Patents by Inventor Shuichi Chikamatsu
Shuichi Chikamatsu 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).
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Patent number: 8804109Abstract: A defect inspection system can suppress an effect of light from a rough surface or a circuit pattern and increasing a gain of light from a defect to detect the defect with high sensitivity. When a lens with a large NA value is used, the diameter is 10a, an angle between the sample surface and a traveling direction of the light from a defect being ?1. A system receives the light from the defect at a reduced elevation angle ?2 with respect to the sample surface to reduce the scattered light, and to increase the light from the defect. The diameter 10a is smaller than the diameter 10b, resulting in a reduction in the ability to focus the scattered light. When a lens having a diameter 10c is used, the lens interferes with the sample. To avoid the interference, a portion of the lens interfering with the sample is removed.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2012Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kenji Aiko, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Hisafumi Iwata
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Publication number: 20130194579Abstract: In a conventional art, vibrations of compositions (for example, a Z-stage, a ?-stage, a wafer chuck, and a detection optical system mounted above a stage linear scale) within a device are not precisely fed back to a coordinate value.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2011Publication date: August 1, 2013Inventors: Yukihisa Mohara, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Eiji Imai, Koichi Taniguchi
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Patent number: 8345233Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus emits light to a test object, detects reflected of scattered light from the test object and detects a defect in the test object The apparatus comprises a temperature-controlled part accommodating section that accommodates parts having a need for controlling a temperature, which is out of a plurality of parts in the defect inspection apparatus. A first temperature measuring instrument measures a temperature in the temperature-controlled part accommodating section; and a temperature control unit controls a temperature of the interior of the temperature-controlled part accommodating section at a prescribed temperature according to the temperature measured by the first temperature measuring instrument. Accordingly, a defect inspection apparatus can efficiently perform temperature control without involving an enlarged size can be achieved.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2011Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Tadashi Suga, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Masayuki Ochi, Takahiko Suzuki, Seiji Otani
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Patent number: 8319960Abstract: A defect inspection system can suppress an effect of light from a sample rough surface or a regular circuit pattern and increasing a gain of light from a defect such as a foreign material to detect the defect on the sample surface with high sensitivity. When a lens with a large NA value is used, the outer diameter of the lens is 10a, and an angle between the sample surface and a traveling direction of the light from a defect is ?1. An oblique detection optics system receives the light from the defect at a reduced elevation angle ?2 with respect to the sample surface to reduce light from the sample rough surface, an oxide film rough bottom surface, and a circuit pattern, and to increase the amount of the light from the defect and detected. The diameter 10a of a lens is smaller than the diameter 10b, resulting in a reduction in the ability to focus the scattered light. When a lens with an outer diameter 10c is used to improve the focus ability, the lens interferes with the sample.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2010Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kenji Aiko, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Hisafumi Iwata
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Patent number: 8314930Abstract: An inspection device for inspecting defects of an inspection object including a light source for irradiating a luminous flux to the inspection object; an optical system for guiding reflected light from the inspection object; a photoelectric image sensor having a plurality of photoelectric cells arranged, for converting the light guided to detection signals; a detection signal transfer unit having channels each constituted by a signal correction unit, a converter and an image formation unit, and corresponding to each of a plurality of regions formed by dividing the photoelectric image sensor, respectively; and an image synthesis unit for forming an image of the surface of the object by synthesizing partial images outputted; the inspection device inspecting defects of the object by processing the synthesized image; whereby it becomes possible to correct a detection signal from said photoelectric cell close to a predetermined reference target value.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2010Date of Patent: November 20, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Koichi Taniguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Shigehisa Nozawa
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Patent number: 8228496Abstract: Provided are a defect inspection apparatus having a large range for receiving light scattering from fine defects while securing a sufficiently large signal strength; and a defect inspection method for the same. The defect inspection apparatus includes: a stage part capable of traveling relative to optical systems with a substrate to be inspected mounted on the stage part; an illumination optical system for illuminating an inspection area on the substrate; a detection optical system for detecting light coming from the inspection area on the substrate; an image sensor for converting, to a signal, an image which is formed on the image sensor by the detection optical system; a signal processor for detecting defects by processing the signal from the image sensor; and a plane reflecting mirror, arranged between the detection optical system and the substrate, for transmitting the light, which comes from the substrate, to the detection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2010Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Kenji Aiko
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Publication number: 20120140212Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus emits light to a test object, detects reflected of scattered light from the test object and detects a defect in the test object The apparatus comprises a temperature-controlled part accommodating section that accommodates parts having a need for controlling a temperature, which is out of a plurality of parts in the defect inspection apparatus. A first temperature measuring instrument measures a temperature in the temperature-controlled part accommodating section; and a temperature control unit controls a temperature of the interior of the temperature-controlled part accommodating section at a prescribed temperature according to the temperature measured by the first temperature measuring instrument. Accordingly, a defect inspection apparatus can efficiently perform temperature control without involving an enlarged size can be achieved.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2011Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Tadashi Suga, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Masayuki Ochi, Takahiko Suzuki, Seiji Otani
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Patent number: 8134701Abstract: A defect inspecting apparatus of the invention solves a problem that in a defect inspecting apparatus, because of improving detection sensitivity of a microscopic defect by reducing a detection pixel size, a focal depth becomes shallow, a height of imaging is varied due to environmental change and the detection sensitivity of a defect becomes unstable. This apparatus comprises an XY stage, which carries a substrate to be inspected and scans in a predetermined direction, and a mechanism having a system of irradiating a defect on the inspected substrate at a slant and detecting the defect by a detection optical system disposed on the upper side, which corrects a height of imaging in real time for change in temperature and barometric pressure in order to keep the imaging in a best condition.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2010Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Kenji Aiko
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Patent number: 8102522Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus enable to efficiently perform a temperature control without involving an enlarged size can be achieved. The parts constituting the defect inspection apparatus are classified into parts need temperature control and parts not to need temperature control; all the parts need temperature control are accommodated together into a temperature-controlled part accommodating section 604, and the parts not to need temperature control are arranged in a heat radiating unit 605. The temperature in the temperature-controlled part accommodating section 604 is measured by a temperature measuring instrument 603 and a control CPU 602 in a temperature control unit 601 carries out control according to the measured temperature so that the interior of the temperature-controlled part accommodating section 604 is kept at a fixed temperature.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2007Date of Patent: January 24, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Tadashi Suga, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Masayuki Ochi, Takahiko Suzuki, Seiji Otani
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Publication number: 20110141463Abstract: Provided are a defect inspection device and a defect inspecting method, which enlarge the uptake range of a light scattered from a fine defect thereby to heighten signal intensity.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2009Publication date: June 16, 2011Inventors: Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minoru Noguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Kenji Aiko
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Patent number: 7953567Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes: stages each mounting an inspecting object on which a circuit pattern having a group of parallel lines is formed, and each running perpendicular or parallel to the group of lines; an illumination optical system which illuminating a surface of the inspecting object with a slit beam being slit light so that a longitudinal direction of the slit beam is substantially perpendicular to the running directions of the stages, and which has a first inclined angle formed by the direction of the group of lines and a projection line, of an optical axis of the slit beam, to the inspecting object; a spatial filter that shields or transmits reflected and scattered light of the inspecting object according to a difference in distribution of orientation; and a detection optical system that detects the reflected and scattered light transmitted through the spatial filter by image sensors.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2010Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kei Shimura, Minori Noguchi, Masaaki Ito, Kenji Aiko, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Shigeo Otsuki, Shigeru Abe, Masayuki Ochi, Takuaki Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki Yamashita
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Patent number: 7940383Abstract: A method for detecting defects on an object includes an illumination optical unit which obliquely projects a laser focused onto a line on a surface of the object and white-color, a table unit which mounts the specimen and which is movable, a detection optical unit which detects with an image sensor an image of light formed by light reflected from the object and passed through a filter which blocks diffraction light resulting from patterns formed on the object, a signal processor which processes a signal outputted from the image sensor of the detection optical unit to extract defects of the object, and a display unit which displays information of defects extracted by the signal processor. The filter is adjustable.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2009Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ohshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Shunichi Matsumoto, Yukio Kembo, Ryouji Matsunaga, Keiji Sakai, Takanori Ninomiya, Tetsuyai Watanabe, Hisato Nakamura, Takahiro Jingu, Yoshio Morishige, Shuichi Chikamatsu
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Publication number: 20110051131Abstract: An inspection device for inspecting defects of an inspection object including a light source for irradiating a luminous flux to the inspection object; an optical system for guiding reflected light from the inspection object; a photoelectric image sensor having a plurality of photoelectric cells arranged, for converting the light guided to detection signals; a detection signal transfer unit having channels each constituted by a signal correction unit, a converter and an image formation unit, and corresponding to each of a plurality of regions formed by dividing the photoelectric image sensor, respectively; and an image synthesis unit for forming an image of the surface of the object by synthesizing partial images outputted; the inspection device inspecting defects of the object by processing the synthesized image; whereby it becomes possible to correct a detection signal from said photoelectric cell close to a predetermined reference target value.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Koichi TANIGUCHI, Masayuki Ochi, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Shigehisa Nozawa
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Patent number: 7847928Abstract: An inspection device for inspecting defects of an inspection object including a light source for irradiating a luminous flux to the inspection object; an optical system for guiding reflected light from the inspection object; a photoelectric image sensor having a plurality of photoelectric cells arranged, for converting the light guided to detection signals; a detection signal transfer unit having channels each constituted by a signal correction unit, a converter and an image formation unit, and corresponding to each of a plurality of regions formed by dividing the photoelectric image sensor, respectively; and an image synthesis unit for forming an image of the surface of the object by synthesizing partial images outputted; the inspection device inspecting defects of the object by processing the synthesized image; whereby it becomes possible to correct a detection signal from said photoelectric cell close to a predetermined reference target value.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2008Date of Patent: December 7, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Koichi Taniguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Shigehisa Nozawa
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Patent number: 7847927Abstract: Provided are a defect inspection apparatus having a large range for receiving light scattering from fine defects while securing a sufficiently large signal strength; and a defect inspection method for the same. The defect inspection apparatus includes: a stage part capable of traveling relative to optical systems with a substrate to be inspected mounted on the stage part; an illumination optical system for illuminating an inspection area on the substrate; a detection optical system for detecting light coming from the inspection area on the substrate; an image sensor for converting, to a signal, an image which is formed on the image sensor by the detection optical system; a signal processor for detecting defects by processing the signal from the image sensor; and a plane reflecting mirror, arranged between the detection optical system and the substrate, for transmitting the light, which comes from the substrate, to the detection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2008Date of Patent: December 7, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Kenji Aiko
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Publication number: 20100271627Abstract: Provided are a defect inspection apparatus having a large range for receiving light scattering from fine defects while securing a sufficiently large signal strength; and a defect inspection method for the same. The defect inspection apparatus includes: a stage part capable of traveling relative to optical systems with a substrate to be inspected mounted on the stage part; an illumination optical system for illuminating an inspection area on the substrate; a detection optical system for detecting light coming from the inspection area on the substrate; an image sensor for converting, to a signal, an image which is formed on the image sensor by the detection optical system; a signal processor for detecting defects by processing the signal from the image sensor; and a plane reflecting mirror, arranged between the detection optical system and the substrate, for transmitting the light, which comes from the substrate, to the detection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2010Publication date: October 28, 2010Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Shuichi CHIKAMATSU, Minori Noguchi, Masayuki Ochi, Kenji Aiko
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Publication number: 20100271473Abstract: A defect inspection system can suppress an effect of light from a sample rough surface or a regular circuit pattern and increasing a gain of light from a defect such as a foreign material to detect the defect on the sample surface with high sensitivity. When a lens with a large NA value is used, the outer diameter of the lens is 10a, and an angle between the sample surface and a traveling direction of the light from a defect is ?1. An oblique detection optics system receives the light from the defect at a reduced elevation angle ?2 with respect to the sample surface to reduce light from the sample rough surface, an oxide film rough bottom surface, and a circuit pattern, and to increase the amount of the light from the defect and detected. The diameter 10a of a lens is smaller than the diameter 10b, resulting in a reduction in the ability to focus the scattered light. When a lens with an outer diameter 10c is used to improve the focus ability, the lens interferes with the sample.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2010Publication date: October 28, 2010Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kenji AIKO, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Hisafumi Iwata
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Publication number: 20100214561Abstract: A defect inspecting apparatus of the invention solves a problem that in a defect inspecting apparatus, because of improving detection sensitivity of a microscopic defect by reducing a detection pixel size, a focal depth becomes shallow, a height of imaging is varied due to environmental change and the detection sensitivity of a defect becomes unstable. This apparatus comprises an XY stage, which carries a substrate to be inspected and scans in a predetermined direction, and a mechanism having a system of irradiating a defect on the inspected substrate at a slant and detecting the defect by a detection optical system disposed on the upper side, which corrects a height of imaging in real time for change in temperature and barometric pressure in order to keep the imaging in a best condition.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2010Publication date: August 26, 2010Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Shuichi CHIKAMATSU, Minori NOGUCHI, Kenji AIKO
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Patent number: 7733475Abstract: A defect inspecting apparatus of the invention solves a problem that in a defect inspecting apparatus, because of improving detection sensitivity of a microscopic defect by reducing a detection pixel size, a focal depth becomes shallow, a height of imaging is varied due to environmental change and the detection sensitivity of a defect becomes unstable. This apparatus comprises an XY stage, which carries a substrate to be inspected and scans in a predetermined direction, and a mechanism having a system of irradiating a defect on the inspected substrate at a slant and detecting the defect by a detection optical system disposed on the upper side, which corrects a height of imaging in real time for change in temperature and barometric pressure in order to keep the imaging in a best condition.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2009Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Kenji Aiko
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Patent number: 7733474Abstract: A defect inspection system can suppress an effect of light from a sample rough surface or a regular circuit pattern and increase a gain of light from a defect such as a foreign material to detect the defect on the sample surface with high sensitivity. When a lens with a large NA value is used, an oblique detection optics system receives the light from the defect at a reduced elevation angle with respect to the sample surface to reduce light from the sample rough surface, an oxide film rough bottom surface, and a circuit pattern, and increases the amount of the light from the defect and detected. The diameter of a lens is smaller than the diameter of a second lens, resulting in a reduction in the ability to focus the scattered light.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2008Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kenji Aiko, Shuichi Chikamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Hisafumi Iwata