Method and apparatus for reviewing defects

A method for reviewing defects of a sample comprising the steps of:

• a step for, by use of an image obtained by a light-field illuminating on a sample placed on a table that can move in an X-Y plane and photographing the sample by an optical microscope, adjusting and aligning a position and a rotation direction of the sample in the X-Y plane;
• a step for, on the basis of position information of defects on the sample aligned, where the position information of the defects is previously detected and obtained by inspecting the sample by other inspection system, driving the table and making the defects come into a viewing field of the optical microscope, and adjusting a focus of a detection optical system of the optical microscope on the sample;
• a step for dark-field illuminating on the defects and re-detecting the defects by use of the optical microscope with the adjusted focus of the detection system and obtaining position information of the defects in the X-Y plane;
• a step for correcting the position information of the defects detected and obtained by inspecting the sample by an other inspection system beforehand on the basis of the position information of the re-detected defects in the X-Y plane;
• and
• a step for driving the table so that the defects of the sample whose position information is corrected come into a viewing field of an electron microscope and reviewing the defects by the electron microscope,
• wherein at the second step, re-detecting is performed by reflection light or scattered light from the sample which passes an optical filter;
• and
• wherein the optical filter includes a light shielding portion and a light transmitting portion.

An apparatus for reviewing defects of a sample comprising:

• an optical microscope means that, by use of position information of defects on a sample previously detected by an other defect inspection system, re-detects the defects and has a light-field illumination optical system and a dark-field illumination optical system;
• a table means that loads the sample and can move on an X-Y plane;
• a focus position adjusting means that adjusts a focus position of a detection optical system of the optical microscope means onto the sample placed on the table means;
• a position information correcting means that corrects position information of the defects previously detected by the other detect inspection system on the basis of the position information of the defects on the sample re-detected by the optical microscope means whose focus position is corrected by the focus position adjusting means;
• and
• an electronic microscope means that reviews one of the defects whose position information is corrected by the position information correcting means on the sample transferred by the table means,
• wherein the optical microscope means includes an optical filter which shields or transmits reflection light or scattered light from the sample.