Dimension measuring apparatus and computer readable medium

1. An apparatus for detecting a defect in a wafer pattern based on a comparison between a first point of a first data contour and a second point of a second data contour, the first data contour being a reference pattern, the second data contour being a pattern to be evaluated, the apparatus comprising:

an image capturing device configured to capture image data corresponding to the pattern to be evaluated;

a processing system comprising a processor and control code programmed to receive the image data from the image capturing device;

generate the second data contour by extracting data points corresponding to an edge of the pattern from the image data, the second data contour including a plurality of segments configuring a pattern, each of the plurality of segments including a plurality of the data points, the second point being one of the plurality of data points;

associate the first point and the second point with each other when a distance between the first point and the second point satisfies a condition;

determine whether the second point is also selected to be associated with a third point on the first data contour;

correct the association of the first point with the second point when it is determined that the second point is also selected to be associated with the third point; and

output whether the wafer pattern includes the defect based on the comparison between the first and second data contours,

wherein the first data contour is divided into a plurality of segments configuring a patter,

wherein the comparison between the first and second data contours is based on an inspection of the plurality of points of the second data contour,

wherein the inspection of the plurality of points of the second data contour includes:

determining there is a defect when a point of the second data contour does not correspond to a point of the first data contour,

calculating an edge placement error value for a point of the second data contour when the point of the second data contour corresponds to a point of the first data contour; and

determining there is a defect when the edge placement error value is greater than a threshold.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processing system judges whether the first point and the third point are in a prescribed positional relation or not.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, when the first point and the third point are not on a same segment, the processing system searches for an other corresponding point that corresponds to the first point, with respect to the second data contour.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the processing system searches for candidates for the other corresponding point from information on points on the second data contour that correspond to other points belonging to a same segment to which the first point belongs, and selects a point nearest to the first point from candidates searched for as a point corresponding to the first point.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, when the segment to which the first point belongs and the segment to which the third point belongs are judged to be same, the processing system measures a dimension between the first point and the second point.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processing system divides the data contour on a branching point basis.

7. A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program which causes a computer to detect a defect in a wafer pattern based on a comparison of a first data contour and a second data contour, the first data contour being a reference pattern, the second data contour being the pattern to be evaluated, wherein the program causes the computer to

receive image data from an image capturing device;

generate the second data contour, by extracting data points corresponding to an edge of the pattern from the image data, the second data contour including a plurality of segments configuring a pattern, each of the plurality of segments including a plurality of the data points, the second point being one of the plurality of the data points;

associate the first point and the second point with each other when a distance between the first point and the second point satisfies a condition;

determine whether the second point is also selected to be associated with a third point on the first data contour;

correct the association of the first point with the second point when it is determined that the second point is also selected to be associated with the third point, and

output whether the wafer pattern includes the defect based on a comparison between the first and second data contours,

wherein the first data contour is divided into a plurality of segments configuring a pattern,

wherein the comparison between the first and second data contours is based on an inspection of the plurality of points of the second data contour,

wherein the inspection of the plurality of points of the second data contour includes:

determining there is a defect when a point of the second data contour does not correspond to a point of the first data contour,

calculating an edge placement error value for a point of the second data contour when the point of the second data contour corresponds to a point of the first data contour; and

determining there is a defect when the edge placement error value is greater than a threshold.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 7 wherein the program causes the computer to judge whether the first point and the third point are in a prescribed positional relation or not.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 7 wherein, when the segment to which the first point belongs and the segment to which the third point belongs are judged to be same, the program causes the computer to measure a dimension between the first point and the second point.