Abstract: In a pattern inspecting apparatus, images of places which can be expected to be the same pattern are compared with one another. 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. For solving this problem, defects detected in a high sensitivity condition are regarded as defect candidates and a critical threshold value, used as a boundary to detect a smaller value as a defect, of a defect candidate portion is obtained by an image processing circuit or an image of the defect candidate portion is obtained by processing with software. Further, the critical threshold value thus obtained is compared with plural threshold values, thereby permitting plural inspection results to be obtained in a single inspection.

Abstract: In a pattern inspecting apparatus, images of places which can be expected to be the same pattern are compared with one another. 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. For solving this problem, defects detected in a high sensitivity condition are regarded as defect candidates and a critical threshold value, used as a boundary to detect a smaller value as a defect, of a defect candidate portion is obtained by an image processing circuit or an image of the defect candidate portion is obtained by processing with software. Further, the critical threshold value thus obtained is compared with plural threshold values, thereby permitting plural inspection results to be obtained in a single inspection.

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.

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, by using image data in addition to characteristic quantitative data as the defect data for an inspection system, the retrieval of image data via an outside results confirmation system is made possible. Further, for defect data of a plurality of substrates, it is possible to display a defect image during inspection by the fact that similar defects are retrieved via images and retrieval results are displayed as trends, which makes it possible to display a defect image during inspection by searching similar defects on images and displaying them as a trend, and designating a substrate on the trend, thereby displaying the defect map thereof and designating a defect on the defect map.

Abstract: In order to provide a high-speed, inexpensive inspection system that has a short development period, that is flexible, and that allow algorithms to be easily changed, a PC equipped with an image input feature is used to capture an image detected by a line image sensor, this detected image is transferred to a plurality of PCs connected by a LAN, and defects are detected using software processing on the plurality of PCs.

Abstract: An apparatus and/or a method for inspecting fine defects on a substrate having minute patterns formed thereon as a target of inspection by detecting an image thereof with fine pixel size, wherein high speed processing is needed for position alignment over a wide region which is expanded equivalently therewith while obtaining a video processing circuit having a small size, wherein a video signal equal to or less than 0.2 &mgr;m in pixel size is obtained by using an optical system of DUV (far-ultraviolet) light or a video detection system of an electron beam. For instance, a search region for detecting position gaps is set at ±4 pixels, while on one substrate are mounted a plurality of video processing circuits, each being constructed with an LSI which can perform processing of k channels, thereby realizing a high-speed video processing portion having a small size.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: The inventive pattern detection method and apparatus produce, from an optical image of a pattern in attention and an optical image of a pattern which should be identical to the pattern in attention, an optical image by merging the images, with a relative phase shift being imposed, and pattern information is detected or observed in the merged optical image or a signal produced from the optical image through the conversion with an opto-electric transducer means.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a character recognition equipment which is capable of recognizing with high accuracy those characters that have poor contrast and produce variation in printing density such as characters printed on industrial products.The character recognition equipment according to the present invention is composed of an input unit group which processes in image in a plurality of window regions that are set on a character image, a feature unit group which performs calculation on values obtained by adding thresholds to the output values therefrom, and an output unit group which performs calculation on values obtained by multiplying output values from the feature unit group and adding the thresholds to the sum total thereof. Here, the thresholds and the weights can be adjusted automatically with an actual object image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus which allows a plurality of access circuits to perform access operations simultaneously including a first access circuit for writing a video signal in digital form, obtained by A/D conversion, into an image memory, a plurality of process memories for storing necessary data, taken out from the video signals stored in the image memory, a plurality of second access circuits for accessing the image memory and the process memories, and performing specified data processing to obtain necessary data from the image memory, and a third access circuit having the same functions as the second access circuits and a function to control the operation of the first and second access circuits. Access switchover circuits are provided for each of the image memory and process memories, for switching over access to the memories to either the first, second or third access circuits.

Abstract: A perfect layer coil winding apparatus capable of automatically forming a perfect layer coil from the initial stage of winding operation without being affected by non-uniformity in diameter of a wire and width of a bobbin for winding the wire thereon is disclosed which performs the following operation: the width of the bobbin is calculated from the position of each of two flanges which is detected by each of two electric micrometer, the number of turns per layer is calculated from the width of bobbin and the diameter of wire, the winding width of the bobbin required to conduct the perfect layer coil winding from the number of turns per layer to adjust the winding width of the bobbin, the supply position of wire is adjusted on the basis of the position of first flange, the diameter of wire and the standby position of a pair of rollers, the bobbin is rotated with the wire pushed against the first flange by a push plate to start the winding operation, and when the degree of rotation of the bobbin reaches a prede