Surface inspection apparatus and surface inspection method

A surface inspection method for performing a surface inspection based upon an image obtained by irradiating illuminating light onto a surface of a test piece with the surface formed by stacking a plurality of pattern layers and capturing an object image based upon diffracted light from the test piece, wherein:

• images are taken in by changing an apparatus condition during an image-capturing operation before forming an uppermost pattern layer and an optimal condition for the apparatus condition for inspecting a pattern layer is determined based upon the plurality of images;
• images are taken in by changing the apparatus condition at which said image-capturing operation is performed after forming the uppermost pattern layer and an optimal condition for the apparatus condition for inspecting the pattern layer is determined based upon the plurality of images;
• and
• it is judged as to whether or not a captured image corresponds to the uppermost pattern based upon the plurality of optimal settings.

A surface inspection apparatus, comprising:

• an illuminating optical system that irradiates light on a surface of a test piece with the surface of the test piece formed by stacking a plurality of pattern layers;
• a signal output device that detects diffracted light from the test piece and outputs a diffracted light signal corresponding to a quantity of the diffracted light;
• a condition control device that sets or changes an apparatus condition at which the diffracted light is detected by said signal output device;
• and
• a condition detection device that determines an optimal condition for the apparatus condition for inspecting the pattern layers based upon a diffracted light signal output by said signal output device when said condition control device changes the apparatus condition, wherein:
• said condition detection device determines an optimal condition for the apparatus condition by using a diffracted light signal output before forming an uppermost pattern layer, also determines an optimal condition for the apparatus condition by using a diffracted light signal output after forming the uppermost pattern layer and judges as to whether or not a diffracted light signal output by said signal output device corresponds to the uppermost pattern based upon the plurality of optimal settings thus determined.

A surface inspection method for performing a surface inspection by performing a surface inspection based upon a diffracted light signal by irradiating light with an illuminating optical system onto a surface of a test piece with the surface formed by stacking a plurality of pattern layers and generating the diffracted light signal corresponding to a quantity of diffracted light from the test piece detected by a diffracted light detection unit, wherein:

• diffracted light signals from said diffracted light detection unit are taken in by changing the apparatus condition at which said diffracted light detection unit performs detection before forming an uppermost pattern layer, and an optimal condition for the apparatus condition for inspecting the pattern layer is determined based upon the diffracted light signals;
• diffracted light signals from said diffracted light detection unit are taken in by changing the apparatus condition at which said diffracted light detection unit performs detection after forming the uppermost pattern layer, and an optimal condition for the apparatus condition is determined based upon the diffracted light signals;
• and
• it is judged as to whether or not a diffracted light signal provided by said diffracted light detection unit corresponds to the uppermost pattern based upon the plurality of optimal settings.

A surface inspection method for performing a surface inspection on a test piece having at least two shot areas each formed by laminating a plurality of pattern layers at a surface thereof based upon an object image captured from diffracted light from the test piece by illuminating the test piece, wherein:

• specific pattern layers in the two or more shot areas are formed through exposure operations performed under varying exposure conditions by an exposure apparatus and other pattern layers in the two or more shot areas are formed through exposure performed under identical exposure conditions;
• object images of the two or more shot areas are captured by varying the apparatus condition for object image capturing and changes that the images manifest in correspondence to the change in the apparatus condition are ascertained based upon the captured images;
• and
• the changes that the images manifest corresponding to the two or more shot areas are compared and the apparatus condition at which the changes manifest a difference from each other is designated as the optimal condition.

A surface inspection method for performing a surface inspection on a test piece having shot areas each formed by laminating a plurality of pattern layers at a surface thereof based upon an object image captured from diffracted light from the test piece by illuminating the test piece, wherein:

• when forming uppermost resist layers through exposure during the shot area formation process, the resist layers are formed through exposure operations performed under varying exposure conditions by an exposure apparatus over at least two shot areas;
• object images are captured by changing the apparatus condition for each of the two or more shot areas and changes that the images manifest in correspondence to the change in the apparatus condition are ascertained based upon the captured images;
• and
• the changes corresponding to the two or more shot areas are compared and the apparatus condition at which the changes manifest a difference from each other is designated as an optimal condition for inspecting the uppermost resist layer.