Patents by Inventor Christoph Hechtl

Christoph Hechtl has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method of inspecting a mask
    Patent number: 7160650
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of inspecting a mask comprising the steps: patterning a semiconductor material with a reference mask, patterning the semiconductor material with the mask as the inspection item, inspecting both patterns on the semiconductor material by means of an apparatus suitable for inspecting the semiconductor material, and comparing the pattern generated by the inspection item mask to the pattern generated by the reference mask to detect deviations in the inspection item mask from the reference mask. The invention is particularly suitable for reticule inspection. When a semiconductor wafer is multiply patterned by the reference mask and the inspection item mask alternatingly side-by-side, deviations in the reticules are evident as recurrent discrepancies between the patterns on the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Christoph Hechtl, Jens Lohse, Peter Schäffler
  • Method of inspecting a mask
    Publication number: 20040066963
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of inspecting a mask comprising the steps: patterning a semiconductor material with a reference mask, patterning the semiconductor material with the mask as the inspection item, inspecting both patterns on the semiconductor material by means of an apparatus suitable for inspecting the semiconductor material, and comparing the pattern generated by the inspection item mask to the pattern generated by the reference mask to detect deviations in the inspection item mask from the reference mask. The invention is particularly suitable for reticule inspection. When a semiconductor wafer is multiply patterned by the reference mask and the inspection item mask alternatingly side-by-side, deviations in the reticules are evident as recurrent discrepancies between the patterns on the wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Inventors: Christoph Hechtl, Jens Lohse, Peter Schaffler