Patent ID: 6800859
Filing Date: 2004-10-05
Classification: G01J,G01N,G02B

Abstract:
Pattern defect detecting equipment comprising:a laser source for emitting an ultraviolet laser beam; coherence reducing means for reducing the coherence of the ultraviolet laser beam emitted from said laser source; objective lens means for irradiating a sample with said ultraviolet laser beam passing through said coherence reducing means; image detecting means for detecting an image of said sample irradiated with the ultraviolet laser beam through said objective lens means; storage means for storing a comparison image signal; and defect detecting means for detecting a defect in a pattern formed on said sample by comparing an image signal of said sample which is outputted from said image detecting means to the comparison image signal stored in said storage means; wherein said coherence reducing means scans said ultraviolet laser beam over a pupil of said objective lens means.