US 5,274,434 A · Method and apparatus for inspecting foreign particles on real time basis in semiconductor mass production line

Abstract

In a mass production line of a semiconductor manufacturing process, foreign particle inspection method and apparatus for preventing occurrence of large quantities of defects and for keeping a necessary yield. The inspection apparatus is made up in a small-sized apparatus and disposed at inlet/outlet of processing apparatuses of the production line or to a transfer system between the processing apparatuses. The inspection apparatus includes at least one monitor for real-time sampling foreign particles possible deposited on wafer which is being carried by the transfer system, thereby enabling simplification in construction of the production line and reduction of manufacturing cost. The inspection apparatus may comprise a refractive index changeable type lens array, a spatial filter and a pattern data elimination circuit, and makes possible to conduct foreign particle inspection on repetitively-patterned portions of the wafers during transfer. With the spatial filter for eliminating repetitive data of the repetition patterns the small-sized compact inspection apparatus is capable of real-time inspecting the foreign particles on the wafers at a high speed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of inspecting foreign particles on a product substrate in a mass production line of a semiconductor fabrication process, comprising the steps of:

transferring the product substrate along a path of transferring means provided at at least one predetermined position in the mass production line of the semiconductor fabrication process;
detecting a rotation direction of repetitive patterns of a circuit pattern being formed on the transferred product substrate;
illuminating light of a substantially slit shape on the surface of the product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means;
detecting with a detecting means information of a surface of the product substrate including detecting scattered light from foreign particles existing on the surface of the product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means and illuminated by the light of substantially slit shape through a detecting lens;
aligning relatively the detected direction of the repetitive patterns of the product substrate and a direction of the detecting means;
and
determining a state of foreign particles on the product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means in accordance with the detection of the scattered light.

4 more elements

An apparatus for inspecting foreign particles on a product substrate in a mass production line in a semiconductor fabrication process, comprising:

transferring means provided at least one predetermined position in the mass production line of the semiconductor fabrication process for transferring the product substrate along a path thereof;
means for detecting a rotation direction of repetitive patterns of a circuit pattern being formed on the transferred product substrate;
illuminating substantially slit shape light on the surface of a product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means;
detecting means for detecting information of a surface of the product substrate through a detecting lens including detecting scattered light from foreign particles existing on the surface of the product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means and illuminated by the substantially slit shape light through the detecting lens;
means for enabling relative alignment of the detected direction of the repetitive patterns of the product substrate and a direction of the detecting means;
and
means for determining a state of foreign particles on the product substrate transferred along the path of the transferring means in accordance with the detection of the scattered light.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for inspecting foreign particles on real time basis in semiconductor mass production line

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for inspecting foreign particles on real time basis in semiconductor mass production line

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20