Patent ID: 7421110

Claim:
An image processing apparatus for wafer inspection tool to perform visual inspection by die to die comparison and cell to cell comparison, using serial image data of an object which has a plurality of dice each having an identical circuitry pattern formed thereon or a plurality of cells on a die each having an identical circuitry pattern formed thereon, said image processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of processors for performing parallel processing; means for cutting serial image data into a plurality of cutout image data, said cutout image data including a forward end overlap and a rear end overlap at cutout boundaries and having a predetermined data size; means for distributing said cutout image data to said plurality of processors; and means for assembling results of processing performed by said plurality of processors, wherein said forward end overlap is the sum of an overlap margin for operation processing and the maximum cell pitch of a plurality of cell pitches in cell to cell comparison inspection, and said rear end overlap is an overlap margin for operation processing.