Patent ID: 6175417
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A dimension measurement station for measuring dimensions of an integrated circuit (IC), the measurement station comprising:a chuck for supporting an IC during measurement;an image detector, operatively coupled to said chuck, which operates to detect an image of the IC, and to output a detection signal representative of the image detected;an image memory, operatively coupled to said image detector, which stores the image detected by said image detector;a processor, operatively coupled to said image memory, which compares the detected image in said image memory to a predetermined image, and accumulates similarities between each detected image and the predetermined image, wherein said processor generates a measurement signal for a detected image which has a maximum number of similarities, and generates an inspection signal for a detected image which has a minimum number of similarities;a metrological device, operatively coupled to said processor, responsive to the measurement signal generated by said processor to take measurements of a detected image of the IC having said maximum number of similarities;a pattern matching device, operatively coupled to said processor, responsive to the inspection signal generated by said processor to identify a detected image having said minimum number of similarities as representing a pattern defect in said IC.