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: 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 defect inspection method includes radiating an illumination slit-shaped beam having lights substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction to a substrate having circuit patterns in a direction inclined at a predetermined gradient relative to the direction of a line normal to the substrate and inclined at a predetermined gradient on a surface with respect to a group of main straight lines of the circuit patterns with its longitudinal direction oriented almost perpendicularly to a direction of a movement of the substrate. Scattered light reflected by a defect such as a foreign particle existing on the illuminated substrate is received and converted into a detection signal by using an image sensor, and defect judging is effected of an extracted a signal indicating a defect such as a foreign particle on the basis of the detection signal output.

Abstract: A defects inspecting apparatus having: a scanning stage for running into a predetermined direction while mounting an inspection target substrate thereon; an illumination optic system for irradiating an illumination light beam upon a surface of the inspection target substrate at a predetermined angle inclined thereto; a detection optic system including, an upper-directed photo-detector for receiving upper-directed reflected/scattered lights emitting upwards from the inspection target substrate, thereby converting them into an upper-directed image signal, and a side-directed photo-detector for receiving side-directed reflected/scattered lights emitting for the inspection target substrate into an inclined direction, so as to flatly intersects the illumination light beam, and thereby converting into a side-directed image signal; and a signal processing system-for detecting defects upon basis of the upper-directed image signal and the side-directed image signal.

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 defect inspection method includes radiating an illumination slit-shaped beam having lights substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction to a substrate having circuit patterns in a direction inclined at a predetermined gradient relative to the direction of a line normal to the substrate and inclined at a predetermined gradient on a surface with respect to a group of main straight lines of the circuit patterns with its longitudinal direction oriented almost perpendicularly to a direction of a movement of the substrate. Scattered light reflected by a defect such as a foreign particle existing on the illuminated substrate is received and converted into a detection signal by using an image sensor, and defect judging is effected of an extracted a signal indicating a defect such as a foreign particle on the basis of the detection signal output.

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 defect inspection method includes radiating an illumination slit-shaped beam having lights substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction to a substrate having circuit patterns in a direction inclined at a predetermined gradient relative to the direction of a line normal to the substrate and inclined at a predetermined gradient on a surface with respect to a group of main straight lines of the circuit patterns with its longitudinal direction oriented almost perpendicularly to a direction of a movement of the substrate. Scattered light reflected by a defect such as a foreign particle existing on the illuminated substrate is received and converted into a detection signal by using an image sensor, and defect judging is effected of an extracted a signal indicating a defect such as a foreign particle on the basis of the detection signal output.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting defects on a specimen including am illumination optical unit which obliquely projects a laser onto a region which is longer in one direction than in a direction transverse to said one direction on a surface of a specimen, a table unit which mounts said specimen and which is movable, a detection optical unit which detects with an image sensor an image of light formed by light reflected from said specimen in both directions of the one direction and the direction transverse and which reflected light in both directions is formed on said image sensor while said table is moving, a signal processor which processes a signal outputted from said image sensor of said detection optical unit to extract defects of said specimen. A display unit which displays information of defects extracted by said signal processor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a defect detection apparatus and method by which foreign particles and circuit pattern defects can be detected in distinction from the edge roughness of wiring on the substrate. The defect detection apparatus comprises an irradiation optical system includes: a beam expander; an optical member group formed by stacking multiple plate-like optical members each having a different optical path length at least in a beam-converging direction in order to admit the laser beam with the beam diameter extended by the beam expander and emit multiple slit-like beams each spatially reduced in coherence in the beam-converging direction; and beam-converging optical system by which the multiple slit-like beams each emitted from the optical member group is converged into a slit-like beam in the beam-converging direction and the slit-like beam is irradiated from an oblique direction onto the surface of the subject.

Abstract: An apparatus for optically inspecting particles and/or defects correlates sizes of particles and/or defects 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. A failure analysis is conducted by setting a threshold for identifying a failure in each of regions on a semiconductor device or the like to statistically evaluate detected particles.

Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting a pattern to detect a small pattern defect has an illuminating light source, as illuminating optical system having a plurality of illuminating portions for switching an optical path of illuminating light flux to a surface of board constituting the inspected object from a plurality of directions different from each other, a detecting optical system having a variable magnification using an object lens for condensing reflected diffracted light from the illuminated board, a focusing optical system having a variable magnification capable of focusing an optical image by converged reflected diffracted light with a desired focusing magnification and an optical detector for detecting the optical image focused by the focusing optical system to convert it into an image signal, an A/D converter for converting the image signal into a digital image signal, and an image signal processor for processing the digital image signal to detect the defect.

Abstract: An apparatus for optically inspecting particles and/or defects correlates sizes of particles and/or defects 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. A failure analysis is conducted by setting a threshold for identifying a failure in each of regions on a semiconductor device or the like to statistically evaluate detected particles.

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: 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: 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 provided by the present invention comprises an illumination optical system which illuminates light to an object under inspection; a detection optical system which detects light reflected from said object and converts the detected light into an image signal; a spatial filter which is provided in said detection optical system to selectively shield diffracted light pattern coming from a circuit pattern existing on the object by combining light-shielding points of minute dots state; an arithmetic processing system which processes the image signal detected by said detection optical system; and a monitor which observes foreign matters/defects based on a signal processed by said arithmetic processing system.

Abstract: A system and method of inspecting a foreign particle or a defect on a sample are provided. Such a method comprises irradiating light to an object to be inspected; detecting reflected light or scattered light from the object to be inspected irradiated with the light; detecting a signal of the foreign particle or the defect from the detected signal; providing information related to a size of the foreign particle or the defect from the signal of the detected foreign particle or the defect; and outputting information on a display screen a distribution of the size of the foreign particle or defect with information indicating a cause of the distribution of the foreign particle or defect.

Abstract: An apparatus for optically inspecting particles and/or defects correlates sizes of particles and/or defects 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. A failure analysis is conducted by setting a threshold for identifying a failure in each of regions on a semiconductor device or the like to statistically evaluate detected particles.

Abstract: A defect inspection method includes radiating an illumination slit-shaped beam having lights substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction to a substrate having circuit patterns in a direction inclined at a predetermined gradient relative to the direction of a line normal to the substrate and inclined at a predetermined gradient on a surface with respect to a group of main straight lines of the circuit patterns with its longitudinal direction oriented almost perpendicularly to a direction of a movement of the substrate. Scattered light reflected by a defect such as a foreign particle existing on the illuminated substrate is received and converted into a detection signal by using an image sensor, and defect judging is effected of an extracted a signal indicating a defect such as a foreign particle on the basis of the detection signal output.