Dongfang Jingyuan Electron Limited

Zhongke Jingyuan Electron Limited, Beijing (Cn)

Zhongke Jingyuan Electron Limited

Weimin Ma

Zhaoli Zhang

Naihong Tang

Yan Zhao

Jian Zhang

Weiqiang Sun

Chengcheng Liu

Zongqiang Yu

Xiaomei Wu

Kangkang Yang

Chunying Han

Shouyan Huang

An overlay alignment mark located in a patterned wafer and a method for measuring overlay error are provided, the patterned wafer having a lower-layer pattern in a first layer thereof and an upper-layer pattern in a second layer thereof above the first layer, the overlay alignment mark comprising: a first pattern, which is a portion of the lower-layer pattern and comprises a pair of solid features formed in the first layer; and a second pattern, which is a portion of the upper-layer pattern and comprises two pairs of hollowed features formed in the second layer, with two imaginary lines connecting between geometric centers of respective pairs in the two pairs of hollowed features extending in two mutually orthogonal directions, respectively; an orthographic projection of the pair of solid features on the wafer at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of a respective pair of hollowed features on the wafer.

Overlay alignment mark and method for measuring overlay error

Methods and apparatuses are provided for data processing. The method includes receiving a first data packet and a second data packet; associating first codes with the first data packet and second codes with the second data packet to generate a combined data packet after receiving the first data packet and the second data packet, wherein the first codes and the second codes specify processing to be performed to the a combined data packet; generating the combined data packet comprising the first data packet and the second data packet in response to determining that the first data packet and the second data packet are correlated; and performing the processing to the combined data packet in accordance with the first codes or the second codes.

Method and apparatus for data processing

Methods and apparatuses are provided for data processing. The method includes receiving a data packet; associating codes with the data packet, wherein the codes specify processing to be performed to the data packet; and performing the processing to the data packet in accordance with the codes. The apparatus includes a receiver, configured to receive a data packet; a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store instructions which when executed by the processor become operational with the processor to: associate codes with the data packet, wherein the codes specify processing to be performed to the data packet; and perform the processing to the data packet in accordance with the codes.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for image-based abnormality detection for periodic patterns are provided. The method includes receiving an image pattern T determined from an inspection image, wherein T comprises multiple periodic segments along a spatial direction; determining, by a processor, a first reference pattern R1 by rearranging the multiple periodic segments of T in a first manner and a second reference pattern R2 by rearranging the multiple periodic segments of T in a second manner; determining whether an abnormality exists in T by comparing a part of T with a part of R1 and a part of R2; and determining that the abnormality exists in T based on a determination that the part of T is different from the part of R1 and the part of R2.

Abnormality detection for periodic patterns

Methods, apparatuses and systems for classifying defects for a defect inspection system are disclosed. The defect inspection system can be used to inspect and manage wafer or reticle defects. The method includes receiving a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen, the defect record comprising a defect image associated with an unknown defect, selecting, by a computing device using a first processing unit, components ranked by significance from the defect image using a first learning technique, and determining, by the computing device using the first processing unit, whether the defect image is associated with a known defect type based on the components ranked by significance using a second learning technique.

Learning based defect classification

Techniques for yield management in semiconductor inspection systems are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam inspection system includes multiple stages or multiple chambers, where the chambers/stages (N&#x2265;2) are organized to form one or more paths for wafer/mask inspection. An inspection procedure in each chamber (or at each stage) is determined by its order in the path and the relative columns used. For a system with N chambers/stages, a maximum number of N wafers/masks can be processed simultaneously.

Multi-stage/multi-chamber electron-beam inspection system

A method for reference image contour generation includes generating a mask pattern based on design target information, generating a reference image based on a simulation of photolithographic effects on the mask pattern, generating a reference image contour pattern based on edge detection in the reference image, and generating a scanned image contour pattern as a function of the reference image contour pattern and a scanned image of an integrated circuit.

Reference image contour generation

A method for managing defects for an augmented automatic defect classification (ADC) process is disclosed. The method includes receiving a defect record based on an inspection of a target specimen; extracting, from a design database, relevant design data associated with a patch surrounding a location of a defect from the defect record; performing, by a processor, lithographic simulation on the relevant design data associated with the patch to determine a context patch; comparing, by the processor, the context patch with an image of the defect from the defect record to determine whether there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect; and defining the defect as a systematic defect based on a determination that there exists a match between the context patch and the image of the defect.

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Beijing, China

Weimin Ma