Defect inspection apparatus
AssigneeHitachi High-Technologies Corporation
InventorHiroshi Kawaguchi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high speed defect inspection apparatus has a high-speed detector that includes a plurality of image sensors. The image sensors are arranged with gaps between them in the pixel direction to form two lines. The image sensors are arranged in a zigzag pattern so that they are not contiguous to each other in the scanning direction. The development cost is reduced by using an arrangement of a plurality of small-area image sensors. When an image sensor is installed, it is necessary to furnish a region required for installation. Since individual image sensors need to be arranged at fixed intervals, void regions result. A plurality of image sensors are arranged in a zigzag pattern to solve the void region problem.
Claims20
A defect inspection apparatus comprising:
- illumination unit for illuminating an inspection target with illumination light;
- a detector that has photoelectric image sensors to receive light reflected from the inspection target;
- a transport unit for transporting the detector or a stage on which the inspection target is mounted;
- and
- an inspection unit for inspecting the inspection target in accordance with an image detected by the detector,
- wherein the plurality of photoelectric image sensors are alternately arranged in each of two or more lines to form a lattice-like pattern, and the plurality of photoelectric image sensors are spaced apart from each other to provide a mounting space, and at least one of a sensor cooling mechanism, a driver circuit, and an electron multiplier is arranged in said mounting space.
A defect detector that is used in a defect inspection apparatus and includes photoelectric image sensors to receive light reflected from an inspection target, the defect detector comprising:
- a plurality of photoelectric image sensors, which are alternately arranged in each of two or more lines to form a lattice-like pattern,
- wherein the plurality of photoelectric image sensors are spaced apart from each other to provide a mounting space, and at least one of a sensor cooling mechanism, a driver circuit, and an electron multiplier is arranged in said mounting space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.