Pattern inspection apparatus and method
US7983471B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 4, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jul 19, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V2201/06
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A pattern inspection apparatus is used for inspecting a fine pattern, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI), a liquid crystal panel, and a photomask (reticle) for the semiconductor or the liquid crystal panel, which are fabricated based on data for fabricating the fine pattern such as design data. The pattern inspection apparatus includes a reference pattern generation device configured to generate a reference pattern represented by one or more lines, comprising one of a line segment and a curve, from the data, an image generation device configured to generate the image of the pattern to-be-inspected, a detecting device configured to detect an edge of the image of the pattern to-be-inspected, and an inspection device configured to inspect the pattern to-be-inspected by comparing the edge of the image of the pattern to-be-inspected with the one or more lines of the reference pattern.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.