Kla Tencor Corporation

Ashok Mathew

Lisheng Gao

Bjorn Brauer

Eugene Shifrin

Sumit Sen

Sreeram Chandrasekaran

Hucheng Lee

Santosh Bhattacharyya

Chetana Bhaskar

Benjamin Murray

Defects from a hot scan can be saved, such as on persistent storage, random access memory, or a split database. The persistent storage can be patch-based virtual inspector virtual analyzer (VIVA) or local storage. Repeater defect detection jobs can determined and the wafer can be inspected based on the repeater defect detection jobs. Repeater defects can be analyzed and corresponding defect records to the repeater defects can be read from the persistent storage. These results may be returned to the high level defect detection controller.

Repeater defect detection

Systems and methods for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. One system includes computer subsystem(s) that include one or more image processing components that acquire images generated by an inspection subsystem for a wafer, a main user interface component that provides information generated for the wafer and the reticle to a user and receives instructions from the user, and an interface component that provides an interface between the one or more image processing components and the main user interface. Unlike currently used systems, the one or more image processing components are configured for performing repeater defect detection by applying a repeater defect detection algorithm to the images acquired by the one or more image processing components, and the repeater defect detection algorithm is configured to detect defects on the wafer using a hot threshold and to identify the defects that are repeater defects.

High sensitivity repeater defect detection

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Ashok Mathew