Pattern inspection apparatus and method
US8045785B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 6, 2010 |
| Grant date | Oct 25, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 6, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/2817
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
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 is inspected by a pattern inspection apparatus. The pattern inspection apparatus for inspecting a pattern to-be-inspected uses an image of the pattern to-be-inspected and data for fabricating the pattern to-be-inspected. The pattern inspection apparatus includes a reference pattern generation device configured to generate a reference pattern represented by one or more lines 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 edges 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.