METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING FOREIGN OBJECT

• Main Authors: NAGASAKI TATSUO, TAKADA KAZUMASA, NOMURA TAKESHI, MASE KENICHIRO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.08.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foreign object inspecting apparatus capable of increasing S/N ratio when the quantity of detection light from a foreign object and that from a pattern are set to be S and N, respectively, when inspecting the foreign object on a substrate having a pattern. SOLUTION: An S-polarization beam is emitted to the surface of the substrate 1 to be inspected by a lighting section 3 with an axis nearly in parallel with the surface of the substrate 1 to be inspected as an optical axis. A line sensor 6 detects the component of a P-polarization beam to the surface of the substrate 1 to be inspected in reflection light, scattered light, and diffraction light in the optical axis, where a light reception angle β1 is an acute angle and a difference angle from the beam is less than 30°. A line sensor 8 detects all components of the reflection light, the scattered light, and the diffraction light in the optical axis, where a light reception angle β2 is an elevation angle and a difference angle from the beam becomes nearly 0°. Then, detection results obtained by the line sensors 6, 8 are computed and the influence of the diffraction light from the pattern is eliminated for judging the presence of the foreign object. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI