IP Library Granted Patent US 12,306,109
Granted Patent B2
US 12,306,109 · App. 18/257,685 · Granted May 20, 2025

Inspection condition presentation apparatus, surface inspection apparatus, inspection condition presentation method and program

Inventors: Katsuhisa Yoshida (Tokyo, JP); Yoshishige Okuno (Tokyo, JP); Shuji Hatada (Chiba, JP); Kazunori Ohashi (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: Resonac Corporation
G01N21/8806G01N21/9501G01N21/956G01N2021/8845G01N2021/8848
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,306,109
App. No.
18/257,685
Granted
May 20, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An inspection condition presentation apparatus includes an intensity calculation part configured to calculate an intensity distribution of scattered light when inspection light is irradiated on a surface of an inspection target on which scatterers of different types are present according to a plurality of incidence condition candidates, and an incidence condition presentation part configured to present, to a user, an incidence condition candidate with which an intensity of the scattered light becomes a maximum, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates.

Claims (55)

1. An inspection condition presentation apparatus comprising:

a first storage device configured to store a first program; and

a first processor configured to execute the first program and perform a process including

calculating an intensity distribution of scattered light when inspection light is irradiated on a surface of an inspection target on which scatterers of different types are present according to a plurality of incidence condition candidates;

presenting, to a user, an incidence condition candidate with which an intensity of the scattered light becomes a maximum, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

receiving an incidence condition instructed by the user in response to the incidence condition candidate presented to the user among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

calculating a first distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a first type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a second distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a second type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a difference between the first distribution and the second distribution;

acquiring coordinates indicating an extreme value of the difference; and

presenting a detection condition candidate of the scattered light to the user based on an arrangement of the coordinates,

wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates includes a wavelength of the inspection light.

2. The inspection condition presentation apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates further includes at least one of an incident angle of the inspection light with respect to the surface, and a type of polarization of the inspection light.

3. The inspection condition presentation apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the detection condition candidate includes a scatterer presence or absence detection position candidate that is a detection position for determining presence or absence of the scatterer, and

the presenting the detection condition candidate presents, as the scatterer presence or absence detection position candidate, coordinates at which the intensity of the scattered light is high and in common to the first distribution and the second distribution.

4. The inspection condition presentation apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein

the detection condition candidate includes a scatterer type detection position candidate that is a detection position for determining the type of the scatterer, and

the presenting the detection condition candidates presents, as the scatterer type detection position candidate, coordinates at which the type of the scatterer can be determined using a minimum number of detection positions.

5. The inspection condition presentation apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein

the inspection target is a semiconductor wafer or a flat metal, and

the type of the scatterer includes a particle adhered to the surface, and a fine protrusion, a scratch, and a pit generated at the surface.

6. A surface inspection apparatus comprising:

a second storage device configured to store a second program; and

a second processor configured to execute the second program and perform a process including

determining the incidence condition candidate presented by the inspection condition presentation apparatus according to claim 4 as an incidence condition;

determining the scatterer presence or absence detection position candidate and the scatterer type detection position candidate presented by the inspection condition presentation apparatus according to claim 4 as a scatterer presence or absence detection position and a scatterer type detection position;

irradiating the inspection light on the surface of the inspection target according to the incidence condition;

detecting the scattered light when the inspection light irradiates the surface at the scatterer presence or absence detection position and the scatterer type detection position; and

determining a presence or absence of the scatterer based on the scattered light detected at the scatterer presence or absence detection position by the detecting, and determining the type of the scatterer based on the scattered light detected at the scatterer type detection position by the detecting.

7. The surface inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , which is communicably connected to the inspection condition presentation apparatus and a user terminal,

wherein the presenting the incidence condition candidate displays the incidence condition candidate, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates, on a display device of the user terminal.

8. The inspection condition presentation apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the presenting the incidence condition candidate displays the incidence condition candidate, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates, on a display device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a process including:

calculating an intensity distribution of scattered light when inspection light is irradiated on a surface of an inspection target in which scatterers of different types are present according to a plurality of incidence condition candidates;

presenting, to a user, an incidence condition candidate in which an intensity of the scattered light becomes a maximum, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

receiving an incidence condition instructed by the user in response to the incidence condition candidate presented to the user among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

calculating a first distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a first type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a second distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a second type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a difference between the first distribution and the second distribution;

acquiring coordinates indicating an extreme value of the difference; and

presenting a detection condition candidate of the scattered light to the user based on an arrangement of the coordinates,

wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates includes a wavelength of the inspection light.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates further includes at least one of an incident angle of the inspection light with respect to the surface, and a type of polarization of the inspection light.

11. An inspection condition presentation method implemented by a computer to perform a process including:

calculating an intensity distribution of scattered light when inspection light is irradiated on a surface of an inspection target in which scatterers of different types are present according to a plurality of incidence condition candidates;

presenting, to a user, an incidence condition candidate in which an intensity of the scattered light becomes a maximum, among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

receiving an incidence condition instructed by the user in response to the incidence condition candidate presented to the user among the plurality of incidence condition candidates;

calculating a first distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a first type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a second distribution that is an intensity distribution of the scattered light when the inspection light is irradiated on the surface on which a second type of scatterer is present according to the incidence condition;

calculating a difference between the first distribution and the second distribution;

acquiring coordinates indicating an extreme value of the difference; and

presenting a detection condition candidate of the scattered light to the user based on an arrangement of the coordinates,

wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates includes a wavelength of the inspection light.

12. The inspection condition presentation method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of incidence condition candidates further includes at least one of an incident angle of the inspection light with respect to the surface, and a type of polarization of the inspection light.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Feb 9, 2024
From: RESONAC CORPORATION
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066547/0677 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2023
From: YOSHIDA, KATSUHISA; OKUNO, YOSHISHIGE; HATADA, SHUJI; OHASHI, KAZUNORI
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063962/0088 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-185472 · Nov 15, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240027359A1 · Jan 25, 2024
References Cited (11)
US 4139307A · Clarke · 1979 [cited by examiner]
US 20040169851A1 · Yang · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20100225904A1 · Oshima · 2010 [cited by examiner]
CN 110911298 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 112213331 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP H08220003 · 1996 [cited by applicant]
JP 2000162141 · 2000 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006170908 · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2010101714 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019516065 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2012153652 · 2012 [cited by applicant]