Abstract: A defect inspection device, which inspects defects such as foreign materials existing on a specimen on which a circuit pattern of wiring or the like is formed, is provided with an illumination optical system which illuminates a plurality of different areas the specimen with a plurality of linear shaped beams and an image forming optical system that forms images of the plurality of the illuminated areas on a plurality of detectors, and the detectors are configured to receive a plurality of polarization components substantially at the same time and individually, wherein the polarization components are different from each other and are contained in each of the plurality of the optical images formed by the image forming optical system, thereby detecting a plurality of signals corresponding to the polarization components and carrying out the inspection at high speed under a plurality of optical conditions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for discriminating the morphology of a passenger seating in an automotive seat, comprising the steps of i) providing a set of a plurality of capacitive sensors (100) covering substantially a transversal cross section of a seat, ii) collecting the outputs of said plurality of capacitive sensors (100) provided on the seat, iii) determining the morphology of a target (10) facing the seat on the basis of measured distance separating the target (10) from the sensors (100) and measured surface of the sensors (100) covered by the target (10), from said outputs, and iv) comparing the determined morphology with at least a reference so as to classify the determined morphology between a plurality of reference ones.

Abstract: A circuit pattern inspection method and an apparatus therefore, in which the whole of a portion to be inspected of a sample to be inspected is made to be in a predetermined changed 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: When size of a defect on an increasingly miniaturized pattern is obtained by defect inspection apparatus in the related art, a value is inconveniently given, which is different from a measured value of the same defect by SEM. Thus, a dimension value of a defect detected by defect inspection apparatus needs to be accurately calculated to be approximated to a value measured by SEM. To this end, size of the defect detected by the defect inspection apparatus is corrected depending on feature quantity or type of the defect, thereby defect size can be accurately calculated.

Abstract: In a pattern inspection apparatus for comparing images of corresponding areas of two patterns, which are formed so as to be identical, so as to judge that a non-coincident part of the images is a defect, the influence of unevenness in brightness of patterns caused by a difference of thickness or the like is reduced, whereby highly sensitive pattern inspection is realized. In addition, high-speed pattern inspection can be carried out without changing the image comparison algorithm. For this purpose, the pattern inspection apparatus operates to perform comparison processing of images in parallel in plural areas. Further, the pattern inspection apparatus operates to convert gradation of an image signal among compared images using different plural processing units such that, even in the case in which a difference of brightness occurs in an identical pattern among images, a defect can be detected correctly.

Abstract: In a defect inspection apparatus for performing an inspection with an optical system, the dimension of a defect is measured substantially concurrently with detection of the defect. In order to promote the accuracy of measurement of the defect dimension, a correction unit is provided which corrects the defect dimension by using a standard sample such as a standard particle.

Abstract: A method of inspecting patterns, including: adjusting a brightness of at least one of a first bright field image and a second bright field image detected from a specimen and directed to similar patterns on differing parts of the specimen, so as to more closely match a brightness; comparing the images which are adjusted in brightness to match with each other to detect dissimilarities indicative of a defect of the pattern, wherein in adjusting the brightness, the brightness between the first bright field image and the second bright field image is adjusted by performing a gradation conversion of at least one of the brightness between the first bright field image and the second bright field image; and wherein in the comparing, said defect of the pattern is detected by using information of a scattered diagram of brightness of the first bright field image and the second bright field image.

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: In the present invention, to make corrective matching thereof, it is designed as follows; position effect of defects coordinates, which are output from an inspection apparatus, is allowed, coordinates of inspected data are mutually corrected, and a state of coincidence or non-coincidence among a plurality sets of inspected data is output or displayed. Inspection data is designed to include kinds, kinds difference and dimension of defects. A state of coincidence or non-coincidence between inspected data is designed to be output or displayed appropriately, by kinds or dimensions, or by a grouping thereof, of a defects object. The same sample is inspected by every time of passing a production step, and a state of data increase or decrease, or coincidence or non-coincidence between the inspected data is designed to be output or displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for inspecting defects includes an illuminator for irradiating light having an ultraviolet wavelength emitted from a light source onto a specimen through a reflection objective lens, an image-former for forming an image of light reflected from the specimen by the illumination of the light from the illuminator, which is passed through at least the reflection objective lens, a detector which detects the image of light formed by the image-former with an image sensor, and an image processor for processing a signal output from the detector to detect defects on the specimen. The image sensor is a reverse-surface irradiation type image sensor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to locate a target in regard of a sensor, comprising the steps of collecting the outputs of a capacitive sensor comprising a plurality of electrodes and combining said outputs so as to obtain a signal representative of the distance separating said target from the sensor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tool for analyzing by priority a defect having a high possibility of causing an electrical failure when inspecting a particle and a pattern defect in a piece of work which constitutes an electronic device such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, and relates to a system therefor. On the basis of the result of comparison between defect information which is the result of inspection by an inspection tool and layout data stored in an auxiliary storage device, or on the basis of the result of reinspection by comparison between a defect and a wiring pattern as a background by an inspection processing operation unit, an object to be reviewed is selected using review conditions stored in the auxiliary storage device.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method includes a light source, 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: An apparatus for inspecting pattern defects, the apparatus including: an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of a specimen and stores the acquired image in an image memory; a defect candidate extraction unit which performs a defect candidate extraction process by using the acquired image, which is read from the image memory; and a defect detection unit which performs a defect detection process and a defect classification process based on a partial image containing a defect candidate that is extracted by the defect candidate extraction unit, wherein the processes performed by the defect detection unit is performed off-line asynchronously with an image acquisition process that is performed by the image acquisition unit.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus and a method each capable of highly accurately reviewing at a high speed very small foreign matters and pattern defects occurring during a device production process for forming a circuit pattern on a substrate of semiconductor devices, etc. An objective lens having high NA is installed inside a vacuum chamber for an inspection object having a transparent film formed on the surface thereof and an illumination optical path is formed inside the objective lens so that dark visual field illumination can be made and reflected and scattered light of foreign matters or defects on the surface of the inspection object can be detected with high sensitivity.

Abstract: In a pattern inspection apparatus, influences of pattern brightness variations that is caused in association with, for example, a film thickness difference or a pattern width variation can be reduced, high sensitive pattern inspection can be implemented, and a variety of defects can be detected. Thereby, the pattern inspection apparatus adaptable to a broad range of processing steps is realized. In order to realize this, the pattern inspection apparatus of the present invention performs comparison between images of regions corresponding to patterns formed to be same patterns, thereby determining mismatch portions across the images to be defects. The apparatus includes multiple sensors capable of synchronously acquiring images of shiftable multiple detection systems different from one another, and an image comparator section corresponding thereto.

Abstract: In the present invention, to make corrective matching thereof, it is designed as follows; position effect of defects coordinates, which are output from an inspection apparatus, is allowed, coordinates of inspected data are mutually corrected, and a state of coincidence or non-coincidence among a plurality sets of inspected data is output or displayed. Inspection data is designed to include kinds, kinds difference and dimension of defects. A state of coincidence or non-coincidence between inspected data is designed to be output or displayed appropriately, by kinds or dimensions, or by a grouping thereof, of a defects object. The same sample is inspected by every time of passing a production step, and a state of data increase or decrease, or coincidence or non-coincidence between the inspected data is designed to be output or displayed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a variety of optical functions so as to be applicable to various kinds of objects to be inspected. For each of the optical functions, the invention accumulates contrasts (brightness differences), etc. of defects to be detected (DOI) and false defects not to be detected (nuisance), and efficiently selects parameters advantageous for inspection with high sensitivity and low nuisance ratio. A wavelength band, an illumination scheme, and filtering parameters can be selected for an optical system.

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: When size of a defect on an increasingly miniaturized pattern is obtained by defect inspection apparatus in the related art, a value is inconveniently given, which is different from a measured value of the same defect by SEM. Thus, a dimension value of a defect detected by defect inspection apparatus needs to be accurately calculated to be approximated to a value measured by SEM. To this end, size of the defect detected by the defect inspection apparatus is corrected depending on feature quantity or type of the defect, thereby defect size can be accurately calculated.