Patent ID: 6606401
Filing Date: 2003-08-12
Classification: G01N,G03F,G06T

Abstract:
A method for inspecting a two-dimensional structure for a presence of a defect, the structure containing a plurality of periods, the structure having at least a first row of periods and a second row of periods, at least one border period of each row being an edge period, the method comprising the steps of:(a) obtaining images of at least a first swath and a second swath in the first row by a scanning motion along said first swath and said second swath, respectively, such that an even number of swaths is obtained in the first row; (b) obtaining an image of at least a first swath in the second row corresponding to said first swath of the first row, said first swath of the second row having a substantially identical orientation as said first swath of the first row; and (c) comparing a portion of said image corresponding to the edge period at the end of said first swath of the first row to a portion of said image corresponding to the edge period at the beginning of said first swath of the second row, such that at least a first neighboring comparison is performed for the edge period of the first row for said first swath.