An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus, and more particularly, a particle beam inspection apparatus for detecting a thin device structure defect is disclosed. An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus may include a charged particle beam source to direct charged particles to a location of a wafer under inspection over a time sequence. The improved charged particle beam apparatus may further include a controller configured to sample multiple images of the area of the wafer at difference times over the time sequence. The multiple images may be compared to detect a voltage contrast difference or changes to identify a thin device structure defect.

An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus, and more particularly, a particle beam inspection apparatus for detecting a thin device structure defect is disclosed. An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus may include a charged particle beam source to direct charged particles to a location of a wafer under inspection over a time sequence. The improved charged particle beam apparatus may further include a controller configured to sample multiple images of the area of the wafer at difference times over the time sequence. The multiple images may be compared to detect a voltage contrast difference or changes to identify a thin device structure defect.

An image processing apparatus that processes an image obtained from an imaging sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix pattern, the pixels including a first pixel group for obtaining a pixel value corresponding to a radiation dose and a second pixel group for obtaining an offset value even with irradiation with radiation, performs offset correction of a radiation image obtained from the plurality of pixels by an imaging operation with irradiation with radiation based on a dark image obtained from the plurality of pixels by an imaging operation without irradiation with radiation, calculates a statistic value of pixel values obtained from the second pixel group of the corrected radiation image, and corrects pixel values obtained from the first pixel group, which have been offset-corrected, based on a temporal variation in the statistic value.

A system and method for determining the strength of a bond joining a composite structure is provided. The system includes a gas gun produces a short gas pulse directed normal to a surface of the composite structure and that creates a compression wave through the composite structure; a monochromatic x-ray system produces a monochromatic x-ray that is incident at an angle to the surface and that passes through the composite structure; a scintillator screen receives transmitted x-rays that pass through the composite structure; a mirror receives and magnifies radiation emitted from the scintillator screen; a detector receives the radiation from the scintillator screen; an electronic processor configured to process the radiation detected by the detector; and a synchronization controller configured to synchronize operation of the gas gun, the monochromatic x-ray system, and the detector.

A system and method for determining the strength of a bond joining a composite structure is provided. The system includes a gas gun produces a short gas pulse directed normal to a surface of the composite structure and that creates a compression wave through the composite structure; a monochromatic x-ray system produces a monochromatic x-ray that is incident at an angle to the surface and that passes through the composite structure; a scintillator screen receives transmitted x-rays that pass through the composite structure; a mirror receives and magnifies radiation emitted from the scintillator screen; a detector receives the radiation from the scintillator screen; an electronic processor configured to process the radiation detected by the detector; and a synchronization controller configured to synchronize operation of the gas gun, the monochromatic x-ray system, and the detector.

A method of characterizing a part including obtaining an X-ray tomography image of the part and then a step of correlating the image with a reference wherein the correlation step includes searching among a predefined set of X-ray tomography image transformations for a transformation that minimizes the difference between the image and the reference in order to characterize the inside of the part.

Aspects of a method for mapping a perforation tunnel and crush zone of a perforated core sample. The method may include scanning a perforated core sample having a perforation tunnel containing a permeability-impairing material with a first computerized tomography (CT) scanning apparatus to produce a first 3D model of the perforation tunnel. The method may further include forming a cleared perforation tunnel by removing at least a portion of the permeability-impairing material from within the perforation tunnel without splitting the core sample at the perforation tunnel, and scanning the perforated core sample having the cleared perforation tunnel with a second computerized tomography (CT) scanning apparatus to produce a second 3D model of the cleared perforation tunnel. The method may compare the first 3D model and the second 3D model to obtain a 3D mapping of the perforation tunnel or a crush zone.

An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus, and more particularly, a particle beam inspection apparatus for detecting a thin device structure defect is disclosed. An improved charged particle beam inspection apparatus may include a charged particle beam source to direct charged particles to a location of a wafer under inspection over a time sequence. The improved charged particle beam apparatus may further include a controller configured to sample multiple images of the area of the wafer at difference times over the time sequence. The multiple images may be compared to detect a voltage contrast difference or changes to identify a thin device structure defect.

An image processing apparatus that processes an image obtained from an imaging sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix pattern, the pixels including a first pixel group for obtaining a pixel value corresponding to a radiation dose and a second pixel group for obtaining an offset value even with irradiation with radiation, performs offset correction of a radiation image obtained from the plurality of pixels by an imaging operation with irradiation with radiation based on a dark image obtained from the plurality of pixels by an imaging operation without irradiation with radiation, calculates a statistic value of pixel values obtained from the second pixel group of the corrected radiation image, and corrects pixel values obtained from the first pixel group, which have been offset-corrected, based on a temporal variation in the statistic value.

A radiographic system comprises: an irradiation control apparatus including a first timer configured to provide a time value for an irradiation timing; and a radiographic apparatus that is communicably connected to the irradiation control apparatus and includes a second timer configured to provide a time value for an imaging timing. The system measures a time difference between a time value of the first timer and a time value of the second timer; corrects at least one timer out of the first timer and the second timer so as to eliminate the time difference using one of a plurality of types of correction processing having different correction periods. The correction processing to be used is selected from the plurality of types of correction processing, based on an operating state of the radiographic apparatus.