Optical apparatus for defect and particle size inspection
US6411377B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention provides a defect inspecting apparatus and a defect inspection method for inspecting an object of inspection for a defect such as a foreign particle existing on the object wherein, by using a high-efficiency illumination optical system for radiating an illumination beam to the object of inspection from a direction to reduce the intensity of a scattered light generated by a pattern on the object of inspection, it is possible to decrease the intensity of the scattered light from the pattern which causes a variation of a signal and, in addition, by using a means for setting a detection threshold value based on a variation of a signal computed for each area in a chip on the object of inspection, the detection threshold value can be made small and, thus, the sensitivity as well as the throughput can be raised.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.