004

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• G06T1/0007

  Image acquisition · CPC title

• G06T2207/10004

  Still image; Photographic image · CPC title

• G06T7/33

  using feature-based methods · CPC title