Patent · US Active

Inspecting a wafer and/or predicting one or more characteristics of a device being formed on a wafer

US8948495B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
10References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 2, 2013
Grant dateFeb 3, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 30, 2033

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/30148
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods for inspecting a wafer and/or predicting one or more characteristics of a device being formed on a wafer are provided. One method includes acquiring images for multiple die printed on a wafer, each of which is printed by performing a double patterning lithography process on the wafer and which include two or more die printed at nominal values of overlay for the double patterning lithography process and one or more die printed at modulated values of the overlay; comparing the images acquired for the multiple die printed at the nominal values to the images acquired for the multiple die printed at the modulated values; and detecting defects in the multiple die printed at the modulated values based on results of the comparing step.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.