Did You Know...
...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8184899 | Method of detecting a defect on an object In a method of detecting a defect on an object, a preliminary reference image can be obtained from a plurality of comparison regions defined on the object. The preliminary reference image is divided into reference zones by a similar brightness. Each of the reference... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8180141 | Wafer repair system A system for wafer repair, comprising an inspection tool being capable of extracting a wafer image of a semiconductor wafer; a direct-writing tool being capable of locally exposing the semiconductor wafer; and an information processing module configured to compare t... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8180142 | Test fail analysis on VLSI chips Compact graphical representations of common test fail signatures and process related test fails are provided through methods of selecting, calculating and/or presenting information. The input may be a list of failing tests on a sample of devices under test from chip... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8175373 | Use of design information and defect image information in defect classification Defects observed by imaging tools may be classified by automatic comparison of features observed in a defect image with design information relating to corresponding portions of the image. Defect information may be generated from a defect image from a defect imaging ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8165384 | Defect classification A method for classifying images from a set of test images, including comparing each of the test images to reference images. Each of the test images is grouped with one of the reference images. All of the images in each group can be classified with a single classific... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8160352 | Surface inspection method and surface inspection apparatus A surface inspection apparatus capable of acquiring scattered light intensity distribution information for each scattering azimuth angle, and detecting foreign matters and defects with high sensitivity. A concave mirror for condensation and another concave mirror fo... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8160351 | Method and apparatus for mura detection and metrology The invention addresses the lack of comprehensive and quantitative methods for measurements of unwanted visual “mura” effects in displays and image sensors. Mura is generated by errors that are significantly smaller than what is needed for the function of the de... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8155429 | Apparatus and method for generating a two-dimensional representation of an object portion arbitrarily arranged within an object For generating a two-dimensional representation of an object portion arbitrarily arranged within an object, a first image comprising the object, and subsequently a second image comprising the object are generated by means of an imaging device while the object and th... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8150141 | Defect classifier using classification recipe based on connection between rule-based and example-based classifiers In apparatuses for automatically acquiring and also for automatically classifying images of defects present on a sample such as a semiconductor wafer, a classifying system is provided which are capable of readily accepting even such a case that a large number of cla... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8139847 | Defect inspection tool and method of parameter tuning for defect inspection tool An inspection method and an inspection tool are capable of detecting a defect on a specimen. More particularly, the examples relate to an inspection method and an inspection tool for easily setting an inspection condition to be used in a defect inspection of an insp... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8131058 | Method and apparatus for visual inspection In the case of die-to-die comparison, threshold processing units process the differential image between the image of a sample chip and the images of left and right adjacent chips using a second threshold value lower than a first threshold value thereby to determine ... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8131059 | Defect inspection device and defect inspection method for inspecting whether a product has defects In an apparatus for photographing an image of a product to judge whether or not a defect is present, a manufacturing desirable image is formed from data acquired when the product was designed, which could be obtained if no defect was present when the product was pho... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8126259 | Method and apparatus for visual inspection In the case of die-to-die comparison, threshold processing units process the differential image between the image of a sample chip and the images of left and right adjacent chips using a second threshold value lower than a first threshold value thereby to determine ... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8121396 | Assessing critical dimension and overlay tolerance A method for constructing an error map for a lithography process, by constructing a first error map using spatial error data compiled on a lithography tool used in the lithography process, and constructing a second error map using spatial error data compiled on a ma... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8121397 | Method and its apparatus for reviewing defects A method for reviewing a defect on a sample involves the steps of imaging a defect image containing the defect in first magnification by using an image acquisition unit, synthesizing a reference image not containing the defect from the defect image, comparing the de... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8121398 | Method and apparatus for inspecting defects A two-dimensional sensor is installed inclining at a predetermined angle to a moving direction of a stage on which an object to be inspected is mounted and, in synchronism with the movement of the stage, a picked up image is rearranged so that there can be obtained ... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8111903 | Inline low-damage automated failure analysis A system and method for failure analysis of devices on a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The present invention comprises the use of an inline focused ion beam milling tool to perform milling and image capturing of cross sections of a desired inspection point. The ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8111902 | Method and apparatus for inspecting defects of circuit patterns The present invention relates to a defect inspection apparatus for inspecting defects in patterns formed on a semiconductor device, on the GUI of which for the confirmation of the inspection results an area is provided for displaying any one of or facing each other ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8103087 | Fault inspection method A fault inspection method and apparatus in which the scattergram is separated or objects of comparison are combined in such a manner as to reduce the difference between an inspection object image and a reference image. As a result, the difference between images caus... | 01/24/2012 |
| 8094924 | E-beam defect review system An apparatus comprises an imaging unit to image a wafer to be reviewed, wherein imaging unit is the modified SORIL column. The modified SORIL column includes a focusing sub-system to do micro-focusing due to a wafer surface topology, wherein the focusing sub-system ... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8090191 | Method and apparatus for inspection and fault analysis Apparatus for inspection and fault analysis of semiconductor chip includes stage on which to mount LSI chip, and test pattern generator supplying test pattern via stage to LSI chip. Apparatus also includes optical system having function of modulating laser beam. Thi... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8086023 | Defect detection apparatus, defect detection method and computer program There are provided a defect detection apparatus, a defect detection method, and a computer program, which are capable of setting an appropriate reference line with respect to a plurality of edge points, to accurately detect a defect based upon a difference of each e... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8086024 | Defect detection apparatus, defect detection method and computer program There is provided a defect detection apparatus capable of highly accurately detecting a defect of a size not larger than a size desired by the user, in which the size setting device sets the defect size, the reduction ratio setting device sets an image reduction rat... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8081814 | Linear pattern detection method and apparatus The present invention provides a linear pattern detection method which can extract and detect linear patterns distinguished by a microscopic defect distribution profile even if skipped measurements are taken. The linear pattern detection method acquires a defect map... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8073241 | Defect source analysis method, defect source analysis apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device An inspecting method increases the accuracy of a DSA (Defect Source Analysis) for thereby increasing the yield of semiconductor devices which are manufactured. For performing a DSA using data of a defect inspecting process obtained when wiring patterns are formed on... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8073242 | SEM system and a method for producing a recipe This invention relates to a SEM system constructed to create imaging recipes or/and measuring recipes automatically and at high speed, and improve inspection efficiency and an automation ratio, and to a method using the SEM system; a method for creation of imaging r... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8059886 | Adaptive signature detection A processor-based method for detecting defects in an integrated circuit, by creating an image of at least a portion of the integrated circuit with a sensor, grouping pixels of the image into bins based at least in part on a common characteristic of the pixels that a... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8055059 | Method and system for determining a defect during sample inspection involving charged particle beam imaging A method for determining a defect during sample inspection involving charged particle beam imaging transforms a target charged particle microscopic image and its corresponding reference charged particle microscopic images each into a plurality of feature images, and... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8050489 | Autoradiography-based differential wear mapping Methods and systems for the differential wear mapping of the surface of an object are described. The process involves establishing a radioactive wearing surface on the object through surface layer activation (SLA) and/or radioactive ion implantation (RII) and imagin... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8045789 | Method and apparatus for inspecting defect of pattern formed on semiconductor device In the inspection apparatus for a defect of a semiconductor and the method using it for automatically detecting the defect on a semiconductor wafer and presuming the defect occurrence factor using the circuit design data, a plurality of shapes are formed from the ci... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8041106 | Methods and systems for detecting defects on a reticle Methods and systems for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. One method includes printing a single die reticle in first areas of a wafer using different values of a parameter of a lithography process and at least one second area using a nominal value of the ... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8014587 | Pattern test method of testing, in only specific region, defect of pattern on sample formed by charged beam lithography apparatus Disclosed is a pattern test method in which a drawing region is divided into a plurality of deflection regions determined by the deflection width of a deflector of a charged beam lithography apparatus, the charged beam lithography apparatus draws a pattern in each d... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8014586 | Apparatus and methods for container inspection Apparatus, systems, and methods to recognize features on bottom surfaces of containers on a container production line, detect defects in the containers, and correlate the defects to specific production equipment of the container production line, based in part on the... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8005292 | Method and apparatus for inspecting pattern defects An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus including: an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory; a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction pr... | 08/23/2011 |
| 8000520 | Apparatus and method for testing image sensor wafers to identify pixel defects An image sensor testing apparatus is disclosed. The image sensor testing apparatus includes an electronic test system having a light source for illuminating an image sensor wafer to generate pixel data and a host processor for receiving the pixel data. An interface ... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7991217 | Defect classifier using classification recipe based on connection between rule-based and example-based classifiers In apparatuses for automatically acquiring and also for automatically classifying images of defects present on a sample such as a semiconductor wafer, a classifying system is provided which are capable of readily accepting even such a case that a large number of cla... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7978903 | Defect detecting method and defect detecting device A defect detecting method includes: an image acquiring process for capturing an image of an inspection object having an identical sequence of pattern and acquiring the image; and a defect emphasizing process for emphasizing a defect of the captured image. The defect... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7978904 | Pattern inspection apparatus and semiconductor inspection system There is provided a pattern inspection apparatus that is capable of detecting a defect accurately and efficiently to inspect a pattern of a semiconductor device. The pattern inspection apparatus includes: a contour extraction means for extracting contour data of a p... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7974459 | Apparatus and method for the automated marking of defects on webs of material A system for the characterization of webs that permits the identification of anomalous regions on the web to be performed at a first time and place, and permits the localization and marking of actual defects to be performed at a second time and place. ... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7974458 | System and method for detecting defects in camera modules A method for detecting defects in camera modules is provided. The method includes the following: an image is acquired from the camera module; a comparison formula and a standard value of defect luminance are set; the image is divided into many test regions; the corr... | 07/05/2011 |
