Inspection method and apparatus using an electron beam
US7855363B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 12, 2008 |
| Grant date | Dec 21, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 5, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/2817
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An inspection method and apparatus irradiates a sample on which a pattern is formed with an electron beam, so that an inspection image and a reference image can be generated on the basis of a secondary electron or a reflected electron emitted by the sample. An abnormal pattern is determined based on a difference in halftone values of each pixel between the inspection image and the reference image. A plurality of feature quantities of the abnormal pattern are obtained from an image of the abnormal pattern, and, based on the distribution of the plurality of feature quantities of the abnormal pattern, a range for classifying the type of the abnormal pattern is designated. Thus, a desired defect can be extracted from many defects extracted by inspection.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.