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: Reflected light caused by the state of the surface of a wafer, a foreign material, or a defect is superimposed on a haze frequency component caused by the type and thickness of a film or a surface irregularity. In order to detect a haze frequency component caused by a haze present on the surface of an object to be inspected, light propagating from the object to be inspected is detected and converted into an electric signal. The electric signal is sampled at a predetermined sampling time interval and converted into digital data. A frequency component caused by a foreign material, a defect or the like is separated from the digital data to ensure that a haze frequency component is selected. The haze frequency component is caused by a stain attached to the surface of the wafer, hazy tarnish, a surface irregularity or the like.

Abstract: There is provided a surface-defect inspection device that forms artificial defects on a standard sample. Defects are judged by a foreign material/defect decision mechanism and data about the defects is supplied to a data processing and controlling portion. The data processing and controlling portion calculates the amounts of coordinate deviations between the artificial defects on the standard sample and the detected defects, checks the sensitivity (instrumental sensitivity (luminance, brightness, or the like)), and proceeds to execution of hardware corrections. If the coordinate deviation is less than a certain value, software corrections are carried out. In the case of the software corrections, coordinate corrections are made for the whole standard sample. The amounts of coordinate deviations are computed and checked. If the amounts of coordinate deviations are outside a tolerance, coordinate corrections are made for each region obtained by dividing the standard sample.

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: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.

Abstract: Reflected light caused by the state of the surface of a wafer, a foreign material or a defect is superimposed on a haze frequency component caused by the type and thickness of a film or a surface irregularity. It has therefore been difficult to accurately measure the haze frequency component by use of a fixed threshold value. In order to detect a haze frequency component caused by a haze present on the surface of an object to be inspected, light propagating from the object to be inspected is detected and converted into an electric signal. The electric signal is sampled at a predetermined sampling time interval and converted into digital data. A frequency component caused by a foreign material, a defect or the like is separated from the digital data to ensure that a haze frequency component is selected. The haze frequency component is caused by a stain attached to the surface of the wafer, hazy tarnish, a surface irregularity or the like.

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: 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: A change in surface state can be dealt with by setting threshold values different for respective regions of an object to be examined in accordance with a magnitude of noises, thereby improving a detection sensitivity. A function for setting an examination threshold value every region is installed. A function for setting examination threshold values every plurality of detectors spatially independent of each other is installed. The magnitude of noises from the object to be examined differs depending on a spatial direction even in the same region. Therefore, the detection sensitivity is maximized by maximizing an S/N ratio of a detection signal by an optimum signal arithmetic operating process according to the magnitude of noises from the object to be examined every detector and every region of the object to be examined and by setting the optimum threshold values.

Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.

Abstract: A technology capable of ensuring measurement results of a dark-field inspection apparatus up to a microscopic area is provided. A dark-field inspection apparatus is calibrated using a bulk wafer as a reference wafer, the bulk wafer having microroughness of an irregular asperity pattern accurately formed on a surface, and the microroughness of the surface having an ensured microroughness degree. The microroughness can be more accurately formed by a chemical treatment with a chemical solution. This microroughness is measured by using an AFM, and an expected haze value is obtained based on the measured value. Then, haze of the surface of the reference wafer is measured by the dark-field inspection apparatus to be inspected to obtain an actually-measured haze value, and a difference between the expected haze value and the actually-measured haze value is obtained.

Abstract: The detection part has: a subtraction module for calculating correction data from data of detection systems when a reference-voltage generation module applies a reference voltage to the detection systems; a data-holding module for holding the correction data; an addition module for making a correction of detection data; a comparison module for comparing the detection data with switching data; and a selector for switching data of the detection systems including data subjected to the correction according to the output of the comparison module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of detecting a defect by inspecting a specimen in which a surface of a specimen on which plural patterns are formed is illuminated with an elongated shape light flux from one of plural directions which are different in elevation angle by switching an optical path of the light flux emitted from an illuminating light source in accordance with a kind of defect to be detected. Plural optical images of the specimen illuminated by the elongated shape light flux are captured with plural image sensors installed in different elevation angle directions by changing an enlarging magnification in accordance with a density of the pattern formed on the sample in an area irradiated with the illuminating elongated shape light flux. A defect on the specimen is detected by processing the images captured by the plural image sensors.

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: In a foreign matter inspection apparatus for a semiconductor wafer, a PMT which detects reflection light, an amplifier which amplifies a signal detected by the PMT and in which response characteristics of amplification are controlled by a control signal, an A/D converter which converts the signal amplified by the amplifier into a predetermined code and outputs the code, a control circuit which generates a control signal based on information of the semiconductor wafer having a correlation with the reflection light, and a data processing circuit which detects a foreign matter on the semiconductor wafer based on the code output from the A/D converter are provided.

Abstract: An outer dust collecting filter covers a casing an intake port and an outer fan flows air from an external environment into the casing via the outer dust collecting filter. A clean chamber has an intake port within the casing, an inner dust collecting filter for covering the intake port, and an inner fan for flowing the air within the casing. A control unit controls fan rotating speeds so that a measured pressure within the casing becomes higher at a set value than a measured pressure in the external environment, and a measured pressure within the clean chamber becomes higher at a set value than the measured pressure within the casing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of detecting a defect by inspecting a specimen in which a surface of a specimen on which plural patterns are formed is illuminated with an elongated shape light flux from one of plural directions which are different in elevation angle by switching an optical path of the light flux emitted from an illuminating light source in accordance with a kind of defect to be detected. Plural optical images of the specimen illuminated by the elongated shape light flux are captured with plural image sensors installed in different elevation angle directions by changing an enlarging magnification in accordance with a density of the pattern formed on the sample in an area irradiated with the illuminating elongated shape light flux. A defect on the specimen is detected by processing the images captured by the plural image sensors.

Abstract: A method for detecting defects on an object includes an illumination optical unit which obliquely projects a laser focused onto a line on a surface of the object and white-color, a table unit which mounts the specimen and which is movable, a detection optical unit which detects with an image sensor an image of light formed by light reflected from the object and passed through a filter which blocks diffraction light resulting from patterns formed on the object, a signal processor which processes a signal outputted from the image sensor of the detection optical unit to extract defects of the object, and a display unit which displays information of defects extracted by the signal processor. The filter is adjustable.

Abstract: An outer dust collecting filter covers a casing an intake port and an outer fan flows air from an external environment into the casing via the outer dust collecting filter. A clean chamber has an intake port within the casing, an inner dust collecting filter for covering the intake port, and an inner fan for flowing the air within the casing. A control unit controls fan rotating speeds so that a measured pressure within the casing becomes higher at a set value than a measured pressure in the external environment, and a measured pressure within the clean chamber becomes higher at a set value than the measured pressure within the casing.

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.