Patent ID: 6184526
Filing Date: 2001-02-06
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
A pattern inspection apparatus for successively inspecting a plurality of patterns provided on a surface of a sample, comprising:a stage movable with said sample being mounted thereon;an illumination system disposed at a position facing said stage, said illumination system emitting an electron beam to an electron beam irradiation area including an inspection target area of the surface of said sample;a position detecting system disposed at a position adjacent to said stage, said position detecting system detecting a position of said stage;an electron detecting system disposed at a position facing said stage, said electron detecting system having a microchannel plate that detects at least one of secondary electrons, reflected electrons, and back-scattered electrons emerging from the electron beam irradiation area on said sample and that multiplies said at least one of secondary electrons, reflected electrons, and back-scattered electrons arriving thereat from said electron beam irradiation area, a fluorescent section disposed at a position adjacent to said microchannel plate, said fluorescent section converting a group of electrons multiplied and outputted by said microchannel plate to light, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) Time Delay Integration (TDI) array that is placed opposite to said microchannel plate with said fluorescent section in between and that receives the light excited by said fluorescent section, and a detection control system connected to said CCD TDI array, said detection control system controlling driving of said CCD TDI array, based on information about a position of the electron beam irradiation area on said sample, obtained from said position detecting system; anda scan control mechanism connected to said illumination system, said position detecting system and said electron detecting system, said scan control mechanism continuously moving the stage while checking the position of said stage, based on an output signal from said position detecting system, in such a state that an irradiation direction of said electron beam emitted from said illumination system toward said sample is kept stationary in a predetermined direction.