Method of Visualizing Defect Using Design Data and Defect Detection Method

Content Provider	The Lens
Abstract	A method of visualizing a defect of a pattern constituting a semiconductor device with a high accuracy in a wide range is disclosed. The method of visualizing a defect, includes: generating pattern images with a scanning electron microscope; superimposing the pattern images while aligning positions of patterns in the pattern images; calculating a variance of gray level over the pattern images for each of inspection areas on the patterns; creating a false-color image by color-coding the inspection areas according to magnitude of the variance; and displaying the false-color image.
Related Links	https://www.lens.org/lens/patent/011-431-732-881-338/frontpage
Language	English
Publisher Date	2019-01-24
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Patent
Jurisdiction	United States of America
Date Applied	2018-06-15
Applicant	Ngr Inc
Application No.	201816009660
Claim	A method of visualizing a defect, comprising: generating pattern images with a scanning electron microscope; superimposing the pattern images while aligning positions of patterns in the pattern images; calculating a variance of gray level over the pattern images for each of inspection areas on the patterns; creating a false-color image by color-coding the inspection areas according to magnitude of the variance; and displaying the false-color image. The method of visualizing a defect according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection areas are established in advance based on shape of the patterns contained in a design data. The method of visualizing a defect according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inspection areas is an area on an edge of the patterns. A defect detection method comprising: generating pattern images with a scanning electron microscope; superimposing the pattern images while aligning positions of patterns in the pattern images; producing data of gray levels for each of inspection areas on the patterns by obtaining gray levels over the pattern images for each of the inspection areas; determining threshold values corresponding respectively to the inspection areas, based on the data of gray levels; comparing a gray level of each one of pixels in the inspection areas with a corresponding threshold value of the threshold values; applying a first color to pixels having gray levels higher than the threshold value, and applying a second color to pixels having gray levels lower than the threshold value, thereby generating a binary image; and detecting a pattern defect by detecting connected pixels of the first color whose number is equal to or greater than a set number. The defect detection method according to claim 4 , wherein each of the threshold values is determined based on a quartile range or a standard deviation of the data.
CPC Classification	IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION; IN GENERAL
Extended Family	011-431-732-881-338 111-224-324-229-627
Patent ID	20190026881
Inventor/Author	Sato Yoshishige
IPC	G06T7/00 G06T7/12 G06T7/90
Status	Discontinued
Owner	Tasmit Inc
Simple Family	011-431-732-881-338 111-224-324-229-627
CPC (with Group)	G06T7/001 G06T2207/10061 G06T2207/30148 G06T7/12 G06T7/90
Issuing Authority	United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Kind	Patent Application Publication