Robust Image Wafer Inspection

This paper presents a deep improvement of template matching technique for detecting defects in VLSI, very large-scale integration, wafer images. This method is more robust to the large device size, distortion due to image acquisition and wafer rotations. Image registration includes several steps. A golden template of the patterned wafer image under inspection can be obtained from the wafer image itself mixed to the VLSI design layout. A mapping between physical space and pixel space is needed. In addition, a more robust topology based on template matching is applied for a more accurate alignment between wafer device and template. Finally, a segmented comparison is used for finding out possible defects. A comparison between the results of the proposed method and the previous template matching technique is presented.

[1]  Sally L. Wood,et al.  Wafer Defect Detection Using Directional Morphological Gradient Techniques , 2002, EURASIP J. Adv. Signal Process..

[2]  Hamid K. Aghajan,et al.  Patterned wafer inspection by high resolution spectral estimation techniques , 2005, Machine Vision and Applications.

[3]  Cihan H. Dagli,et al.  Automatic PCB Inspection Algorithms: A Survey , 1996, Comput. Vis. Image Underst..

[4]  Chi Hau Chen,et al.  Machine vision algorithms for semiconductor wafer inspection: a project with Inspex , 1998, Other Conferences.

[5]  Boaz Porat,et al.  A course in digital signal processing , 1996 .

[6]  Frederick Y. Wu,et al.  Automatic defect classification for semiconductor manufacturing , 1997, Machine Vision and Applications.

[7]  Mahdi Ehsanian,et al.  Defect detection on IC wafers based on neural network , 2017, 2017 29th International Conference on Microelectronics (ICM).

[8]  Byron Dom,et al.  Recent advances in the automatic inspection of integrated circuits for pattern defects , 1995, Machine Vision and Applications.

[9]  Anil K. Jain,et al.  A Survey of Automated Visual Inspection , 1995, Comput. Vis. Image Underst..

[10]  T. Kailath,et al.  Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Techniques - ESPRIT , 1986 .

[11]  Richard O. Duda,et al.  Use of the Hough transformation to detect lines and curves in pictures , 1972, CACM.

[12]  Bo Gao,et al.  Defect detection of IC wafer based on two-dimension wavelet transform , 2010, Microelectron. J..

[13]  Ying-Jen Chen,et al.  Manufacturing intelligence for reducing false alarm of defect classification by integrating similarity matching approach in CMOS image sensor manufacturing , 2016, Comput. Ind. Eng..

[14]  A. Ravishankar Rao,et al.  Automatic defect classification for integrated circuits , 1993, Electronic Imaging.

[15]  Roland T. Chin,et al.  Automated visual inspection: 1981 to 1987 , 1988, Computer Vision Graphics and Image Processing.

[16]  Fikret Erçal,et al.  Segmentation of Printed Circuit Board Images into Basic Patterns , 1998, Comput. Vis. Image Underst..

[17]  William K. Pratt.  Image Detection and Registration , 2002 .

[18]  Du-Ming Tsai,et al.  A quantile-quantile plot based pattern matching for defect detection , 2005, Pattern Recognit. Lett..

[19]  W. D. Meisburger,et al.  Low‐voltage electron‐optical system for the high‐speed inspection of integrated circuits , 1992 .

[20]  Babak Hossein Khalaj,et al.  Digital image processing techniques for patterned-wafer inspection , 1993, Advanced Lithography.

[21]  Thomas Kailath,et al.  ESPRIT-estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques , 1989, IEEE Trans. Acoust. Speech Signal Process..

[22]  Byron Dom,et al.  The P300: A system for automatic patterned wafer inspection , 1988, Machine Vision and Applications.

[23]  Gabriel Taubin,et al.  Estimation of Planar Curves, Surfaces, and Nonplanar Space Curves Defined by Implicit Equations with Applications to Edge and Range Image Segmentation , 1991, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell..

[24]  Guangming Cui,et al.  Study on defect detection of IC wafer based on morphology , 2007, SPIE/COS Photonics Asia.

[25]  Fikret Erçal,et al.  A Subpattern Level Inspection System for Printed Circuit Boards , 1998, Comput. Vis. Image Underst..

[26]  Binoy Pinto,et al.  Speeded Up Robust Features , 2011 .

[27]  Steven Guan,et al.  A golden block self-generating scheme for continuous patterned wafer inspections , 1999, Proceedings 10th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing.