Systems and methods for defect reduction using data analysis

Abstract

A method for defect reduction is disclosed. The method can include receiving defect data for one or more defects in one or more samples. The defect data can include defect location, defect size, defect shape, or a relationship between the defect and a component of the one or more samples. The method can include identifying at least one defect as a disqualifying defect based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds. Upon identifying the defect as a disqualifying defect, the method can include generating a tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index. The method can include providing the generated tool-readable index to the one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates generally to defect reduction, and more specifically to systems and methods for defect reduction using data analysis. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] As the demand for electronic circuits with unprecedentedly small device features continues to grow, the need for improved defect reduction techniques for printed circuit boards (PCBs) continues to rise. Current PCB defect reduction techniques utilize defect data to adjust one or more characteristics of a preceding PCB manufacturing process / tool. However, one or more downstream processes / tools may be affected by defects, which may lead to the generation of additional defects. For example, during PCB manufacturing, photosensitive materials may penetrate into vias / trenches of electrical circuits, so that contamination of the developer may lead to the generation of further defects. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 U.S. Patent No. 8139844 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide systems and methods that ameliorate the drawbacks of the approaches identified above. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0005] A system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes a characterization subsystem configured to perform inspection of one or more samples and generate defect data for one or more defects in one or more of the samples. In an embodiment, the system further includes one or more controllers communicatively coupled to the characterization subsystem, the one or more controllers including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, the set of program instructions causing the one or more processors to receive defect data from the characterization subsystem, including one of the following: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between the defect and components of one or more samples; identify at least one of the one or more defects as a disqualifying defect based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds; generate a tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index when a defect is identified as a disqualifying defect; and provide the generated tool-readable index to one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

[0006] A system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is disclosed. In the embodiment, the system includes one or more controllers communicably coupled to a characterization subsystem, the one or more controllers including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, the set of program instructions causing the one or more processors to receive defect data from the characterization subsystem, including one of the following: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between a defect and one or more components of a sample; identify at least one of the one or more defects as a disqualifying defect based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds; generate a tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index, and provide the generated tool-readable index to one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

[0007] Methods according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes receiving defect data from a characterization subsystem for one or more defects in one or more samples, the defect data including one of the following: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between the defect and components of one or more samples. In an embodiment, the method includes identifying at least one of the one or more defects as a disqualifying defect based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds. In an embodiment, when a defect is identified as a disqualifying defect, the method includes generating a tool-readable index, the generated tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index. In an embodiment, the method includes providing the generated tool-readable index to one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

[0008] It should be understood that both the above-mentioned general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and descriptive only and do not necessarily limit the claimed invention. The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part of this specification illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description, serve to illustrate the principles of the invention.

[0009] Many of the advantages of this disclosure can be better understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1A] A block diagram of a defect reduction system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 1B] A simplified schematic diagram of an inspection subsystem of a defect reduction system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 2] A flowchart illustrating a method for reducing defects in a system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 3] The following is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for reducing defects within a system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] This disclosure is shown and described in particular with respect to specific embodiments and their concrete features. The embodiments described herein are to be considered illustrative and not limiting. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Hereinafter, the disclosed subject matter shown in the accompanying drawings will be used with reference in detail.

[0012] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for defect reduction using data analysis. In particular, embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for preventing defect accumulation by defect detection. For example, the system may be configured to produce a tool-readable index that can be deciphered by the next tool in the process, and the next tool in the process may skip defective areas according to the produced tool-readable index.

[0013] Figure 1A shows a block diagram of a defect reduction system 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] In embodiments, the system 100 includes a characterization subsystem 102 configured for defect inspection of one or more samples. It should be noted herein that the characterization subsystem 102 may include an inspection subsystem. The characterization subsystem 102 may include any inspection subsystem 102 known in the art, including, but not limited to, an automated optical inspection (AOI) tool.

[0015] Automated optical inspection systems are discussed in general terms in U.S. Patent No. 8,077,307, issued on December 13, 2011, U.S. Patent No. 7,203,355, issued on April 10, 2007, and U.S. Patent No. 7,206,443, issued on April 17, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0016] The characterization subsystem 102 can provide various types of characterization data related to defects in one or more samples. For example, the characterization subsystem 102 can provide defect characterization data. For example, the characterization subsystem 102 can provide the location, size, shape, number, or type of defects in one or more samples. Furthermore, the characterization subsystem 102 can provide relationships between defects and specific components of a sample. In this case, as shown in Figure 3, a barcode 306 can be generated, which may include relationships between panel 300 and defect 300a, as will be further described herein.

[0017] In embodiments, the system 100 includes one or more manufacturing subsystems 104 (e.g., one or more manufacturing tools 104). The manufacturing subsystems 104 may include, but are not limited to, any type of sample manufacturing subsystem 104 known in the art, such as photolithography tools, laser direct imaging tools, etching tools, drilling tools (e.g., laser drilling tools or mechanical drilling tools), solder mask printing tools, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) design tools, and the like.

[0018] Manufacturing tools are discussed in general terms in U.S. Patent No. 8,964,274, issued on 24 February 2015, and U.S. Patent No. 7,058,474, issued on 6 June 2006, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0019] In an embodiment, system 100 includes one or more controllers 106 communicatively coupled to a characterization subsystem 102 and one or more manufacturing subsystems 104. Controller 106 includes one or more processors 108 configured to execute program instructions retained in memory medium 110 (memory 110). The one or more processors 108 of controller 106 may execute any of the various process steps described throughout the present disclosure. Further, the one or more processors 108 of controller 106 may be configured to receive data including, but not limited to, image data associated with one or more samples 112 from inspection subsystem 102 (or an external characterization tool).

[0020] FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram illustrating a characterization subsystem 102, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] In an embodiment, characterization subsystem 102 includes an inspection subsystem 102 configured to perform defect inspection of one or more samples 112. For example, inspection subsystem 102 may be configured to acquire one or more inspection images 101 of one or more portions of one or more samples 112. The samples may include any type of samples including, but not limited to, printed circuit boards (PCBs), flat panel displays (FPDs), wafers, and the like.

[0022] In an embodiment, to facilitate movement of the one or more samples 112, the one or more samples 112 are disposed on a sample stage mechanism 111. The sample stage mechanism 111 may include any stage mechanism 111 known in the art.

[0023] In an embodiment, the inspection subsystem 102 includes an illumination source 114 configured to generate one or more illumination beams 116. The illumination source 114 may be configured to emit one or more illumination beams 116 at one or more selected wavelengths of light including, but not limited to, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), deep ultraviolet (DUV), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, or infrared (IR). In an embodiment, the illumination source 114 may include a spectrum-tunable illumination source to generate one or more illumination beams 116 having a variable spectrum.

[0024] In an embodiment, the illumination source 114 directs the illumination beam 116 to one or more samples 112 via an illumination path 118. The illumination path 118 may include one or more lenses 120 or additional illumination optical components 122 suitable for modifying and / or adjusting the illumination beam 116. For example, the one or more illumination optical components 122 may include, but are not limited to, one or more polarizers, one or more filters, one or more splitters, one or more diffusers, one or more homogenizers, one or more apodizers, one or more shapers, one or more shutters (e.g., mechanical shutters, electro-optical shutters, acousto-optical shutters, etc.), one or more aperture stops, and / or one or more field stops.

[0025] In an embodiment, the inspection subsystem 102 includes an electro-optic modulator 126. The electro-optic modulator 126 may be disposed in the illumination path of the illumination beam 116 from the illumination source 114. The electro-optic modulator 126 is capable of modulating one or more properties of the illumination beam 116. In operation, light transmits through a portion of the electro-optic modulator 126, and defects can be detected by observing changes in the reflected or transmitted light. Electro-optic modulators are generally discussed in U.S. Patent No. 7,817,333 issued on October 19, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0026] In this embodiment, the detector 128 is configured to capture emitted light (e.g., sample light 113) emitted from one or more samples 112 and passing through the collection path 130. For example, the collection path 130 may, but is not required to include, an electro-optic modulator 126, a focusing lens (e.g., an objective lens), or one or more additional collection path lenses 132. In this case, the detector 128 can receive emitted light reflected or scattered from one or more samples 112 (e.g., by specular reflection, diffuse reflection, etc.) or generated by one or more samples 112 (e.g., emission associated with the absorption of illumination 114).

[0027] The acquisition path 130 may further include any number of acquisition optics 134 for guiding and / or correcting the illumination collected by the electro-optic modulator 126, the acquisition optics including, but not limited to, one or more acquisition path lenses 132, one or more filters, one or more polarizers, or one or more blocks. Furthermore, the acquisition path 130 may include a field diaphragm for controlling the spatial range of the sample imaged on the detector 128, or an aperture diaphragm for controlling the angular range of illumination from the sample used to generate an image on the detector 128. In embodiments, the acquisition path 130 includes an aperture diaphragm positioned in a plane conjugate to the back focal plane of the optical element to provide telecentric imaging of the sample. In embodiments, the inspection subsystem 102 includes a beam splitter 124 directed so that the electro-optic modulator 126 can simultaneously direct the illumination beam 116 to one or more samples 112 and collect the emitted light emitted from one or more samples 112.

[0028] The detector 128 may include any type of optical detector suitable for measuring illumination received from the panel 300. For example, the detector 128 may include, but is not limited to, a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector, a time-delay integral (TDI) detector, a photomultiplier tube (PMT), an avalanche photodiode (APD), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, and the like. In embodiments, the detector 128 may include a spectroscopic detector suitable for identifying the wavelength of light emitted from one or more samples 112.

[0029] While embodiments of this disclosure relate to a printed circuit board inspection system, system 100 may also be implemented as a wafer inspection system or a wafer measurement system. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Wafer inspection / measurement systems are broadly discussed in U.S. Patent No. 9,279,774, issued March 8, 2016; U.S. Patent No. 7,957,066, issued June 7, 2011; U.S. Patent No. 7,345,825, issued March 18, 2008; U.S. Patent No. 5,999,310, issued December 7, 1999; U.S. Patent No. 7,525,649, issued April 28, 2009; U.S. Patent No. 9,228,943, issued January 5, 2016; U.S. Patent No. 5,608,526, issued March 4, 1997; and U.S. Patent No. 6,297,880, issued October 2, 2001, and are incorporated herein by reference to their entirety.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a flowchart representing a method 200 for defect detection using system 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 shows a process flowchart representing a method 200 for defect detection using system 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] In step 202, defect data can be obtained for one or more defects in one or more samples 112. For example, the controller 106 can be configured to obtain one or more inspection images 101 of one or more samples 112 from the inspection subsystem 102. For example, one or more inspection images 101 may include, but are not limited to, defect data such as defect location, defect size, defect shape, and the relationship between the defect and a specific component of the sample.

[0032] Referring to Figure 3, in the embodiment, one or more samples 112 include a panel 300 containing one or more arrays 302 of samples 304. For example, panel 300 may include one or more arrays 302 of printed circuit boards (PCBs) 304. One or more arrays 302 of PCBs 304 may be arranged in a column / row configuration. For example, as shown in Figure 3, one or more arrays 302 of PCBs 304 may include PCBs in a first column (e.g., column A), a second column (e.g., column B), a third column (e.g., column C), a fourth column (e.g., column D), a fifth column (e.g., column E), and up to N columns of PCBs. Each column (e.g., columns A to E) may include five rows of PCBs (e.g., rows 1 to 5). It should be noted that Figure 3 is presented herein for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] In step 204, one or more defects can be analyzed to determine whether one or more defects are disqualifying defects. For example, the controller 106 may be configured to identify at least one of the one or more defects as a disqualifying defect (e.g., a killer defect) based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds. Alternatively, the controller 106 may be configured to identify at least one of the one or more defects as a non-disqualifying defect (e.g., a passing defect).

[0034] Referring to Figure 3, in a non-limiting example, the controller 106 can be configured to analyze sample 304a located in column D / row 3 as a killer defect 300a, and as a result, to disqualify sample 304a located in column D / row 3 on panel 300 because of defect 300a. Furthermore, the controller 106 can be configured to analyze sample 304b located in column E / row 4 as a passing defect 300b, and as a result, to prevent sample 304b located in column E / row 4 on panel 300 from being disqualified because of defect 300b.

[0035] In embodiments, one or more predetermined thresholds include one or more user-defined thresholds. For example, one or more user-defined thresholds may include, but are not limited to, one or more user-defined limits such as minimum defect size, defect location, defect type, critical design area, or critical design pattern.

[0036] In process 206, a tool-readable index can be generated when at least one defect is identified as a disqualifying defect. For example, the controller 106 can be configured to generate a tool-readable index that includes, but is not limited to, a unit number, unit location, panel serial number, barcode identifier (ID), etc.

[0037] In one embodiment, the generated tool-readable index is configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes to isolate a defective area from one or more downstream manufacturing processes. For example, one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 may be configured to avoid applying one or more manufacturing processes to a defective area. As another example, one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 may be configured to modify the design of a designated panel containing a defective area.

[0038] Referring again to Figure 3, in a non-limiting example, the generated tool-readable index can be configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes for sample 304a containing a disqualifying killer defect 300a. In this case, the generated tool-readable index can cause one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 to adjust one or more processes based on the identified disqualifying defect, and one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 can decouple sample 304a from downstream manufacturing processes based on the generated tool-readable index.

[0039] In step 208, the generated tool-readable index can be provided to one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems. For example, the controller 106 can be configured to provide the generated tool-readable index to one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104.

[0040] Referring again to Figure 3, the controller 106 may be configured to provide the generated tool-readable index to a manufacturing controller that is communicatively coupled to one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104. For example, the manufacturing controller may be configured to generate one or more communication protocols configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes to address a disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index and the generated one or more communication protocols.

[0041] One or more communication protocols may include, but are not limited to, one or more exposure files, one or more Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), one or more table databases, one or more Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), one or more Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), one or more Semiconductor Equipment Communication Standards / Comprehensive Model for Communication and Control of Manufacturing Equipment (SECS / GEM) protocols, etc.

[0042] In a non-limiting example, the controller 106 may be configured to provide the generated tool-readable index to a computer-aided machine (CAM) station positioned before one or more downstream manufacturing subsystems 104 (e.g., a laser direct imaging (LDI) tool). In this example, the CAM controller may be configured to generate one or more exposure files configured to cause the LDI tool to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to disqualifying defects based on the generated tool-readable index and the generated one or more exposure files. The CAM station may be configured to adapt the exposure files of the LDI tool. The adapted exposure files are provided to the LDI tool so that the LDI tool can modify the LDI process according to a specific tool-readable index, thereby isolating the defective sample from the LDI process. The adapted exposure files may include fully printed samples and fully blank samples. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the panel 300 may include an exposure area 308 and a blank exposure area 310 based on the tool-readable index. In this case, the blank exposure area 310 may correspond to the location of a killer defect 300a on a disqualifying sample 304a. The exposure region 308 may include areas without defects and / or areas with acceptance defects (e.g., the exposure region 312 including acceptance defect 300b).

[0043] Referring again to Figure 1, one or more processors 108 of the controller 106 may include any processing elements well known in the art. In that sense, one or more processors 108 may include any microprocessor-type device configured to execute algorithms and / or instructions. In one embodiment, one or more processors 108 may consist of a desktop computer, a mainframe computer system, a workstation, an image computer, a parallel processor, or any other computer system (e.g., a networked computer) configured to execute a program configured to operate a system 100 as described throughout this disclosure. Furthermore, it is recognized that the term “processor” may be broadly defined to include any device having one or more processing elements that execute program instructions from a non-temporary memory medium 110. Accordingly, the above description should not be construed as a limitation on the invention, but merely as an example.

[0044] The memory medium 110 may include any storage medium known in the art that is suitable for storing program instructions executable by one or more associated processors 108. In a non-limiting example, the memory medium 110 may include a non-temporary memory medium. In a further non-limiting example, the memory medium 110 may include, but is not limited to, read-only memory, random-access memory, magnetic or optical memory devices (e.g., disks), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives, etc. It should be further noted that the memory 110 may be housed in a controller housing common to one or more processors 108. In an alternative embodiment, the memory 110 may be located at a distance from the physical locations of one or more processors 108 and the controller 106. For example, one or more processors 108 of the controller 106 may access remote memory (e.g., a server) accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet, an intranet, etc.).

[0045] Each of the embodiments of the above-described methods is further intended to include any other steps of any other methods described herein. Furthermore, each embodiment of the above-described methods can be carried out by any system described herein.

[0046] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the operation, devices, purposes, and accompanying descriptions of the components described herein are used as examples to clarify concepts, and that various configuration variations are intended. Therefore, when used herein, the specific examples and accompanying descriptions described herein are intended to represent their more general kind. In general, the use of any specific example is intended to represent its kind, and the absence of specific components, operations, devices, and purposes should not be considered a limitation.

[0047] With regard to any substantially plural and / or singular use of terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or singular to plural as appropriate for the context and / or use. Various singular / plural substitutions are not expressly listed herein for clarity.

[0048] The subject matter described herein may illustrate various components that are contained within or related to other components. It should be understood that the configurations shown are merely illustrative, and in practice, many other configurations can be implemented to achieve the same function. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same function is effectively “associated” in such a way that the desired function is achieved. Therefore, any two components described herein that are combined to achieve a particular function, regardless of configuration or intermediate components, can be considered “associated” with each other in such a way that the desired function is achieved. Similarly, any two components that are thus associated can be considered “connected” or “joined” with each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be associated in such a way can be considered “joinable” with each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of joinability include, but are not limited to, physically interlocking and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interacting and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0049] Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Generally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the language used herein, and in particular in the appended claims (e.g., the text of the appended claims), is generally intended to be “open” language (for example, the word “contains” should be interpreted as “contains but not limited to,” the word “has” should be interpreted as “has at least one,” and the word “contains” should be interpreted as “contains but not limited to,” etc.). It will further be understood by those skilled in the art that if a claim is intended to be described with a certain number of prefixes, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and if such statement is not present, such intent does not exist. For example, for the sake of understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the prefixes “at least one” and “one or more” to prefix the description of the claim. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as meaning that any particular claim containing such a prefixed claim description is limited to an invention containing only one such description, even if the same claim contains the prefix phrase “one or more” or “at least one” and an indefinite article such as “a” or “an” (for example, “a” and / or “an” should typically be interpreted as meaning “at least one” or “one or more”). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to prefix claim descriptions. Furthermore, even if a specific number of prefixed claim descriptions is explicitly stated, a person skilled in the art will recognize that such descriptions should typically be interpreted as meaning at least the number described (for example, the description “two descriptions” without other modifiers typically means at least two descriptions, or two or more descriptions).Furthermore, when a template similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such configurations are generally intended to be understood by those skilled in the art (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or systems having A, B and C together). It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that any substantially separate words and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms should be understood to include the possibility of containing one of the terms, either of the terms, or both of the terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

[0050] Many of the present disclosure and its associated advantages are to be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various modifications can be made to the form, structure and arrangement of the components, without departing from the disclosed subject matter or sacrificing all of its specific advantages. The described forms are for illustrative purposes only, and the following claims are intended to encompass and include such modifications. Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. It is a system, A characterization subsystem configured to perform inspection on one or more samples and generate defect data for one or more defects in the one or more samples, and The characteristic evaluation subsystem comprises one or more controllers communicably coupled, the one or more controllers including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, and the set of program instructions is configured to execute the one or more processors The characteristic evaluation subsystem receives defect data including one of the following: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between the defect and one or more components of the sample. Based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds, at least one of the one or more defects is identified as a disqualifying defect. When the defect is identified as the disqualifying defect, the system generates a tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index, and The generated tool-readable index is provided to a manufacturing controller that is communicatively coupled to one or more downstream manufacturing tools, the manufacturing controller is configured to generate one or more communication protocols based on the generated tool-readable index and to transmit one or more communication protocols to one or more downstream manufacturing tools so that one or more downstream manufacturing tools adjust the one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index and the generated one or more communication protocols. system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tool-readable index includes an identifier configured to be deciphered by one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the identifier includes a barcode.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more downstream manufacturing tools include at least one of a photolithography tool, a laser direct imaging tool, an etching tool, a drilling tool, a solder mask printing tool, or a computer-aided manufacturing design tool.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more communication protocols include one or more exposure files, and the generated one or more exposure files include fully exposed areas and blank exposed areas.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined thresholds include one or more user-defined thresholds.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the one or more user-defined thresholds include at least one of the following: minimum defect size, defect location, defect type, critical design region, or critical design pattern.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more samples include one or more printed circuit boards.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more printed circuit boards are arranged on a panel in one or more arrays.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic evaluation subsystem includes an inspection subsystem.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the inspection subsystem includes an automated optical inspection subsystem.

12. It is a system, A controller comprising one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, wherein the set of program instructions is configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, The characterization subsystem receives defect data including one of the following: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between the defect and one or more components of a sample. Based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds, at least one of the one or more defects is identified as a disqualifying defect. When the defect is identified as the disqualifying defect, the system generates a tool-readable index configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index, and The generated tool-readable index is provided to a manufacturing controller that is communicatively coupled to one or more downstream manufacturing tools, the manufacturing controller is configured to generate one or more communication protocols based on the generated tool-readable index and to transmit one or more communication protocols to one or more downstream manufacturing tools so that one or more downstream manufacturing tools adjust the one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index and the generated one or more communication protocols. system.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the tool-readable index includes an identifier configured to be deciphered by one or more downstream manufacturing tools.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the downstream manufacturing tool includes at least one of a photolithography tool, a laser direct imaging tool, an etching tool, a drilling tool, a solder mask printing tool, or a computer-aided manufacturing design tool.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the one or more predetermined thresholds include one or more user-defined thresholds.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the one or more user-defined thresholds include at least one of the following: minimum defect size, defect location, defect type, critical design region, or critical design pattern.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the one or more samples include one or more printed circuit boards arranged in one or more arrays on a panel.

18. It is a method, Receiving defect data from the characterization subsystem, including one of the following for one or more defects in one or more samples: defect location, defect size, defect shape, or relationship between the defect and the components of the one or more samples. Based on the received defect data and one or more predetermined thresholds, at least one of the one or more defects is identified as a disqualifying defect. When the defect is identified as the disqualifying defect, a tool-readable index is generated which is configured to cause one or more downstream manufacturing tools to adjust one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index, and The process includes providing the generated tool-readable index to a manufacturing controller that is communicatively coupled to one or more downstream manufacturing tools, the manufacturing controller being configured to generate one or more communication protocols based on the generated tool-readable index and to transmit the one or more communication protocols to the one or more downstream manufacturing tools so that the one or more downstream manufacturing tools adjust the one or more downstream manufacturing processes corresponding to the disqualifying defect based on the generated tool-readable index and the one or more communication protocols. method.

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