Patent · US Expired

Method and equipment for detecting pattern defect

US6800859B1 · kind B1 · utility

29Cited by
6References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 28, 1999
Grant dateOct 5, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 28, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2201/06113
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

With a view to provide a method and equipment for detecting a minute circuit pattern with a high resolution, pattern defect detecting equipment is provided, comprising: an ultraviolet laser source; coherence reducing means for reducing the coherence of the ultraviolet laser beam emitted from this ultraviolet laser source; projecting means for projecting the ultraviolet laser beam passing through this coherence reducing means on a pupil of an objecting lens; illuminating means for illuminating a detection field of view in the object uniformly by the ultraviolet laser beam projected on the pupil of the objective lens by this projecting means through the objective lens; image detecting means for detecting an image of the object illuminated almost uniformly by the illuminating means; and detecting means for detecting a defect on the object by comparing image data obtained from the image of the object detected by this image detecting means to image data stored beforehand.

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