Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a wafer inspection apparatus

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• loading a wafer including a plurality of semiconductor chips having identical patterns on a stage of a wafer inspection apparatus;
• providing a first light having a plurality of wavelengths to a spectroscope;
• splitting the first light into a plurality of second wavelengths of second light using the spectroscope, each of the plurality of second wavelengths being a different wavelength among the plurality of wavelengths;
• providing the plurality of second wavelengths of second light to the wafer;
• and
• inspecting the plurality of semiconductor chips using the plurality of second wavelengths of second light,
• wherein inspecting the plurality of semiconductor chips using the plurality of wavelengths of second light includes:
• inspecting patterns at identical first positions of each of the respective semiconductor chips,
• inspecting patterns at identical second positions of each of the respective semiconductor chips,
• inspecting patterns at identical k-th positions of each of the respective semiconductor chips, and
• determining a semiconductor chip of the plurality of semiconductor chips having a pattern defect by combining pattern inspection results for each of the first to k-th positions, k being a natural number of 3 or more, and
• wherein inspecting the patterns at the identical first positions includes:
• obtaining a first plurality of pieces of spectral information at the first positions using the plurality of wavelengths of second light,
• obtaining a first spectral distribution information using the first plurality of pieces of spectral information,
• calculating a statistical distribution region from the first spectral distribution information,
• obtaining spectral information not included in the statistical distribution region among the first plurality of pieces of spectral information, and
• determining a semiconductor chip having a pattern defect by associating the spectral information not included in the statistical distribution region as a defect.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• loading a wafer including a plurality of semiconductor chips, each having an identical pattern, on a stage of a wafer inspection apparatus;
• inspecting patterns at identical first positions of respective semiconductor chips using multiple wavelengths of light;
• inspecting patterns at identical second positions of the respective semiconductor chips using the multiple wavelengths of light;
• inspecting patterns at identical k-th positions of the respective semiconductor chips using the multiple wavelengths of light;
• and
• determining a semiconductor chip of the plurality of semiconductor chips having a pattern defect by combining pattern inspection results for each of the respective first to k-th positions, k being a natural number of 3 or more,
• wherein inspecting the pattern at the identical first positions includes:
• obtaining a first plurality of pieces of spectral information at the first positions using the multiple wavelengths of light,
• obtaining a first spectral distribution information from the first plurality of pieces of spectral information,
• calculating a statistical distribution region from the first spectral distribution information,
• identifying outlier pieces of spectral information not included in the statistical distribution region among the first plurality of pieces of spectral information, and
• determining the semiconductor chip having a pattern defect by associating having the outlier pieces of spectral information not included in the statistical distribution region as a defect,
• wherein obtaining the first plurality of pieces of spectral information at the first positions using the multiple wavelengths of light comprises:
• obtaining a first spectral information at the first position of a first semiconductor chip,
• obtaining m-th spectral information at the first position of a j-th semiconductor chip, and
• obtaining the first plurality of pieces of spectral information by combining the first to m-th spectral information, each of j and m is a natural number of 3 or more, and
• wherein obtaining the first spectral distribution information using the first plurality of pieces of spectral information comprises:
• calculating a first distribution center which is a distribution center of the pieces of spectral information included in the first plurality of pieces of spectral information, and
• obtaining the first spectral distribution information using an extent to which each of the first plurality of pieces of spectral information is separated from the first distribution center.