Patent ID: 8634069
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. The defect inspection apparatus, comprising: an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a specimen with a plurality of linear shaped beams; an imaging optical system configured to generate an image resulting from light reflected and scattered from defects existing on the specimen, in response to illumination by the linear shaped beams from the illumination optical system; a spatial filter disposed in the imaging optical system, and configured to shield diffracted light generated from a repetitive pattern formed on the specimen; a detector configured to detect signals by receiving the light image generated by the imaging optical system and obtained through the spatial filter; a defect determining unit configured to process the signals detected by the detector in order to determine defects on the specimen; and a classification and sizing processing unit configured to classify defects determined in the defect determining unit, and configured to calculate a size of each defect, wherein the illumination optical system illuminates the specimen with the plurality of linear shaped beams having different polarization components, to positions different from each other on the specimen, at almost the same time, wherein the imaging optical system generates the plurality of images, of light reflected and scattered from the defects existing on the specimen, by the illumination of the plurality of linear shaped beams from the illumination optical system, and wherein the detector includes linear sensor arrays, each of which is placed at a position where each of the plurality of images of reflected and scattered light has polarization components different from each other, and corresponding to the areas on the specimen illuminated by the plurality of linear shaped beams, and each of the linear sensor arrays receives an image different from others in polarization state.