Abstract: A disc holding apparatus including a plurality of movable holding claws, which have a holding section abutting to the outer circumference of a wafer having a notch and are arranged in the circumference direction of the wafer. The wafer is held by having each holding section on the inner edge side of each movable holding claw abut to the outer circumference of the wafer, thereby, at the time of detecting the notch by a sensor including a light source and a light receiving section, even when one of the holding sections abuts to the outer circumference of the wafer at a part where the notch exists, light from the light source is permitted to enter the light receiving section through the notch without being blocked by the holding section. Even when the wafer is held at the part where the notch exists, the wafer is not required to be correctly held again and throughput is improved with a shortened process time.

Abstract: A disc holding apparatus including a plurality of movable holding claws, which have a holding section abutting to the outer circumference of a wafer having a notch and are arranged in the circumference direction of the wafer. The wafer is held by having each holding section on the inner edge side of each movable holding claw abut to the outer circumference of the wafer, thereby, at the time of detecting the notch by a sensor including a light source and a light receiving section, even when one of the holding sections abuts to the outer circumference of the wafer at a part where the notch exists, light from the light source is permitted to enter the light receiving section through the notch without being blocked by the holding section. Even when the wafer is held at the part where the notch exists, the wafer is not required to be correctly held again and throughput is improved with a shortened process time.

Abstract: A defective particle measuring apparatus that irradiates focused laser light on a sample, images scattered light from the sample, and measures defective particles in the sample based on the image result, includes a position deviation computing portion which, based on an in-plane intensity distribution of scattered light of each defective particle that is imaged, obtains a deviation from a focal point position on an image point side of the scattered light of each defective particle and calculates a position deviation amount in a depth direction of the defective particle corresponding to the deviation from the focal point position, a light intensity correcting portion for correcting the light intensity of the scattered light of the defective particle corresponding to the position deviation amount in the depth direction, and a size determining portion for determining the defective particle size based on the light intensity corrected by the light intensity correcting portion.

Abstract: An edge flaw detection device includes an elliptical mirror having a mirror surface on the inside thereof and having a cutout that allows an object to be inserted therethrough formed at the apex thereof, a light-emitting unit that radiates coherent light toward an edge of the object arranged in the vicinity of a first focal position of the elliptical mirror, a photo detector that is arranged in a second focal position of the elliptical mirror, and a light-shielding member that shields low-order diffracted light that is reflected regularly. The light-emitting unit is moved in the thickness direction of the object by a moving member so that the light-emitting unit can radiate the coherent light in a different radiation range in the thickness direction at the edge of the object.

Abstract: A calibration method for an edge inspection apparatus having: a light emitting portion which irradiates light onto an edge of a substrate being inspected; and a detection portion which detects optical characteristics of the light reflected by the edge to detect the defect occurring in the edge based on the optical characteristics, wherein the calibration method including: a pseudo-defect formation step of forming a plurality of pseudo-defects on an edge of a substrate for calibration along a circumferential direction thereof, in which at least one of a position in the thickness direction of the substrate, the shape and the size is set so as to be different between the pseudo-defects; a detection step of irradiating the inspection light onto the respective pseudo-defects, and detecting the optical characteristics of the reflection light by the detection portion; and an adjustment step of calibrating the edge inspection apparatus based on the optical characteristics.

Abstract: A wafer rotating device 1 is provided with at least three rollers 2 rotatably provided about axes arranged at parallel intervals and which rotate over the circumferential surface of a disk-shaped wafer 5, a rotation drive mechanism 3 that rotates and drives at least one of the rollers 2, an interval adjustment mechanism 4 capable of adjusting the dimensions of the intervals of the rollers 2, a load control device 6 that controls the load applied from the rollers 2 to the wafer 5 in the radial direction of the wafer 5 when the wafer 5 is clamped between rollers 2. As a result, a silicon wafer can be rotated without contacting the top and bottom surfaces of the silicon wafer.

Abstract: This device is provided with an elliptical mirror 2, a light source 5 that radiates coherent light towards an inspected edge 4 arranged near the location of its first focal point, a light blocking member 6 that blocks diffracted light of a low order that is radiated from light source 5 and reflected by inspected edge 4, and a photo detector arranged at the location of a second focal point 7 of the elliptical mirror 2. The light blocking member 6 is composed of a light absorbing member arranged on the mirrored surface of elliptical mirror 2 reached by the low order diffracted right.

Abstract: This device is provided with an elliptical mirror 2, a light source 5 that radiates coherent light towards an inspected edge 4 arranged near the location of its first focal point, a light blocking member 6 that blocks diffracted light of a low order that is radiated from light source 5 and reflected by inspected edge 4, and a photo detector arranged at the location of a second focal point 7 of the elliptical mirror 2. The light blocking member 6 is composed of a light absorbing member arranged on the mirrored surface of elliptical mirror 2 reached by the low order diffracted right.