The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 2000
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1998
Applicant:
Inventor:
C Bradford Hopper, San Francisco, CA (US);
Assignee:
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
438-8 ; 438800 ;
Abstract
A method and apparatus that uses compound processing for detecting defects in integrated circuits involves processing two portions of a semiconductor wafer differently according to a first and a second process. The first process and the second process are performed on alternating columns on the wafer. Image subtraction is used to detect differences between the layouts in adjacent columns. After differences are detected, the layout is examined to determine whether the difference represents a defect. If so, the design rules of the layout can be changed to accommodate a wider process variation.