Method and apparatus for detecting defects in wafers

US7813541B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials South East Asia Pte. Ltd. · SG

Inventors

• Erez Sali · Dimona, IL
• Tomer Yanir · Rinatya, IL
• Mark Wagner · Waynesboro, US
• Noam Dotan · Givatayim, IL
• Yuval Dorfan · Raanana, IL
• Ran Zaslavsky · Kfar Sava, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 28, 2005
• Grant date: Oct 12, 2010
• Expiry date: Aug 1, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T7/001
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for inspecting a wafer including a multiplicity of dies, the method including dividing an image of at least a portion of the wafer into a plurality of sub-images each representing a sub-portion of the wafer and selecting at least one defect candidate within each sub-image by comparing each sub-image to a corresponding sub-image of a reference including a representation, which is assumed to be faultless, of the portion of the wafer.