Abstract: A method of inspecting defects of a sample includes a first step for, on a basis of position information of defects on a sample placed on a movable table which is previously detected and obtained by an other inspection system, driving the table so that the defects come into a viewing field of an optical microscope having a focus which is adjusted, a second step for re-detecting the defects to obtain a first detection result, a third step for correcting the position information of defects on a basis of position information of defects re-detected of the first detection result, and a fourth step for reviewing the defects whose position information is corrected to obtain a second detection result. The method includes classifying types of defects on basis of the first detection result and the second detection result.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and inspection method. The inspection apparatus includes a stage mechanism for supporting an object under inspection. A spatial filter is provided in the detection optical system to inspect the object. A printer is used to print the results of the spatial filter. The spatial filter can be provided in the form of a Fourier transformed image.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus for inspecting foreign particles/defects, comprises an illumination optical system, a detection optical system, a shielding unit which is provided in said detection optical system to selectively shield diffracted light pattern coming from circuit pattern existing on an inspection object and an arithmetic processing system, wherein said shielding unit comprises a micro-mirror array device or a reflected type liquid crystal, or a transmission type liquid crystal, or an object which is transferred a shielding pattern to an optical transparent substrate, or a substrate or a film which is etched so as to leave shielding patterns, or an optical transparent substrate which can be changed in transmission by heating, sudden cold, or light illumination, or change of electric field or magnetic field, or a shielding plate of cylindrical shape or plate shape.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for reviewing defects detected by an optical particle inspection system or an optical profile inspection system in detail by an electron microscope are provided. In order to putting defects to be reviewed in the viewing field of the electron microscope and reducing the size of the apparatus, the electron microscope reviews defects detected by an optical defect inspection system. In the electron microscope, an optical microscope for reviewing detects is arranged, and when focusing of this optical microscope is carried out, the illumination position and the detection position of the optical microscope are not changed to the sample.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus for inspecting foreign particles/defects, comprises an illumination optical system, a detection optical system, a shielding unit which is provided in said detection optical system to selectively shield diffracted light pattern coming from circuit pattern existing on an inspection object and an arithmetic processing system, wherein said shielding unit comprises a micro-mirror array device or a reflected type liquid crystal, or a transmission type liquid crystal, or an object which is transferred a shielding pattern to an optical transparent substrate, or a substrate or a film which is etched so as to leave shielding patterns, or an optical transparent substrate which can be changed in transmission by heating, sudden cold, or light illumination, or change of electric field or magnetic field, or a shielding plate of cylindrical shape or plate shape.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and inspection method. The inspection apparatus includes a stage mechanism for supporting an object under inspection. A spatial filter is provided in the detection optical system to inspect the object. A printer is used to print the results of the spatial filter. The spatial filter can be provided in the form of a Fourier transformed image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting defects are provided for detecting harmful defects or foreign matter with high sensitivity on an object to be inspected with a transparent film, such as an oxide film, by reducing noise due to a circuit pattern. The apparatus for detecting defects includes a stage part on which a substrate specimen is put and which is arbitrarily movable in each of the X-Y-Z-? directions, an illumination system for irradiating the circuit pattern with light from an inclined direction, and an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an irradiated detection area on a detector from the upward and oblique directions. With this arrangement, diffracted light and scattered light caused on the circuit pattern through the illumination by the illumination system is collected. Furthermore, a spatial filter is provided on a Fourier transform surface for blocking the diffracted light from a linear part of the circuit pattern.

Abstract: As circuit patterns become finer in recent years, improvement in detection sensitivity of defects is required. To answer this, sensitivity is being enhanced using a laser with a wavelength of the UV band as the laser for irradiation. A pulse oscillation laser is often used as the UV laser. However, a peak (maximum output) of the pulse oscillation laser becomes very large to an average output power required. For example, in the case of a laser of average output power 2 W, pulse interval 10 ns, and pulse width 10 ps, the peak (maximum output) becomes as high as 2 kW, and there is the possibility of causing a damage to a sample. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the peak (maximum output) with the average output power being maintained, so that it may not cause a damage to the sample.

Abstract: An inspection system includes: a facility that uses wide-band illumination light having different wavelengths and single-wavelength light to perform dark-field illumination on an object of inspection, which has the surface thereof coated with a transparent film, in a plurality of illuminating directions at a plurality of illuminating angles; a facility that detects light reflected or scattered from repetitive patterns and light reflected or scattered from non-repetitive patterns with the wavelengths thereof separated from each other; a facility that efficiently detects light reflected or scattered from a foreign matter or defect in the repetitive patterns or non-repetitive patterns or a foreign matter or defect on the surface of the transparent film; and a facility that removes light, which is diffracted by the repetitive patterns, from a diffracted light image of actual patterns or design data representing patterns. Consequently, a more microscopic defect can be detected stably.

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus includes a movable stage for mounting a substrate having circuit patterns as an object of inspection, an irradiation optical system which irradiates a slit-shaped light beam from an oblique direction to the circuit patterns of the substrate, a detection optical system which includes an image sensor for receiving reflected/scattered light from the substrate by irradiation of the slit-shaped light beam and converting the received light into a signal, and an image processor which processes the signal. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens and a coherency reduction optical system, which receives the light beam and emits a plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams which are spatially reduced in coherency in a light-converging direction of the cylindrical lens. The cylindrical lens focuses the plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams into the slit-shaped light beam irradiated to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting defects are provided for detecting harmful defects or foreign matter with high sensitivity on an object to be inspected with a transparent film, such as an oxide film, by reducing noise due to a circuit pattern. The apparatus for detecting defects includes a stage part on which a substrate specimen is put and which is arbitrarily movable in each of the X-Y-Z-? directions, an illumination system for irradiating the circuit pattern with light from an inclined direction, and an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an irradiated detection area on a detector from the upward and oblique directions. With this arrangement, diffracted light and scattered light caused on the circuit pattern through the illumination by the illumination system is collected. Furthermore, a spatial filter is provided on a Fourier transform surface for blocking the diffracted light from a linear part of the circuit pattern.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides a defect inspection apparatus being able to accurately inspect a micro foreign matter or defect at a high speed for an inspection target substrate in which a repetitive pattern and a non-repetitive pattern are mixed. In a foreign matter anti-adhesive means 180, a transparent plate 187 is placed on a placement table 34 through a frame 185. In the foreign matter anti-adhesive means 180, a shaft 181 which is rotatably supported by two columnar supports 184 fixed onto a base 186 is coupled to a motor 182 by a coupling 183. The shaft 181 is inserted into a part of a frame 185 between the two columnar supports 184 such that the frame 185 and the transparent plate 187 are turnable about the shaft 181. Therefore, the whole of the frame 185 is opened and closed in a Z-direction about the shaft 181, and a wafer 1 on the placement table 34 can be covered with the frame 185 and the transparent plate 187.

Abstract: When using a CCD sensor as a photo-detector in a device for inspecting foreign matters and defects, it has a problem of causing electric noise while converting the signal charge, produced inside by photoelectric conversion, into voltage and reading it. Therefore, the weak detected signal obtained by detecting reflected and scattered light from small foreign matters and defects is buried in the electric noise, which has been an obstacle in detecting small foreign matters and defects. In order to solve the above problem, according to the present invention, an electron multiplying CCD sensor is used as a photo-detector. The electron multiplying CCD sensor is capable of enlarging signals brought about by inputted light relatively to the electric noise by multiplying the electrons produced through photoelectric conversion and reading them. Accordingly, compared to a conventional CCD sensor, it can detect weaker light and, therefore, smaller foreign matters and defects.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device production process for forming a circuit pattern on a substrate such as semiconductor device. To enable a stable inspection of a minute foreign particle and a pattern defect occurring in manufacture of a device at a high speed and with a high sensitivity, an object to be inspected on which a transparent film is formed, is irradiated with a beam which is emitted from an illuminator whose illumination direction and illumination angle are selected from a plurality of choices to be optimum, so that scattered reflected light from a minute foreign particle defect on the object or the transparent film is effectively detected by eliminating a noise from the pattern formed on the object, and a detection optical system is optimized by evaluating and adjusting, with an image forming performance checker, an image forming performance of the detection optical system included in an inspecting apparatus.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method includes a light source which emits an ultraviolet laser beam, an illuminating unit having a polarization controller and an object lens for illuminating a specimen with light emitted from the light source and passed through the polarization controller and the object lens, a detection unit having a sensor for detecting light from the specimen illuminated by the illuminating unit, a processor which processes a signal output from the sensor so as to detect a defect on the specimen, and a display which displays information output from the processor. The processor processes an image formed from the signal output from the sensor in which the image is reduced in speckle pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting defects includes emitting an ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet light source, illuminating a specimen with the ultraviolet light in which a polarization condition of the ultraviolet light is controlled, controlling a polarization condition of light reflected from the specimen which is illuminated by the polarization condition controlled ultraviolet light, detecting the light reflected from the specimen, processing the detected light so as to detect defects, and outputting information about the defects. The ultraviolet light source is disposed in a clean environment supplied with clean gas and separated from outside.

Abstract: An inspection system includes: a facility that uses wide-band illumination light having different wavelengths and single-wavelength light to perform dark-field illumination on an object of inspection, which has the surface thereof coated with a transparent film, in a plurality of illuminating directions at a plurality of illuminating angles; a facility that detects light reflected or scattered from repetitive patterns and light reflected or scattered from non-repetitive patterns with the wavelengths thereof separated from each other; a facility that efficiently detects light reflected or scattered from a foreign matter or defect in the repetitive patterns or non-repetitive patterns or a foreign matter or defect on the surface of the transparent film; and a facility that removes light, which is diffracted by the repetitive patterns, from a diffracted light image of actual patterns or design data representing patterns. Consequently, a more microscopic defect can be detected stably.

Abstract: An inspecting apparatus and method including first and second illuminating units for illuminating a surface of a specimen to be inspected with different incident angles and first and second detecting optical units arranged at different elevation angle directions to the surface of the specimen for detecting images of the specimen illuminated by the first and second illuminating units.

Abstract: When using a CCD sensor as a photo-detector in a device for inspecting foreign matters and defects, it has a problem of causing electric noise while converting the signal charge, produced inside by photoelectric conversion, into voltage and reading it. Therefore, the weak detected signal obtained by detecting reflected and scattered light from small foreign matters and defects is buried in the electric noise, which has been an obstacle in detecting small foreign matters and defects. In order to solve the above problem, according to the present invention, an electron multiplying CCD sensor is used as a photo-detector. The electron multiplying CCD sensor is capable of enlarging signals brought about by inputted light relatively to the electric noise by multiplying the electrons produced through photoelectric conversion and reading them. Accordingly, compared to a conventional CCD sensor, it can detect weaker light and, therefore, smaller foreign matters and defects.

Abstract: An Inspection apparatus and method includes utilizing an emitter which emits a light beam, an illumination optical system, a detection optical system, and a processor. The illumination optical system includes a polarization controller, a coherence reducer, and an objective lens, for illuminating a specimen with a polarization condition controlled and coherency reduced light beam through the objective lens. The detection optical system includes an imaging lens and a sensor for detecting an image of the specimen illuminated by the light beam through the illumination optical system. The processor processes a signal outputted from the sensor and detects a defect on the specimen.