Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Miyai

Hiroshi Miyai 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).

  • Patent number: 6613593
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device in which failure occurrence conditions on a whole wafer are estimated by calculating the statistic of potential contrasts in pattern sections from sampled images to implement higher throughput, and defective conditions of a process are detected at an early stage with the help of time series data of the estimated result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Maki Tanaka, Masahiro Watanabe, Kenji Watanabe, Mari Nozoe, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Patent number: 6583634
    Abstract: In order to obtain optimum irradiation conditions of an electron beam according to the material and structure of a circuit pattern to be inspected and the kind of a failure to be detected and inspect under the optimum conditions without delay of the inspection time, an inspection device for irradiating the electron beam 19 to the sample board 9 which is a sample, detecting generated secondary electrons by the detector 7, storing obtained signals sequentially in the storage, comparing the same pattern stored in the storage by the comparison calculation unit, and extracting a failure by comparing the predetermined threshold value with the comparison signal by the failure decision unit is provided, wherein the optimum value of the irradiation energy is stored in the data base inside the device beforehand according to the structure of a sample and a recommended value of the irradiation energy suited to inspection can be searched for by inputting or selecting the irradiation energy by a user or inputting informati
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Nozoe, Hiroyuki Shinada, Kenji Watanabe, Keiichi Saiki, Aritoshi Sugimoto, Hiroshi Morioka, Maki Tanaka, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Patent number: 6570611
    Abstract: An image display device has a first look-up table memory (4) for correcting a gamma curve of an input video signal so as to correct a gradation of a display image, a second look-up table memory (5) for generating uniformity correction data on a screen at each gradation level, and a positional information generating portion (10) for generating uniformity correction data corresponding to a position on the screen. A correction data making portion (6) synthesizes the uniformity correction data output from the second look-up table memory (5) and the uniformity correction data output from the positional information generating portion (10). An arithmetic processing circuit (7) corrects the video signal that has been subjected to the gradation correction and read out from the first look-up table memory (4) by using the uniformity correction data output from the correction data making portion (6), and the uniformity correction of the display image is performed at all gradation levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Satou, Tetsuro Shiota, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Publication number: 20030062487
    Abstract: Conventionally, defect data outputted by an inspection system comprised only characteristic quantitative data, such as coordinate data, area, and projected length, and only the coordinate data for moving to a defect location could be utilized effectively. By contrast, the present invention, by using image data in addition to characteristic quantitative data as the defect data for an inspection system, enables the retrieval of image data via an outside results confirmation system. Further, in the case of defect data of a plurality of substrates, it is enabled to display a defect image during inspection by the fact that similar defects are retrieved via images and retrieval results are displayed as trends makes it possible to display a defect image during inspection by searching similar defects on images and displaying them as a trend, designating a substrate on the trend, thereby displaying the defect map thereof and designating a defect on the defect map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Asahiro Kuni, Maki Tanaka, Munenori Fukunishi, Hiroshi Miyai, Yasuhiko Nara, Mitsunobu Isobe
  • Publication number: 20030063792
    Abstract: Conventionally, defect data outputted by an inspection system comprised only characteristic quantitative data, such as coordinate data, area, and projected length, and only the coordinate data for moving to a defect location could be utilized effectively. By contrast, the present invention, by using image data in addition to characteristic quantitative data as the defect data for an inspection system, enables the retrieval of image data via an outside results confirmation system. Further, in the case of defect data of a plurality of substrates, it is enabled to display a defect image during inspection by the fact that similar defects are retrieved via images and retrieval results are displayed as trends makes it possible to display a defect image during inspection by searching similar defects on images and displaying them as a trend, designating a substrate on the trend, thereby displaying the defect map thereof and designating a defect on the defect map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Asahiro Kuni, Maki Tanaka, Munenori Fukunishi, Hiroshi Miyai, Yasuhiko Nara, Mitsunobu Isobe
  • Patent number: 6511184
    Abstract: Three colors of light beams from a light source travel via a first optical system to strike a reflecting surface of a rotating polygon mirror, or mirrors, at different angles without overlapping. The rotating polygon mirror or mirrors reflect the light beams for scanning. The reflected light beams enter a second optical system at different angles to illuminate an image display panel at different portions. On the image display panel, belt-like regions illuminated by the light beams of individual colors are formed in parallel with each other, and these illuminated regions are moved continuously by scanning. A formed color image is magnified and projected by a projection optical system. With such a projection type image display apparatus, a display having high resolution and light efficiency that is also small, thin and inexpensive is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigekazu Yamagishi, Hiroshi Miyai, Hitoshi Noda, Atsushi Hatakeyama
  • Publication number: 20030007677
    Abstract: In a pattern inspecting apparatus, images of places which have been detected by repeating stage scan and stored successively in the order of detection and which can be expected to be the same pattern are compared with one another, then different places are selected as defect candidates, and a place which has become a defect candidate twice is regarded as a true defect. However, a comparison of images obtained by different stage scans and the occurrence of a place capable of being inspected only once lead to a deterioration in the performance of detecting various error defects and an area incapable of being inspected, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Maki Tanaka, Asahiro Kuni, Chie Shishido, Hiroshi Miyai, Yasuhiko Nara, Mitsunobu Isobe
  • Publication number: 20020197750
    Abstract: A method and its apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device in which failure occurrence conditions on a whole wafer are estimated by calculating the statistic of potential contrasts in pattern sections from sampled images to implement higher througput and defective conditions of process are detected at an early stage with the help of time series data of the estimated result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventors: Maki Tanaka, Masahiro Watanabe, Kenji Watanabe, Mari Nozoe, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Publication number: 20020195574
    Abstract: A method and its apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device in which failure occurrence conditions on a whole wafer are estimated by calculating the statistic of potential contrasts in pattern sections from sampled images to implement higher throughout and defective conditions of process are detected at an early stage with the help of time series data of the estimated result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventors: Maki Tanaka, Masahiro Watanabe, Kenji Watanabe, Mari Nozoe, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Publication number: 20020159036
    Abstract: Light beams of red, green and blue from a light source portion (201) travel via a first optical system (202) and enter a reflecting surface of a rotating polygon mirror (212) so as not to overlap each other and at different angles from each other with respect to a rotation direction of the rotating polygon mirror. The rotating polygon mirror (212) makes the light beams of the respective colors perform a scanning while reflecting these light beams. The scanned light beams enter a second optical system (203) at different angles from each other and are led to different positions on an image display panel (204). The light beams of the respective colors form belt-like illuminated regions that are parallel with each other on the image display panel (204), and the illuminated regions move continuously by the above-mentioned scanning. Each pixel of the image display panel is driven by a signal corresponding to a color of light entering this pixel, thereby displaying a color image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Shigekazu Yamagishi, Hiroshi Miyai, Hitoshi Noda, Atsushi Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 6465781
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for inspecting or measuring a sample based on charged-particle beam are provided to relieve charge-up of the sample, so that high-quality electron image is obtained. A UV light irradiation optical system is controlled by an irradiation controller, scanning of the charged-particle beam is controlled by a scanning controller, and the irradiation controller and the scanning controller are controlled by a general controller. They are mutually synchronized, and a signal from an electron detector is imaged by an image slicing circuit and an image processing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Norimasa Nishimura, Akira Shimase, Masahiro Watanabe, Asahiro Kuni, Taku Ninomiya, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Publication number: 20020114506
    Abstract: The present invention provides techniques, including a method and system, for inspecting for defects in a circuit pattern on a semi-conductor material. One specific embodiment provides a trial inspection threshold setup method, where the initial threshold is modified after a defect analysis of trial inspection stored data. The modified threshold is then used as the threshold in actual inspection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2001
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Chie Shishido, Asahiro Kuni, Maki Tanaka, Hiroshi Miyai, Yasuhiko Nara, Mari Nozoe
  • Publication number: 20020057831
    Abstract: A pattern inspection method in which an image can be detected without an image detection error due to an adverse effect to be given by such factors as ions implanted in a wafer, pattern connection/no-connection, and pattern edge formation. A digital image of an object substrate is attained through microscopic observation thereof, the attained digital image is examined to detect defects while masking a region pre-registered in terms of coordinates or while masking a pattern meeting a pre-registered pattern, and an image of each of the defects thus detected is displayed. Further, each of the defects detected using the digital image attained through microscopic observation is checked to judge whether its feature meets a pre-registered feature or not. Defects having a feature that meets the pre-registered feature are so displayed that they can be turned/off, or they are so displayed as to be distinguishable from the other defects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Chie Shishido, Aritoshi Sugimoto, Maki Tanaka, Hiroshi Miyai, Asahiro Kuni, Yasuhiko Nara
  • Publication number: 20020054703
    Abstract: A pattern inspection method in which an image can be detected without an image detection error due to an adverse effect to be given by such factors as ions implanted in a wafer, pattern connection/no-connection, and pattern edge formation. A digital image of an object substrate is attained through microscopic observation thereof, the attained digital image is examined to detect defects while masking a region pre-registered in terms of coordinates or while masking a pattern meeting a pre-registered pattern, and an image of each of the defects thus detected is displayed. Further, each of the defects detected using the digital image attained through microscopic observation is checked to judge whether its feature meets a pre-registered feature or not. Defects having a feature that meets the pre-registered feature are so displayed that they can be turned/off, or they are so displayed as to be distinguishable from the other defects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Chie Shishido, Aritoshi Sugimoto, Maki Tanaka, Hiroshi Miyai, Asahiro Kuni, Yasuhiko Nara
  • Publication number: 20020051565
    Abstract: The present invention provides techniques, including a method and system, for inspecting for defects in a circuit pattern on a semi-conductor material. One specific embodiment provides a trial inspection threshold setup method, where the initial threshold is modified after a defect analysis of trial inspection stored data. The modified threshold is then used as the threshold in actual inspection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Publication date: May 2, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Chie Shishido, Asahiro Kuni, Maki Tanaka, Hiroshi Miyai, Yasuhiko Nara, Mari Nozoe
  • Publication number: 20020036652
    Abstract: The present invention provides a presentation system, a display device, and a program which realize a smoother presentation performance in case where information a presenter wishes to refer to is displayed in a terminal but not in a display device. The presentation system of the present invention is structured, for instance, by connecting a PC 100 and a projector 200 via a LAN 50. A display unit of the PC 100 can be set up to display information including, for example, explanatory notes, but when making the projector 200 display an image, the information will not be displayed by executing a data modification which makes the information invisible. The information such as the explanatory notes may be placed at an arbitrary location on the display unit 102 and this enables a smoother presentation performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Junji Masumoto, Shigekazu Yamagishi, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Patent number: 6333962
    Abstract: A non-destructive inspection apparatus has a radiation source, a radiation detector, a radiation source diver, a detector driver, a drive controller, a delay circuit, a radiation signal processing circuit, a memory, a computer, a display device, and an input device. The radiation detector consists of one-dimensional or two-dimensional array of detectors having a long collimator whose pores are in parallel with the radiation angle of the radiation emitted in an angular pattern from the radiation source, whereby a transmission image of a large size structure can be obtained at high speed and with a high resolution. Furthermore, the detect position in an inspection object can be specified by analyzing a plurality of specified transmission images using the inspection apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kitaguchi, Shigeru Izumi, Hiroshi Miyai, Katsutoshi Sato, Yasuko Aoki, Yukiya Hattori
  • Publication number: 20010048406
    Abstract: An image display apparatus is provided for enlarging and projecting a light emitted from a plurality of self-emitting elements on a screen by beam scanning means, which is an image display apparatus having little or no luminance unevenness by solving the conventional problem of causing luminance unevenness in images projected on the screen due to a variance in luminance characteristics of each self-emitting element. It is configured such that a part of the light scanned on the screen from the beam scanning means is provided to a photodetector element that converts the intensity of the light into an electric signal so as to correct a driving signal to be supplied to the self-emitting element by the intensity of the light detected by this photodetector element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Masumoto, Shigekazu Yamagishi, Hitoshi Noda, Atsushi Hatakeyama, Hiroshi Miyai
  • Publication number: 20010033683
    Abstract: In order to enable the most suitable image processing condition to be set as one in which a dispersion in brightness between comparing images caused by object to be inspected and an image detecting system is not applied as a false information, in the present invention, there is obtained a noise characteristic of a secondary electron image caused by the image detecting system is calculated, the most suitable image processing parameters are determined depending on the object to be inspected on the basis of the characteristic, and its comparing processing is performed by using the noise characteristic and the image of the object to be inspected, thereby a dispersion in process for the object to be inspected is evaluated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Publication date: October 25, 2001
    Inventors: Maki Tanaka, Takashi Hiroi, Masahiro Watanabe, Chie Shishido, Hiroshi Morioka, Kenji Watanabe, Hiroshi Miyai, Mari Nozoe
  • Patent number: 6288756
    Abstract: A luminance correction circuit to correct areas of unevenness in luminance or color of a video image and smoothes gaps between correction blocks. The luminance correction circuit comprises a memory for storing correction data for correcting unevenness in luminance or color of video image, a timing generator for controlling read timing of the correction data from the memory, and an analog processor for processing the video signal using the correction data from the memory. A display area is divided to an appropriate number of blocks and the video signal is corrected in each block and the boundary between corrected blocks is smoothed by controlling the correction timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuro Shiota, Hiroshi Miyai