ABSTRACT
This chapter presents applications of machine vision for the automated inspection of a wide range of products which have been demonstrated based on information provided by users and suppliers of machine vision systems. The interest in automated quality assurance has not been restricted to manufacturers within the United States. Several European automotive companies have installed machine vision systems and other computer-based inspection systems. Machine vision systems are now being successfully used in the semiconductor industry. Human inspection operators pose several problems as people unavoidably bring contaminants into the production area and are exposed to any dangers in the area. Automated semiconductor wafer fabrication requires an accurate, fast, clean method for identifying and tracking individual wafer slices. Laser-etching techniques now allow manufacturers to mark identification characters on each wafer. The system can be configured with infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera and can be used to replace the backend electronics of the sensor technologies.
