Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device comprises a wafer stage (2), a stage driving unit (3), a charged-particle beam irradiation unit (4), an electronic optical system (11), a charged-particle beam control unit (12), a secondary-electron detection unit (5), an amplifier (7), a secondary-electron intensity comparison unit (8), a database (9) connected to an output of the secondary-electron intensity comparison unit (8), a PC (10) connected to an output of the database (9) and a main control unit (6) connected to the output of the database (9) and an output of the PC (10), whose output is connected to the stage driving unit (3), the charged-particle beam irradiation unit (4) and the charged-particle beam control unit (12). The database (9) stores inspection results and inspection addresses on m inspection regions (15) with strong possibility of having opening failures of contact holes (16) in each of a plurality of semiconductor wafers (1).

Abstract: A width (25) of a side-face image of a pattern top layer to be found in an SEM image (d) obtained by review with a wafer (3) tilted can be calculated from the actual thickness of the pattern top layer and the tilt angle of the wafer (3). An auto defect review/classification system detects an image having the same width as the calculated value, to recognize an image (22) to be a side-face image of the pattern top layer. Further, if the side-face image (22) of the pattern top layer is found, it is recognized that an image (23) therebelow should be a side-face image of a pattern second layer. By recognizing the images of the respective layers in the pattern, it becomes possible to specify a layer in which a detected defect lies in defect detection performed later.

Abstract: First interconnect lines each having an electric capacity given by C and second interconnect lines respectively adjacent thereto are formed on an upper surface of an insulating film. The first interconnect lines and the second interconnect lines are electrically isolated from a substrate and are electrically floating. The second interconnect lines are connected to a third interconnect line. As a result, the second interconnect lines and the third interconnect line which are electrically connected to each other as a whole have an electric capacity given by 12C. The first interconnect lines are irradiated with charged particles. The difference in the amount of secondary electrons emitted from the first interconnect lines depending on the magnitude of the electric capacity is detected as a potential contrast and used to evaluate whether or not there is contact between the first interconnect lines and the respectively associated second interconnect lines.