Nicholas L Allen

US Patent:

56754094, Oct 7, 1997

Filed:

Jul 10, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/500260

Inventors:

Sergey V. Broude - Newton Centre MA
David Giroux - Somersworth NH
Abdu Boudour - West Newton MA
Eric Chase - Carlisle MA
Carl Johnson - Tewksbury MA
Pascal Miller - North Chelmsford MA
Nicholas Allen - Bedford MA
Jay Ormsby - Salem MA

Assignee:

QC Optics, Inc. - Burlington MA

International Classification:

G01N 2188

US Classification:

356237

Abstract:

A plate holder for a plate surface inspection system, the plate holder including a plate holder body and a calibration plate integral with the plate holder body thereby eliminating the need to load a separate special calibration plate in the plate holder each time the surface inspection system needs to be calibrated.

US Patent:

56024010, Feb 11, 1997

Filed:

Jul 10, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/499933

Inventors:

Sergey V. Broude - Newton Centre MA
Nicholas Allen - Bedford MA
Abdu Boudour - West Newton MA
Eric Chase - Carlisle MA
Carl Johnson - Tweksbury MA
Pascal Miller - North Chelmsford MA
Jay Ormsby - Salem MA

Assignee:

QC Optics, Inc. - Burlington MA

International Classification:

G01N 2186

US Classification:

25055945

Abstract:

A system for processing particle size and position data for a surface under inspection, the system including an air spindle for rotating and a translation stage for translating the surface with respect to a beam of radiation used to detect particles on the surface; a rotational encoder for dividing the surface into a number N of angular vectors; a counter of counting the number of revolutions of the surface; a processor for collecting particle size and position data at each angular vector during each revolution; first and second FIFO memories having at least N address spaces, each address space allocated for a specific angular vector; and a routine for writing the collected particle size and position data to the first memory and for reading particle size and position data from the second memory and switching memories every M revolutions. The FIFO memories are programmed to store only the greater of stored size data and incoming size data.

US Patent:

56251939, Apr 29, 1997

Filed:

Jul 10, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/500191

Inventors:

Sergey V. Broude - Newton Centre MA
Nicholas Allen - Bedford MA
Abdu Boudour - West Newton MA
Eric Chase - Carlisle MA
Carl Johnson - Tewksbury MA
Pascal Miller - North Chelmsford MA
Jay Ormsby - Salem MA

Assignee:

QC Optics, Inc. - Burlington MA

International Classification:

G01N 2147

US Classification:

250372

Abstract:

An improved optical inspection system for detecting flaws on a diffractive surface containing surface patterns includes: an ultraviolet illumination means for illuminating a region on the diffractive surface to generate a scattered intensity distribution in response to either a flaw or a surface pattern; means for detecting the intensity level of the scattered intensity distribution at a plurality of locations about the diffractive surface; means for establishing a minimum detected intensity level; means, responsive to the minimum detected intensity level, for indicating the absence of a flaw on the illuminated region of the diffractive surface when the minimum detected intensity level is below a threshold intensity level and for indicating the presence of a flaw on the illuminated region of the diffractive surface when the minimum detected intensity level exceeds the threshold intensity level; and means for moving the diffractive surface to generate a scan pattern on the diffractive surface to inspect the entire surface.

US Patent:

57171980, Feb 10, 1998

Filed:

Jul 10, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/499819

Inventors:

Sergey V. Broude - Newton Centre MA
Nicholas Allen - Bedford MA
Abdu Boudour - West Newton MA
Eric Chase - Carlisle MA
Carl Johnson - Tewksbury MA
Pascal Miller - North Chelmsford MA
Jay Ormsby - Salem MA

Assignee:

QC Optics, Inc. - Burlington MA

International Classification:

G01N 2188

US Classification:

250205

Abstract:

A pellicle reflectivity monitoring system comprising a radiation source for directing radiation through a pellicle to an object to be inspected, a sensor device positioned to receive the portion of the radiation reflected by the pellicle, a processor, responsive to the sensor device, for determining the intensity of the portion of the radiation reflected by the pellicle, and a lens assembly, positioned in an optical path between the pellicle and the sensor device, for directing the portion of the radiation reflected by pellicles of different heights onto the sensor device. A comparator device compares the intensity of the radiation directed at the object to be inspected with the intensity of the portion of the radiation reflected by the pellicle and outputs a correction factor based on the comparison in order to compensate for the portion of the radiation reflected by the pellicle.

US Patent:

58148299, Sep 29, 1998

Filed:

Jul 11, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/500768

Inventors:

Sergey V. Broude - Newton Centre MA
Nicholas Allen - Bedford MA
Abdu Boudour - West Newton MA
Eric Chase - Carlisle MA
Carl Johnson - Tewksbury MA
Pascal Miller - North Chelmsford MA
Jay Ormsby - Salem MA

Assignee:

QC Optics, Inc. - Wilmington MA

International Classification:

G01N 2188

US Classification:

25055946

Abstract:

An inspection system and an inspection method, the method including detecting flaws on a surface, determining the size, count, and position of flaws on the surface, providing a representation of the detected flaws by size, count, and position on a display, setting a display threshold value which is a function of a number of particles of a particular size to be displayed on the display, determining when the display threshold is breached and in response adjusting the display to cease displaying those flaws, storing at least one inspection threshold value, and determining when the inspection threshold value is breached and in response outputting an inspection interrupt signal to stop the inspection after the inspection threshold value is breached.