Abstract: A microscope comprising: an XY stage unit for moving a sample holding unit for holding a sample in an optional XY direction within an XY plane orthogonal to the optical axis of an image forming optical system; a display unit for displaying a sample image photographed by a photographing device for photographing a sample image formed by the image forming optical system; a rotating unit for rotating the sample holding unit around an axis perpendicular to the XY plane; and a control unit for controlling the XY stage unit and the rotating unit so that the sample image displayed on the display unit is rotated within a screen.

Abstract: In a visual inspection apparatus according to the present invention, a carrier base 2 supports a substrate 1 and tilts the substrate 1. The light source 3 illuminates light onto the surface of the substrate 1. The image-pickup apparatus 4 upon capturing an image of the substrate 1 produces image data and puts them out to a control apparatus 6. The image-pickup apparatus 4 is disposed in the vicinity of an eye view position P of the inspector. The control apparatus 6 stores the image data put out from the image-capturing apparatus 4 into an internally-disposed storage section.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pattern inspection apparatus that allows alignment of various patterns formed on a subject specimen to quickly and easily be performed in a manufacturing apparatus or inspection apparatus of a subject specimen such as a wafer. The pattern inspection apparatus of the present invention includes a specimen alignment device and a displacement amount calculation device. The specimen alignment device places a plate-shaped subject specimen T in a position in which shapes of outer circumferential sections T1 and T3 of the subject specimen T are substantially aligned with shapes of outer circumferential sections R1 and R3 of a plate-shaped reference specimen R relative to each other, the shapes of the reference specimen R being similar to the shapes of the subject specimen T.

Abstract: A visual inspection apparatus of the present invention comprising illuminating units such as a wide range illuminating unit irradiating light on a wafer, a slit illuminating unit, and a spot illuminating unit, a swinging mechanism that movably swings and retains a wafer, and a control unit that controls these illuminating units and the swinging mechanism. This visual inspection apparatus wherein inspection condition setting values are input by a keyboard, mouse and so on, summarized by inspection process and stored in a storage unit as setting information for inspection processes, which are selected and inspected by a setting information selection unit in the control unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a defect inspection apparatus comprising an inspection section which inspects a front surface and a rear surface of a sample, a control section which processes image data on the front surface and rear surface of the sample obtained by the inspection section, moving section provided in the inspection section and capable of reciprocating the sample, illumination section which illuminates the front surface and rear surface of the sample moved by the moving section, and image pickup section which picks up images of the front surface and rear surface of the sample illuminated by the illumination section, wherein at least one of an incidence angle of the illumination section on the sample and an image pickup angle of the image pickup section to the sample is changeable.

Abstract: The present invention provides a defect inspection apparatus comprising an inspection section which inspects a front surface and a rear surface of a sample, a control section which processes image data on the front surface and rear surface of the sample obtained by the inspection section, moving section provided in the inspection section and capable of reciprocating the sample, illumination section which illuminates the front surface and rear surface of the sample moved by the moving section, and image pickup section which picks up images of the front surface and rear surface of the sample illuminated by the illumination section, wherein at least one of an incidence angle of the illumination section on the sample and an image pickup angle of the image pickup section to the sample is changeable.

Abstract: An automobile wiper device has a pair of wiper arms movable between full-concealed position and semi-concealed position. The wiper arm reciprocates between the lower and upper turning positions, by the rotating force transmitted from the driving motor through the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism includes a driving lever secured together with the wiper arm to the rotary shaft fixed on the vehicle body, a switching lever coupled to the crank arm of the driving motor through a link shaft, and a turn-over spring secured between the switching lever and the driving lever. When the wiper resting position is jammed with snow, said switching lever acts to shift the lower turning position of the wiper arm from the full-concealed position to the semi-concealed position upon the rotating force being transmitted from the driving motor exceeds the bias force of the turn-over spring.