Patents by Inventor Yoshimasa Ooshima
Yoshimasa Ooshima 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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Publication number: 20120062890Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2011Publication date: March 15, 2012Applicants: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 8072597Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2008Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 7511806Abstract: A defect-inspecting apparatus including an arrangement to convert detected light into a first signal corresponding to light illuminated by a high-angle illumination optical system and/or a second signal corresponding to light illuminated by a low-angle illumination optical system; and a classification unit which utilizes the first and second signal and classifies defects on the object to be inspected, wherein a defect size is estimated by changing a correction coefficient of the defect size on a basis of a concave-convex level (b/a), where the concave-convex level (b/a) of a defect is indicated by a ratio of a size b of a first direction of the defect to a size a of a second direction of the defect, where the second direction is lateral to the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2007Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Publication number: 20080246964Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2008Publication date: October 9, 2008Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Hidetoshi NISHIYAMA, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Publication number: 20080117415Abstract: A defect-inspecting apparatus including an arrangement to convert detected light into a first signal corresponding to light illuminated by a high-angle illumination optical system and/or a second signal corresponding to light illuminated by a low-angle illumination optical system; and a classification unit which utilizes the first and second signal and classifies defects on the object to be inspected, wherein a defect size is estimated by changing a correction coefficient of the defect size on a basis of a concave-convex level (b/a), where the concavo-convex level (b/a) of a defect is indicated by a ratio of a size b of a first direction of the defect to a size a of a second direction of the defect, where the second direction is lateral to the first direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2007Publication date: May 22, 2008Inventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Patent number: 7315366Abstract: A defect-inspecting apparatus including an arrangement to convert detected light into a first signal corresponding to light illuminated by a high-angle illumination optical system and/or a second signal corresponding to light illuminated by a low-angle illumination optical system; and a classification unit which utilizes the first and second signal and classifies defects on the object to be inspected, wherein a defect size is estimated by changing a correction coefficient of the defect size on a basis of a concave-convex level (b/a), where the concavo-convex level (b/a) of a defect is indicated by a ratio of a size b of a first direction of the defect to a size a of a second direction of the defect, where the second direction is lateral to the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2007Date of Patent: January 1, 2008Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Publication number: 20070257214Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2007Publication date: November 8, 2007Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 7256412Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2006Date of Patent: August 14, 2007Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Publication number: 20070153264Abstract: A defect-inspecting apparatus including an arrangement to convert detected light into a first signal corresponding to light illuminated by a high-angle illumination optical system and/or a second signal corresponding to light illuminated by a low-angle illumination optical system; and a classification unit which utilizes the first and second signal and classifies defects on the object to be inspected, wherein a defect size is estimated by changing a correction coefficient of the defect size on a basis of a concave-convex level (b/a), where the concavo-convex level (b/a) of a defect is indicated by a ratio of a size b of a first direction of the defect to a size a of a second direction of the defect, where the second direction is lateral to the first direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2007Publication date: July 5, 2007Inventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Patent number: 7231079Abstract: For the purpose of reducing a false report and shortening inspection time, an area to be inspected is locally inspected under optimum inspection conditions. In order to avoid the number of detected defects from increasing explosively, and thereby to facilitate control of a critical defect, general-purpose layout data, which is used for producing a mask of a semiconductor wafer, is accumulated in a design information server 2. With reference to the layout data, an area to be inspected, which is inspected by a pattern inspecting apparatus 1, is divided into partial inspection areas including a cell portion and a non-cell portion. Inspection parameters are set for each of the partial inspection areas. In addition, the defect reviewing apparatus 8 obtains an inspection result of the pattern inspecting apparatus 1.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2002Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hirohito Okuda, Yuji Takagi, Masahiro Watanabe, Shunji Maeda, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Makoto Ono
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Patent number: 7187438Abstract: The present invention is characterized by the following: incident illumination and oblique illumination are performed on a scratch and a foreign material, which have been made on a surface of a polished or a ground insulating layer, with substantially the same luminous flux; and on the basis of a correlation such as a ratio of intensity of scattered light generated by the shallow scratch and the foreign material between the incident illumination and the oblique illumination, the shallow scratch is discriminated from the foreign material.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2002Date of Patent: March 6, 2007Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High-Electronics CorporationInventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Publication number: 20070001132Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2006Publication date: January 4, 2007Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 7115892Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2005Date of Patent: October 3, 2006Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi High Technologies CorporationInventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Publication number: 20060091332Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2005Publication date: May 4, 2006Applicants: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 6998630Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2004Date of Patent: February 14, 2006Assignee: Hitachi High Technologies CorporationInventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Publication number: 20050024633Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2004Publication date: February 3, 2005Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Patent number: 6797975Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2001Date of Patent: September 28, 2004Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
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Publication number: 20020122174Abstract: The present invention is characterized by the following: incident illumination and oblique illumination are performed on a scratch and a foreign material, which have been made on a surface of a polished or a ground insulating layer, with substantially the same luminous flux; and on the basis of a correlation such as a ratio of intensity of scattered light generated by the shallow scratch and the foreign material between the incident illumination and the oblique illumination, the shallow scratch is discriminated from the foreign material.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2002Publication date: September 5, 2002Inventors: Akira Hamamatsu, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Watanabe
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Publication number: 20020113234Abstract: For the purpose of reducing a false report and shortening inspection time, an area to be inspected is locally inspected under optimum inspection conditions. In order to avoid the number of detected defects from increasing explosively, and thereby to facilitate control of a critical defect, general-purpose layout data, which is used for producing a mask of a semiconductor wafer, is accumulated in a design information server 2. With reference to the layout data, an area to be inspected, which is inspected by a pattern inspecting apparatus 1, is divided into partial inspection areas including a cell portion and a non-cell portion. Inspection parameters are set for each of the partial inspection areas. In addition, the defect reviewing apparatus 8 obtains an inspection result of the pattern inspecting apparatus 1.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2002Publication date: August 22, 2002Inventors: Hirohito Okuda, Yuji Takagi, Masahiro Watanabe, Shunji Maeda, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Makoto Ono
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Publication number: 20020047097Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2001Publication date: April 25, 2002Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu