Abstract: An inspection system for inspecting a semiconductor substrate, the inspection system may include an inspection unit that comprises a partially blocking bright field unit and a non-blocking bright field unit; wherein the partially blocking bright field unit is configured to block any specular reflection that fulfills the following: (a) the specular reflection is caused by illuminating, along a first axis, of an area of the wafer, (b) the specular reflection propagates along a second axis, (c) the first axis and the second axis are symmetrical about a normal to the area of the wafer, and (d) the normal is parallel to an optical axis of the partially blocking bright field unit; and wherein the non-blocking bright field unit is configured to pass to the image plane any specular reflection that fulfills the following: (a) the specular reflection is caused by illuminating, along the first axis, of an area of the wafer, (b) the specular reflection propagates along the second axis, (c) the first axis and the second a

Abstract: An inspection system that may include a motion device, for supporting an inspected object and for moving the inspected object, in response to motion device triggering signals, by a movement that is characterized by speed variations; a signal generator, for generating camera triggering signals and motion device location triggering signals; a motion device location generator, for providing location information indicative of locations of the stage at points of time that are determined by the motion device location triggering signals; a continuous illuminator for continuously illuminating areas of the inspected object; and a camera for acquiring images of areas of the inspected object in response to the camera triggering signals.

Abstract: An aperture stop that includes a non-circular region that comprises at least one opaque region and at least one opening region; wherein each point in the at least one opening region is (a) mapped to an angle of illumination and (b) is associated with a corresponding point in the at least one opaque region that. mapped to an angle of specular reflectance from the angle of illumination mapped to the opening point.

Abstract: An inspection system for inspection a surface of a substrate, the inspection system may include an interface for holding the substrate; a movement mechanism for moving the interface, thereby moving the substrate between different positions; a bright field light source that is configured to illuminate different bright field illuminated parts of the surface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned at the different positions; at least one dark field light source that is configured to illuminate different dark field illuminated parts of the surface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned at the different positions; and a camera that is configured to: (a) generate bright field detection signals in response to light that is detected by the camera as a result of the illumination of the different bright field illuminated parts; and (b) generate dark field detection signals in response to light that is detected by the camera as a result of the illumination of the different dark field illuminated par

Abstract: An inspection system for inspecting a semiconductor substrate, the inspection system may include an inspection unit that comprises a partially blocking bright field unit and a non-blocking bright field unit; wherein the partially blocking bright field unit is configured to block any specular reflection that fulfills the following: (a) the specular reflection is caused by illuminating, along a first axis, of an area of the wafer, (b) the specular reflection propagates along a second axis, (c) the first axis and the second axis are symmetrical about a normal to the area of the wafer, and (d) the normal is parallel to an optical axis of the partially blocking bright field unit; and wherein the non-blocking bright field unit is configured to pass to the image plane any specular reflection that fulfills the following: (a) the specular reflection is caused by illuminating, along the first axis, of an area of the wafer, (b) the specular reflection propagates along the second axis, (c) the first axis and the second a

Abstract: An aperture stop that includes a non-circular region that comprises at least one opaque region and at least one opening region; wherein each point in the at least one opening region is (a) mapped to an angle of illumination and (b) is associated with a corresponding point in the at least one opaque region that. mapped to an angle of specular reflectance from the angle of illumination mapped to the opening point.

Abstract: A system for measuring heights of multiple structures of an object, the system may include an illumination module that is configured to illuminate the object by a light strip that is spatially incoherent; multiple cameras; a collection module that is configured to collect light that is reflected from the object and to distribute the light to the multiple cameras; wherein the collection module has an elongated field of view that has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the light strip; wherein the multiple cameras are configured to generate, during a height measurement process, detection signals indicative of heights of the multiple structures; a mechanical stage for introducing a movement, during the height measurement process, between the object and each one of the illumination module and the collection module; and a processor that is configured to process the detection signals to determine the heights of the multiple structures.

Abstract: A triangulation system comprising an area camera, a communication interface, a first image processing module, a second image processing module; wherein the area camera is arranged to obtain, at an acquisition rate, a stream of images of illuminated regions of an object; wherein the area camera is prevented from performing height calculations; wherein the communication interface is arranged to convey, in real time thereby in correspondence to the acquisition rate, the stream of images from the area camera to the first image processing module; wherein the first image processing module is arranged to process, in real time, the stream of images to provide first compressed information; wherein the second image processing module is arranged to process, at a non-real time image processing rate, the first compressed information to provide height information indicative of heights of at least the illuminated regions of the object.

Abstract: An inspection system that may include a motion device, for supporting an inspected object and for moving the inspected object, in response to motion device triggering signals, by a movement that is characterized by speed variations; a signal generator, for generating camera triggering signals and motion device location triggering signals; a motion device location generator, for providing location information indicative of locations of the stage at points of time that are determined by the motion device location triggering signals; a continuous illuminator for continuously illuminating areas of the inspected object; and a camera for acquiring images of areas of the inspected object in response to the camera triggering signals.

Abstract: An inspection system for inspection a surface of a substrate, the inspection system may include an interface for holding the substrate; a movement mechanism for moving the interface, thereby moving the substrate between different positions; a bright field light source that is configured to illuminate different bright field illuminated parts of the surface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned at the different positions; at least one dark field light source that is configured to illuminate different dark field illuminated parts of the surface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned at the different positions; and a camera that is configured to: (a) generate bright field detection signals in response to light that is detected by the camera as a result of the illumination of the different bright field illuminated parts; and (b) generate dark field detection signals in response to light that is detected by the camera as a result of the illumination of the different dark field illuminated par

Abstract: A system for measuring heights of multiple structures of an object, the system may include an illumination module that is configured to illuminate the object by a light strip that is spatially incoherent; multiple cameras; a collection module that is configured to collect light that is reflected from the object and to distribute the light to the multiple cameras; wherein the collection module has an elongated field of view that has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the light strip; wherein the multiple cameras are configured to generate, during a height measurement process, detection signals indicative of heights of the multiple structures; a mechanical stage for introducing a movement, during the height measurement process, between the object and each one of the illumination module and the collection module; and a processor that is configured to process the detection signals to determine the heights of the multiple structures.

Abstract: An aperture stop that include a circular region that comprises multiple points, wherein the multiple points comprise multiple opaque region points that are spread across all polar angles and multiple opening points that are spread across all polar angles; and wherein each opening point is (a) mapped to an angle of illumination and (b) is associated with a corresponding opaque region point that is mapped to an angle of specular reflectance from the angle of illumination mapped to the opening point

Abstract: A system, a non-transitory computer program product and a method for selecting an inspection recipe, the method includes: (i) obtaining an image of a structural element of the semiconductor device; (ii) calculating multiple types of distances between the image of the structural element and each of a plurality of reference images obtained by applying a plurality of inspection recipes; and (iii) automatically selecting at least one selected inspection recipe out of the plurality of inspection recipes based on values of the multiple types of distances.

Abstract: A system, a non-transitory computer program product and a method for selecting an inspection recipe, the method includes: (i) obtaining an image of a structural element of the semiconductor device; (ii) calculating multiple types of distances between the image of the structural element and each of a plurality of reference images obtained by applying a plurality of inspection recipes; and (iii) automatically selecting at least one selected inspection recipe out of the plurality of inspection recipes based on values of the multiple types of distances.

Abstract: A method and device for measuring a height of a microscopic structure such as solder bumps. For simplicity of explanation, the invention is described with respect to phase information and amplitude information wherein phase detection and calculation algorithms are being used.

Abstract: A triangulation system comprising an area camera, a communication interface, a first image processing module, a second image processing module; wherein the area camera is arranged to obtain, at an acquisition rate, a stream of images of illuminated regions of an object; wherein the area camera is prevented from performing height calculations; wherein the communication interface is arranged to convey, in real time thereby in correspondence to the acquisition rate, the stream of images from the area camera to the first image processing module; wherein the first image processing module is arranged to process, in real time, the stream of images to provide first compressed information; wherein the second image processing module is arranged to process, at a non-real time image processing rate, the first compressed information to provide height information indicative of heights of at least the illuminated regions of the object.

Abstract: A method for wafer registration, the method may include: moving a wafer by an X-Y stage and acquiring wafer edge area images; and processing the wafer edge area images to locate an edge of the wafer. A system that includes a camera, an X-Y stage for moving a wafer; wherein the camera is arranged to acquire wafer edge area images; and a processor that is arranged to process the wafer edge area images to locate an edge of the wafer.

Abstract: System, computer readable medium and method. The system includes (i) a data obtaining module arranged to obtain data about at least one portion of an inspected article; and (ii) a processor arranged to perform at least one processing operation of the data out of: (a) processing the data to provide the inspection recipe; and (b) processing the data, while utilizing the inspection recipe, to detect defects; wherein the inspection recipe comprises multiple zones of multiple types of zones; wherein a zone of a first type of zones differs from a zone of a second type of zone.

Abstract: A device for measuring a height of a microscopic structure, the device may include: a storage circuit arranged to store information that comprises amplitude information and phase information, wherein the information is indicative of a shape and a size of the microscopic structure; a mask generation circuit arranged to threshold pixels of the amplitude information to provide a mask that comprises masked amplitude pixels; a phase information circuit arranged to apply the mask on the phase information to provide masked phase pixels; select, out of the masked phase pixels, selected phase pixels that correspond to a phase criterion, the selected phase pixels have selected phase pixels attribute values; find, out of the phase information, elected phase pixels that have the selected phase pixel attribute values; and a height calculation circuit arranged to generate a height measurement result based the elected phase pixels.

Abstract: A method for wafer registration, the method may include: moving a wafer by an X-Y stage and acquiring wafer edge area images; and processing the wafer edge area images to locate an edge of the wafer. A system that includes a camera, an X-Y stage for moving a wafer; wherein the camera is arranged to acquire wafer edge area images; and a processor that is arranged to process the wafer edge area images to locate an edge of the wafer.