Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation

Other

Kla Instruments Corporation

Eliezer Rosengaus

Richard Wallingford

Jason Z Lin

Lawrence Robert Miller

Mark J Roulo

Krishnamurthy Bhaskar

John S Taylor

Paul T Russell

Kishore Bubna

Ashok V Kulkarni

Robinson Piramuthu

Mehdi Vaez-Iravani

Martin Plihal

George J Kren

Kris Bhaskar

Scott Allen Young

Steven R Lange

Patrick Huet

Yan Xiong

Paul J Sullivan

Ady Levy

Steven W Meeks

Bjorn Brauer

Brian Duffy

Mohan Mahadevan

Santosh Bhattacharyya

Lydia J Young

Laurent Karsenti

Aneesh Khullar

Chris Maher

John Raymond Jordan, Iii

Cecelia Anne Campochiaro

Chetana Bhaskar

Vijayakumar Ramachandran

Christopher Maher

Ezra Van Gelder

Courosh Mehanian

Chris Bragg

Daniel Scott

Paul Esrig

Lalita A Balasubramanian

Alpa Kohli

Roni Miller

Lalita Balasubramanian

Systems and methods for inspection of a specimen are provided. One system includes an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the specimen by scanning a spot across the specimen. The system also includes a non-imaging detection subsystem configured to generate output signals responsive to light specularly reflected from the spot scanned across the specimen. In addition, the system includes a processor configured to generate images of the specimen using the output signals and to detect defects on the specimen using the images. In one embodiment, the non-imaging detection subsystem includes an objective and a detector. An NA of the objective does not match a pixel size of the detector. In another embodiment, the non-imaging detection subsystem includes an objective having an NA of greater than about 0.05. The system may be configured for multi-spot illumination and multi-channel detection. Alternatively, the system may be configured for single spot illumination and multi-channel detection.

Systems and methods for inspection of a specimen

A defect detection method includes acquiring a reference image; selecting a target region of the reference image; identifying, based on a matching metric, one or more comparative regions of the reference image corresponding to the target region; acquiring a test image; masking the test image with the target region of the reference image and the one or more comparative regions of the reference image; defining a defect threshold for the target region in the test image based on the one or more comparative regions in the test image; and determining whether the target region of the test image contains a defect based on the defect threshold.

Systems and methods for region-adaptive defect detection

Systems and methods for acquiring information for a construction site are provided. One system includes a base unit positioned within a construction site by a user. A computer subsystem of the base unit determines a position of the base unit with respect to the construction site. The system also includes a measurement unit moved within the construction site by a user. The measurement unit includes one or more elements configured to interact with light in a known manner. An optical subsystem of the base unit directs light to the element(s) and detects the light after interacting with the element(s). The computer subsystem is configured to determine a position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on the detected light. The measurement unit includes a measurement device used by the measurement unit or the base unit to determine information for the construction site.

Acquisition of information for a construction site

The present invention may include an illumination source; a TDI sensor having a plurality of rows of TDI pixels, wherein each of the TDI pixels have a 1:1 aspect ratio; a multicolor filter contacted to the surface of the TDI sensor, wherein the multicolor filter has alternating sections of a first color filter, a second color filter, and at least a third color, wherein adjacent rows of TDI pixels are grouped in order to form a plurality of rows of integrated multicolor pixels; an objective having a first end positioned proximate to the specimen; a second lens configured to focus light from the image path onto the TDI sensor; and an anamorphic optics element configured to magnify an image of the one or more specimens such that the image is magnified by a factor of three along a direction orthogonal to an integrating direction of the TDI sensor.

Digital pathology system

An inspection system for detecting anomalies on a substrate. The inspection system has a sensor array for generating image data. A first high speed network is coupled to the sensor array and receives and communicates the image data. An array of process nodes is coupled to the first high speed network, and receives and processes the image data to produce anomaly reports. Each process node has an interface card coupled to the first high speed network, that receives the image data from the first high speed network and formats the image data according to a high speed interface bus protocol. The interface card sets a register indicating whether a predetermined amount of image data has been stored in a memory, and the process node reads the register to determine whether the predetermined amount of image data has been stored in the memory, and initiates image processing when the register indicates that the predetermined amount of image data has been stored in the memory.

Status polling

The present invention may include segmenting an image at a first resolution level and a second resolution level, wherein one or more parameters of a segmentation algorithm are trainable via user classification feedback, extracting features from a first plurality of segment primitives and a second plurality of segment primitives, wherein one or more parameters of a segment feature extraction algorithm are trainable via user classification feedback, building a first and second segmentation hierarchy by generating one or more clusters of the first plurality of segment primitives and the second plurality of segment primitives, extracting one or more features from the first segmentation hierarchy and the second segmentation hierarchy utilizing a hierarchy feature extraction algorithm, determining an inter-level relationship between the clusters generated for the first resolution level and the second level, and automatically classifying one or more tissue elements of the tissue specimen via a user-trained classification algorithm.

Method and system for hierarchical tissue analysis and classification

Various systems and methods for creating persistent data for a wafer and using persistent data for inspection-related functions are provided. One system includes a set of processor nodes coupled to a detector of an inspection system. Each of the processor nodes is configured to receive a portion of image data generated by the detector during scanning of a wafer. The system also includes an array of storage media separately coupled to each of the processor nodes. The processor nodes are configured to send all of the image data or a selected portion of the image data received by the processor nodes to the arrays of storage media such that all of the image data or the selected portion of the image data generated by the detector during the scanning of the wafer is stored in the arrays of the storage media.

Systems and methods for creating persistent data for a wafer and for using persistent data for inspection-related functions

An inspection system for detecting anomalies on a substrate. A first network is coupled to a sensor array and communicates data. Process nodes are coupled to the first network, and process the data to produce reports. Each process node includes memory sufficient to buffer the data until it can process the data. Each process node has an interface card that formats the data for a high speed interface bus that is coupled to the interface card. A computer receives and processes the data to produce the report. A second network receives the reports. A job manager is coupled to the second network, receives the reports, and sends information to the process nodes to coordinate processing of the data.

Memory load balancing

A line image acquisition apparatus suitable for being added onto a line-scan wafer macro-inspection system which incorporates oblique incidence illumination and detection, both for brightfield and for darkfield, which incorporates double darkfield observation capability, which incorporates broadly tunable angle of incidence illumination and tunable angle of detection, which incorporates multi-channel detection into a line-scan macro-inspection system, and which is an add-on feature compatible with current line-scan macro-inspection systems.

Oblique incidence macro wafer inspection

A method and apparatus for improved defocus detection on wafers. The use of hyperspectral imaging provides increased sensitivity for local defocus defects, and the use of Fourier Space analysis provides increased sensitivity for extended defocus defects. A combination of the two provides improved overall sensitivity to local and extended defocus defects.

Multi-spectral techniques for defocus detection

An inspection image analysis system. At least one image processing computer is configured to receive and analyze at least one portion of an image. At least one test computer is configured to receive at least one common portion of the image also received by the at least one image processing computer, and to analyze the at least one common portion, using equivalent image processes as the corresponding at least one image processing computer. A job manager is configured to assign the common portion and to configure the corresponding image processing computer and the test computer to run equivalent image processes.

Mirror node process verification

An inspection system. The inspection system has a sensor for generating data. A first network is coupled to the sensor and communicates the data. An array of nodes is coupled to the first network, and processes the data to produce reports. Each node has an interface coupled to the first network, and formats the data according to protocol. A bus is coupled to the interface A computer is coupled to the bus, and process the data according to an algorithm, to produce the report. The array of nodes is coupled to the first network in a daisy chain topology, and each node within a column of nodes receives common data with other nodes within the column. A second network is coupled to the nodes the second network, and receives the anomaly reports from the nodes and sends information to the nodes to coordinate processing of the data.

Daisy chained topology

Wafer inspection systems and methods are provided. One inspection system includes a module measurement cell coupled to a host inspection system by a wafer handler. The module measurement cell is configured to inspect a wafer using one or more modes prior to inspection of the wafer by the host inspection system. The one or more modes include backside inspection, edge inspection, frontside macro defect inspection, or a combination thereof. Another inspection system includes two or more low resolution electronic sensors arranged at multiple viewing angles. The sensors are configured to detect light returned from a wafer substantially simultaneously. A method for analyzing inspection data includes selecting a template corresponding to a support device that contacts a backside of a wafer prior to inspection of the backside of the wafer. The method also includes subtracting data representing the template from inspection data generated by inspection of the backside of the wafer.

Wafer inspection systems and methods for analyzing inspection data

In one embodiment, a surface scanning system comprises a radiation directing assembly that scans a surface using a Cartesian scanning pattern; and a radiation collecting assembly that collects radiation reflected from the surface. A scattered radiation collection system is included that measures the scattered light from the surface.

Surface scanning

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Eliezer Rosengaus