Wafer surface inspection apparatus and wafer surface inspection method
AssigneeHitachi High-Technologies Corporation
InventorsKazuhiro Zama, Masayuki Hachiya
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Abstract
A wafer surface inspection method and apparatus of high sensitivity, and free from performance degradation in terms of cleanliness, coordinate repeatability of foreign particles and the like. Gas for cooling is sprayed onto a laser irradiation position on the wafer surface to prevent an increase in temperature of the foreign particles and to suppress break-down of the foreign particles.
Claims3
A wafer surface inspection apparatus comprising:
- a table holding a semiconductor wafer;
- light irradiation means for irradiating a small area on a surface of the semiconductor wafer held on said table with a laser beam;
- light detection means for detecting light scattered from the semiconductor wafer by irradiation with said laser beam;
- table drive means for rotating and concurrently linearly moving said table with respect to said light irradiation means;
- and
- gas spraying means for spraying gas onto the area on the semiconductor wafer irradiated with the laser beam by said light irradiation means.
A wafer surface inspection method for inspecting a surface of a semiconductor wafer by irradiating a small area on a surface of a rotating semiconductor wafer with a laser beam and detecting scattered light from said small area, wherein
- gas is sprayed onto the area on the surface of the semiconductor wafer irradiated with the laser beam at least while the surface of the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with the laser beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.