Method and system for determining surface feature characteristics using slit detectors
US7102740B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 3, 2003 |
| Grant date | Sep 5, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 23, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/8905
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and system for determining surface feature characteristics (including position and dimensions) using slit detectors provides a low-cost and high-speed measurement system for inspecting a surface. The system includes multiple slit detectors positioned so that a feature on a surface scanned by the system is detected by at least two detectors that are rotationally offset from each other and from the direction of scanning, a scanning control system for providing motion to the surface of interest in relation to the detectors, and an electronic analyzer for computing characteristics (including position and dimensions) of surface features. The location of surface features along an axis perpendicular to the direction of motion of the surface is determined from the relative timing between the presence of surface feature within the slit detector fields and the dimension of surface features in a direction crossing the short axis of a slit detector field is determined from the relative length of time the features remain in the slit detector field.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.