High speed inspection of a sample using superbroad radiation coherent interferometer

A method of inspecting a sample which comprises the steps of:

• generating superbroad inspection radiation and reference radiation;
• applying the inspection radiation to the sample;
• collecting inspection radiation which is scattered by the sample and dividing it into a multiplicity of beams;
• dividing the reference radiation into a multiplicity of reference radiation beams;
• delaying one or more of the multiplicity of reference beams by predetermined amounts;
• and
• detecting coherent interference between the multiplicity of reference radiation beams and the multiplicity of scattered inspection radiation beams.

A method of inspecting a sample which comprises the steps of:

• generating superbroad inspection radiation and reference radiation;
• applying the inspection radiation to the sample;
• dividing the reference radiation into a multiplicity of reference radiation beams;
• delaying one or more of the multiplicity of reference beams by predetermined amounts with respect to one another and combining the multiplicity of reference beams into a new reference radiation, wherein at least one of the predetermined amounts is different from zero;
• and
• detecting coherent interference between scattered inspection radiation and the new reference radiation.

A method of inspecting a sample which comprises the steps of:

• generating superbroad inspection radiation and reference radiation;
• dividing the inspection radiation into a multiplicity of inspection radiation beams;
• delaying one or more of the multiplicity of inspection beams by predetermined amounts;
• applying the delayed inspection radiation beams to the sample;
• dividing the reference radiation into a multiplicity of reference radiation beams;
• delaying one or more of the multiplicity of reference beams by predetermined amounts and combining the multiplicity of reference beams into a new reference radiation;
• and
• detecting coherent interference between scattered inspection radiation and the new reference radiation.