Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080223122 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - A scanning probe microscope, capable of performing shape measurement not affected by electrostatic charge distribution of a sample, which: monitors an electrostatic charge state by detecting a change in a flexure or vibrating state of a cantilever due to electrostatic charges in synchronization with scanning during measurement with relative scanning between the probe and the sample, and makes potential adjustment so as to cancel an influence of electrostatic charge distribution, thus preventing damage of the probe or the sample due to discharge and achieving reduction in measurement errors due to electrostatic charge distribution. | 09-18-2008 |
20080257024 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - The invention provides a scanning probe microscope capable of performing highly accurate three-dimensional profile measurement in a state in which no sliding of the probe or deformation of the sample substantially occurs. The present invention realizes a highly accurate three-dimensional profile measurement using a scanning probe microscope, in which the method performs measurement to obtain an accurate three-dimensional profile without causing damage to the sample by having the probe contact the sample at the measurement point and then move to a next measurement point, wherein the probe is pulled up and retracted temporarily and then moved to the next measurement point where it is approximated to the sample again, the method comprises analyzing the signals of the contact force sensor so as to obtain the height of the probe at the time when the probe contacts the sample with zero contact force, so as to substantially eliminate errors caused by sliding of the probe and deformation of the sample caused by minute contact force. | 10-23-2008 |
20090066943 | Apparatus And Method For Inspecting Pattern - A method and apparatus for inspecting defects includes emitting an ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet light source, illuminating a specimen with the ultraviolet light in which a polarization condition of the ultraviolet light is controlled, controlling a polarization condition of light reflected from the specimen which is illuminated by the polarization condition controlled ultraviolet light, detecting the light reflected from the specimen, processing the detected light so as to detect defects, and outputting information about the defects. The ultraviolet light source is disposed in a clean environment supplied with clean gas and separated from outside. | 03-12-2009 |
20090073443 | Method And Equipment For Detecting Pattern Defect - An inspection apparatus and method includes a light source which emits an ultraviolet laser beam, an illuminating unit having a polarization controller and an object lens for illuminating a specimen with light emitted from the light source and passed through the polarization controller and the object lens, a detection unit having a sensor for detecting light from the specimen illuminated by the illuminating unit, a processor which processes a signal output from the sensor so as to detect a defect on the specimen, and a display which displays information output from the processor. The processor processes an image formed from the signal output from the sensor in which the image is reduced in speckle pattern. | 03-19-2009 |
20090073457 | Method and its apparatus for measuring displacement of a specimen - In measuring the displacement of an object using the phase-shifting light interference, since three beam splitters were used for generating the four phase-shifting optical paths, an interferometer was increased in size, whereby the application objects were limited. Also, to solve an essential problem that if there is a disturbance such as a temperature distribution, a humidity distribution, an air pressure distribution, a density distribution or an air flow change on the phase-shifting optical paths, a measurement error occurs, the four phase-shifting optical paths are produced spatially in parallel by combining a four division prism with a photonic crystal λ/4 element and a photonic crystal polarizing element arranged like an array, constructing a small light interference displacement sensor in the invention, whereby the application objects are expanded, and the microscopic displacement or surface roughness of the object can be measured at a resolution of sub nanometer or less and with high reproducibility without influence of the disturbance. | 03-19-2009 |
20090158828 | Scanning Probe Microscope - In the case of measuring a pattern having a steep side wall, a probe adheres to the side wall by the van der Waals forces acting between the probe and the side wall when approaching the pattern side wall, and an error occurs in a measured profile of the side wall portion. When a pattern having a groove width almost equal to a probe diameter is measured, the probe adheres to both side walls, the probe cannot reach the groove bottom, and the groove depth cannot be measured. When the probe adheres to a pattern side wall in measurements of a microscopic high-aspect ratio pattern using an elongated probe, the probe is caused to reach the side wall bottom by detecting the adhesion of the probe to the pattern side wall, and temporarily increasing a contact force between the probe and the sample. Also, by obtaining the data of the amount of torsion of a cantilever with the shape data of the pattern, a profile error of the side wall portion by the adhesion is corrected by the obtained data of the amount of torsion. | 06-25-2009 |
20090213366 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING DEFECTS - A method and apparatus for detecting defects are provided for detecting harmful defects or foreign matter with high sensitivity on an object to be inspected with a transparent film, such as an oxide film, by reducing noise due to a circuit pattern. The apparatus for detecting defects includes a stage part on which a substrate specimen is put and which is arbitrarily movable in each of the X-Y-Z-θ directions, an illumination system for irradiating the circuit pattern with light from an inclined direction, and an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an irradiated detection area on a detector from the upward and oblique directions. With this arrangement, diffracted light and scattered light caused on the circuit pattern through the illumination by the illumination system is collected. Furthermore, a spatial filter is provided on a Fourier transform surface for blocking the diffracted light from a linear part of the circuit pattern. The scattered and reflected light received by the detector from the specimen is converted into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal of one chip is compared with that of the other adjacent chip. If these signals are not identical to each other, the foreign matter is determined to exist on the specimen in detection. | 08-27-2009 |
20100039652 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT OF A SAMPLE - In a displacement measurement apparatus using light interference, a probe light path is spatially separated from a reference light path. Therefore, when a temperature or refractive index distribution by a fluctuation of air or the like, or a mechanical vibration is generated, an optical path difference fluctuates between both of the optical paths, and a measurement error is generated. In the solution, an optical axis of probe light is brought close to that of reference light by a distance which is not influenced by any disturbance, a sample is irradiated with the probe light, a reference surface is irradiated with the reference light, reflected light beams are allowed to interfere with each other, and a displacement of the sample is obtained from the resultant interference light to thereby prevent the measurement error from being generated by the fluctuation of the optical path difference. | 02-18-2010 |
20100218287 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE AND METHOD OF OBSERVING SAMPLE USING THE SAME - In a scanning probe microscope, a nanotube and metal nano-particles are combined together to configure a plasmon-enhanced near-field probe having an optical resolution on the order of nanometers as a measuring probe in which a metal structure is embedded, and this plasmon-enhanced near-field probe is installed in a highly-efficient plasmon exciting unit to repeat approaching to and retracting from each measuring point on a sample with a low contact force, so that optical information and profile information of the surface of the sample are measured with a resolution on the order of nanometers, a high S/N ratio, and high reproducibility without damaging both of the probe and the sample. | 08-26-2010 |
20100271628 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING DEFECTS - A method and apparatus for detecting defects are provided for detecting harmful defects or foreign matter with high sensitivity on an object to be inspected with a transparent film, such as an oxide film, by reducing noise due to a circuit pattern. The apparatus for detecting defects includes a stage part on which a substrate specimen is put and which is arbitrarily movable in each of the X-Y-Z-θ directions, an illumination system for irradiating the circuit pattern with light from an inclined direction, and an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an irradiated detection area on a detector from the upward and oblique directions. With this arrangement, diffracted light and scattered light caused on the circuit pattern through the illumination by the illumination system is collected. Furthermore, a spatial filter is provided on a Fourier transform surface for blocking the diffracted light from a linear part of the circuit pattern. The scattered and reflected light received by the detector from the specimen is converted into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal of one chip is compared with that of the other adjacent chip. If these signals are not identical to each other, the foreign matter is determined to exist on the specimen in detection. | 10-28-2010 |
20100325761 | Scanning Probe Microscope and Method of Observing Sample Using the Same - Optical information and topographic information of the surface of a sample are measured at a nanometer-order resolution and with high reproducibility without damaging a probe and the sample by combining a nanometer-order cylindrical structure with a nanometer-order microstructure to form a plasmon intensifying near-field probe having a nanometer-order optical resolution and by repeating approach/retreat of the probe to/from each measurement point on the sample at a low contact force. | 12-23-2010 |
20110001972 | Method And Equipment For Detecting Pattern Defect - An inspection apparatus and method includes a light source, an illuminating unit having a polarization controller and an object lens for illuminating a specimen with light emitted from the light source and passed through the polarization controller and the object lens, a detection unit having a sensor for detecting light from the specimen illuminated by the illuminating unit, a processor which processes a signal output from the sensor so as to detect a defect on the specimen, and a display which displays information output from the processor. The processor processes an image formed from the signal output from the sensor in which the image is reduced in speckle pattern. | 01-06-2011 |
20110055982 | A SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE AND A MEASURING METHOD USING THE SAME - It is difficult for a scanning probe microscope according to the conventional technology to operate a probe for scanning and positioning in a wide range and for high-precision scanning in a narrow range. A scanning probe microscope according to the invention uses probe driving actuators for coarse adjustment and fine adjustment. For scanning and positioning in a wide range, the coarse adjustment actuator is switched to fast responsiveness. For scanning in a narrow range, the coarse adjustment actuator is switched to slow responsiveness. Instead, positional noise is reduced and the fine adjustment actuator is mainly used for scanning in a narrow range. The probe is capable of not only scanning and positioning in a wide range but also high-precision scanning in a narrow range. | 03-03-2011 |
20110149275 | DEFECT INSPECTION DEVICE AND DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD - A defect inspection device, which inspects defects such as foreign materials existing on a specimen on which a circuit pattern of wiring or the like is formed, is provided with an illumination optical system which illuminates a plurality of different areas the specimen with a plurality of linear shaped beams and an image forming optical system that forms images of the plurality of the illuminated areas on a plurality of detectors, and the detectors are configured to receive a plurality of polarization components substantially at the same time and individually, wherein the polarization components are different from each other and are contained in each of the plurality of the optical images formed by the image forming optical system, thereby detecting a plurality of signals corresponding to the polarization components and carrying out the inspection at high speed under a plurality of optical conditions. | 06-23-2011 |
20110170092 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING PATTERN - A method and apparatus for inspecting defects includes emitting an ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet light source, illuminating a specimen with the ultraviolet light in which a polarization condition of the ultraviolet light is controlled, controlling a polarization condition of light reflected from the specimen which is illuminated by the polarization condition controlled ultraviolet light, detecting the light reflected from the specimen, processing the detected light so as to detect defects, and outputting information about the defects. The ultraviolet light source is disposed in a clean environment supplied with clean gas and separated from outside. | 07-14-2011 |
20110242524 | FLAT SURFACE INSPECTION APPARATUS - An object is to provide a flat surface inspection apparatus that can prevent sliders from being damaged and detect micro defects. A flat surface inspection apparatus includes: a measured subject; a stage that supports the measured subject; a spindle that rotates the stage; a first part having light sources applying light beam onto the measured subject, a scattered-light-detecting section, a signal processing section that converts the scattered light into information about a first defect, and a first memory section that stores therein the information about the first defect; and a second part having sliders mounted with a contact sensor that detects a second defect smaller than the first defect, a loading/unloading mechanism that flies the slider over the measured subject, a slider control section that controls the loading/unloading mechanism based on the information about the first defects and second defects. | 10-06-2011 |
20120013890 | PATTERN INSPECTION DEVICE OF SUBSTRATE SURFACE AND PATTERN INSPECTION METHOD OF THE SAME - There is provided a pattern inspection device for a substrate surface which can inspect a substrate including a pattern whose size is equal to or smaller than light resolution limit at high speed. The pattern inspection device for the substrate surface includes: a near-field optical head | 01-19-2012 |
20120019816 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS - The present invention provides a spatial filtering technology for exposing a defect image independently of polarization properties of defect scattered light, a defect inspection method for increasing a defect capture rate by suppressing the brightness saturation of a normal pattern, and a defect inspection apparatus that uses the defect inspection method. An array of spatial filters is disposed in one or more optical paths, which are obtained by polarizing and splitting a detection optical path, to filter diffracted light and scattered light emitted from the normal pattern. An image whose brightness saturation is suppressed is obtained by controlling an illumination light amount and/or detection efficiency during image detection in accordance with the amount of scattered light from the normal pattern. | 01-26-2012 |
20120062903 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT OF A SAMPLE TO BE INSPECTED USING AN INTERFERENCE LIGHT - In a displacement measurement apparatus using light interference, a probe light path is spatially separated from a reference light path. Therefore, when a temperature or refractive index distribution by a fluctuation of air or the like, or a mechanical vibration is generated, an optical path difference fluctuates between both of the optical paths, and a measurement error is generated. In the solution, an optical axis of probe light is brought close to that of reference light by a distance which is not influenced by any disturbance, a sample is irradiated with the probe light, a reference surface is irradiated with the reference light, reflected light beams are allowed to interfere with each other, and a displacement of the sample is obtained from the resultant interference light to thereby prevent the measurement error from being generated by the fluctuation of the optical path difference. | 03-15-2012 |
20120092484 | DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR - To effectively utilize the polarization property of an inspection subject for obtaining higher inspection sensitivity, for the polarization of lighting, it is necessary to observe differences in the reflection, diffraction, and scattered light from the inspection subject because of polarization by applying light having the same elevation angle and wavelength in the same direction but different polarization. According to conventional techniques, a plurality of measurements by changing polarizations is required to cause a prolonged inspection time period that is an important specification of inspection apparatuses. In this invention, a plurality of polarization states are modulated in micro areas in the lighting beam cross section, images under a plurality of polarized lighting conditions are collectively acquired by separately and simultaneously forming the scattered light from the individual micro areas in the individual pixels of a sensor, whereby inspection sensitivity and sorting and sizing accuracy are improved without reducing throughput. | 04-19-2012 |
20120092656 | Defect Inspection Method and Defect Inspection Apparatus - Provided is a method for inspecting a defect on a surface of a sample, the method including the steps of comparing a haze signal distribution with a predetermined light intensity distribution to calculate pixel shift amounts of detection signals; and adding up shift corrected detection signals to detect a defect. | 04-19-2012 |
20120092657 | METHOD OF DEFECT INSPECTION AND DEVICE OF DEFECT INSPECTION - A method of inspecting defects and a device inspecting defects of detecting defects at high sensitivity and high capture efficiency even on various patterns existing on a wafer. In the device of inspecting defects, an illumination optical system is formed of two systems of a coherent illumination of a laser | 04-19-2012 |
20120176602 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING PATTERN - A method and apparatus for inspecting defects includes emitting an ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet light source, illuminating a specimen with the ultraviolet light in which a polarization condition of the ultraviolet light is controlled, controlling a polarization condition of light reflected from the specimen which is illuminated by the polarization condition controlled ultraviolet light, detecting the light reflected from the specimen, processing the detected light so as to detect defects, and outputting information about the defects. The ultraviolet light source is disposed in a clean environment supplied with clean gas and separated from outside. | 07-12-2012 |
20120194809 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING DEFECTS - A method and apparatus for detecting defects are provided for detecting defects or foreign matter on an object to be inspected. The apparatus includes a movable stage for mounting a specimen, an illumination system for irradiating a circuit pattern with light from an inclined direction, and an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an irradiated detection area on a detector from the upward and oblique directions. With this arrangement, diffracted light and scattered light caused on the circuit pattern through the illumination by the illumination system is collected. A spatial filter is provided on a Fourier transform surface for blocking the diffracted light from a linear part of the circuit pattern. The scattered and reflected light received by the detector is converted into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal of one chip is compared with that of the other adjacent chip. | 08-02-2012 |
20120204297 | Scanning Probe Microscope and Method of Observing Sample Using the Same - Optical information and topographic information of the surface of a sample are measured at a nanometer-order resolution and with high reproducibility without damaging a probe and the sample by combining a nanometer-order cylindrical structure with a nanometer-order microstructure to form a plasmon intensifying near-field probe having a nanometer-order optical resolution and by repeating approach/retreat of the probe to/from each measurement point on the sample at a low contact force. | 08-09-2012 |
20120307605 | Thermally Assisted Magnetic Recording Head Inspection Method and Apparatus - In a method and an apparatus for inspecting a thermally assisted magnetic recording head element, a specimen is mounted on a table movable in a plane of a scanning probe microscope device, evanescent light is generated from a portion of light emission of evanescent light of the specimen, scattered light of the evanescent light is detected by moving the table in the plane while a cantilever of the scanning probe microscope having a probe is vertically vibrated in the vicinity of a surface of the specimen, and an intensity distribution of the evanescent light emitted from the portion of light emission of evanescent light or a surface profile of the portion of light emission of evanescent light of the specimen is inspected using position information of generation of the evanescent light based on the detected scattered light. | 12-06-2012 |
20130155400 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INSPECTING FOR DEFECTS - A defect inspecting method is provided which comprises a pre-scan defect inspecting process including a pre-scan irradiating step for casting irradiation light onto the surface of a sample, a pre-scan detecting step for detecting the scattered lights, and a pre-scan defect information collecting step for obtaining information on preselected defects present on the sample surface on the basis of the scattered lights; a near-field defect inspecting process including a near-field irradiating step in which the distance between the sample surface and a near-field head is adjusted so that the sample surface is irradiated, a near-field detecting step for detecting near-field light response, and a near-field defect information collecting step for obtaining information on the preselected defects on the basis of the near-field light response; and a merging process for inspecting defects present on the sample surface by merging the pieces of information on the preselected defects. | 06-20-2013 |
20130160552 | INTERNAL DEFECT INSPECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE SAME - It is intended to provide an internal defect inspection method and an apparatus for implementing the method by which an ultrasonic wave is excited in a sample without contact with the sample and accordingly without damaging the sample, and an ultrasonic wave from any internal defect of the sample is detected without being affected by the sample surface, in a non-contact state and with high sensitivity. | 06-27-2013 |
20130212749 | Scanning Probe Microscope and Surface Shape Measuring Method Using Same - It has been difficult to highly accurately measure the profiles of samples using scanning probe microscopes at the time when scanning is performed due to scanning mechanism fluctuations in the non drive direction, i.e., vertical direction. The present invention is provided with, on the rear side of a sample stage, a high-accuracy displacement gauge for measuring fluctuation in the non drive direction, i.e., vertical direction, at the time when the sample stage is being scanned in the horizontal directions, and as a result, highly accurate planarity evaluation with accuracy of sample nm-order or less is made possible by correcting sample surface shape measurement results obtained using a probe. | 08-15-2013 |
20130265863 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD INSPECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS - In a method and an apparatus for inspecting a thermally assisted magnetic recording head element, a specimen is mounted on a table movable in a plane of a scanning probe microscope device, evanescent light is generated from a portion of light emission of evanescent light of the specimen, scattered light of the evanescent light is detected by moving the table in the plane while a cantilever of the scanning probe microscope having a probe is vertically vibrated in the vicinity of a surface of the specimen, and an intensity distribution of the evanescent light emitted from the portion of light emission of evanescent light or a surface profile of the portion of light emission of evanescent light of the specimen is inspected using position information of generation of the evanescent light based on the detected scattered light. | 10-10-2013 |
20130329227 | OPTICAL INSPECTION METHOD AND OPTICAL INSPECTION APPARATUS - An optical inspection apparatus is provided which suppresses the influence of quantum noise including: light irradiator which irradiates a sample with light; reference light emitter which emits reference light; light interference unit which generates interfering light through interference between transmitted light, scattered light, or reflected light from the sample irradiated with light by the light irradiator, and the reference light emitted by the reference light emitter; light detector which detects the interfering light generated by the light interference unit; defect identifier which identifies the presence or absence of a defect based on a detection signal obtained by the light detector detecting the interfering light; and light convertor which converts at least the state of the transmitted, scattered, or reflected light from the sample, the state of the reference light emitted by the reference light emitter, or the state of the interfering light generated by the light interference unit. | 12-12-2013 |
20140298548 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - A scanning probe microscope is provided for scanning a sample surface with a probe formed on a cantilever and detecting an interaction acting between the probe and the sample surface to measure a physical property including a surface shape of the sample. The microscope includes an arrangement for detecting torsion of the cantilever and for correcting a profile error caused by deflection of the probe and torsion of the cantilever based on the amount of torsion which is detected. | 10-02-2014 |