Abstract: A defect inspection device includes: an illumination optical system including a polarization element configured to switch polarization of irradiation light between first polarization and second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization; a polarization diffraction grating configured to emit diffraction light of a specific order of the irradiation light in a direction along a normal line of a sample stage surface, a diffraction efficiency of the specific order of the first polarization of the irradiation light is equal to or less than 20% of a diffraction efficiency of the specific order of the second polarization, the polarization diffraction grating being settable at a light collection position of the irradiation light on the sample stage surface and including an anisotropic pattern whose period is equal to or less than twice a wavelength of the irradiation light; a detection optical system.

Abstract: The solid-state imaging element includes a photoelectric converter, a first separator, and a second separator. The photoelectric converter is configured to perform photoelectric conversion of incident light. The first separator configured to separate the photoelectric converter is formed in a first trench formed from a first surface side. The second separator configured to separate the photoelectric converter is formed in a second trench formed from a second surface side facing a first surface. The present technology is applicable to an individual imaging element mounted on, e.g., a camera and configured to acquire an image of an object.

Abstract: A defect inspection device in which an optical axis of a detection optical system is inclined with respect to a surface of a sample, and an imaging sensor is inclined with respect to the optical axis, a height variation amount of an illumination spot in a normal direction of the surface of the sample is calculated based on an output of a height measuring unit, a deviation amount of the focusing position with respect to the light receiving surface in an optical axis direction of the detection optical system is calculated based on the height variation amount of the illumination spot, the deviation amount of the focusing position being generated accompanying a height variation of the illumination spot, and the focus actuator is controlled based on the deviation amount of the focusing position, and scattered light intensities at the same coordinates of the sample are added.

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus including a stand that supports a sample, an illumination optical system that irradiates the sample with illumination light, a scanning device that drives the sample stand to change position, detection optical systems that condense illumination scattered light from a surface of the sample, sensors that convert the condensed light into an electric signal and output a detection signal, a storage device that stores a plurality of feature vectors for each defect type, and a signal processing device that processes detection signals input from the plurality of sensors. The signal processing device calculates a measurement vector that is a feature vector of a defect on the surface of the sample, generates a feature vector of a virtual defect in which a form of the detection defect has been changed, from the actual measurement vector, and accumulates the feature vector of the virtual defect of one instruction defect.

Abstract: Provided is a defect inspection apparatus including a plurality of detection optical systems for collecting illumination scattered light from the surface of a sample, a plurality of sensors for converting the illumination scattered light collected by the corresponding detection optical systems into electrical signals and outputting detection signals, and a signal processing device for processing the detection signals input from the plurality of sensors, wherein the signal processing device generates a first signal group including an integrated signal obtained by adding a plurality of detection signals in a predetermined combination based on a group of detection signals input from the plurality of sensors, generates a second signal group by performing the filtering processing on each signal that configures the first signal group, generates a third signal group including separated signals separated according to a predetermined rule from the signal corresponding to the integrated signal based on the second signa

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes an illumination unit configured to irradiate a surface of a sample with a linear illumination spot; a condensing detection unit configured to condense reflected light of the illumination spot and to control a polarization state of the incident light to form an optical image; and a sensor unit configured to output the optical image and including an array-shaped light receiving portion and an antireflection film at a position conjugate with the illumination spot, in which the condensing detection unit includes a polarization control unit configured to increase light incident efficiency to the sensor unit. The normal line of the light receiving surface of the sensor unit is inclined from the optical axis of the condensing detection unit by 10 degrees or more and less than 80 degrees. The light condensing detection unit increases the optical magnification in the lateral direction of the illumination spot.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a defect inspection device capable of correcting image forming position deviation due to displacement of a sample surface in a Z direction while enabling image forming detection from a direction not orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of illumination. The detect inspection device according to the invention is configured to determine on which lens in a lens array scattered light is incident according to a detection elevation angle of the scattered light from a sample, and an image position of the scattered light having a small elevation angle is corrected more than an image position of the scattered light having a large elevation angle (see FIG. 19).

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes a first objective lens having an optical axis is perpendicular to a wafer mounting surface of the stage, a second objective lens having an optical axis forms a predetermined acute angle with respect to the wafer mounting surface of the stage, and a dichroic mirror which reflects light having a first wavelength and transmits or reflects light having a second wavelength. Emitted light of a first optical path 111 from a first light source which is reflected from or transmitted through the dichroic mirror and first emitted light and second emitted light polarized and separated from a second light source which are transmitted through or reflected from the dichroic mirror are incident on the first objective lens, and emitted light of a second optical path from the first light source is incident on the second objective lens.

Abstract: The invention provides a defect inspection apparatus. The defect inspection apparatus includes: an illumination optical system configured to irradiate a sample with an illumination spot; a detection unit configured to detect, from a plurality of directions, reflected light from the sample irradiated with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; a control unit configured to control a scan of the sample with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system by overlapping detection regions such that the detection regions partially overlap, the detection regions being detected by the detection unit configured to execute a detection from the plurality of directions when the sample is scanned with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; and a signal processing unit configured to process a signal obtained by detecting the reflected light from the sample by the detection unit to detect a defect.

Abstract: This defect inspection device for emitting illumination light onto a moving and rotating sample and inspecting for sample defects by scanning the sample in a spiral shape or concentric circle shapes comprises: an illumination and detection unit comprising an emission optical system and a detection optical system; a rotary stage for rotating the sample; a rectilinear stage for rectilinearly moving the rotary stage; and a controller for controlling the illumination and detection unit, rotary stage, and rectilinear stage. On the linear path of the rectilinear stage are a scanning start position where illumination light is emitted onto the sample and scanning is started and a sample delivery position where movement of the sample to the scanning start position starts.

Abstract: A defect inspection device includes an illumination unit that irradiates a sample with a linear illumination spot; a condensing detection unit that condenses reflected light of the illumination spot from the sample; and a sensor unit that forms an optical image on a light reception surface, and outputs the optical image as an electrical signal. An angle ? formed between an optical axis of the condensing detection unit and a longitudinal direction of the linear illumination spot is 10° or more and less than 80°. The sensor unit is a line sensor provided with an array-like light reception unit at a position conjugate with the illumination spot. An angle ? formed between direction of the line sensor and the optical axis of the condensing detection unit is 10° or more and less than 80°, and has a difference from the angle ? of 5° or more.

Abstract: In order to prevent an erroneous determination of an on-film defect, the sensitivity of the post-inspection is reduced so that a film swelling due to a minute defect would not be detected. Classification is performed to determine whether a defect is at least one of an on-film defect and a film swelling, by performing a coordinate correction on the result of a post-inspection by an actual-defect fine alignment using the result of a pre-inspection performed with two-stage thresholds, and by checking defects against each other. In addition, classification is performed to determine whether a defect is at least one of an on-film defect and a film swelling by, during the post-inspection, preparing instruction data from information of the refractive index and thickness of a film formed on a wafer and comparing the instruction data with a signal intensity ratio of a detection system.

Abstract: An inspection device capable of inspecting a foreign matter even during rotation acceleration/deceleration of an object under inspection.

Abstract: An inspection device includes an illumination optical system that irradiates a sample to be inspected with light having a predetermined wavelength, a detection optical system that includes a photoelectric conversion unit, collects reflected light or scattered light from the sample irradiated with the light, and guides the collected reflected or scattered light to the photoelectric conversion unit, and a data processing unit that extracts positional information of a foreign substance or a defect on the sample by processing an output signal from the photoelectric conversion unit that detects the reflected light or scattered light. The light collection optical system includes a polarized light transmission control unit that changes transmission characteristics according to polarization characteristics of the collected reflected light or scattered light.

Abstract: The invention includes a pulse oscillated light source, an illumination unit that guides light output from the light source to a sample, a scanning unit that controls a position at which the sample is scanned by the illumination unit, a light converging unit that converges light reflected from the sample, a first photoelectric conversion unit that outputs an electric signal corresponding to the light converged by the light converging unit, an AD conversion unit that converts the electric signal output from the first photoelectric conversion unit into a digital signal in synchronization with pulse oscillation of the light source, a linear restoration unit that processes a digital signal converted by the AD conversion unit in synchronization with a pulse oscillation output by the AD conversion unit and corrects nonlinearity of the first photoelectric conversion unit, a defect detection unit that detects a defect of the sample based on an output of the linear restoration unit, and a processing unit that obtains

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes: an illumination unit configured to illuminate an inspection object region of a sample with light emitted from a light source; a detection unit configured to detect scattered light in a plurality of directions, which is generated from the inspection object region; a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert the scattered light detected by the detection unit into an electrical signal; and a signal processing unit configured to process the electrical signal converted by the photoelectric conversion unit to detect a defect in the sample. The detection unit includes a lens array configured to divide an image to form a plurality of images on the photoelectric conversion unit. The signal processing unit is configured to synthesize electrical signals corresponding to the plurality of formed images to detect a defect in the sample.

Abstract: An inspection information generation device includes a design information acquirer configured to acquire design information of a sample to be inspected, a candidate region extractor configured to use the design information to extract multiple candidate regions, an image capturer configured to capture images of the multiple candidate regions, a similarity calculator configured to use the images of the multiple candidate regions to calculate a similarity or distance between the multiple candidate regions, and a region determiner configured to use the similarity or the distance to determine, as inspection information, at least one reference region corresponding to a region to be inspected.

Abstract: As a technique to improve processing efficiency of defect inspection by quickly adjusting a position of a detection system, provided is a defect inspection apparatus including: a stage that moves with a sample and a pattern substrate placed thereon; an illumination optical system that irradiates an object on the stage from a direction inclined from the normal direction of the pattern substrate; a first detection optical system that detects scattered light in the normal direction; a second detection optical system that detects scattered light in a direction different from the scattered light detected by the first detection optical system; a signal processing unit that processes both scattered light signals; and a control unit.

Abstract: In a defect inspection device that irradiates a surface of a sample or a surface of a pattern chip with an illumination light shaped to extend in a first direction, and detects a scattered light generated from the surface of the sample or the surface of the pattern chip by the illumination light to detect a defect on the surface of the sample, the pattern chip has a dot pattern area in which multiple dots are arrayed in multiple rows and multiple columns, a minimum interval between the dots corresponding to the lines aligned in the first direction among the multiple dots arrayed in the dot pattern area in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than a width of the illumination light, and a minimum interval between the multiple dots arrayed in the dot pattern area is larger than a resolution of the detection optical system.

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes: an illumination unit configured to illuminate an inspection object region of a sample with light emitted from a light source; a detection unit configured to detect scattered light in a plurality of directions, which is generated from the inspection object region; a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert the scattered light detected by the detection unit into an electrical signal; and a signal processing unit configured to process the electrical signal converted by the photoelectric conversion unit to detect a defect in the sample. The detection unit includes a lens array configured to divide an image to form a plurality of images on the photoelectric conversion unit. The signal processing unit is configured to synthesize electrical signals corresponding to the plurality of formed images to detect a defect in the sample.