Particle position correlator and correlation method for a surface scanner
US4641967A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 11, 1985 |
| Grant date | Feb 10, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 11, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/94
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for particle detection and position correlation that fuses separate detections of the same particle on adjacent scan lines into one. A first scan line on a surface is scanned with a laser beam and the scattered light detected. The detection generates address and amplitude data for each particle which is stored. The second line scanned also generates data which is stored in a buffer. Particle data between scan lines is compared. Data for new particles is stored, data for previous particles no longer detected being sent to computer storage, and data for the same particle being compared and only the one with larger amplitude being kept. The results in computer storage may be displayed as a wafer with those pixels lit which have particles.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.