Defect inspection method and system
US7859656B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 2009 |
| Grant date | Dec 28, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 6, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/956
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An inspection system includes: a facility that uses wide-band illumination light having different wavelengths and single-wavelength light to perform dark-field illumination on an object of inspection, which has the surface thereof coated with a transparent film, in a plurality of illuminating directions at a plurality of illuminating angles; a facility that detects light reflected or scattered from repetitive patterns and light reflected or scattered from non-repetitive patterns with the wavelengths thereof separated from each other; a facility that efficiently detects light reflected or scattered from a foreign matter or defect in the repetitive patterns or non-repetitive patterns or a foreign matter or defect on the surface of the transparent film; and a facility that removes light, which is diffracted by the repetitive patterns, from a diffracted light image of actual patterns or design data representing patterns. Consequently, a more microscopic defect can be detected stably.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.