IP Library Granted Patent US 6,873,354
Granted Patent B2
US 6,873,354 · App. 09/949,423 · Granted Mar 29, 2005

System and method for registering complex images

Assignee: nLine Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,873,354
App. No.
09/949,423
Granted
Mar 29, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method are described for an image registration system and method including a registration engine that receives complex image data for corresponding images. The registration engine generates a correlation map between the complex image pair for relative translation by calculating an inverse of the complex conjugate product of the frequency data of the first image and the frequency domain data of the second, corresponding, image. The frequency domain data may be obtained using Fast Fourier transform-based techniques.

Claims (46)

1. An imaging system comprising:

a positioning system operable to position a target;

an optical system disposed proximate the positioning system and operable to capture a holographic image of the target;

a charged coupled device (CCD) camera operatively coupled with the optical system and operable to digitally record the holographic image data captured by the optical system, the holographic image data comprising a complete object wave, wherein the complete object wave comprises: phase data representing the target height and reflectance data for points X and Y on the target;

a registration system operatively coupled to the optical system and operable to:

receive frequency data for a first image and a second corresponding image, the frequency data corresponding to the complete object wave data recorded by the CCD camera; and

calculate correlation data for the first image and the second image, the correlation data comprising an inverse transform of a complex conjugate product of the frequency data of the first image and the frequency data of the second image, the correlation data comprising a correlation translation between the first image and the second image.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the frequency data further comprises a FFT of the complete object wave data.

3. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein:

the first image further comprises an image of a portion of a first die; and

the second image further comprises an image of a corresponding portion of a second die.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising the registration engine operable to:

receive the FFT of the first image;

receive the FFT of the second image; and

determine the conjugate product of the FFT of the first image and the FFT of the second image.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising the registration engine operable to:

receive complete object wave data for a plurality of corresponding images; and

output correlation data for the plurality of corresponding images.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising the comparison engine operable to:

compare the first image and the second image; and

identify phase differences between the first image and the second image.

7. An image registration system comprising:

a registration engine operable to:

receive complete object wave data for corresponding image pairs, wherein the complete object wave data comprises: phase data representing the target height and reflectance data for points X and Y on a target and; the image pairs having a first image and a second corresponding image; and

calculating an inverse transform of a complex conjugate of the fast Fourier transform of the first image and the fast Fourier transform of the second image.

8. The image registration system of claim 7 wherein the complete object wave data of the first image and the second image further comprise complete object wave data captured by a CCD camera.

9. The image registration system of claim 7 further comprising the registration engine operable to filter the complete wave data.

10. The image registration system of claim 7 wherein:

the first image further comprises an image of a portion of a first die; and

the second image further comprising an image of a corresponding portion of a second die.

11. The image registration system of claim 7 further comprising the registration engine operable to:

receive the FFT of the first image;

receive the FFT of the second image;

determine the conjugate product of the FFT of the first image and the FFT of the second image.

12. The image registration system of claim 7 further operable to determine a correlation map between the first image and the second image.

13. The image registration system of claim 7 further operable to register a plurality of complex image pairs.

14. A method of registering image data of correlated images comprising:

receiving complex image data of a first image comprising a first complete object wave, wherein the first complete object wave comprises: phase data representing a target height and reflectance data for points X and Y on the target;

receiving complex image data of a second image, the second image corresponding to the first image and comprising a second complete object wave;

calculating the inverse of the complex conjugate product of the fast Fourier transform of the first image and the fast Fourier transform of the second image; and

calculating a correlation magnitude utilizing the inverse complex conjugate product.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising identifying a translation of the first image with respect to the second from the correlation magnitude map.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising registering image data from a plurality of correlated images.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

identifying a plurality of control points based upon the inverse complex conjugate product; and

performing a misregistration analysis based upon a peak pattern identified on a correlation map.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 12, 2003
From: NLINE CORPORATION, A DELAWARE CORPORATION
To: FEI COMPANY, AN OREGON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 014191/0656 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 17, 2003
From: NLINE CORPORATION
To: SENSOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FUND, LLC; TAT INVESTMENTS II C.V.; MIDDLEFIELD VENTURES, INC.; KNOLLENBERG, ROBERT D.
Reel/Frame 013841/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2001
From: DAI, X. LONG; HUNT, MARTIN A.; SHEN, BICHUAN
To: NLINE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 012156/0199 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20040174437A1 · Sep 9, 2004