Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Mitsuji Ikeda

Atsushi Takane

Yuichi Abe

Haruo Yoda

Shoji Yoshida

Hideo Todokoro

Mitsugu Sato

Yasutaka Toyoda

Makoto Ezumi

Fumio Mizuno

Fumihiro Sasajima

Yasuhiko Ozawa

Wataru Nagatomo

Yoshimichi Sato

Junichi Taguchi

Tatsuya Maeda

Masahiro Kitazawa

Koyo Katsura

Takashi Hotta

Satoru Yamaguchi

Keisuke Nakashima

Osamu Nasu

Jun'ichi Taguchi

Masato Kazui

Syoji Yoshida

Shigeru Shibukawa

Shinichi Komura

Osamu Itou

Ikuo Hiyama

Maki Tanaka

Tsunenori Yamamoto

Yoshiyuki Kaneko

Chie Shishido

Hidetoshi Morokuma

Atsushi Miyamoto

Shoichi Hirota

Osamu Komuro

Haruhiko Higuchi

Akiyuki Sugiyama

Osamu Inoue

Atsushi Kobaru

Kazumi Hatayama

Tetsuya Aoyama

Terumine Hayashi

Hideo Satou

Yoshikazu Kiyoshige

Takahiro Kawasaki

Hiroyuki Ushiba

Susumu Koyama

Yoshimichi Satou

Mitsuho Seki

The preset invention aims to provide a method of presenting a learning condition which enables an improvement in the accuracy of image analysis. An information processing apparatus for machine learning is provided which includes a true/false information generating unit which generates true/false information of an image analysis result, a reliability determining unit which determines reliability related to analysis in image analysis processing, and a learning condition output unit which presents a learning condition, based on the true/false information and the reliability.

Machine learning method and information processing apparatus for machine learning

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pattern matching device and computer program that carry out highly accurate positioning even if edge positions and numbers change. The present invention proposes a computer program and a pattern matching device wherein a plurality of edges included in first pattern data to be matched and a plurality of edges included in second pattern data to be matched with the first pattern data are associated, a plurality of different association combinations are prepared, the plurality of association combinations are evaluated using index values for the plurality of edges, and matching processing is carried out using the association combinations selected through the evaluation.

Pattern matching device and computer program for pattern matching

It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor inspection apparatus capable of well carrying out position alignment and correctly determining whether the position alignment has been carried out successfully or has ended in a failure without operator interventions even if an inspected image is an image having few characteristics as is the case with a repetitive pattern or the inspected image is an image having a complicated shape. The semiconductor inspection apparatus includes means for imaging a shape on a wafer or on an exposure mask; means for storing an image inspected by the imaging means; means for storing design data of the semiconductor circuit corresponding to a position on the wafer or on the exposure mask which are to be imaged by the imaging means; means for storing a design-data image obtained as a result of converting the design data into an image; means for generating a design-data ROI image by converting an interest drawing region found from a relative crude-density relation of a shape included in the design-data image into an image; and a position alignment section configured to carry out position alignment on the inspected image and the design-data image. The semiconductor inspection apparatus makes use of the design-data ROI image in order to identify a position at which the inspected image and the design-data image match each other or compute the degree of coincidence.

Pattern matching apparatus and computer program

An evaluation value indicative of the extent of lines in each direction is calculated for a pre-processed image in which 0s are filled in and extended in the lateral direction of the inputted image and which has been reduced &#x215b;th in the longitudinal direction. To obtain the angle of rotation of an image from the change in the evaluation value obtained while the angle relative to the lateral direction of the pre-processed image is modified in small steps, a parallel line is drawn for each direction, a projection is taken, and the sum of squares serves as the evaluation value of the direction. The direction having the highest evaluation value serves as the obtained direction of rotation from the normal position. The projection of each direction references the point of intersection between the parallel line drawn for each direction and the coordinate line of the horizontal axis.

Device and method for detecting angle of rotation from normal position of image

Image processing apparatus includes: interpolation process image acquisition means for acquiring an interpolation process image of prescribed size which includes an interpolation point of an inputted image; Fourier transform means for subjecting the interpolation process image which is acquired with the interpolation process image acquisition means to Fourier transform; phase change means for changing, a phase of each value of the transformed interpolation process image which has been subjected to Fourier transform by the Fourier transform means, such that the interpolation point migrates to a desired nearby integer coordinate position; inverse Fourier transform means for subjecting the interpolation process image whose phase has been changed by the phase change means, to inverse Fourier transform; interpolation value determination means for adopting an interpolation point, a value of a pixel at the integer coordinate position, from the transformed interpolation process image subjected to inverse Fourier transform by the inverse Fourier transform means.

Image processing apparatus, distortion-corrected map creation apparatus, and semiconductor measurement apparatus

An inspection apparatus and method are provided, wherein even when an image that cannot be processed by a current image processing algorithm is input to an image processing unit while a working line is in operation, the inspection can be continued by newly generating an image processing algorithm optimized in keeping with a particular image. The apparatus includes an erroneous recognition detector, a teacher data generator and a switching unit for switching the current image processing algorithm to a new image processing algorithm generated based on an updated teacher data group. As a result, the inspection can be continued without extremely decreasing the accuracy even when an unexpected image is input to the working line.

Inspection apparatus

In order to provide a computer program, an image processing device, and a pattern matching method that perform pattern matching at a high level of accuracy without relying on edge deformation, contrast fluctuations, etc., in one embodiment, the disclosed pattern matching method and device perform pattern matching over an image using a template produced on the basis of the below mentioned design data. The pattern matching method and device determine the characteristic quantities of the image for an inner region and/or an outer region that are divided by a line that defines the contour of a pattern, and determine positions at which said characteristic quantities satisfy predetermined conditions to be matching positions, matching position candidates, or erroneous matching positions.

Pattern matching method, image processing device, and computer program

The present invention is a template matching processing device capable of evaluating a similarity degree which supports even a case of intensive morphological change between a design image and a photographic image. In the template matching processing device, matching processing between the design image and the photographic image is performed, a partial design image is obtained by clipping a portion having the highest correlation (step), and processing for deforming the photographic image in accordance with the clipped design image (stepsto) is performed, so that correlation between the deformed image obtained and the design image is taken to be set as the similarity degree.

Template matching processing device and template matching processing program

A pattern matching method for a scanning electron microscope comprises a step of performing pattern matching of only an upper layer pattern between an image () in which a pattern consisting of plural layers is represented and a template () in which the upper layer pattern of the plural layer pattern is selectively represented, thereby identifying the position of the pattern consisting of the plural layers. Then, information about the upper layer pattern is subtracted from the image (), thus extracting shape information () about the lower layer pattern. Consequently, stable positioning or selective information extraction on a certain layer is enabled regardless of the state of the depths of a pattern formed in three dimensions or of the charge state of a sample.

Pattern matching method and image processing device

Provided is a template matching method and a template matching apparatus, where the degree of matching between a template and the actual image upon template matching is maintained at a high level, without depending on a partial appearance of a lower layer. Proposed as one embodiment, is a method and an apparatus for template matching, where either an area is set in which comparison of the template and the image is not conducted, or a second area is set inside the template where comparison different from comparison conducted in a first comparison area is to be conducted, and the template matching is conducted on the basis either of comparison excluding the non-comparison area, or of comparison using the first and second areas.

Pattern matching method and pattern matching apparatus

An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern measuring apparatus which performs high-accuracy concavity/convexity determination (e.g., distinguishing between a line segment and space) while simultaneously reducing the dose of a beam falling onto a pattern to be measured. To attain the object, this invention proposes a pattern measuring apparatus which specifies a pattern in a measurement object area by scanning a tilted bean with respect to another area different from the measurement object area and then performs measurement based on the pattern-specifying result. With such arrangement, it becomes possible to perform measurement without the risk of wrong pattern designation while lowering the dose of a beam hitting the measurement object area.

Pattern measuring apparatus

The present invention provides a unified template matching technique which allows an adequate matching position to be provided even in an image with a distorted pattern shape and a variation in edge intensity. A correlation value contribution rate map is created for the vicinity of each of top candidate positions obtained by applying a centroid distance filter to a normalized correlation map resulting from template matching. A corrected intensity image is created from the correlation value contribution rate maps. Luminance correction is performed based on the corrected intensity image. Local matching is performed again on the vicinity of each candidate position. The candidates are then re-sorted based on candidate positions and correlation values newly obtained. Thus, even in an image with a distorted pattern shape and a variation in edge intensity, an adequate matching position can be provided in a unified manner.

Image inspection apparatus

In a method and apparatus for removing artifacts from an image generated a charged partial beam scanning device, a scanning method is determined, and the frequency of an artifact appearing on an image can then be determined, based on scanning method. A step, a frequency domain for removing an artifact can be determined from the vertical and horizontal widths determined by experimentation in advance with respect to the frequency position Photography is performed to obtain an image, which is Fourier transformed and the determined frequency domain is replaced, for example, by '0.' The resulting image is subjected to inverse Fourier transformation, and displayed and stored. The flow of such processing enables decreasing an artifact appearing on an image, depending on a scanning method. The frequency domain (vertical and horizontal widths) that is to be eliminated and a method for replacement by '0' are determined in advance, depending on the kind of inspected samples and a method can be selected depending on the kind of samples.

Charged particle beam apparatus

The present invention achieves the process of easily registering a template which is prepared for a size change in pattern matching for specifying a measurement point, and high-speed pattern matching by which adequate position accuracy can be obtained in measurement. The present invention includes means for automatically calculating the size and position of a positioning template different from a measurement point itself when the measurement point is designated, to display a template having the calculated size and position. The present invention further includes means for performing pattern matching by using all or some of a plurality of divided templates and extracting templates having a similar positional relationship to the original positional relationship.

Image processing system and scanning electron microscope

A matching degree computing apparatus is provided for comparing an input image and an object template image and computing a matching degree between an input image and an object template image based on the compared result. The computing apparatus includes a transforming unit for transforming the input image so as to be matched to the template object region and a computing unit for computing a matching degree between the transformed input image and the template image. The transforming unit provides a shaping unit for shaping a non-background region to the form of the template object region in the object corresponding region of the input image and a processing unit for arranging the non-background region contacting with the template object corresponding region so that the non-background region has no substantial impact on the matching degree in the object non-corresponding region of the input image.

Method and apparatus for computing degree of matching

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Hitachinaka, Japan

Mitsuji Ikeda