| 摘要 |
Methods and systems for detecting defects on a wafer are provided. One method includes creating a searchable database for a design for a wafer, which includes assigning values to different portions of the design based on patterns in the different portions of the design and storing the assigned values in the searchable database. Different portions of the design having substantially the same patterns are assigned the same values in the searchable database. The searchable database is configured such that searching of the database can be synchronized with generation of output for the wafer by one or more detectors of a wafer inspection system. Therefore, as the wafer is being scanned, design information for the output can be determined as fast as the output is generated, which enables multiple, desirable design based inspection capabilities. |
| 主权项 |
1. A method for detecting defects on a wafer, comprising:
creating a database for a design for a wafer, wherein said creating comprises assigning values to different portions of the design based on patterns in the different portions of the design and storing the assigned values in the database, and wherein the different portions of the design having substantially the same patterns are assigned the same values in the database; scanning the wafer with a wafer inspection system, wherein one or more detectors of the wafer inspection system generate output for the wafer during the scanning, while the scanning is being performed, searching the database for patterns in the output, wherein the searching is synchronized with generation of the output for the wafer by the wafer inspection system; determining values for different portions of the output as the values assigned to the different portions of the design having the patterns that substantially match the patterns in the output, and detecting defects on the wafer by applying one or more defect detection algorithms to the output based on the values assigned to the different portions of the output, wherein creating the database, searching the database, determining the values, and detecting the defects are performed with one or more computer systems, and wherein applying the one or more defect detection algorithms comprises:
determining a statistic for the different portions of the output;detecting defects in the different portions of the output based on the statistics and for one of the different portions of the output in which one of the defects was detected:
generating a first comparing result by comparing the statistic for the one different portion to the statistics for one or more of the different portions of the output generated within the same die as the one different portion and having the same assigned values as the one different portion;generating a second comparing result by comparing the statistic for the one different portion to the statistics for one or more other of the different portions of the output generated in one or more dies other than the die in which the one different portion was generated and having the same assigned values as the one different portion; anddetermining a defect type for the one of the defects based on the first and second comparing results in combination. |
