IP Library Granted Patent US 10,677,739
Granted Patent B2
US 10,677,739 · App. 16/346,704 · Granted Jun 9, 2020

Method and apparatus for inspecting defects on transparent substrate

Inventors: Uta-Barbara Goers (Campbell, NY); En Hong (Painted Post, NY); Sung-chan Hwang (Cheonal-si, KR); Ji Hwa Jung (Seoul, KR); Tae-ho Keem (Seongnam-si, KR); Philip Robert LeBlanc (Corning, NY); Rajeshkannan Palanisamy (Painted Post, NY); Sung-jong Pyo (Asan-si, KR); Correy Robert Ustanik (Davidson, NC)
Assignee: Corning Incorporated
G01N21/896G02B7/1821G02B21/10G02B21/18G01N2021/8967G01N2201/0636
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,677,739
App. No.
16/346,704
Granted
Jun 9, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of inspecting defects of a transparent substrate may include: illuminating a transparent substrate; calculating an incidence angle range of light so that a first region where the light meets a first surface of the transparent substrate and a second region where light meets a second surface being opposite the first surface of the transparent substrate do not overlap each other; adjusting an incidence angle according to the incidence angle range; adjusting a position of a first detector so that a first field-of-view of the first detector covers the first region and does not cover the second region; adjusting a position of a second detector so that a second field-of-view of the second detector covers the second region and does not cover the first region; and obtaining a first image of the first region and a second image of the second region from the first and second detector, respectively.

Claims (195)

1. A method of inspecting defects of a transparent substrate, the method comprising:

illuminating the transparent substrate by emitting light from an illumination optical system;

calculating an incidence angle range of light emitted from the illumination optical system and incident on the transparent substrate so that a first region where the light meets a first surface of the transparent substrate and a second region where light transmitted through the transparent substrate meets a second surface of the transparent substrate do not overlap each other in a direction normal to the transparent substrate, the second surface being opposite to the first surface;

adjusting an incidence angle of the light according to the calculated incidence angle range;

adjusting a position of a first detector so that a first field-of-view of the first detector covers the first region and does not cover the second region;

adjusting a position of a second detector so that a second field-of-view of the second detector covers the second region and does not cover the first region;

obtaining a first image of the first region from the first detector and obtaining a second image of the second region from the second detector;

after the obtaining of the first and second images obtaining a first surface image and a second surface image by using the first and second images;

extracting a first position component of defects detected on the first image and a second position component of defects detected on the second image;

generating defect position data comprising the first and second position components;

comparing a light intensity of each position component of the defect position data on the first image with a light intensity of each position component of the defect position data on the second image; and

obtaining the first surface image of the transparent substrate by removing, from the first image, defects on positions with a greater light intensity on the second image than a light intensity on the first image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the incidence angle range comprises determining a horizontal separation distance between opposite edges of the first region and the second region.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein calculating the incidence angle range comprises utilizing the equation:

D

R

1

R

2

=

T

·

tan

(

sin

-

1

(

sin

θ

1

n

)

)

-

W

L

cos

θ

1

0

where D R1R2 is a separation distance between the first region and the second region, T is a thickness of the transparent substrate, θ 1 is the incidence angle, n is a refractive index of the transparent substrate, and W 1 is a beam width of the incident light.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a field-of-view width of the first detector and a field-of-view width of the second detector so that the first field-of-view and the second field-of-view do not overlap each other.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting at least one of a beam width of the illumination optical system and field-of-view widths of the first and second detectors so that the widths of the first field-of-view and the first region are matched to each other and the widths of the second field-of-view and the second region are matched to each other.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the transparent substrate mounted on a stage,

wherein the illuminating of the transparent substrate and the obtaining of the first and second images are simultaneously performed while the transparent substrate is moved.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the second surface image of the transparent substrate by removing, from the second image, defects on positions with a greater light intensity on the first image than a light intensity on the second image.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after the adjusting of the incidence angle of the incident light, adjusting a gradient of a detection optical system comprising the first detector and the second detector so that each of optical axes of the first and second detectors has a detection angle that is equal to or less than the incidence angle.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a position of at least one of the first and second detectors is adjusted according to the following equation:

D R1R2′ ≥D F1F2 ≥≥0

where D F1F2 n is a separation distance between the first field-of-view and the second field-of-view, D R1R2 , is a separation distance between the first region and a 2′nd region, the 2′nd region is a region through which the second region is exposed to the first surface of the transparent substrate when the second region is seen at the detection angle, and D R1R2 , is determined by the following equation:

D

R

1

R

2

=

T

·

tan

(

sin

-

1

(

sin

θ

1

n

)

)

-

W

L

cos

θ

1

+

T

·

tan

(

sin

-

1

(

sin

θ

2

n

)

)

where T is a thickness of the transparent substrate, 1 is the incidence angle, 02 is the detection angle, n is a refractive index of the transparent substrate, and W L is a beam width of the incident light.

10. A method of inspecting defects of a transparent substrate, the method comprising:

illuminating the transparent substrate by emitting light from an illumination optical system;

calculating an incidence angle range of light emitted from the illumination optical system and incident on the transparent substrate so that a first region where the light meets a first surface of the transparent substrate and a second region where light transmitted through the transparent substrate meets a second surface of the transparent substrate do not overlap each other in a direction normal to the transparent substrate, the second surface being opposite to the first surface;

adjusting an incidence angle of the light according to the calculated incidence angle range;

adjusting a position of a first detector so that a first field-of-view of the first detector covers the first region and does not cover the second region;

adjusting a position of a second detector so that a second field-of-view of the second detector covers the second region and does not cover the first region;

obtaining a first image of the first region from the first detector and obtaining a second image of the second region from the second detector; and

after the adjusting of the incidence angle of the incident light, adjusting a gradient of a detection optical system comprising the first detector and the second detector so that each of optical axes of the first and second detectors has a detection angle that is equal to or less than the incidence angle,

wherein a position of at least one of the first and second detectors is adjusted according to the following equation:

D R1R2′ ≥D F1F2 ≥0

where D F1F2 is a separation distance between the first field-of-view and the second field-of-view, D R1R2 , is a separation distance between the first region and a 2′nd region, the 2′nd region is a region through which the second region is exposed to the first surface of the transparent substrate when the second region is seen at the detection angle, and D R1R2 , is determined by the following equation:

D

R

1

R

2

=

T

·

tan

(

sin

-

1

(

sin

θ

1

n

)

)

-

W

L

cos

θ

1

+

T

·

tan

(

sin

-

1

(

sin

θ

2

n

)

)

where T is a thickness of the transparent substrate, θ 1 is the incidence angle, θ 2 is the detection angle, n is a refractive index of the transparent substrate, and W L is a beam width of the incident light.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein calculating the incidence angle range comprises determining a horizontal separation distance between opposite edges of the first region and the second region.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting a field-of-view width of the first detector and a field-of-view width of the second detector so that the first field-of-view and the second field-of-view do not overlap each other.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting at least one of a beam width of the illumination optical system and field-of-view widths of the first and second detectors so that the widths of the first field-of-view and the first region are matched to each other and the widths of the second field-of-view and the second region are matched to each other.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving the transparent substrate mounted on a stage,

wherein the illuminating of the transparent substrate and the obtaining of the first and second images are simultaneously performed while the transparent substrate is moved.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2020
From: GOERS, UTA-BARBARA; HONG, EN; LEBLANC, PHILIP ROBERT; PALANISAMY, RAJESHKANNAN; USTANIK, CORREY ROBERT
To: CORNING INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 052527/0508 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62416291 · Nov 2, 2016
Related Publication 20190257765A1 · Aug 22, 2019