US 6,661,912 B1Granted

Inspecting method and apparatus for repeated micro-miniature patterns

AssigneeHitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.

InventorsJunichi Taguchi, Aritoshi Sugimoto, Masami Ikota, Yuko Inoue, Tetsuya Watanabe, Wakana Shinke

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Abstract

An apparatus for inspecting foreign matter in repeated micro-miniature patterns formed upon a surface of an object to be inspected, comprising: an inspection light illuminating device for irradiating an inspection light directed upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed; a scattered light detector for detecting scattered light of the inspection light being scattered upon the surface said object to be inspected; means for obtaining a first information related to a foreign matter attaching upon the surface of said object to be inspected, which is obtained on a basis of the detection of said scattered light by said scattered light detector; an illumination means for applying a bright field illumination upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed; means for picking up the image of the foreign matter, under a bright field illumination by said illumination means; means for obtaining a second information related to said foreign matter, depending upon an image of said foreign matter, which is obtained on a basis of said picking up of the image by said image picking up means under the bright field illumination; and means for displaying said first information and said second information, both being related to said foreign matter, on a display screen thereof.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for inspecting foreign matters in or on repeated micro-miniature patterns formed upon a surface of an object to be inspected, comprising the following steps:

illuminating an inspection light of dark field directed obliquely upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed, with a dark field inspection light illuminating device;
detecting scattered light of the dark field inspection light being scattered from the surface of said object to be inspected with at least a scattered light detector;
determining a coordinate position of a foreign matter upon the surface of said object to be inspected, on a basis of the detection of said scattered light in the above step, and thereby generating position information of the foreign matter;
illuminating an inspection light of bright field directed perpendicularly upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed, with a bright field inspection light illumination device;
picking up an image of said foreign matter whose coordinate position is determined in the above step, under the bright field illumination by the bright field inspection illuminating device for illuminating the bright field inspection light in the above step, when the coordinate of the bright field inspection light is coincident with the coordinate of said foreign matter;
deciding said foreign matter at least one of size, shape, color and property thereof, depending upon an image of said foreign matter which is extracted on a basis of the image picked up in the above step;
processing information relating to the foreign matters based on the deciding in said deciding step;
and
displaying said information relating to the foreign matters together with said coordinate position information of the foreign matter generated in said step of determining the coordinate position.

6 more elements

An apparatus for inspecting foreign matters in or on repeated micro-miniature patterns formed upon a surface of an object to be inspected, comprising:

a dark field light illuminating device for illuminating a dark field inspection light directed obliquely upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed;
a scattered light detector for detecting the scattered light of the dark field inspection light being scattered from the surface of said object to be inspected;
means for determining a coordinate position of a foreign matter upon the surface of said object to be inspected, on a basis of the detection of said scattered dark field light, and generating coordinate position information of the foreign matter;
an illumination means for applying a bright field illumination upon the surface of the object to be inspected, on which the repeated micro-miniature patterns are formed;
means for picking up an image of the foreign matter which is determined with the coordinate position thereof, under the bright field illumination by said illumination means, at the coordinate position corresponding to that which is determined through the scattered light detected by said scattered light detector under the dark field inspection light by said coordinate position determining means;
means for deciding the foreign matter at least one of size, shape, color and property thereof, depending upon an image of the foreign matter which is extracted on a basis of said picking up of the image obtained by said image picking up means;
means for processing information relating to the foreign matters based on the deciding of said means for deciding;
and
a display for displaying the processed information relating to the foreign matters together with said information of coordinate position of the foreign matters, which is generated by said coordinate position determining means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.