Optical inspection using controlled illumination and collection polarization

Abstract

An optical inspection system, including (a) an illumination optics that is configured to generate an illumination light beam and to illuminate a sample with the illumination light beam; (b) at least one collection optics configured to collect light from the sample as a result of an impingement of the illumination light beam on the sample; (c) at least one detector configured to detect at least one detected light beam outputted from the at least one collection optics; (d) multiple polarizers that comprise at least one inhomogeneous polarizer and at least one half-wave plate; and (e) at least one movement unit that is configured to move, under a control of a control unit of the optical inspection system, the at least one inhomogeneous polarizer thereby impacting a polarization of one or more light beams out of the illumination light beam, and the at least one detected light beam.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.