Abstract: This invention relates to a method for performing an analysis of defective material and the refractive index, and a three-dimensional analysis of very small pattern shapes including the steps of imaging by a scanning electron microscope to acquire an image of the position of a defect under observation using information of inspection results obtained by an optical inspection device, creating a model of the defect by using the acquired image of the defect under observation, calculating the values detected by the detector when reflected and scattered light emitted from a defect model is received by the detector when light is irradiated onto the defect model thus created, comparing the detection values thus calculated and the values detected by the detector, which has received light actually reflected and scattered from the sample, to obtain information relating to the height of the defect under observation, the material, or the refractive index.

Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus for detecting defects or haze of a sample, includes illuminating light to the sample from an oblique direction relative to a surface of the sample with an illuminator, detecting first scattered light at a forward position relative to an illuminating direction from the sample with a first detector, detecting second scattered light at a sideward or backward position relative to the illuminating direction from the sample with a second detection, and processing a first signal of the first scattered light and a second signal of the second scattered light with different weighting for the first signal and for the second signal with a processor.

Abstract: A pattern inspection apparatus is provided to compare images of regions, corresponding to each other, of patterns that are formed so as to be identical and judge that non-coincident portions in the images are defects. The pattern inspection apparatus is equipped with an image comparing section which plots individual pixels of an inspection subject image in a feature space and detects excessively deviated points in the feature space as defects. Defects can be detected correctly even when the same patterns in images have a brightness difference due to a difference in the thickness of a film formed on a wafer.

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: A defect inspecting method and apparatus for inspecting a surface state including a defect on a wafer surface, in which a polarization state of a laser beam irradiated onto the wafer surface is connected into a specified polarization state, the converted laser beam having the specified polarization state is inserted onto the wafer surface, and a scattering light occurring from an irradiated region where the laser beam having the specified polarization state is irradiated, is separated into a first scattering light occurring due to a defect on the wafer and a second scattering light occurring due to a surface roughness on the wafer. An optical element for optical path division separates the first and second scattering lights approximately at the same time.

Abstract: Disclosed is a defect inspection method which makes it possible to scan the entire surface of a sample and detect minute defects without causing thermal damage to the sample. A defect inspection method in which a pulse laser emitted from a light source is subjected to pulse division and irradiated on the surface of a sample which moves in one direction while the divided-pulse pulse laser is rotated, reflection light from the sample irradiated by the divided-pulse pulse laser is detected, the signal of the detected reflection light is processed to detect defects on the sample, and information regarding a detected defect is output to a display screen, wherein the barycentric position of the light intensity of the divided-pulse pulse laser is monitored and adjusted.

Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus for detecting defects or haze of a sample, includes illuminating light to the sample from an oblique direction relative to a surface of the sample with an illuminator, detecting first scattered light at a forward position relative to an illuminating direction from the sample with a first detector, detecting sec and scattered light at a sideward or backward position relative to the illuminating direction from the sample with a second detection, and processing a first signal of the first scattered light and a second signal of the second scattered light with different weighting for the first signal and for the second signal with a processor.

Abstract: A defect inspecting method is provided which comprises a pre-scan defect inspecting process including a pre-scan irradiating step for casting irradiation light onto the surface of a sample, a pre-scan detecting step for detecting the scattered lights, and a pre-scan defect information collecting step for obtaining information on preselected defects present on the sample surface on the basis of the scattered lights; a near-field defect inspecting process including a near-field irradiating step in which the distance between the sample surface and a near-field head is adjusted so that the sample surface is irradiated, a near-field detecting step for detecting near-field light response, and a near-field defect information collecting step for obtaining information on the preselected defects on the basis of the near-field light response; and a merging process for inspecting defects present on the sample surface by merging the pieces of information on the preselected defects.

Abstract: An inspecting method and apparatus for inspecting a substrate surface includes illuminating a light to the substrate surface having a film, detection of a scattered light or reflected light from a plurality of positions of the substrate surface to obtain a plurality of electrical signals, comparison of the plurality of electrical signals and a database which indicates a relationship between the electrical signals and surface roughness, and calculation of a surface roughness value based on the result of comparison.

Abstract: Provided are a defect inspecting method and a defect inspecting apparatus, wherein defect detecting sensitivity is improved and also haze measurement is performed using polarization detection, while suppressing damages to samples. The defect inspecting apparatus is provided with a light source which oscillates to a sample a laser beam having a wavelength band wherein a small energy is absorbed, and two independent detecting optical systems, i.e., a defect detecting optical system which detects defect scattered light generated by a defect, by radiating the laser beams oscillated by the light source, and a haze detecting optical system which detects roughness scattered light generated due to roughness of the wafer surface. Polarization detection is independently performed with respect to the scattered light detected by the two detecting optical systems, and based on the two different detection signals, defect determination and haze measurement are performed.

Abstract: In order to enable inspections to be conducted at a sampling rate higher than the pulse oscillation frequency of a pulsed laser beam emitted from a laser light source, without damaging samples, a defect inspection method is disclosed, wherein: a single pulse of a pulsed laser beam emitted from the laser light source is split into a plurality of pulses; a sample is irradiated with this pulse-split pulsed laser beam; scattered light produced by the sample due to the irradiation is focused and detected; and defects on the sample are detected by using information obtained by focusing and detecting the scattered light from the sample. Said defect inspection method is configured such that the splitting a single pulse of the pulsed laser beam into a plurality of pulses is controlled in such a manner that the peak values of the split pulses are substantially uniform.

Abstract: A defect inspection method includes an illumination light adjustment step of adjusting light emitted from a light source, an illumination intensity distribution control step of forming light flux obtained in the illumination light adjustment step into desired illumination intensity distribution, a sample scanning step of displacing a sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the illumination intensity distribution, a scattered light detection step of counting the number of photons of scattered light emitted from plural small areas in an area irradiated with illumination light to produce plural scattered light detection signals corresponding to the plural small areas, a defect judgment step of processing the plural scattered light detection signals to judge presence of a defect, a defect dimension judgment step of judging dimensions of the defect in each place in which the defect is judged to be present and a display step of displaying a position on sample surface and the

Abstract: A defect inspection method wherein illumination light having a substantially uniform illumination intensity distribution in a certain direction on the surface of a specimen is radiated onto the surface of the specimen; wherein multiple components of those scattered light beams from the surface of the specimen which are emitted mutually different directions are detected, thereby obtaining corresponding multiple scattered light beam detection signals; wherein the multiple scattered light beam detection signals is subjected to processing, thereby determining the presence of defects; wherein the corresponding multiple scattered light detecting signals is processed with respect to all of the spots determined to be defective by the processing, thereby determining the sizes of defects; and wherein the defect locations on the specimen and the defect sizes are displayed with respect to all of the spots determined to be defective by the processing.

Abstract: A defect inspection method includes: illuminating an area on surface of a specimen as a test object under a specified illumination condition; scanning a specimen to translate and rotate the specimen; detecting scattering lights to separate each of scattering lights scattered in different directions from the illuminated area on the specimen into pixels to be detected according to a scan direction at the scanning a specimen and a direction approximately orthogonal to the scan direction; and processing to perform an addition process on each of scattering lights that are detected at the step and scatter approximately in the same direction from approximately the same area of the specimen, determine presence or absence of a defect based on scattering light treated by the addition process, and compute a size of the determined defect using at least one of the scattering lights corresponding to the determined defect.

Abstract: In a defect inspection method and an apparatus of the same, for enabling to conduct an inspection of fine defects without applying thermal damages on a sample, the following steps are conducted: mounting a sample on a rotatable table to rotate; irradiating a pulse laser emitting from a laser light source upon the sample rotating; detecting a reflected light from the sample, upon which the pulse laser is irradiated; detecting the reflected light from the sample detected; and detecting a defect on the sample through processing of a signal obtained through the detection, wherein irradiation of the pulse laser emitting from the laser light source upon the sample rotating is conducted by dividing the one pulse emitted from the laser light source into plural numbers of pulses, and irradiating each of the divided pulse lasers upon each of separate positions on the sample, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for observing defects by using an SEM, wherein, in order to observe defects on a wafer at high speed and high sensitivity, positional information of defects on a sample, which has been optically inspected and detected by other inspecting apparatus, and information of the conditions of the optical inspection having been performed by other inspecting apparatus are obtained, and optically detecting the defects on the sample placed on a table, on the basis of the thus obtained information, and on the basis of the detected positional information of the defect on the sample placed on the table, the positional information of the defect having been inspected and detected by other inspecting apparatus is corrected, then, the defects on the sample placed on the table are observed by the SEM using the thus corrected positional information of the defects.

Abstract: In order to maximize the effect of signal addition during inspection of foreign substances in wafers, a device structure including line sensors arranged in plural directions is effective. Low-angle detection optical systems that detect light beams in plural azimuth directions, the light beams being scattered in low angle directions among those scattered from a linear area on a sample illuminated by illuminating means, each include a combination of a first imaging lens group (330) and a diffraction grating (340) and a combination of a second imaging lens group (333) and an image detector (350) having a plurality of light receiving surfaces. A signal processing unit processes signals from the image detectors of the low-angle detection optical systems by adding the signals from the light receiving surfaces corresponding between the image detectors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of inspecting a defect of a surface of a sample in which a laser beam is irradiated on a sample surface so that at least a part of an illumination field of the laser beam illuminates a first area of the sample surface, a plurality of scattered light rays from the first area caused by the irradiation is detected with a plurality of detectors, detection errors of inclination of an illumination apparatus and a sensor for the plurality of scattered light rays detected by the plurality of detectors are corrected, at least one of adding and averaging the corrected plurality of scattered light rays, and a defect on the sample surface is determined based on the plurality of scattered light rays in accordance with the correction of errors of inclination of the illumination apparatus and the sensor.

Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus for inspecting a surface of a sample includes a stage for holding the sample, an illumination optical system that irradiates a laser beam to form a linear illuminated area on the surface of the sample, a detection optical system, and a signal processing system. The detection optical system includes a detector device having a plurality of pixels for detecting light scattered from the linear illuminated area of the surface of the sample, and that outputs in parallel a plurality of detection signals having mutually different sensitivities acquired from the plurality of pixels of the detector device. The signal processing system selects an unsaturated detection signal from the plurality of detection signals and detects a defect in accordance with the selected detection signal.

Abstract: A defect inspecting method is provided which comprises a pre-scan defect inspecting process including a pre-scan irradiating step for casting irradiation light onto the surface of a sample, a pre-scan detecting step for detecting the scattered lights, and a pre-scan defect information collecting step for obtaining information on preselected defects present on the sample surface on the basis of the scattered lights; a near-field defect inspecting process including a near-field irradiating step in which the distance between the sample surface and a near-field head is adjusted so that the sample surface is irradiated, a near-field detecting step for detecting near-field light response, and a near-field defect information collecting step for obtaining information on the preselected defects on the basis of the near-field light response; and a merging process for inspecting defects present on the sample surface by merging the pieces of information on the preselected defects.