Semiconductor wafer inspection system and method

A semiconductor wafer inspection system comprising:

• a light source;
• a camera having a field of view;
• an object mount configured to position a surface of a wafer at an object plane relative to the camera and within the field of view of the camera;
• optics configured to provide an imaging beam path for imaging the object plane onto a light sensitive substrate of the camera, and to provide a bright-field illumination beam path from the light source to the object plane, wherein an angle at the object plane between a main axis of the imaging beam path and a main axis of the bright-field illumination beam path is smaller than 2°;
• an actuator configured to displace the object mount in a direction parallel to the object plane or to rotate the object mount about an axis oriented transverse to the object plane;
• and
• a surface portion carrying a multitude of retroreflectors disposed at a greater distance from the camera than the object plane and within the field of view of the camera.

A semiconductor wafer inspection method comprising:

• loading a semiconductor wafer into a semiconductor wafer inspection system such that the semiconductor wafer and a multitude of retroreflectors are disposed in a field of view of an imaging system such that the semiconductor wafer shadows a portion of the multitude of retroreflectors;
• recording an image of the semiconductor wafer and the multitude of retroreflectors in the field of view;
• analyzing the recorded image;
• adjusting a position of the semiconductor wafer relative to the field of view by displacing the semiconductor wafer in a direction transverse to a direction of a bright-field illumination light path incident on the semiconductor wafer based on the analysis of the recorded image or rotating the semiconductor wafer about an axis oriented transverse to a surface of the semiconductor wafer based on the analysis of the recorded image.