Method and apparatus for inspecting defects in a patterned specimen
US6621571B1 · kind B1 · utility
74Cited by
4References
30Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 16, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 18, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/95615
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In a method and apparatus for detecting pattern defects, a UV laser is focused on a pupil of an objective lens and scanned; the focused and scanned UV lens illuminates a specimen on which patterns are formed; the specimen illuminated by the UV laser is imaged: and the resulting image of the specimen is compared with a previously stored reference image. The specimen illuminated by UV light is imaged using an anti-blooming time delay integration image sensor or a back-illumination time delay integration image sensor; and the resulting specimen image is compared with a previously stored reference image.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.