Large area defect monitor tool for manufacture of clean surfaces

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit, said method comprising steps of observing defects on a wafer surface by means of optically scattered energy, the method comprising:

• directing generally collimated illumination from a source at an oblique angle to a surface under inspection (SUS) to produce scattered nonspecular energy substantially normal to said SUS;
• and
• observing said scattered nonspecular energy in one of a plurality of fractional windows of a viewed image of the SUS via a plurality of focussing elements at a plurality of remote focal planes having a symmetrical detection arrangement, said focal planes being mounted adjacent one another arranged in a symmetrical array arrangement adjacent one another, said symmetrical detection arrangement corresponding to said symmetrical array arrangement;
• wherein said observing and directing steps occur simultaneously and are performed substantially without any relative motion between said SUS and said symmetrical detection arrangement to substantially reduce a possibility of any scanning noise and light source fluctuations.