Abstract: A method for inspecting a wafer including a multiplicity of dies, the method including dividing an image of at least a portion of the wafer into a plurality of sub-images each representing a sub-portion of the wafer and selecting at least one defect candidate within each sub-image by comparing each sub-image to a corresponding sub-image of a reference including a representation, which is assumed to be faultless, of the portion of the wafer.

Abstract: A pattern inspection apparatus includes a first unit configured to acquire an optical image of pattern, a second unit configured to generate a reference image to be compared, a third unit configured to calculate elements of a normal matrix for a least-squares method for calculating a displacement amount displaced from a preliminary alignment position, a forth unit configured to estimate a type of the reference image pattern, by using some of the elements of the normal matrix, a fifth unit configured to calculate the displacement amount based on the least-squares method, by using a normal matrix obtained by deleting predetermined elements depending upon the type of the pattern, a sixth unit configured to correct an alignment position between the optical image and the reference image to a position displaced by the displacement amount, and a seventh unit configured to compare the optical image and the reference image.

Abstract: A line scan imager is used to determine the motion of a subject. Each line of image data from the line scan imager is compared with a reference image. The location of a matching line in the reference image reveals the displacement of the subject. The current subject displacement can be determined based on each line of image data. The resulting displacement information can be used to correctly place other optical beams on the subject. The method can be applied to tracking the human eye to facilitate measurement, imaging, or treatment with a beam of optical radiation.

Abstract: An overlay method for determining the overlay error of a device structure formed during semiconductor processing is disclosed. The overlay method includes producing calibration data that contains overlay information relating the overlay error of a first target at a first location to the overlay error of a second target at a second location for a given set of process conditions. The overlay method also includes producing production data that contains overlay information associated with a production target formed with the device structure. The overlay method further includes correcting the overlay error of the production target based on the calibration data.

Abstract: A component-embedded board fabrication method includes detecting, before the board is covered with a first insulating layer, the actual position of a first electronic component formed on a surface of the board, calculating a displacement between the design position of the first electronic component on the surface of the board and holding the displacement as first displacement data, and correcting, based on the first displacement data, design data to be used for processing the board after the board is covered with the first insulating layer.

Abstract: To prevent detection of facial images for whom detection is unnecessary, without reducing the detection ratio of registered players from facial images. An image acquisition unit acquires an image taken by a camera, and provides the image to a masking process unit. The masking process unit reads a masking pattern that has already been adjusted by a masking pattern adjustment unit and a movable masking area setting unit so that characteristic quantities of a facial image that does not need to be recognized as a facial image cannot be detected, from a masking pattern recording unit. A masking process is applied to the image provided, and the masked image is provided to a facial image extraction unit. The facial image extraction unit extracts a rectangular shaped facial image, and provides the facial image to a transmission unit. The transmission unit transmits the rectangular facial image provided to a face recognition server.

Abstract: Aims to provide an inspection apparatus and an inspection method for precisely detecting an amount of misalignment of a component mounted on a panel through an adhesive which contains conductive particles. The inspection apparatus detects an amount of misalignment, from a predetermined mounting position, of a component mounted on a surface of a panel through an ACF, and includes: a visible light camera (306) which captures an image of a panel recognition mark formed on the panel and a component recognition mark formed on the component; an obtaining unit (448) which obtains, from the image captured by the camera (306), positions of feature points of the respective recognition marks; and a calculation unit (446) which calculates an amount of misalignment of the feature point of the component recognition mark in the image captured by the camera (306) from a predetermined position that is determined using the position of the feature point of the panel recognition mark as a reference.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure, such as inconsistency density-per-unit area. In one implementation, a method is disclosed for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure. The method involves determining a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency; determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency; using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure; and considering each inconsistency detected within the reference area and producing therefrom an inconsistency characteristic representative of the composite structure.

Abstract: Methods and systems for evaluating and controlling a lithography process are provided. For example, a method for reducing within wafer variation of a critical metric of a lithography process may include measuring at least one property of a resist disposed upon a wafer during the lithography process. A critical metric of a lithography process may include, but may not be limited to, a critical dimension of a feature formed during the lithography process. The method may also include altering at least one parameter of a process module configured to perform a step of the lithography process to reduce within wafer variation of the critical metric. The parameter of the process module may be altered in response to at least the one measured property of the resist.

Abstract: Arrangement and method for obtaining information about objects in an environment in or around a vehicle includes one or more optical imagers for obtaining images of the environment and a processor coupled to the imager(s) for obtaining information about an object in one or more images obtained by the imager(s). The processor is arranged to process the obtained images to determine edges of objects in the images and input data about the edges into a trained pattern recognition algorithm which has been trained to provide information about the object as output. The pattern recognition algorithm may include a neural network or variation thereof. The information about the object may be used to control a vehicular component such as an airbag or light filter.

Abstract: A method for positioning a dicing line includes the steps of: bonding an adhesive tape on a semiconductor layer of a wafer; detecting an image of the wafer by an imaging device on the basis of a light transmitted through the wafer; and determining the dicing line of the wafer on the basis of a position of an image of a marker, which is disposed on the semiconductor layer of the wafer. The image of the marker is obtained by image recognition from the detected image of the wafer.

Abstract: An image processing system is provided that includes a first-motor control apparatus (40), having a communication interface (42) connected in series with a transmission line, for obtaining a detection position of a control subject and outputting a position-detection signal, an image processing apparatus (30), having a communication interface (32) connected in series with the transmission line and a memory (34) that stores the position-detection signal, for capturing an image of a workpiece (60) and generating an image-processing signal based on image processing, and a master apparatus (10) for implementing communication control of the image processing apparatus (30) and the first-motor control apparatus (40), and in which the image processing apparatus (10) starts the image processing, in accordance with an in-bound start command, stores in the memory (32) the position-detection signal, and outputs to the master apparatus (10) the position-detection signal along with the image-processing signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring at least one of an arrangement and shape of shots formed on a substrate, comprises a scope configured to obtain an image of an alignment mark corresponding to a shot; and a calculating device configured to calculate a difference between a position of the alignment mark in the image obtained by the scope and a designed position of the alignment mark, obtain a non-linear component of the calculated difference with respect to each of a plurality of conditions, calculate an index indicating a stability of the non-linear component of each shot with respect to each of the plurality of conditions, and select, from the plurality of conditions, a condition for obtaining the non-linear component based on the calculated indices.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for recognizing a defect image associated with a semiconductor substrate. In one example, the method includes collecting defect data of the defect image by testing and measuring the semiconductor substrate, extracting a pattern from the defect data, normalizing a location, orientation, and size of the pattern, and identifying the pattern after the pattern is normalized.

Abstract: A mask/reticle pattern inspection apparatus capable of readily detecting local critical dimension (CD) errors of a circuit pattern of a testing workpiece is disclosed. This apparatus includes a search unit for finding a plurality of resembling or “look-alike” adjacent patterns around a specific pattern on the workpiece, which have similarity to the specific pattern. The inspection apparatus also includes a calculation unit for obtaining dissimilarity between the specific pattern and look-alike adjacent pattern, a variation evaluation unit which excludes an allowable error from the dissimilarity to thereby obtain a local CD error criterion value, and a CD error decision unit for determining the presence of a local CD error when the criterion value exceeds a threshold value in case the distance between the specific and look-alike patterns increases. A pattern inspection method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A pattern inspection method including: sequentially imaging plural chip formed on a substrate; selecting at least one of pattern sections of each inspection image obtained by the imaging, while discarding other pattern sections, based on a recipe created in advance, the recipe including information for determining which pattern sections to be selected or discarded; calculating position gap between an inspection image of a chip obtained by the imaging and a reference image stored in a memory by using positional information of pattern images included in the inspection image and reference pattern images which are both corresponding to the at least one of pattern sections selected at the selecting; aligning the inspection image and the reference image by using information of the calculated position gap; and comparing the aligned inspection image with the reference image, and extracting a difference between the two images as a defect candidate.

Abstract: Height attributes of features of an object having a plurality of physical features thereon is determined by illuminating the features of the object at a low angle and capturing the reflected light at a camera mounted along the z-axis perpendicular to the object. The reflected light from the features is analyzed to determine if any of the features is of an unacceptable height. The reflected light being either brighter or dimmer than the average determines that the corresponding feature is higher or lower respectively than the average feature.

Abstract: A multi-level contraband detection system. At a first level, the system obtains volumetric information about an item under inspection. The volumetric information provides a basis for identifying suspect objects in the item under inspection and their locations. The location information is expressed in a first coordinate system relative to the device used for first level scanning. When first level scanning identifies a suspicious object, the item under inspection is passed to a second level scanner that can take further measurements on the suspicious objects. The second level machine is controlled in a second coordinate system. A translation between the two coordinate systems is obtained by registering a multi-dimensional image obtained at the first level with positioning information obtained at the second level. Registration is performed using a coarse and then a fine registration process for quick and accurate registration.

Abstract: A system for screening cargo containers is provided including an image generation device, an apparatus for screening cargo containers and an output module. The image generation device generates an image signal conveying information related to the contents of the cargo container. The apparatus receives the image signal and a list of objects conveying objects expected to be present in the cargo container. A processing unit processes the image signal in combination with the list of objects and a group of target images associated with objects to derive mismatch information data. The mismatch information data conveys at least one distinction between the list of objects and the information related to the contents of the cargo container conveyed by the image signal. Information conveying the mismatch information data is released and conveyed to a user of the system by an output module.

Abstract: A method for determining an offset vector. The method includes obtaining an image of a first feature. An image of a second feature is also obtained. Also, a combination image of the first feature and the second feature is obtained. A plurality of composite images is utilized to determine an accurate offset vector between the first feature and the second feature in the combination image. The plurality of composite images is based on the image of the first feature and the image of the second feature.

Abstract: A high-accuracy optical aberration correction system and method. Z-heights determined by an auto-focus tool, which would otherwise vary depending on the orientation angle of surface features or edges in the focus region of interest, and on the location of the focus region of interest in the field of view, are corrected based on a novel error calibration method. Error calibration data includes a set of Z-corrections for a range of different feature orientation angles (e.g., 180 degrees), for multiple locations in the field of view. Error calibration data may be interpolated to correspond to the location of the current focus region of interest. During auto-focus measurements, a Z-correction may be adapted for a current measurement by weighting orientation-dependent error calibration data based on a histogram of the gradient (edge) directions present in the current focus region of interest.

Abstract: A PC board inspecting method capable of detecting deviation of an IC component at high speed with small storage capacity utilizes inspection logic particular to a component to be inspected. The inspection logic includes a color condition for specifying a color appearing in the body of the component to be inspected. The component is radiated with a plurality of color rays at different angles of incidence. An image formed by reflection light of the color rays is captured, and an inspection image including at least part of an edge of the body of the component to be inspected is captured. By using the color condition, a component body area satisfying the color condition is extracted from the inspection image by an image process.

Abstract: An alignment mechanism to align a microelectronic device to a socket, the device including an array of contact pads thereon. The mechanism includes a socket system having a socket and a device positioning mechanism disposed adjacent the socket and adapted to position the device in the socket. The mechanism also includes a control system adapted to receive alignment data on a position of the array of contact pads relative to two reference sides of the device, the control system further being adapted to control the device positioning mechanism as a function of alignment data to align the device in the socket.

Abstract: A method is provided for increasing the accuracy of the positioning of a first object relative to a second object. The method overcomes the disadvantageous influence of thermal drift between a first and a second object during a positioning of a first object on a second object. The method finds applications in manufacturing, for example, in the manufacturing of semiconductor components. The method utilizes recognition of structures on the second object which have a minimum structure width. At a first instant, using one recognition procedure, the first object is positioned on the second object in a desired position. The relative displacement of the two objects is determined at the first instant and on at least one subsequent instant. A second recognition procedure may be used for this purpose. The second recognition procedure may have a resolution accuracy which is different than the resolution accuracy of the first resolution procedure. The second recognition procedure may be a pattern recognition method.

Abstract: A pattern inspection method including: sequentially imaging plural chips formed on a substrate; selecting a pattern which is suitable for calculating position gap between an inspection image of a subject chip and reference image stored in memory from an image of a firstly imaged chip among said sequentially imaged plural chips formed on the substrate; computing position gap between an inspection image of a chip obtained by the sequential imaging and reference image stored in a memory by using a positional information of a pattern image included in the inspection image and a reference pattern image included in the reference image which are both corresponding to the pattern selected at the selecting; aligning the inspection image and the reference image by using information of the calculated position gap; and comparing the aligned inspection image with the reference image and extracting a difference as a defect candidate.

Abstract: There is provided a method of estimating disparity for 3D object recognition. The method includes obtaining a plurality of images having different resolutions for the stereo image, estimating a disparity map for a lowest-resolution level image, estimating a coarse disparity map for an upper resolution level image by using the disparity, obtaining a fine disparity map for the upper resolution level image by using the coarse disparity, and outputting the fine disparity map as a final disparity map for the stereo image if the upper resolution level image has a resolution of a highest level.

Abstract: Provided is a component bonding method with higher bonding precision in a process of bonding an electrode of a component to an electrode formed on a flat panel. A preliminary press bonding device includes: a control unit which includes a position displacement amount correction unit to which a position displacement amount after the press bonding process is fed back and which corrects the position displacement on the next component to be preliminarily bonded; and a component position determining unit which determines a position of the component using the fed back correction amount. On the other hand, a press bonding device includes a bonding recognition device for use in the recognition of positions of the electrodes on the flat panel and the component. The bonding recognition device includes a position displacement amount calculating unit which calculates the position displacement amount based on the recognized position information.

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus which includes a pattern image obtaining unit obtaining a pattern image of a predetermined part by causing focusing control to be performed in order to achieve focus on the predetermined part within an observation object according to set focusing control parameters, a pattern image storing unit storing the pattern image, and a detecting unit detecting the presence/absence of an abnormal condition of a part to be inspected by making a comparison between the pattern image of a reference part within the observation object, and the pattern image of the part to be inspected within the observation object. The focusing control parameters, set when the pattern image of the part to be inspected is obtained, are determined based on sample information obtained when the pattern image of the reference part is obtained.

Abstract: An improved method of high accuracy beam placement for local area navigation in the field of semiconductor chip manufacturing. This invention demonstrates a method where high accuracy navigation to the site of interest within a relatively large local area (e.g. an area 200 ?m×200 ?m) is possible even where the stage/navigation system is not normally capable of such high accuracy navigation. The combination of large area, high-resolution scanning, digital zoom and registration of the image to an idealized coordinate system enables navigation around a local area without relying on stage movements. Once the image is acquired any sample or beam drift will not affect the alignment. Preferred embodiments thus allow accurate navigation to a site on a sample with sub-100 nm accuracy, even without a high-accuracy stage/navigation system.

Abstract: An image display device (1) of the present invention is an image display device having a function of rotating a display image, the image display device including: a size comparison section (17) for making a comparison (i) between a vertical length of an outer edge of a display region in which the display image is displayed and a vertical length of the display image and (ii) between a horizontal length of the outer edge of the display region in which the display image is displayed and a horizontal length of the display image; and a center-point-of-rotation determination section (18) for determining a center point of rotation of the display image in accordance with a result of the comparison made by the size comparison section (17).

Abstract: A printed circuit board includes a substantially rectangular circuit portion including operation points for connecting with electronic components, and a first margin portion adjacent to the circuit portion. The first margin portion includes groups of reference marks arranged in a first row parallel to a side of the printed circuit board. A related locating system and a locating method for locating position of the operation points of the printed circuit board are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a metrology target for determining a relative shift between two or more successive layers of a substrate may comprise; an first structure on a first layer of a substrate and an second structure on a successive layer to the first layer of the substrate arranged to determine relative shifts in alignment in both the x and y directions of the substrate by analyzing the first structure and second structure overlay.

Abstract: Noise reduction processing for detecting the circumferential edge of a wafer W placed on a rotary stage with a light-transmitting sensor, obtaining detection values provided by the light-transmitting sensor as substrate edge shape data, detecting sudden abnormal data in the substrate edge shape data, eliminating the detected sudden abnormal data and interpolating the substrate edge shape data with estimated data generated based upon surrounding data in place of the abnormal data, notch mark judgment processing for detecting a notch mark candidate in the substrate edge shape data having undergone the noise reduction processing and making a decision as to whether or not the sets of data corresponding to the notch mark candidate area satisfies a predetermined judgment condition, and substrate positioning processing for positioning the substrate based upon a notch mark that satisfies the predetermined judgment conditions are executed.

Abstract: A direction-recognizing apparatus has a photographing unit, an image database, an image-recognizing unit, and a direction-recognizing unit. The database stores registered images and direction-data items associated with the registered images. The image-recognizing unit receives an input image and compares the input image with the registered images stored in the database. The image-recognizing unit selects one registered image that is identical or similar to the input image. The direction-recognizing unit recognizes a direction from the direction data associated with the registered image selected by the image-recognizing unit. The database may store N direction-data items associated with N surface segments SN of the circumferential surface of a pole. If so, the images registered in the database represent direction-recognition regions ASN that are larger than the N surface segments SN.

Abstract: Numerical image processing based on a model of medical image acquisition of two or more medical images to provide grayscale registration is described. The grayscale registered temporal images may then be displayed for visual comparison and/or further processed by a computer-aided diagnosis system for detection of medical abnormalities therein. A parametric method includes spatially registering two images and performing gray scale registration of the images. A parametric transform model, e.g., analog to analog, digital to digital, analog to digital, or digital to analog model, is selected based on the image acquisition method(s) of the images, i.e., digital or analog/film. Gray scale registration involves generating a joint pixel value histogram from the two images, statistically fitting parameters of the transform model to the joint histogram, generating a lookup table, and using the lookup table to transform and register pixel values of one image to the pixel values of the other image.

Abstract: The present invention features a method to determine relative spatial parameters between two coordinate systems, which may be a mold and a region of a substrate in which mold is employed to generate a pattern. The method includes sensing relative alignment between the two coordinate systems at multiple points and determines relative spatial parameters therebetween. The relative spatial parameters include a relative area and a relative shape.

Abstract: Simultaneous grayscale and geometric registration of images, such as mammograms, facilitates temporal comparison and enhances the speed and reliability of computer aided diagnosis (CAD) detection of medical abnormalities. The method generally includes optimizing a merit function, e.g., sum of squared errors, containing parameters associated with a transformation function for simultaneous geometric and grayscale registering of the images, the optimizing of the merit function being performed by determining optimal values of the parameters using data in the images and registering one image to the other by applying the geometric and grayscale transformation function using the optimal values of the parameters. The optimizing may be performed iteratively from coarse to fine resolutions using a modified Levenberg-Marquardt method for optimizing nonlinear parameters with linear regression for optimizing linear parameters.

Abstract: Making a dot pattern so that misalignment in a x direction and a y direction is alternately generated for every adjacent information dots on a virtual grid line, the misalignment is alternately generated in the x direction and the y direction for each dot and this results in that the alternate information dot is necessarily arranged on the same grid line. Therefore, in the case that an optical reading apparatus reads the dot pattern, a search algorithm of a virtual grid line is simplified on an image memory. As a result, the grid point on the image memory is also easy. Therefore, without using a complicated program, it is possible to speed up the reading speed of the dot pattern.

Abstract: In a printing apparatus, individual positional data for positions of four object marks provided on a plurality of FPCs held on a conveyance tray are acquired by a mark position acquisition section based on an image acquired by an image acquisition unit. In a displaced mark specifying section, relative positional relations of four object marks are determined, and compared with a reference positional relation, by which a displaced object mark is specified. Then, in a reference position determining section, a reference position for a plurality of FPCs on a conveyance tray is determined based on a plurality of object marks resulting from excluding the displaced object mark out of the four object marks. Thus, a reference position in execution of printing in a printing unit can be determined with high precision.

Abstract: A target workpiece inspection apparatus comprises an optical image acquiring unit to acquire an optical image of a target workpiece, a reference image generating unit to generate a reference image to be compared, a difference judging unit to judge whether an absolute value of difference between pixel values of the images in each pixel at a preliminary alignment position between the images is smaller than a threshold value, a least-squares method displacement calculating unit to calculate a displacement amount displaced from the preliminary alignment position, by using a regular matrix for a least-squares method obtained from a result judged, a position correcting unit to correct an alignment position between the optical image and the reference image to a position displaced from the preliminary alignment position by the displacement amount, and a comparing unit to compare the optical image and the reference image whose alignment position has been corrected.

Abstract: A printing machine includes a high-speed print device configured to receive a print media and discharge a printed product that includes a printed image. An image capturing device is positioned adjacent the print device and is configured to capture an image of the printed image on the printed product. A computer includes a monitor, a processor, an input device, and a communication device configured to communicate with the print device. The monitor is configured to display the captured image, the input device is configured to allow a user to vary the displayed image, and the processor is configured to calculate an adjustment to the print device in response to the varied image.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device including a wafer and a focus monitoring pattern formed on the wafer. The focus monitoring pattern having at least one pair of first and second patterns, and the first pattern has an unexposed region surrounded by an exposed region, and the second pattern has an exposed region surrounded by an unexposed region. In addition, the present invention provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of forming at least one pair of first and second patterns on a wafer, the first pattern having an unexposed region surrounded by an exposed region, the second pattern having an exposed region surrounded by an unexposed region, and checking a focusing condition on exposure by measuring widths of the first and second patterns formed on the wafer.

Abstract: A method for loading a semiconductor wafer into a process unit comprises opening the process unit, inserting a wafer into the process unit, adjusting the position of the wafer in the process unit so that it is in a certain position in relation to markers, and inserting a camera into the process unit facing the markers. The camera acquires an image of the markers and of a part of the wafer, and displays on a display screen the image acquired. The position of the wafer is adjusted according to the position of the wafer in relation to the markers on the image displayed.

Abstract: An overlay mark is described, including N sets of parallel x-directional linear patterns respectively defined by N (?2) exposure steps and N sets of parallel y-directional linear patterns respectively defined by the N exposure steps, and a set of parallel x-directional photoresist bars and a set of parallel y-directional photoresist bars both formed in a lithography process. The N sets of x-directional linear patterns and the set of x-directional photoresist bars are arranged in parallel. The N sets of y-directional linear patterns and the set of y-directional photoresist bars are arranged in parallel.

Abstract: In a digital image registration method, a second digital image is transformed to be more like a first digital image using a modification function, resulting in a modified second digital image. A set of first features of each of the first and modified second digital images is determined. Zones are specified in each of the first and modified second digital images. A set of zonal features, of each of the zones is determined. Compound mutual information is computed from the first and zonal features. The modification function is altered. The transforming, determining, specifying, determining, computing, and altering are iterated until the compound mutual information is maximized.

Abstract: In the substrate inspection apparatus 2 for inspecting a formation state of the pattern area 20 formed on the printed circuit board 1, since the inside area data generation means 7 for generating inspection data of the inside area 21b of the pattern area 20 to be inspected, the outside area data generation means 10 for generating inspection data in the ring-shaped area 22b of the outside, and the inside/outside determination means 9 and 11 for determining whether the pattern area is defective or not defective by comparing the generated inside area data and the outside area data with the predetermined reference data are provided, by applying a relaxed inspection reference to the inside of the pattern area 20 where a relatively large defect is allowed and applying a strict inspection reference to the outside of the pattern area 20 where even a fine defect is not allowed, it is possible to adequately detect a defect.

Abstract: A screen printing apparatus for and method of printing deposits of material onto a workpiece, the apparatus comprising: an inspection station for determining a positional relationship of features on upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece, the inspection station comprising: an imaging system for determining a positional relationship of features on upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece, the imaging system comprising at least two spaced imaging units for imaging features on an upper surface of the workpiece, at least two spaced imaging units for imaging features on a lower surface of the workpiece, and a processing unit for determining a positional relationship of the imaged features on the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece; and a printing station for printing deposits of material onto the workpiece, the printing station comprising: a workpiece support assembly comprising a workpiece support member for supporting the workpiece at a printing zone; a printing screen disposed above the workpiece supp

Abstract: Consistent with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of locating a position of a movable member is provided. The movable member is movable along a path and has a surface with a plurality of markings provided thereon. The method includes sensing an image of a portion of the surface of the movable member, and calculating a position of the movable member based on the image. Further, the method includes determining whether the movable member is at a location corresponding to one of the plurality of markings, and eliminating an error associated with the position when the movable member is at the location corresponding to the one of the plurality of markings.

Abstract: A stereoscopic three-dimensional optical metrology system and method accurately measure the location of physical features on a test article in a manner that is fast and robust to surface contour discontinuities. Disclosed embodiments may image a test article from two or more perspectives through a substantially transparent fiducial plate bearing a fiducial marking; camera viewing angles and apparent relative distances between a feature on a test article and one or more fiducials may enable accurate calculation of feature position.

Abstract: A wafer inspection system and a method for inspecting a wafer. The method includes: acquiring multiple frames that cover a first area that comprises a die and a first surrounding area that surrounds the die; wherein the frames partially overlap to provide overlap areas; and processing a sequence of decomposed images of overlap areas such as to align mutually misaligned frames and generating a die reference image.