{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696264","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9696264","title":"Apparatus and methods for determining defect depths in vertical stack memory","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2014-03-26T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-07-04T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["G01N","G01N","G01N"],"num_claims":22,"abstract":"Disclosed are methods and apparatus for inspecting a vertical semiconductor stack of a plurality of layers is disclosed. The method includes (a) on a confocal tool, repeatedly focusing an illumination beam at a plurality of focus planes at a plurality of different depths of a first vertical stack, wherein a defect is located at an unknown one of the different depths and the illumination beam has a wavelength range between about 700 nm and about 950 nm, (b) generating a plurality of in-focus images for the different depths based on in-focus output light detected from the first vertical stack at the different depths, wherein out-of-focus output light is inhibited from reaching the detector of the confocal system and inhibited from contributing to generation of the in-focus images, and (c) determining which one of the different depths at which the defect is located in the first vertical stack based on the in-focus images."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Apparatus and methods for determining defect depths in vertical stack memory","description":"Disclosed are methods and apparatus for inspecting a vertical semiconductor stack of a plurality of layers is disclosed. The method includes (a) on a confocal tool, repeatedly focusing an illumination","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696264","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696264","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Apparatus and methods for determining defect depths in vertical stack memory\" (US-9696264). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696264","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696264","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9696264","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T10:12:10.176Z"}