Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080273193 | PATTERN DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - A pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of detecting minute defects on a sample with high sensitivity without generating speckle noise in signals is realized. Substantially the same region on a surface of a wafer is detected by using two detectors at mutually different timings. Output signals from the two detectors are summed and averaged to eliminate noise. Since a large number of rays of illumination light are not simultaneously irradiated to the same region on the wafer, a pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of suppressing noise resulting from interference of a large number of rays, eliminating noise owing to other causes and detecting with high sensitivity minute defects on the sample without the occurrence of speckle noise in the signal can be accomplished. | 11-06-2008 |
20090002695 | Method and Apparatus for Reviewing Defect - The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for reviewing a defect with high throughput by detecting the defect to be reviewed with high sensitivity, comprising: an optical microscope; a correction means; and a scanning electron microscope which reviews the defect existed on the sample; wherein the optical microscope has: an optical height detection system which optically detects a vertical position of an upper surface of the sample placed on the stage; an illumination optical system which illuminates the defect with light; an image detection optical system which converges and detects reflected light or scattered light generated from the defect illuminated by the illumination optical system to obtain an image signal; and a focus adjusting means which adjusts a focus position of the optical microscope based on the vertical position of the upper surface of the sample, which is detected by the optical height detection system. | 01-01-2009 |
20090103079 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING DEFECT IN OBJECT SURFACE - An aspect of the invention provides a defect inspection apparatus being able to accurately inspect a micro foreign matter or defect at a high speed for an inspection target substrate in which a repetitive pattern and a non-repetitive pattern are mixed. | 04-23-2009 |
20090122303 | Apparatus And Method For Inspecting Defects - A defect inspection apparatus includes a movable stage for mounting a substrate having circuit patterns as an object of inspection, an irradiation optical system which irradiates a slit-shaped light beam from an oblique direction to the circuit patterns of the substrate, a detection optical system which includes an image sensor for receiving reflected/scattered light from the substrate by irradiation of the slit-shaped light beam and converting the received light into a signal, and an image processor which processes the signal. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens and a coherency reduction optical system, which receives the light beam and emits a plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams which are spatially reduced in coherency in a light-converging direction of the cylindrical lens. The cylindrical lens focuses the plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams into the slit-shaped light beam irradiated to the surface of the substrate. | 05-14-2009 |
20100019150 | Method And Apparatus For Reviewing Defects - A method of inspecting defects of a sample includes a first step for, on a basis of position information of defects on a sample placed on a movable table which is previously detected and obtained by an other inspection system, driving the table so that the defects come into a viewing field of an optical microscope having a focus which is adjusted, a second step for re-detecting the defects to obtain a first detection result, a third step for correcting the position information of defects on a basis of position information of defects re-detected of the first detection result, and a fourth step for reviewing the defects whose position information is corrected to obtain a second detection result. The method includes classifying types of defects on basis of the first detection result and the second detection result. | 01-28-2010 |
20100225903 | PATTERN DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - A pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of detecting minute defects on a sample with high sensitivity without generating speckle noise in signals is realized. Substantially the same region on a surface of a wafer is detected by using two detectors at mutually different timings. Output signals from the two detectors are summed and averaged to eliminate noise. Since a large number of rays of illumination light are not simultaneously irradiated to the same region on the wafer, a pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of suppressing noise resulting from interference of a large number of rays, eliminating noise owing to other causes and detecting with high sensitivity minute defects on the sample without the occurrence of speckle noise in the signal can be accomplished. | 09-09-2010 |
20100265496 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING DEFECTS - A defect inspection apparatus includes a movable stage for mounting a substrate having circuit patterns as an object of inspection, an irradiation optical system which irradiates a slit-shaped light beam from an oblique direction to the circuit patterns of the substrate, a detection optical system which includes an image sensor for receiving reflected/scattered light from the substrate by irradiation of the slit-shaped light beam and converting the received light into a signal, and an image processor which processes the signal. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens and a coherency reduction optical system, which receives the light beam and emits a plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams which are spatially reduced in coherency in a light-converging direction of the cylindrical lens. The cylindrical lens focuses the plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams into the slit-shaped light beam irradiated to the surface of the substrate. | 10-21-2010 |
20110063603 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING DEFECTS - A defect inspection apparatus includes a movable stage for mounting a substrate having circuit patterns as an object of inspection, an irradiation optical system which irradiates a slit-shaped light beam from an oblique direction to the circuit patterns of the substrate, a detection optical system which includes an image sensor for receiving reflected/scattered light from the substrate by irradiation of the slit-shaped light beam and converting the received light into a signal, and an image processor which processes the signal. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens and a coherency reduction optical system, which receives the light beam and emits a plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams which are spatially reduced in coherency in a light-converging direction of the cylindrical lens. The cylindrical lens focuses the plurality of slit-shaped light sub-beams into the slit-shaped light beam irradiated to the surface of the substrate. | 03-17-2011 |
20110141272 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING AN OBJECT SURFACE DEFECT - Disclosed is an apparatus having a light source of a deep ultraviolet ray for detecting a small foreign matter or pattern defect, which may arise during a process for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, in high resolution. The apparatus comprises a means for detecting a damage on an optical system due to a wavelength reduction thereby to save a damaged portion, and a means for comparing an optical system arrangement with that at the manufacturing time and detecting the abnormality thereof, to thereby make a correction, so that the apparatus can inspect the defect on an object substrate stably at a high speed and in high sensitivity. Also disclosed is a method for the stable inspection. The apparatus is provided, in the optical path of the optical system, with a means for detecting the intensity and the convergent state of an illumination light, and a means for detecting the abnormality of the optics system and for saving an abnormal portion from alignment with an optical axis. The apparatus is constituted such that the optical system is adjusted to make corrections for the optical conditions at the manufacturing time, thereby to elongate the lifetime of the optical system in the inspecting apparatus and to detect the small defect stably. | 06-16-2011 |
20110221886 | PATTERN DEFECT INSPECTING APPARATUS AND METHOD - In recent years, a wafer inspection time in semiconductor manufacturing processes is being required to be reduced for reduction in manufacturing time and for early detection of yield reduction factors. To meet this requirement, there is a need to reduce the time required for inspection parameter setup, as well as the time actually required for inspection. Based on the speed or position change information relating to a transport system | 09-15-2011 |
20110255074 | Apparatus and Method for Inspecting Defects - A defect inspection apparatus and method includes utilizing an irradiation optical system that focuses a beam flux emitted from a laser light source and formed into a slit-shaped beam so as to irradiate the beam onto the surface of the substrate to be inspected, utilizing a detection optical system that detects light from the substrate that has been irradiated with the slit-shaped beam, and utilizing a signal processor that processes a signal output from the detection optical system. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens for focusing the beam that has been emitted from the laser light source onto the substrate to be inspected, as the slit-shaped beam, wherein the cylindrical lens is disposed so as to obtain a distance between an incidence surface or emitting surface thereof and the slit-shaped beam upon the substrate to be inspected to be equal to a focal distance of the cylindrical lens. | 10-20-2011 |
20110274342 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND DEVICE THEREOF - The invention provides a defect inspection method and a defect inspection device which enable a defect to be inspected regardless of optical conditions. The invention comprises the steps of setting a target local region and a plurality of corresponding local regions in the image signals, the target local region including a target pixel and an area surrounding the target pixel, the corresponding local regions including pixels corresponding to the target pixel and areas surrounding the corresponding pixels; searching similarities between the image signal of the target local region and the image signals of the plurality of corresponding local regions; determining a plurality of image signals that represent corresponding local regions and are similar to the image signal of the target local region; and comparing the image signal of the target local region with the image signals that represent the corresponding local regions. | 11-10-2011 |
20120008132 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECT - The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for reviewing a defect with high throughput by detecting the defect to be reviewed with high sensitivity, comprising: an optical microscope; a correction means; and a scanning electron microscope which reviews the existing defect on the sample; wherein the optical microscope has: an optical height detection system which optically detects a vertical position of an upper surface of the sample placed on the stage; an illumination optical system which illuminates the defect with light; an image detection optical system which converges and detects reflected light or scattered light generated from the defect illuminated by the illumination optical system to obtain an image signal; and a focus adjusting means which adjusts a focus position of the optical microscope based on the vertical position of the upper surface of the sample, which is detected by the optical height detection system. | 01-12-2012 |
20120074319 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - A method of inspecting defects of a sample on a movable table includes a first step for, on a basis of position information of the defects which is previously detected by an other inspection system, driving the table so that the defects come into a viewing field of an optical microscope having a focus which is adjusted, a second step for re-detecting the defects to obtain a first detection result, a third step for correcting the position information of defects on a basis of position information of the re-detected defects, and a fourth step for reviewing the defects whose position information is corrected to obtain a second detection result. At the second step, re-detecting is performed using reflection light or scattered light from the sample which passes an optical filter which includes a light shielding portion and a light transmitting portion. | 03-29-2012 |
20120268734 | PATTERN DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD - A pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of detecting minute defects on a sample with high sensitivity without generating speckle noise in signals is realized. Substantially the same region on a surface of a wafer is detected by using two detectors at mutually different timings. Output signals from the two detectors are summed and averaged to eliminate noise. Since a large number of rays of illumination light are not simultaneously irradiated to the same region on the wafer, a pattern defect inspection apparatus capable of suppressing noise resulting from interference of a large number of rays, eliminating noise owing to other causes and detecting with high sensitivity minute defects on the sample without the occurrence of speckle noise in the signal can be accomplished. | 10-25-2012 |
20120268742 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING PATTERN DEFECT - Provided is a pattern defect inspecting apparatus wherein inspection performance is stabilized. The defect inspecting apparatus, which has a plurality of configuration units and inspects defects on the surface of a sample, is provided with a means for monitoring time-dependent changes and failures of some of or all of the configuration units, and a means for notifying the user of the results of the monitoring. Furthermore, a unit which can perform correction is provided with a correcting means, and also a means for replacing a failure component with a spare component which has been prepared in the device. | 10-25-2012 |
20130194579 | INSPECTION APPARATUS - In a conventional art, vibrations of compositions (for example, a Z-stage, a θ-stage, a wafer chuck, and a detection optical system mounted above a stage linear scale) within a device are not precisely fed back to a coordinate value. | 08-01-2013 |
20130269126 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING DEFECT IN OBJECT SURFACE - An aspect of the invention provides a defect inspection apparatus being able to accurately inspect a micro foreign matter or defect at a high speed for an inspection target substrate in which a repetitive pattern and a non-repetitive pattern are mixed. | 10-17-2013 |
20130271754 | INSPECTION APPARATUS - This invention implements reduction in the amount of background-scattered light from a semiconductor wafer surface and highly sensitive inspection, without increasing the number of detectors. A surface inspection apparatus that detects defects on the surface of an object (semiconductor wafer surface) to be inspected, by irradiating the surface of the object with a beam of light such as laser light and detecting the light reflected or scattered from the surface; wherein a widely apertured lens with an optical Fourier transform function is disposed between the object to be inspected and a detector, a filter variable in position as well in aperture diameter is provided on a Fourier transform plane, and background-scattered light from the semiconductor wafer surface is effectively blocked, whereby only a signal from a defect such as a foreign substance is detected. | 10-17-2013 |