摘要:
A heterodyne interferometer is combined with darkfield surface particle detection for improved surface particle detection sensitivity. The probe beam and the reference beam have different wavelengths. The reference beam may either be a real reference beam or a virtual reference beam. The probe beam may be incident at the surface at either a grazing angle or at an angle substantially normal to the surface. The real reference beam is incident at the surface at a grazing angle. The detection may either be conventional heterodyne detection or a combination of heterodyne and Lloyd's mirror detection.
摘要:
Apparatus and a method for performing high resolution optical imaging in the near infrared of internal features of semiconductor wafers uses an optical device made from a material having a high index of refraction and held in very close proximity to the wafer. The optical device may either be a prism or a plano-convex lens. The plano-convex lens may be held in contact with the wafer or separated from the wafer via an air bearing or an optical coupling fluid to allow the sample to be navigated beneath the lens. The lens may be used in a number of optical instruments such as a bright field microscope, a Schlieren microscope, a dark field microscope, a Linnik interferometer, a Raman spectroscope and an absorption spectroscope.
摘要:
A method and apparatus for automatic inspection of periodic patterns typically found on patterned silicon wafers, printed circuit board, and the like is disclosed herein. The method comprises an inspection algorithm of two parts: a low-level algorithm and a higher level algorithm which includes, therein the operation of the low-level algorithm. The low-level algorithm utilizes the known periodicity of the pattern to find defects by comparing identical cells in the periodic array. The high-level algorithm comprises applying the low-level algorithm, some number of times (N) in succession on the image. An accumulator image is formed by adding the results of the low-level algorithm to create a separate image array where the pixels relate to the number of times that the pixel in the original image was detected as defective by the low-level algorithm.The apparatus for implementing the above method comprises a parallel/pipeline architecture for high speed processing and RAM LUT's to implement a plurality of subtract and compare functions.
摘要:
A volumetric feed control apparatus for a build material element such as a filament used in a three-dimensional modeling machine having an application tip includes a pair of feed rollers feeding the filament to the application tip, and a sensor or sensor system feeding information to a central processing unit that continuously computes the effective cross section of the filament using the signals received from the sensor or sensor system. The central processing unit controls the speed of a DC servo or stepper motor which in turn rotates the feed rollers to advance the filament toward the application tip of the modeling machine. The central processing unit adjusts the speed of the feed rollers to supply a constant flow rate of material to the application tip. Alternatively, the sensor system can be incorporated into the feed rollers, eliminating the need for further space constraints.
摘要:
A method suitable for optimizing parameters characteristic of a preselected portion of an object developed in a rapid prototyping system. The method comprises the steps of identifying an object characteristic space comprising at least one dimension, the or each dimension defining a continuum for one object parameter; and, selecting a predetermined subset of said object characteristic space comprising desired optimal characteristics of the preselected portion of the object.
摘要:
A method for determining an optimal trajectory and velocity for an open loop stepper motor driven robot (1) is disclosed, as is an open loop robotic system suitable for use in, by example, a rapid prototyping system (10). The method utilizes a deflection angle calculation of a maximal velocity for each vertex of a set of vertices that define a desired trajectory, a heap sort for globally ensuring that none of the vertices have an excessive velocity, and a vertex adding technique that ensures that the robot is performing straight line moves as rapidly as is possible.
摘要:
A rotary viscosity pump is provided that has a housing and an impeller. The housing has a conical chamber with an outlet at a narrow end of the chamber. The impeller has a conical section with a logarithmic spiral groove along its exterior. The spacing between the housing and the impeller can have either a constant gap or a gap that decreases along the length of the impeller. The depth of the groove can be constant, increase, or decrease in depth along the length of the impeller.
摘要:
Apparatus and a method for performing high resolution optical imaging in the near infrared of internal features of semiconductor wafers uses an optical device made from a material having a high index of refraction and held in very close proximity to the wafer. The optical device may either be a prism or a plano-convex lens. The plano-convex lens may be held in contact with the wafer or separated from the wafer via an air bearing or an optical coupling fluid to allow the sample to be navigated beneath the lens. The lens may be used in a number of optical instruments such as a bright field microscope, a Schlieren microscope, a dark field microscope, a Linnik interferometer, a Raman spectroscope and an absorption spectroscope.
摘要:
A bright-field, particle position determining optical system is disclosed that uses both phase shift and extinction signals to determine particle trajectories. In a first embodiment, a pair of orthogonally polarized beams are positioned along an axis that intersects a particle's flow path at an acute angle. An optical system recombines the beams after they exit the flow path, the combined beams manifesting an elliptical polarization if a particle intersects one of the beams. Bright field detectors detect polarization components of the combined beam, provide a phase shift signal between the beam's orthogonal components and provide corresponding signals to a processor. The processor determines a signal asymmetry from the phase shift signal that is indicative of a particle's position in the flow path. Another embodiment of the invention examines a signal resulting from the beam's phase shift and determines a correction factor that is dependent upon the distance of the particle from the focal plane of the beams. Another embodiment employs a dithering system for cyclically moving one or more optical beams across a particle to further enable its trajectory or position to be determined.
摘要:
An optical inspection system for patterned semiconductor wafers generates a dark field image of the wafer by applying a collimated beam of monochrome light at an incident angle with respect to the surface of the wafer of between 8.degree. and a maximum angle defined by the numerical aperture of the imaging system and collecting the light which is scattered at angles approximately normal to the surface of the wafer and within the numerical aperture of the imaging system. In addition, the incident light is at an angle of 45.degree. in the surface plane of the wafer with respect to the rectangular lines which predominate in the pattern. Before forming the dark field image, the collected light is passed through a Fourier transform filter which substantially attenuates spatial frequency components corresponding to the pattern. In the resultant dark field image, defects in the pattern and contaminating particles are accentuated relative to the pattern features.