Fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects by illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a section of the wafer while it is moved across the field of view of an imaging system, and imaging the moving wafer onto a focal plane assembly, optically forming a continuous surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system. The continuously moving wafer is illuminated by a laser pulse of duration significantly shorter than the pixel dwell time, such that there is effectively no image smear during the wafer motion. The laser pulse has sufficient energy and brightness to impart the necessary illumination to each sequentially inspected field of view required for creating an image of the inspected wafer die. A novel fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence is described. Other novel aspects of the system include a system for compensating for variations in the pulse energy of a Q-switched laser output, methods for autofocussing of the wafer imaging system, and novel methods for removal of repetitive features of the image by means of Fourier plane filtering, to enable easier detection of wafer defects.

System for detection of wafer defects

The present invention provides, in a hot dip plating system having an annealing furnace for hot dip plating steel sheet containing Si, a continuous annealing and hot dip plating method and system causing internal oxidation without causing surface oxidation of the Si in the steel and avoiding a drop in the plating ability of the steel sheet and retardation of alloying, that is, a continuous annealing and hot dip plating method using an annealing furnace having, in order, a front heating zone, rear heating zone, soaking zone, and cooling zone and a hot dip plating bath, comprising heating or soaking the steel sheet at a steel sheet temperature of a temperature range of at least 300°C or more by indirect heating, making an atmosphere of the zones one comprised of hydrogen H: 1 to 10 vol% and a balance of nitrogen and unavoidable impurities, making a steel sheet peak temperature during heating at the front heating zone 550 to 750°C and making the dew point less than -25°C, making dew points of the following rear heating zone and soaking zone -30°C to 0°C, and making a dew point of the cooling zone less than - 25°C.

Method of continuous annealing/hot-dipping of steel sheet containing silicon and apparatus for continuous annealing/hot-dipping

There is provided a method for producing a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet including a steel sheet containing, in percent by mass, 0.01% to 0.18% of C, 0.02% to 2.0% of Si, 1.0% to 3.0% of Mn, 0.001% to 1.0% of Al, 0.005% to 0.060% of P, 0.01% or less of S, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, and a galvanized coating layer on each surface of the steel sheet with a coating weight of 20 to 120 g/m 2 per surface, in which, when the steel sheet is subjected to annealing and a hot-dip galvanizing treatment in a continuous hot-dip galvanizing line, the dew point of the atmosphere is controlled to -40°C or lower in the annealing furnace temperature range of 750°C or higher. By this production method, it is possible to obtain a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having excellent corrosion resistance and resistance to peeling of coating during high-level work.

Method for producing high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel plate

A flat steel product, and a method for its production, which is formed from a steel substrate, such as strip or sheet steel, and a zinc-based corrosion protection coating, applied to at least one side of the steel substrate, which contains (in wt. %) Mg: 0.25 to 2.5%, Al: 0.2 to 3.0%, Fe: ≦4.0%, and optionally in total up to 0.8% of one or more elements of the group Pb, Bi, Cd, Ti, B, Si, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Mn, Sn and rare earths, remainder zinc and unavoidable impurities are described. The corrosion protection coating has an Al content of maximum 0.5 wt. % in an intermediate layer extending between a surface layer directly adjacent to the surface of the flat steel product and a border layer adjacent to the steel substrate and with a thickness amounting to at least 20% of the total thickness of the corrosion protection coating.

Steel sheet product provided with an anticorrosion coating and process for producing it

Dual phase steel sheet is made using a time/temperature cycle including a soak at about 1340-1425F and a hold at 850-920F, where the steel has the composition in weight percent, carbon: 0.02-0.20; aluminum: 0.010-0.150; titanium: 0.01 max; silicon: 0.5 max; phosphorous: 0.060 max; sulfur: 0.030 max; manganese: 1.5- 2.40; chromium: 0.03-1.50; molybdenum: 0.03-1.50; with the provisos that the amounts of manganese, chromium and molybdenum have the relationship: (Mn + 6Cr + 10 Mo) = at least 3.5%. The sheet is preferably in the form of a strip treated in a continuous galvanizing or galvannealing line, and the product is predominantly ferrite and martensite.

Method for the production of dual phase sheet steel

A high strength dual phase cold rolled steel having controlled amounts of carbon, manganese, and molybdenum is used as a starting material in a hot-dip zinc coating process to manufacture a high strength dual phase cold rolled steel having a conventional galvanized or galvannealed coating applied to at least one surface thereof, the zinc coated steel product having a uniform coating of zinc in spite of the high manganese content of the steel.

Coated steel alloy product

A dual phase high strength cold rolled steel having controlled amounts of carbon, manganese, and molybdenum is used as a starting material in a galvanizing/galvannealing process. Conditions in a multi-zone furnace of the galvanizing line can be controlled in a conventional manner while still effectively coating the high strength steel. A dual phase high strength steel product is made having a uniform coating of zinc in spite of the high manganese content of the steel.

Method for coating a steel alloy and a product therefrom

A method of coating dual phase high strength cold rolled steel having controlled amounts of carbon, manganese, and molybdenum is used as a starting material in a galvanizing/galvannealing process. Conditions in a multi-zone furnace of the galvanizing line can be controlled in a conventional manner while still effectively coating the high strength steel. A dual phase high strength steel product is made having a uniform coating of zinc in spite of the high manganese content of the steel.

Rajendra Pradhan

Papers

Coated steel alloy product

Method for coating a steel alloy and a product therefrom

Method for coating a steel alloy