Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Barry Eppler

Ronald K Kerschner

David Douglas Bohn

Martin C Shipley

Donald R Nohavec

An x-ray laminography imaging system and a positioning system to be used therewith. The positioning system is configured to move the object in the X, Y and Z-directions (i.e., pitch and roll) to ensure that the object planes of the object that are being imaged are at least substantially parallel to the focal plane of the imaging system. The object is positioned so that object planes associated with the X, Y and Z-coordinates of points along the contour of the surface of the object are at least substantially parallel to the focal plane of the imaging system during imaging of the object plane. Because some objects, such as printed circuit boards, for example, are sometimes warped, by ensuring that the object plane being imaged is at least substantially parallel to the focal plane of the imaging system, precise laminographs are obtained. The preciseness of the laminographs ensures that the cross-sectional slices of the object are accurate, which improves the robustness of an inspection system that uses x-ray laminography to inspect objects.

X-ray laminography system having a pitch, roll and Z-motion positioning system

An x-ray laminography imaging system that utilizes a nonplanar anode target to enable objects that are oblique to the direction of projection of electron beams onto the target to be precisely imaged. Because many objects that laminography techniques are used to inspect are oblique or have portions that are oblique, the nonplanar anode target of the present invention enables enables spot patterns to be traced that are parallel to the plane of the object, regardless of whether it is oblique or orthogonal.

Nonplanar x-ray target anode for use in a laminography imaging system

An x-ray laminography imaging system and an apparatus and method for calibrating the system. The x-ray laminography imaging system utilizes a stationary x-ray source and generates a moving pattern of x-ray spots on a target anode synchronously with rotation of an x-ray detector to reduce or eliminate the need to move an object being imaged. The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for calibrating the system based in part on empirical data gathered during physical calibration and in part on data analytically derived from the empirical data. Because calibration of the system can be performed in great part analytically rather than relying entirely on empirically generated data, the calibration process can be performed very quickly.

Method and apparatus for calibrating an x-ray laminography imaging system

A image-based system for inspecting objects utilizes an imaging chain that defines a focal plane, a manipulator for translating and rotating either the object under inspection or the imaging chain, a surface mapping system that generates a representation of the surface of the object under inspection, and a controller that uses the representation of the surface of the object to control the manipulator so that a portion of the object under inspection lies within the focal plane of the imaging chain.

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Loveland, CO, United States of America

Barry Eppler