Patent ID: 8442320
Filing Date: 2013-05-14
Classification: G01N,G03F

Abstract:
1. A pattern inspection apparatus comprising: an optical image acquiring unit, with a computer or an electric circuit, configured to acquire optical image data of a target object on which each of a plurality of identical patterns is respectively formed at a respective corresponding position of a plurality of forming positions with distortion; a cut-out unit, with the computer or an electric circuit, configured to cut out a plurality of partial optical image data from the optical image data; a correction unit, with the computer or an electric circuit, configured to correct positions of the plurality of partial optical image data by using distortion information from which each amount of distortion of the plurality of identical patterns respectively formed at the respective corresponding position of the plurality of forming positions on the target object can be acquired; and a comparison unit, with the computer or an electric circuit, configured to compare a plurality of corrected partial optical image data against each other on a pixel to pixel basis, wherein each of a plurality of partial design image data corresponding to the plurality of partial optical image data is respectively formed with distortion, the correction unit performs alignment of the plurality of partial design image data to calculate a first amount of misalignment, aligns one of the plurality of partial optical image data and one of the plurality of partial design image data corresponding to the one of the plurality of partial optical image data to calculate a second amount of misalignment, aligns another one of the plurality of partial optical image data and another one of the plurality of partial design image data corresponding to the another one of the plurality of partial optical image data to calculate a third amount of misalignment, and corrects positions of the plurality of partial optical image data by using the first, second, and third amount of misalignment as the distortion information.