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:
Jun. 28, 2011
Filed:
Jun. 10, 2009
Minoru Yoshida, Yokohama, JP;
Takenori Hirose, Yokohama, JP;
Hideaki Sasazawa, Yokohama, JP;
Shigeru Serikawa, Chigasaki, JP;
Minoru Yoshida, Yokohama, JP;
Takenori Hirose, Yokohama, JP;
Hideaki Sasazawa, Yokohama, JP;
Shigeru Serikawa, Chigasaki, JP;
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A defect generated during a nano-imprint process is inspected by a scatterometry method. The scatterometry method is to illuminate the surface of a medium with light having a plurality of wave lengths by means of a first illuminator through a half mirror and an objective lens and cause light reflected on the medium to be incident on a spectrometer through the objective lens and the half mirror. A second illuminator illuminates a foreign material or scratch on the surface of the medium from an oblique direction with respect to the surface of the medium. Light is scattered from the foreign material or scratch and detected by first and second detectors. The first detector is placed in a direction defining a first elevation angle with the surface of the medium. The second detector is placed in a direction defining a second elevation angle with the surface of the medium. When coordinates of a defect that are obtained by the scatterometry method match coordinates of the foreign material or scratch, an inspection device determines that the defect is not generated during the nano-imprint process. When the matching is negative, the inspection device determines that the defect is generated during the nano-imprint process.