Apparatus and method for inspecting a surface of a wafer
US7697130B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 9, 2009 |
| Grant date | Apr 13, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/8861
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A surface inspection apparatus and method increase wafer productivity, wherein to increase an efficiency of the surface inspection apparatus to detect defects during a scanning of the wafer surface, a scanning speed for a subsequent defect detection is varied according to an increase/decrease of defect density represented on a plurality of images acquired successively. When the density of defects is reduced, the scanning speed increases and a level of a skip rule increases, and when the density of defects increases, the scanning speed decreases and a level of the skip rule decreases to precisely detect defects, thereby increasing reliability, throughput, and productivity.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.