Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation

3I Systems Corporation

Jianbo Gao

Zheng Yan

Wayne Chen

Lionel Kuhlmann

Bo Li

Tony Young

Ning Li

Mark C Sweeney

Automatic optical inspection (AOI) systems are described comprising optical modules that include an illumination component and a lens array configured to direct illumination of the illumination component at a portion of a substrate. The lens array includes a Fresnel lens. The optical module includes a camera that receives reflected light resulting from an interaction of the illumination and the substrate. The camera includes a time delay integration (TDI) sensor. A telecentric imaging lens directs reflected light from the substrate to the camera. The illumination component comprises a controller coupled to multiple LED light sources, each emitting light at a different wavelength. The controller independently controls each LED light source. The illumination component includes a bright field and/or a dark field light source. The illumination component can include a front side and/or a back side light source. An optical fiber is coupled to the camera and an image processor.

Automatic inspection system for flat panel substrate

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for analyzing the Raze data provided by an optical inspection tool. The Haze data is analyzed so as to detect defects associated with the specimen surface. In general, the Haze data is first conditioned so that background noise which corresponds to low frequency variation on the specimen is separated or removed from the Haze data prior to analysis of such Haze data. In a specific embodiment, low frequency variations in the specimen surface are characterized, in effect, as an optical surface upon which an incident beam is directed. The Haze data that conforms to this resulting polynomial equation is then subtracted from the original Haze data to result in residual data, where slow variations in surface roughness are subtracted out, leaving possible defect information in the residual Haze data. This residual Haze data may then be analyzed to determine whether the specimen contains a defect.

Apparatus and methods for enabling robust separation between signals of interest and noise

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Jianbo Gao