Abstract: A disk surface inspection method for detecting a circle scratch defect, separately from sporadically existing scratch defects. In the method, the sample is irradiated with light, regular reflection light reflected from the sample is detected, scattered light in the vicinity of the regular reflection light is detected separately from the regular reflection light, scattered light, scattered in a high angle direction greater than the direction of the regular reflection light is detected, and the defects on the surface of the sample are detected by processing a regular reflection light detection signal, a low-angle scattered light detection signal and a high-angle scattered light detection signal to extract defect candidates, and regarding the extracted defect candidates, a circumferential defect is extracted based on the ratio of defect candidates in a circumferential direction within a predetermined width in a radial direction from the center of the sample.

Abstract: Arrangements classifying or inspecting finely classified defects. When irradiating a subject with light; focusing a scattered light from a subject surface onto plural optical receivers; and inspecting for a defect based on outputs from the optical receivers. Performed are: creating a reference matrix recipe with respect to each defect, the recipe provided with plural feature items indicative of features of the defect on one axis of the matrix and optical items including a range of detected value levels of plural detecting optical systems with respect to the feature items on the other axis, and the recipe having information defining the defect at a plurality of points in the matrix; and determining a type of the defect by creating a work matrix recipe corresponding to the reference matrix recipe based on the output from the plurality of detectors and comparing the work matrix recipe with the reference matrix recipe.

Abstract: In order to enable an evaluation for changing parameters without stopping the inspection of a magnetic disk in production lines, the surface inspecting apparatus illuminates a sample with light while rotating the sample and moving the same in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, detects light reflected/scattered in a first direction from the sample illuminated with the light to obtain a first detection signal, detects light reflected/scattered in a second direction from the sample illuminated with the light to obtain a second detection signal, and a detection of a defect on the sample by processing the first detection signal and the second detection signal, based on a first inspection recipe and a detection of a defect on the sample by processing the first detection signal and the second detection signal, based on a second inspection recipe are performed to detect a defect on the sample.

Abstract: In an inspection apparatus that inspects both surfaces of a patterned media disk, to perform inspection while maintaining a high level of throughput, a patterned media disk inspection apparatus of the present invention includes an optical inspection unit, a table unit that includes plural substrate rotation drive units on which a substrate is mounted and rotated and rotates and conveys the substrates mounted on the substrate rotation drive units between a position at which the substrate is inspected by the optical inspection unit and a position at which the substrate is taken out and supplied, a substrate reversing unit, a cassette unit that accommodates substrates, and a substrate handling unit that takes out an uninspected substrate from the cassette unit and supplies the uninspected substrate to the table unit, and further stores a substrate, both surfaces of which have already been inspected, in the cassette unit.

Abstract: Provided is a disk surface inspection device that makes it possible to extract defects repeatedly occurring at a particular position on the disk surface. The disk surface inspection device comprises conveyance means which extracts a disk from a cassette and conveys the disk, table means including a spindle which rotates the disk mounted thereon while moving the disk in a direction and a rotation angle detecting unit which detects the rotation angle of the spindle, optical detection means which irradiates the disk with light and detects reflected light from the disk, signal processing means which detects defects by processing a detection signal from the optical detection means, and output means. The signal processing means stores positional information of defects detected on the disk by use of rotation angle information on the spindle and positional information on a particular part of the disk stored in the cassette.

Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for inspecting a surface of a disk, a disk that is a sample is rotated, and a light beam is applied to the sample while moving the sample in the direction perpendicular to the center axis of rotation. Light reflected and scattered from the sample in a first direction is detected to obtain a first detection signal while applying the light beam. Light reflected and scattered from the sample in a second direction is detected to obtain a second detection signal while applying the light beam. The first detection signal and the second detection signal are processed to detect a defect on the sample. A preset threshold is compared with the output level of the first detection signal or the output level of the second detection signal to determine whether the material of the disk that is the sample is a predetermined material.

Abstract: A disk surface inspection method for detecting a circle scratch defect, separately from sporadically existing scratch defects. In the method, the sample is irradiated with light, regular reflection light reflected from the sample is detected, scattered light in the vicinity of the regular reflection light is detected separately from the regular reflection light, scattered light, scattered in a high angle direction greater than the direction of the regular reflection light is detected, and the defects on the surface of the sample are detected by processing a regular reflection light detection signal, a low-angle scattered light detection signal and a high-angle scattered light detection signal to extract defect candidates, and regarding the extracted defect candidates, a circumferential defect is extracted based on the ratio of defect candidates in a circumferential direction within a predetermined width in a radial direction from the center of the sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for inspecting a surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes: a rotatable stage on which a substrate to be inspected is placed; an inspection optical system having an illumination light source for emitting light to a substrate placed on the stage and a detector for detecting light from the substrate which is irradiated with the light from the illumination light source; an A/D converter for amplifying and A/D converting signals output from the detector in the inspection optical system; and a defect detector for detecting defects in a surface of the substrate by processing signals output from the detector and converted by the A/D converter and classifying the defected defects. The defect detector extracts micro defects in the surface of the substrate by processing the signals output from the detector, and detects linear defects existing discretely in a linear region.

Abstract: A substrate surface inspection device includes an inspection optical system irradiating at least one light onto a substrate, which is an inspection target and carried on a turnable stage, and having at least one detector detecting reflected or scattered light from the substrate, a detector processing the signals, which are outputted from the at least one detector and A/D converted, and detecting a defect on the substrate, an output calculator performing scattered light simulation on a defect detection model and estimating a plurality of detector outputs; and a classifier constructor constructing a classifier by mechanical learning of a rule base, wherein the classifier constructor is adapted to present collection of a necessary actual defect sample on the basis of the classifier obtained by scattered light simulation, and construct the classifier under necessary and sufficient conditions.

Abstract: In order to rapidly inspect shape defects in the object of inspection that is the minute pattern on a magnetic recording medium formed from patterned media, in the disclosed patterned media defect inspection method detected spectral waveform data is compared with reference-standard spectral reflectance waveform data, which is stored in a database and the pattern-shape of which is known, and defects are detected. The type of the defects is determined on the basis of the disparity, for each detected wavelength, between the spectral waveform data of the detected defects, and the reference-standard spectral reflectance waveform data.

Abstract: In an inspection apparatus that inspects both surfaces of a patterned media disk, to perform inspection while maintaining a high level of throughput, a patterned media disk inspection apparatus of the present invention includes an optical inspection unit, a table unit that includes plural substrate rotation drive units on which a substrate is mounted and rotated and rotates and conveys the substrates mounted on the substrate rotation drive units between a position at which the substrate is inspected by the optical inspection unit and a position at which the substrate is taken out and supplied, a substrate reversing unit, a cassette unit that accommodates substrates, and a substrate handling unit that takes out an uninspected substrate from the cassette unit and supplies the uninspected substrate to the table unit, and further stores a substrate, both surfaces of which have already been inspected, in the cassette unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for inspecting a surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes: a rotatable stage on which a substrate to be inspected is placed; an inspection optical system having an illumination light source for emitting light to a substrate placed on the stage and a detector for detecting light from the substrate which is irradiated with the light from the illumination light source; an A/D converter for amplifying and A/D converting signals output from the detector in the inspection optical system; and a defect detector for detecting defects in a surface of the substrate by processing signals output from the detector and converted by the A/D converter and classifying the defected defects. The defect detector extracts micro defects in the surface of the substrate by processing the signals output from the detector, and detects linear defects existing discretely in a linear region.

Abstract: The present invention provides a disk surface defect inspection method including: irradiating a laser beam from an oblique direction onto a disk surface being rotated; detecting intensities of a first light that is scattered with low-angle and a second light that is scattered with high-angle from minute concave and convex defects; determining that a defect is the minute convex defect if a ratio of the intensity of the first light to the intensity of the second light is constant; and determining that a defect is the minute concave defect if the ratio of the intensity of the first light to the intensity of the second light is changed.