Surface inspection apparatus and surface inspection method for strained silicon wafer

A surface inspection apparatus for inspecting strain that occurs on a surface of a strained silicon wafer, the apparatus comprising:

• illuminating means for illuminating the surface of the strained silicon wafer;
• drive control means for rotating the strained silicon wafer in a circumferential direction;
• photographing means for photographing, in a plurality of rotation angle positions, bright lines that appear on the surface of the strained silicon wafer in an environment where the surface of the strained silicon wafer is illuminated;
• image processing means for generating a composite image from surface images of the strained silicon wafer photographed in the plurality of rotation angle positions;
• output means for outputting information on the bright lines to inspect the strain in a silicon layer of the composite image generated by the image processing means;
• and
• determining the strain in the surface layer of the strained silicon wafer based on information obtained from the bright lines in the composite image.