Nuflare Technology, Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Hideaki Hashimoto

Riki Ogawa

Masataka Shiratsuchi

Ryoichi Hirano

Hideo Tsuchiya

Nobutaka Kikuiri

Takafumi Sonoura

Hirokazu Sato

Fumio Ozaki

Hideki Ogawa

Chosaku Noda

Takeshi Morino

Yoshinori Honguh

Hideaki Okano

Kazuhiko Inoue

Junji Oaki

Hideki Nukada

Masao Obama

Kazuhiro Nakashima

Toshiya Umeda

Junji Ooaki

Takao Furukawa

A pattern inspection apparatus according to an aspect described herein includes: a stage on which an object to be inspected is capable to be mounted, a multibeam column that irradiates the object to be inspected with multi-primary electron beams, and a multi-detector including a first detection pixel that receives irradiation of a first secondary electron beam emitted after a first beam scanning region of the object to be inspected is irradiated with a first primary electron beam of the multi-primary electron beams and a second detection pixel that receives irradiation of a second secondary electron beam emitted after a second beam scanning region adjacent to the first beam scanning region of the object to be inspected and overlapping with the first beam scanning region is irradiated with a second primary electron beam adjacent to the first primary electron beam of the multi-primary electron beams; a comparison unit that obtains a difference in beam intensity between the first primary electron beam and the second primary electron beam by comparing overlapping portions of a first frame image acquired through entering of the first secondary electron beam into the first detection pixel and a second frame image acquired through entering of the second secondary electron beam into the second detection pixel; and a sensitivity adjustor that adjusts detection sensitivity of the first detection pixel and/or the second detection pixel so as to correct the difference in beam intensity.

Multibeam inspection apparatus

There is provided an inspection method including acquiring an inspection image by irradiating a sample with a plurality of electron beams and by simultaneously scanning the sample by the electron beams, performing first correction of a reference image corresponding to the inspection image or second correction of the inspection image based on a plurality of distortions of each of the electron beams and on a position scanned by each of the electron beams in the inspection image, and performing first comparison of the reference image subjected to the first correction with the inspection image or second comparison of the reference image with the inspection image subjected to the second correction.

Inspection method and inspection apparatus

According to one embodiment, an inspection device includes: an image generation device configured to generate a second image corresponding to a first image; and a defect detection device configured to estimate a nonlinear shift based on a plurality of partial region sets, each of the partial region sets including a first partial region in the first image and a second partial region in the second image corresponding to the first partial region, and detect a defect in the second image from the first image.

Inspection device, inspection method, and storage medium

Provided is a pattern inspection method including: irradiating a substrate with an electron beam, a pattern being formed on the substrate; acquiring an inspection image as a secondary electron image of the pattern; setting a pixel value equal to or less than a first threshold value minus a half of a predetermined detection width of the inspection image and a pixel value equal to or more than the first threshold value plus a half of the predetermined detection width of the inspection image to unprocessed; acquiring a difference image between the inspection image having the pixel value having less than the first threshold value minus the half of the predetermined detection width and the pixel value having more of the first threshold value plus the half of the predetermined detection width being set to unprocessed and a reference image of the inspection image; and performing inspection on the basis of the difference image.

Pattern inspection method and pattern inspection apparatus

According to one aspect of the present invention, a pattern inspection apparatus includes: a first sub-pixel interpolation processing circuitry configured to calculate a pixel value of a reference image corresponding to a position of each pixel of the inspection target image by performing an interpolation process using at least one pixel value of the reference image for each shift amount while variably and relatively shifting the inspection target image and the reference image by the unit of a sub-pixel using the reference image corresponding to the inspection target image; and an SSD calculation processing circuitry configured to calculate a sum of squared difference between each pixel value of the inspection target image and a corresponding pixel value of the reference image subjected to a filter process for the each shift amount.

Pattern inspection apparatus and pattern inspection method

An electron beam inspection apparatus includes an acquisition processing circuitry to acquire surface material information presenting a surface material of the substrate and a value of an acceleration voltage of an electron beam; a sequence determination processing circuitry to determine a scan sequence of a plurality of stripe regions on the basis of the surface material of the substrate and the value of the acceleration voltage, the plurality of stripe regions obtained by virtually dividing an inspection region of the substrate in a stripe shape; a secondary electron image acquisition mechanism including a detector for detecting a secondary electron and configured to scan the plurality of stripe regions of the substrate according to a determined scan sequence and to acquire a secondary electron image of the substrate; and a comparison processing circuitry to compare the secondary electron image with a corresponding reference image.

Electron beam inspection apparatus and electron beam inspection method

An electron beam inspection apparatus according to an embodiment includes a stage holding a substrate with a pattern; an electron beam column irradiating the substrate with multiple beams including a plurality of electron beams such that adjacent regions irradiated with the electron beams have an overlap portion therebetween; a first image storage unit storing a first inspection image acquired by irradiating a first inspection region of the substrate with the multiple beams; a second image storage unit storing a second inspection image acquired by irradiating a second inspection region of the substrate with the multiple beams; a correction coefficient storage unit storing a correction coefficient for correcting an image of the overlap portion; an image correction unit correcting an image of the overlap portion using the correction coefficient; and a comparison unit comparing the first inspection image with the second inspection image.

Optical image data is acquired by irradiating a pattern with light emitted from a light source. A threshold value is specified by internally dividing a minimum value and a maximum value of a signal amount of reference image data by a division ratio. A position corresponding to a signal amount of a threshold value is determined as an edge of a pattern of the reference image data. A position of a signal amount equal to the threshold value is determined as an edge of the pattern of the optical image data. A line width error is obtained as a difference between a first line width of the optical image data and a second line width of the reference image data. A new threshold value is specified in the case of fluctuation of a light quantity of the light source or decrease of a contrast value of the optical image data.

Line width error obtaining method, line width error obtaining apparatus, and inspection system

An inspection object is supported by a table. Light is emitted from a light source to illuminate the inspection object. An optical unit illuminates the inspection object with light, wherein the light is transmitted through the inspection object. Another optical unit illuminates the inspection object with light, wherein the light is reflected by the inspection object. Light transmitted through the inspection object is incident to a first sensor. Light reflected by the inspection object is incident to a second sensor. A defect of a pattern of the inspection object is detected using optical image data output from at least one of the sensors. A line width error is obtained by comparing line widths obtained from design data and optical image data of the pattern. A polarized beam splitter is disposed, movable between the inspection object and the first sensor, and between the inspection object and the second sensor.

Inspection apparatus and inspection method

An inspection sensitivity evaluation method includes generating a reference design image where plural figure patterns are arranged, based on reference design data, generating plural position shift design images whose positional deviation amounts are mutually different such that positions of the plural figure patterns in the reference design image are uniformly shifted, acquiring an optical image of a photo mask fabricated based on the reference design data where there is no positional deviation from the plural figure patterns, calculating a first positional deviation amount between the reference design image and the optical image, calculating plural second positional deviation amounts each of which is a respective positional deviation amount between a corresponding position shift design image of the plural position shift design images and the optical image, and acquiring a detectable positional deviation amount by using the first and the plural second positional deviation amounts.

Inspection sensitivity evaluation method

In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a pattern inspection method includes acquiring optical images regarding figure patterns arranged in each of frame regions, for each of the plurality of frame regions; measuring linewidth dimensions of the figure patterns, for each of the frame regions; operating an average value of each linewidth dimension shift between linewidth dimensions of figure patterns in a reference image corresponding to the frame region concerned and the linewidth dimensions of the figure patterns in the optical image, for each of the frame regions; extracting a specific frame from the frame regions by comparing the average value of the frame region concerned, with average values of frame regions around the frame region concerned, for each of the frame regions; and inspecting the specific frame for dimensional defects of linewidth dimensions.

Pattern inspection method of semiconductor device optical image

A robot controller according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a base; a first link; a first actuator which drives to rotate the first link relative to the base; a first torque transmission mechanism which transmits the torque of the first actuator to the first link at a speed reducing ratio of N; a first angular sensor which detects a rotating angle &#x3b8;of the first actuator; a first angular velocity sensor which detects an angular velocity &#x3c9;of the first link rotating relatively to the base; and a processor which calculates an angle of the first link relatively to the base by using a high frequency content of an integrated value of &#x3c9;and a low frequency content of &#x3b8;*N, the high frequency content being equal to a first frequency or higher and the low frequency content being equal to a first frequency or lower.

Robot controller and robot controlling method

A wheeled moving robot including a main body; wheels provided at least at opposite sides of the main body and configured to move the main body; an actuator configured to generate torque which rotates the wheels; a detector configured to detect whether the main body moves when the wheels rotates by the actuator; and a compensation unit configured to perform an auxiliary movement which pushes an auxiliary wheel in front or rear of the main body toward a floor based as a detection result of the detector.

Wheeled moving robot

A main control apparatus is connected to a single signal line. A plurality of equipments is respectively connected to a multipoint line. Each multipoint line diverges from the single signal line. The main control apparatus sends a control signal to each equipment through the single signal line using a frequency band. Each equipment receives the control signal from the main control apparatus through the multipoint line using the frequency band. Each equipment is assigned a unique frequency from within the frequency band.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hideaki Hashimoto