Patent · US Expired

Automatic contaminants detection apparatus

US4614427A · kind A · utility

90Cited by
3References
11Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateMay 18, 1984
Grant dateSep 30, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 18, 2004

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N21/956
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An automatic contaminants detection apparatus comprises a polarized laser beam source, a polarized laser beam irradiation optical system having irradiation angle switching means for switching an irradiation angle depending on the presence or absence of a pattern on a sample surface to irradiate the polarized laser beam emitted by the polarized laser beam source to the sample surface with an angle of grazing, a detector for detecting condensed scattered or reflected lights of the laser beam from the sample surface with or without interleave of an analyzer, and analyzer switching means for inserting or removing the analyzer into or from a detection light path of the detector depending on the presence or absence of the pattern on the sample surface. The apparatus can detect contaminants on the patterned or non-patterned sample surface with a high sensitivity.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.