Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for classifying a defect on a semiconductor wafer

US5943437A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
2References
14Claims
0Family size

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Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 7, 1996
Grant dateAug 24, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 7, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L22/12
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A surface image of a semiconductor wafer having a defect is picked up as a inspection image while a surface image of a semiconductor wafer having no defect is stored in an image memory as a reference image. A density difference image between the inspection image and the reference image. By extracting the defect in wiring and non-wiring regions from the density difference image, extract images are obtained. Two luminance information for wiring and non-wiring regions are obtained from extract images. Based on the luminance information, the type of the defect is determined and a production process where the defect has occurred is detect.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.