According to an embodiment, a defect inspection method is performed with a defect inspection apparatus. The defect inspection apparatus is adapted to irradiate a first sample with illumination light to acquire a first sample image, and compare the first sample image to a reference image to inspect a defect. The defect inspection method includes generating the reference image, acquiring the first sample image, setting a defect detection condition using an index based on a result of defect inspection of a second sample different from the first sample, and discriminating a nuisance from a result of comparison between the reference image and the first sample image based on the defect detection condition.

A defect inspection apparatus has a defect detection unit 152 that acquires first defect information on a defect of a photomask blank MB as a substrate; and a comparative information acquisition unit 150 that acquires a result of comparison between predetermined defect information stored in a storage unit 155 and the first defect information.

A mask inspection method includes photographing a cell mask through which openings is formed to obtain an image, setting an area of the image adjacent to an edge of the cell mask as an inspection area, comparing a grayscale of the openings in the inspection area with a reference grayscale, and checking a defect of the cell mask according to a result of the comparing of the grayscale of the openings.

An object of the present invention is to provide a degraded feature identification apparatus and the like that can identify a degraded feature from a large number of features. The present invention receives light emitted from a moving object and reflected by a feature, acquires reflection intensity data measured at the moving object, and identifies a degraded feature based on acquired reflection intensity data.

A measuring and calculating apparatus to measure and calculate a positional displacement amount of a pattern on a surface of a target object. The apparatus includes: a measuring unit to measure a first two-dimensional intensity distribution of a first diffracted light and a second two-dimensional intensity distribution of a second diffracted light; a storage unit to store a first and a second measurement data respectively indicating the first and the second two-dimensional intensity distribution; and an arithmetic unit to execute arithmetic processing using the first and the second measurement data to acquire difference data between the first and the second measurement data, and calculate a positional displacement amount of a difference pattern between the first and second patterns in accordance with the difference data.

An inspection device includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire images obtained by imaging, under at least two illumination conditions with different brightness, solder normally printed on a substrate, and an image processing unit configured to specify a shape of the solder based on a difference in brightness between the images acquired by the image acquisition unit, and generate, based on the shape of the solder, inspection data used for inspecting a state of the solder printed on the substrate.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system and method for the inspection of products, such as tablets, pills, capsules, caplets, softgels, and other discreet units of consumption that may be ingested by a user. In embodiments, a plurality of cameras are used to capture images of the surface of the product. The images are aggregated to a single file and the imaged product features are analyzed for compliance to a product standard.

A solder paste printing quality inspection (SPI) method includes establishing at least one data inspection model, acquiring real-time test data, preprocessing the real-time test data, and determining a type of the real-time test data and inputting the real-time test data into the data inspection model corresponding to the type of the real-time test data to obtain a judgment result of the solder paste printing quality inspection. The real-time test data includes one or both of a test image and a test value of solder paste printing quality inspection. The preprocessing includes obtaining key parameters of the test value or obtaining image data of the test image and standardizing the real-time test data.

Context attributes for optical imaging of a patterned layer of a semiconductor die are calculated. Calculating the context attributes includes calculating convolutions of a pattern of the patterned layer with respective kernels of a plurality of kernels, wherein the plurality of kernels is orthogonal. Defects on the semiconductor die are found in accordance with the context attributes.

The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for performing a defect inspection of a die image using adaptive care areas (ACAs). The use of ACAs solve the problem of handling rotations of components that require rotating care areas; handling the situation where each care area requires its own rotation, translation, or affine transformation; and the situation of decoupling intensity differences caused by defects or process variation from intensity differences caused by size variations.