Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus includes control of an acceleration voltage of an electron beam, irradiation of the electron beam to an object to be inspected mounted on a stage which is continuously moving at least in one direction, and detection of at least one of secondary electrons and reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation. An image of the object is obtained from the detected electron by using positional information of the stage and inspection or measurement of the object is conducted using an obtained image. In the detection, an electric field in the vicinity of the object mounted on the stage is controlled so that at least one of the secondary electrons and the reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation of the electron beam are decelerated.

Abstract: An area for fabricating a photomask having light-shielding patterns each formed of an organic film, and areas for fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit device are provided within the same clean room. A manufacturing device and an inspecting device are commonly used upon the fabrication of the photomask and the fabrication of the semiconductor integrated circuit device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to detection of defects with simple specification of the coordinates, in the inspection of an object having a plurality of patterns in which a portion having the two-dimensional repetition and portions having the repetition only in the X direction and in the Y direction are mixedly present. The cross comparison between a notice point and comparison points to for example which are repetitive pitches away from the notice point is carried out, and only the portion having the difference which can be found out with any of the comparison points is extracted as a defect candidate, which results in that the portion having the two-dimensional repetition as well as the portion having the repetition only in the X direction or in the Y direction can be inspected.

Abstract: A pattern inspection method in which an image can be detected without an image detection error due to an adverse effect to be given by such factors as ions implanted in a wafer, pattern connection/no-connection, and pattern edge formation. A digital image of an object substrate is attained through microscopic observation thereof, the attained digital image is examined to detect defects while masking a region pre-registered in terms of coordinates or while masking a pattern meeting a pre-registered pattern, and an image of each of the defects thus detected is displayed. Further, each of the defects detected using the digital image attained through microscopic observation is checked to judge whether its feature meets a pre-registered feature or not. Defects having a feature that meets the pre-registered feature are so displayed that they can be turned/off, or they are so displayed as to be distinguishable from the other defects.

Abstract: A pattern inspection method in which an image can be detected without an image detection error due to an adverse effect to be given by such factors as ions implanted in a wafer, pattern connection/no-connection, and pattern edge formation. A digital image of an object substrate is attained through microscopic observation thereof, the attained digital image is examined to detect defects while masking a region pre-registered in terms of coordinates or while masking a pattern meeting a pre-registered pattern, and an image of each of the defects thus detected is displayed. Further, each of the defects detected using the digital image attained through microscopic observation is checked to judge whether its feature meets a pre-registered feature or not. Defects having a feature that meets the pre-registered feature are so displayed that they can be turned/off, or they are so displayed as to be distinguishable from the other defects.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a pattern formed on a substrate, includes the steps of moving a table along a first direction on which a substrate to be inspected is mounted, irradiating a converged electron beam on the substrate by scanning the converged electron beam along a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; detecting an electron radiated from the substrate by the irradiation of the converged electron beam in which the movement of the table and the scanning of the converged electron beam are synchronized; forming a digital image of the substrate from the detected electron; improving a quality of the digital image by filtering the digital image; and detecting a defect of a pattern formed on the substrate by using the improved quality digital image.

Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus which controls an acceleration voltage of an electron beam, irradiates the electron beam to an object to be inspected mounted on a stage which is continuously moving at least in one direction, detects at least one of a secondary electron and a reflected electron emanated from the object by the irradiating, obtains an image of the object from the detected electron by using positional information of the stage, conducts inspection or measurement of the object using the image obtained, and outputs a result of the inspection or the measurement through a network system which is connected to a computer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes fetching inspection chip information including information of a dust-particle/fault on an inspection chip by irradiating the inspection chip of a semiconductor wafer with an optical beam and by detecting the scattering/diffracting beam of the optical beam, fetching reference chip information as information of a reference chip without a dust-particle/fault, comparing the inspection chip information and the reference chip information to determine a dust-particle/fault, and determining whether the dust-particle/fault is located on a pattern or outside of the pattern by matching between the dust-particle/fault information and design pattern data as data of a prepared pattern. The dust-particle/fault is determined to be a fatal dust-particle/fault when the dust-particle fault is located on the pattern or to be a non-fatal dust-particle fault when the dust-particle/fault is located outside of the pattern.

Abstract: A circuit pattern inspection method and an apparatus therefor, in which the whole of a portion to be inspected of a sample to be inspected is made to be in a predetermined charged state, the portion to be inspected is irradiated with an image-forming high-density electron beam while scanning the electron beam, secondary charged particles are detected at a portion irradiated with the electron beam after a predetermined period of time from an instance when the electron beam is radiated, an image is formed on the basis of the thus detected secondary charged particle signal, and the portion to be inspected is inspected by using the thus formed image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to detection of defects with simple specification of the coordinates, in the inspection of an object having a plurality of patterns in which a portion having the two-dimensional repetition and portions having the repetition only in the X direction and in the Y direction are mixedly present. The cross comparison between a notice point and comparison points, for example, which are repetitive pitches away from the notice point, is carried out, and only the portion having the difference which can be found out with any of the comparison points is extracted as a defect candidate, which results in that the portion having the two-dimensional repetition as well as the portion having the repetition only in the X direction or in the Y direction can be inspected.

Abstract: A field oxide film 3 in a region where relief cells are formed is made wider than the field oxide film 3 in a region where normal memory cells are formed thereby to make a field relaxation layer 8r of the relief cells deeper than the field relaxation layer 8 of the normal cells, and the depletion layer of the sources and drains (n-type semiconductor regions) of the relief cells is widened to weaken the junction field.

Abstract: A circuit pattern inspection method and an apparatus therefor, in which the whole of a portion to be inspected of a sample to be inspected is made to be in a predetermined charged state, the portion to be inspected is irradiated with an image-forming high-density electron beam while scanning the electron beam, secondary charged particles are detected at a portion irradiated with the electron beam after a predetermined period of time from an instance when the electron beam is irradiated, an image is formed on the basis of the thus detected secondary charged particle signal, and the portion to be inspected is inspected by using the thus formed image.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a pattern formed on a substrate, includes the steps of moving a table along a first direction on which a substrate to be inspected is mounted, irradiating a converged electron beam on the substrate by scanning the converged electron beam along a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; detecting an electron radiated from the substrate by the irradiation of the converged electron beam in which the movement of the table and the scanning of the converged electron beam are synchronized; forming a digital image of the substrate from the detected electron; improving a quality of the digital image by filtering the compensated digital image; and detecting a defect of a pattern formed on the substrate by using the improved quality digital image.

Abstract: A field oxide film 3 in a region where relief cells are formed is made wider than the field oxide film 3 in a region where normal memory cells are formed thereby to make a field relaxation layer 8r of the relief cells deeper than the field relaxation layer 8 of the normal cells, and the depletion layer of the sources and drains (n-type semiconductor regions) of the relief cells is widened to weaken the junction field.

Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus which controls an acceleration voltage of an electron beam, irradiates the electron beam to an object to be inspected mounted on a stage which is continuously moving at least in one direction, detects at least one of a secondary electron and a reflected electron emanated from the object by the irradiating, obtains an image of the object from the detected electron by using positional information of the stage, conducts inspection or measurement of the object using the image obtained, and outputs a result of the inspection or the measurement through a network system which is connected to a computer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a pattern, a first image of a first area on a sample is acquired by imaging the first area formed as a first pattern, and the first image is memorized. A second image of a second area on the sample is acquired by imaging the second area formed as a second pattern which is to be the same as the first pattern. A defect of the first pattern is detected by acquiring a differential image between the first image and the second image. The detection of the defect includes processing the differential image by using information of brightness corresponding to both of the first image and the second image.

Abstract: A circuit pattern inspection method and an apparatus therefor, in which the whole of a portion to be inspected of a sample to be inspected is made to be in a predetermined charged state, the portion to be inspected is irradiated with an image-forming high-density electron beam while scanning the electron beam, secondary charged particles are detected at a portion irradiated with the electron beam after a predetermined period of time from an instance when the electron beam is irradiated, an image is formed on the basis of the thus detected secondary charged particle signal, and the portion to be inspected is inspected by using the thus formed image.

Abstract: An electron beam inspection method including the steps of irradiating an electron beam to an object to be inspected, detecting at least one of a secondary electron and a reflected electron emanated from the object by the irradiation of the electron beam, and obtaining an image of the object from the detected electron. The method further includes the steps of controlling an electric field in a neighborhood of the object for filtering the at least one of the secondary and reflected electron emanated from the object so as to control the contrast of the image, detecting at least one of the secondary and reflected electron emanated from the object which passes through the electric field in the neighborhood of the object by the irradiation of the electron beam, and conducting inspection or measurement of the object on the basis of a detected signal of the detection in the controlled electric field.

Abstract: In a method of inspecting a defect and an apparatus thereof, an allowable range for a gradation value of a difference image is determined for each pixel from one pixel or less of position shift quantity between two images to be compared, a variation rate in a local gradation value of an image, and a representative value of the local gradation value. Then, by comparing the gradation value of the difference image with the allowable range determined for each pixel, a pixel, on which the gradation value of the difference image is within the allowable range, is judged to be an non-defective candidate and a pixel, on which the gradation value of the difference image is beyond the allowable range, is judged to be a defective candidate.

Abstract: An electron beam inspection method and apparatus. The method includes controlling acceleration voltage of electron beam and electric field on a sample, beam current, beam diameter, image detection rate, image dimensions, precharge, discharge, or a combination of them, exposing an object to the electron beam, detecting in a sensor a physical change generated from the object, and inspecting or measuring the object on the basis of a signal representing the detected physical change. The apparatus includes an electron source (potential E2) for generating an electron beam, a deflector for scanning generated electrons, an objective lens for focusing the electron beam upon the object, a grid (potential E1) disposed between the object and the objective lens, a wafer holder (potential E0) for holding the object, a sensor for detecting generated secondary electrons, a potential controller for controlling the potential E0, E1 and E2, and a storage for storing optimum potential conditions.