Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7768634?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2015-07-03 04:03:02
Document Index: 572837109

Matched Legal Cases: ['Arts 1', 'Arts 1', 'Arts 1', 'Arts 1', 'Arts 10', 'Arts 10']

Patent US7768634 - Defects inspecting apparatus and defects inspecting method - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn inspecting apparatus and method including first and second illuminating units for illuminating a surface of a specimen to be inspected with different incident angles and first and second detecting optical units arranged at different elevation angle directions to the surface of the specimen for detecting...http://www.google.com/patents/US7768634?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7768634 - Defects inspecting apparatus and defects inspecting methodAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7768634 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/192,578Publication dateAug 3, 2010Filing dateAug 15, 2008Priority dateNov 27, 2002Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS7417721, US8013989, US8228495, US8508727, US20060124874, US20090033924, US20100259751, US20110310382, US20120262709, WO2004063734A1Publication number12192578, 192578, US 7768634 B2, US 7768634B2, US-B2-7768634, US7768634 B2, US7768634B2InventorsSachio Uto, Minori Noguchi, Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Yoshimasa Ohshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Takahiro Jingu, Toshihiko Nakata, Masahiro WatanabeOriginal AssigneeHitachi High-Technologies CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (21), Referenced by (3), Classifications (14), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetDefects inspecting apparatus and defects inspecting method
US 7768634 B2Abstract
a stage for mounting a specimen to be inspected and movable at least one direction;
a first illuminating unit which illuminates a surface of the specimen with a first slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a first incident angle to the surface of the specimen;
a second illuminating unit which illuminates the surface of the specimen with a second slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a second incident angle to the surface of the specimen which is an angle greater than the first incident angle;
a first detecting optical unit installed in a first elevation angle direction to the surface of the specimen and having first image-forming optics and a first image sensor to detect a first image of the specimen illuminated by the first illuminating unit or a second image of the specimen illuminated by the second illuminating unit;
a second detecting optical unit installed in a second elevation angle direction to the surface of the specimen which is an angle direction greater than the first elevation angle direction and having second image-forming optics and a second image sensor to detect a third image of the specimen illuminated by the first illuminating unit or a fourth image of the specimen illuminated by the second illuminating unit; and
a processor which processes images detected by the first image sensor and the second image sensor to detect a defect on the specimen.
2. A defect inspecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first illuminating unit illuminates the surface of the specimen with a first ultraviolet laser beam and the second illuminating unit illuminates the surface of the specimen with a second ultraviolet laser beam.
a stage for mounting a specimen to be inspected and movable at least in one direction;
an illuminating optical unit having a first illuminator which illuminates a surface of the specimen with a first slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a first incident angle to the surface of the specimen, and a second illuminator which illuminates the surface of the specimen with a second slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a second incident angle to the surface of the specimen which is an angle greater than the first incident angle;
a detecting optical unit having first detection optics installed in a direction of a first elevation angle to the surface of the specimen to detect light from the specimen caused by the illuminations the illuminating optical unit and a second detection optics installed in a direction of a second elevation angle to the surface of the specimen to detect light from the specimen caused by the illumination by the illuminating optical unit; and
a processor which processes images detected by the first detection optics and the second detection optics to detect defects on the specimen and classifies the detected defects into one of plural defect categories;
wherein the first illuminator of said illuminating optical unit illuminates the specimen with the first slit-like shaped polarized ultraviolet laser beam in a longitudinal direction of the first slit-like shaped polarized ultraviolet laser beam, and first illuminator and said second illuminator illuminate the specimen at different times.
10. A defect inspecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the illuminating optical unit includes a laser light source to emit an ultraviolet laser beam, and a switching means for switching a path of the emitted ultraviolet laser beam between the first illuminator and the second illuminator.
illuminating a surface of a specimen with a first slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a first incident angle relative to the surface of the specimen;
detecting a first image of the specimen illuminated by the first slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a first detecting optical unit installed in a first elevation angle direction to the surface of the specimen and detecting a second image of the specimen illuminated by the first slit-like shaped polarized laser bream with second detecting optical unit installed in a second elevation angle direction to the surface of the specimen which is an elevation angle greater than the first elevation angle;
illuminating the surface of the specimen with a second slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with a second incident angle relative to the surface of the specimen which is an angle greater than the first incident angle;
detecting a third image of the specimen illuminated by the second slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with the first detecting optical unit installed in the first elevation angle direction and a fourth image of the specimen illuminated by the second slit-like shaped polarized laser beam with the second detecting optical unit installed in the second elevation angle direction; and
processing the detected first image, second image, third image and fourth image to detect defects on the specimen and classifying defects detected by the detection.
12. A defect inspecting method according to claim 11, wherein the first detecting optical unit and the second detecting optical unit each include a spatial filter, and the first image, the second image, the third image and the fourth image are detected after passing through the spatial filter.
16. A defect inspecting method according to claim 11, wherein the first detecting optical unit and the second image sensor of said second detecting optical unit include linear image sensors.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/536,715, filed Oct. 21, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,417,721, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a defects inspecting apparatus for detecting defects, such as, foreign matters or particles (hereinafter, “foreign matters”, collectively), existing upon a thin-film substrate, a semiconductor substrate and/or a photo mask, etc., in particular, when manufacturing a semiconductor chip and/or a liquid crystal product, or scratches or the like, which are caused on a circuit pattern, thereby inspecting a situation of generating such foreign matters or the like, within a manufacturing process of devices, for analyzing the defects, such as, the foreign matters, etc., which are detected, as well as, a method thereof.
Within the manufacturing process of semiconductors, presence of the foreign matters on a semiconductor substrate (i.e., a wafer) comes to be a cause of generation of defects, such as, insulation failure (or, ill insulation) or short-circuiting between wiring patterns, etc. Further, accompanying with miniaturization of the semiconductor elements, such the foreign matters, but being fine or microscopic much more, also comes to be the reason of ill insulation of a capacitor and/or breakage of gate oxidization films, etc. Thus, such the foreign matters, including those generated from movable portions of a conveyer, those generated from a human body, those produced by processing gas through reaction thereof within a processing apparatus, and those mixed within chemicals and materials, for example; they are mixed up with one another, under various conditions and due to various kinds of reasons thereof.
However, with the Conventional Arts 1 through 9, it is impossible to detect the fine or microscopic foreign matters, or defects upon the substrate, easily, on which repetitive patterns and non-repetitive patterns are formed mixing with each other, at high sensitivity and at high-speed. Thus, with those Conventional Arts 1 through 9 mentioned above, in particular, in a portion other than the repetitive portion, such as, a cell portion of a memory, for example, there is a problem that the detection sensitivity is low (i.e., the minimum size of a detectable foreign matter is large). Also, with the Conventional Arts 1 through 9 mentioned above, there is other problem that the detection sensitivity is low on the fine foreign matters or defects, such as, a level of 0.1 μm, in particular, within a region where the pattern density is high. Further, with the Conventional Arts 1 through 9 mentioned above, there is other problem that the detection sensitivity is also low, in particular, on the foreign matters or defects, which build up short-circuiting between the wiring patterns, or on a film-like defects. Or, with the Conventional Arts 10 and 11 mentioned above, there is a problem that accuracy is low, in particular, when measuring the foreign matters or the defects. Also, with the Conventional Arts 10 and 11 mentioned above, there is another problem that the sensitivity is low when detecting the foreign matters upon the wafer surface, on which a transparent thin film is formed.
Further, as the laser light-source 11, it is desirable to apply the second high-frequency SHG of YAG laser of a high output, having a wavelength 532 nm, for example, by taking the facts into the consideration, that it enables the inspection with high sensitivity and that it is cheap in the maintenance cost; however, there is not always a necessity that the wavelength of 532 nm, but it may also be a light source, such as, a UV (ultraviolet) laser, a far ultraviolet (FUV) laser, a vacuum UV (ultraviolet) laser, an Ar laser, a nitrogen laser, a He—Cd laser, an excimer laser, or a semiconductor laser, etc. As an advantage of applying each of those lasers, if the laser wavelength is shortened, since the resolution of an image detected can be increased, therefore it is possible to achieve the inspection thereof with high sensitivity. However, if applying the wavelength of about 0.34 μm, then the NA of the objection lens 21 be 0.4 or more or less, or if applying the wavelength of about 0.17 μm, then the NA of the objection lens 21 comes to be 0.2 or more or less; thereby enabling an improvement upon the detection sensitivity since the much of diffracted lights can be incident upon the objection lens 21. Also, with applying of the semiconductor laser or the like, there can be obtained an apparatus small-sized and of low-costs.
Next, explanation will be made about an automatic setting of the space filter 22 of using a pupil observatory optic system 70, by referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 8( a)-8(c). Namely, the space filter 22 is so adjusted that it picks up an image, for example, of the lights reflected and/or diffracted from the repetitive diffraction patterns 902 at the position where the image of Fourier conversion is formed, as is shown in FIG. 8( a), by means of the pupil observatory optic system 70 including a mirror 90, which can be escaped from during the inspection operation, a projection lens 91, a TV camera 92, on the optical path of the detection optic system 200, and it obtains an image 904 having no bright spot of the lights reflected and/or diffracted from the circuit patterns at the image-forming position of the Fourier conversion, as is shown in FIG. 8( c), by changing an interval or pitch “p” of a light shielding portion 903, which is provided at the position where the Fourier conversion can be formed, through a mechanism not shown figures, as is described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 5-218163 (1993), for example. Those are automatically set up through adjustment on the pitch “p” and/or rotation direction of the light shielding portion 903 within the space filter 22, upon basis of an instruction from the total controller portion 50 processing the signals from the TV camera 92 within the signal processing system 40. However, without applying such the light shielding plate therein, as was mentioned above, but it may be made through forming a light shielding portion reduced in sizes, such as, through forming whites and blacks in reverse on a transparent substrate upon basis of the signals from the TV camera 92.
However, the threshold-value calculation processor portion 1303 is described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-105203 (2000). Thus, within the threshold-value calculation processor portion 1303, threshold-value image of the detection threshold values (i.e., Th(H) and Th(L)) and verification threshold values (i.e., Th(Hm) and Th(Lm)) is calculated out from the following equation (2). Where, a deviation of input data can be calculated out by (σ(ΔS)=√{square root over ( )}(ΣΔS2/n−ΣΔS/n)), and an averaged value of the input data by (μ(ΔS)=ΣΔS/n)). Further, it is assumed that a coefficient (i.e., the magnification) is “k” for setting up the threshold value corresponding to a number “n” of the input data, and that a coefficient is “m” (assuming that “m” is smaller than 1) for verification.
Th(H)=μ+k�σ, or Th(H)=μ−k�σ, or
Th(Hm)=m�(μ+k�σ), or Th(Lm)=m�(μ−k�σ) (2)
Thus, since being inputted with the foreign-matter detection signals, upon which various kinds of pixel merges are treated, then the integration processor portion 1309 is able to classify the foreign matters into “large foreign matters”, “fine foreign matters”, “foreign matters having a low height”, as shown in FIG. 17. This FIG. 17 is a table for showing the relationships between the classifying criteria and classified results. This FIG. 17 shows an example of applying the detection result between the result, which is detected through the 1�1 pixel and treated with the merge process thereupon, and the result, which is detected through the 5�5 pixels and treated with the merge process thereupon. Thus, from the foreign-matter detection processor circuits 1307 a and 1307 c can be obtained the inspection results upon the 1�1 pixel and the 5�5 pixels through the signal processor circuit. With using those, the classification is conducted according to FIG. 17. Thus, a certain foreign matter can be detected upon both the 1�1 pixel and the 5�5 pixels, and it is classified to be “large foreign matters”. Also, if it can be detected upon the 1�1 pixel but not upon the 5�5 pixels, then it is classified to be “fine foreign matters”, and further if it cannot be detected upon the 1�1 pixel but upon the 5�5 pixels, then it is classified to be “foreign matters having a low height”.
Next, explanation will be made on an embodiment of the method for calculating out the detected light amount D, by referring to FIGS. 19( a) and 19(b). FIG. 19( a) shows an image of the fine foreign matter portion, which is produced upon basis of digital image signal of the fine foreign matters (i.e., the image signal obtained through A/D conversion upon the signal of the photo-detector 26), which can be obtained from the data memory portion 1302, in relation to the fine foreign matters detected within the foreign-matter detection processor circuit 1307. The fine foreign matter portion 2601 indicates the signal of the fine foreign matters. FIG. 19( b) shows A/D conversion values (i.e., gradation values of the pixels, for each) of the fine foreign matters 2601 shown in FIG. 19( a) and an image in vicinity thereof. This example shows an example when conducting the A/D conversion of 8 bits, wherein the foreign-matter signal portion 2602 indicates the detected signal from the fine foreign matters. Herein, “255” at a center of the foreign-matter signal portion 2602 indicates that an analog signal is in saturation, and portions of “0” other than the foreign-matter signal portion 2602 indicate that they are signals obtained from others than the fine foreign matters. As a method for calculating out an amount D of detected lights from the fine foreign matters, the sum is calculated out of the respective pixel values of the foreign-matter signal portion 2602 shown in FIG. 19( b). For example, in the example of FIG. 19( b), the detected light amount D of the fine foreign matters 2601 is “805”, i.e., the sum of the values of the respective pixels.
Where, “log” in the above equation is indicative of calculation of the natural logarithm.
Next, comparison is made between the coordinate data obtained as the result of the first inspection and the coordinate data obtained as the result of the second inspection (S225), and then classification is made from the respective characteristic quantities thereof, while assuming that the foreign matters near to each other in the coordinates thereof be the same thing (S226). Herein, as one embodiment of the method for determining vicinity of the coordinate data, if assuming that the coordinate data obtained from the first inspection result are “x1” and “y1”, that the coordinate data obtained from the second inspection result are “x2” and “y2”, and that a comparison radiator is “r”, then determination may be made that the data fitting to the following equation (12) to be the same thing:
Herein, “r” may be set to be zero (0) or a value by taking the error accompanying the apparatus into the consideration. As the measuring method, for example, calculation may be made upon the value of left-hand side of the equation (12) with the coordinate data of the foreign matters at several points, and then from the averaged value thereof and a standard deviation value, the value calculated out from the equation (13) may be set to “r”, for example.
Further, explanation will be made about the method for classifying the foreign matters from the foreign-matter information considered to be the same thing, by referring to FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b). In FIG. 22( a), onto the horizontal axis thereof is set the scattered light amount (D1) obtained by the first inspection mentioned above (i.e., the low-angle illumination), while onto the vertical axis the characteristic quantity, i.e., the scattered light amount (Dh) obtained by the second inspection (i.e., the high-angle illumination). In FIG. 22( b), onto the horizontal axis thereof is set the scattered light amount (D1′) obtained from the side-directed detection optic system 600 under the low-angle illumination, while onto the vertical axis is set the scattered light amount (Dh′) obtained therefrom under the high-angle illumination. In those FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b), a reference numeral 3501 depicts points, being plotted corresponding to each of the characteristic quantities of the foreign matters, which are considered to be the same thing. In the present embodiment, one (1) point indicates one (1) piece of foreign matter. Also, a reference numeral 3502 depicts a classification curve for classifying the foreign matters detected during the inspection. Those FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b) show a case of dividing into two (2) areas by the classification line, i.e., an area 3503 and an area 3504. As a method for classifying, if the above-mentioned foreign matters detected should be plotted within the area 3503 in FIG. 22( a), they are classified to be “large foreign matters or scratches”, while they are classified to be “small foreign matters” if they should be plotted within the area 3504. Also, detected things 4510 are classified to be the defects within film, lying inside the transparent film 800, if the scattered light amount (D1′) within the side-directed detection optic system 600 is smaller, comparing to the scattered light amount (D1) under the low-angle illumination and the scattered light amount (Dh) under the high-angle illumination, as is shown in FIG. 22( a). By the way, in the case of an upper-directed detection under the low-angle illumination, the brightness comes down due to spreading of the illumination light beam upon the wafer, thereby lowering the sensitivity; therefore, the detection sensitivity of the upper-directed detection is lower than that of the side-directed detection.
Herein, it is necessary to determine the classification line 3502, in advance. As a method for determining it in advance, plotting the detected things in several numbers thereof on a graph of FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b), which are already known to be the large foreign matters or the small foreign matters in advance, the classification line 3502 is set up, so that the detected things can be divided, correctly. Or, calculating out the characteristic quantity obtainable from the foreign matters, through simulation thereon, the classification line 3502 may be set up from the result thereof. Herein, as a method of affirming the kinds of foreign matters, for example, the classification may be made with using the detected things upon the wafer, which are already known about the defects coordinate and the kinds thereof through a review apparatus, such as, an observatory optic microscope 60 or a SEM, etc., which is mounted within the inspecting apparatus. With the review apparatus, including the observatory optic microscope 60 mounted within the inspecting apparatus, it is possible to make the classification within a short time, while in the case of using the SEM, it is possible to make the classification with high resolution. The detected things are the foreign matters, the scratches, or the foreign matters within transparent film, etc., in the kind thereof. Upon setup of the classification line 3501, the threshold value may be set at such a certain value of the scattered light amount obtainable under the low-angle illumination, that there occurs no error of detecting electric noises within the detector 26 to be the foreign matters. Also, firstly calculation is made upon a position of the center of gravity, for each of the groups of large foreign matters and small foreign matters, thereby obtaining the standard deviation at each of the plotted points therefrom. Next, an orthogonal bisector is drawn, as the classification line 3502, at a point on a straight line, satisfying Lx(r1/r1+r2)), where distance is “L” of a line joining between the respective positions of the center of gravity, and radii of the standard deviation from the respective positions of the center of gravity are “r1” and “r2”, respectively.
The way of thinking of this classifying method will be explained by referring to FIG. 24. This FIG. 24 shows a characteristic quantity space, in which the three (3) kinds of characteristic quantities are set up to the three (3) axes thereof. As those three (3) axes, for example, a characteristic quantity 1 is the characteristic quantity (for example, the scattered light amount (Dh)) obtained from defects under the first optical condition (for example, the high-angle illumination), the second characteristic quantity 2 is the characteristic quantity (for example, the scattered light amount (D1)) obtained from defects under the second optical condition (for example, the low-angle illumination), and a third characteristic quantity is the characteristic quantity (for example, the detecting pixel number: a flat area of the defects) obtained from defects under the third optical condition (for example, the high-angle illumination of being the first optical condition and the low-angle illumination of being the second optical condition). In such the characteristic space, (number of classification categories—1) pieces of classification boundaries are set up. Since this FIG. 24 shows an example of conducting the classification into three (3) kinds from three (3) kinds of characteristic quantities, therefore it is sufficient to set up the classification boundaries in the number of two (2) or more than that.
Then, FIG. 24 shows the example of setting up the classification boundaries 4501 and 4502. As a method for classification, firstly the three (3) characteristic quantities mentioned above are plotted within the characteristic quantity space shown in FIG. 24 (S245 sown in FIG. 23). Then, the foreign matters belonging to the area or region divided by the classification boundaries 4501 and 4502 are classified into the category “a” (for example, the foreign-matter defects), the category “b” (for example, the scratch defects), and the category “c” (for example, the circuit-pattern defects), for example (S246 shown in FIG. 23). This FIG. 24 shows the example of classifying about thirty (30) pieces of defects into the category “a”, the category “b” and the category “c”, while changing the display marks thereof, for each of the defects classified into the respective categories. Thus, those classified into the category “a” (for example, the foreign-matter defects) is displayed by “◯”, those classified into the category “b” (for example, the scratch defects) by “▴”, and those classified into the category “c” (for example, the circuit-pattern defects) by “x”, respectively.
As a method for setting up the classification boundaries, firstly into the characteristic quantity spaces 4601, 4602 and 4603 are plotted the characteristic quantities of the foreign matters, the classification categories of which are already known. Herein, when making plots into the characteristic quantity spaces, the difference in the category is also presented, by changing the display mark or the like, for each of the categories thereof. For example, FIGS. 25( a) through 25(c) show examples, each displays the category “a” by “0”, the category “b” by “A”, and the category “c” by “x”, respectively.
Next, within those characteristic quantity spaces 4601, 4602 and 4603, the classification boundaries 4604, 4605 and 4606 are established at the position, so as to enable to divide the categories, for each. Herein, if the categories overlap in plural number thereof, there is no necessity of establishing the classification boundary between them. For example, since the category “a” is distributed at the position separated from other categories “b” and “a” within the characteristic quantity space 4601, then the classification boundary 4604 should be established for classifying the category “a” separated from the categories “b” and “a”; however, since the categories “b” and “c” overlap with each other in the distribution thereof, there is not always necessity of establishing the classification boundary between them. When conducting the classification upon the foreign matters, they are classified into the category “a” or the others, by using this characteristic quantity space 4601. In the similar manner, within the characteristic quantity spaces 4602 and 4603 are established the classification boundaries 4605 and 4606, respectively, thereby to be used when conducting the classification upon the foreign matters.
In more details thereof, the position information 3801 indicates the position of the foreign matters or scratches on the wafer. However, the present embodiment shows a case where the foreign matters are indicated by “◯”, while the scratches by “▴”. Also, the detection number 3802 is the number of pieces of the foreign matters or the scratches detected. Further, the graphs 3803 are histograms between the detection number and the sizes of the foreign matters or the scratches detected. Displaying the things detected by the defects inspecting apparatus according to the present invention, in this manner, enables the distribution of the foreign matters or the scratches to be seen at glance.
The present embodiment shows an example of classifying the things detected into two (2) categories, wherein a mark “1” indicates the foreign matters and a mark “2” the scratches, on the inspection map 4002.
Next, explanation will be made about a method for calculating out the classifying-correctness rate. First, after making the inspection by means of the defects inspecting apparatus according to the present invention, observatory images 4007 are displayed, respectively, within the confirmation image portions 4004 and 4005. In this instance, the things detected are displayed on either one of those confirmation image portions 4004 and 4005, depending upon the result of classification made within the defects inspecting apparatus according to the present invention. Next, a user of the defects inspecting apparatus, according to the present invention, inputs the categories decided by the user into the classifying-correctness determining portions 4008, which are annexed to the observatory screens 4007, respectively. In the present example, there is shown a case where checking can be made in a checkbox of the category that the user selects, as an inputting method thereof, and within the confirmation image portions 4004 of the foreign matters, ⅚ thereof is checked to be the foreign matters (i.e., the category “1”) and the remaining ⅙ is checked to be the scratches (i.e., the category “2”), as an example. Also, within the confirmation image portions 4005 of the scratches, all of them are determined to be the scratches (i.e., the category “2”), in this example.
Next, explanation will be made about each of those setups, which are executed by the total controller portion 50. First, in the setup of a chip layout (S211), chip sizes and/or presence or non-presence of chips on the wafer are set into the signal processing system 40, with using CAD information or the like, within the total controller portion 50. This chip size is necessary to be set up, since it means the distance for conducting comparison process thereupon. Next, the rotation fitting (S212) is the setup for bringing the aligning direction of chips on the wafer 1 mounted on the stage and the pixel direction of the photo-detector 26 in parallel with each other, i.e., rotating the wafer 1 so as to adjust the rotation shift to be almost “0”. Since conduction of this rotation fitting brings the repetitive patterns on the wafer to be aligned on one (1) axis direction, the chip-comparison signal process can be conducted, with easiness. Next, in the setup of inspection area or region (S213), setting is made on the position where the inspection should be made on the wafer, and on the detection sensitivity within that inspection area, for the total controller portion 50 to controls the signal processing system 40. Conducting this inspection area setup (S213) enables the inspection at the optimal sensitivity upon each of the areas on the wafer. The setting method thereof is as was mentioned, by referring to FIG. 15 in the above.
The said optical condition setup screen comprises an illumination direction condition 3001 for the illumination system, an illumination angle condition 3002 for the illumination system, and a detection optic system condition 3003 (including the detection direction, such as, the upper-directed one or the oblique one, for example). In this FIG. 31 is shown an example, on which the selection can be made among three (3) kinds on the illumination direction condition 3001, three (3) kinds on the illumination angle condition 3002, and between two (2) kinds on the detection optic system condition 3003. A user of the present defects inspecting apparatus can make selection of the optimal condition while watching the contents of the conditions 3001, 3002 and 3003, appropriately. For example, when she/he wishes to make an inspection on the foreign matters on the surface thereof at high sensitivity, if the inspection target 1 is a wafer during a metal-film deposition process, then it is enough to select “deposition process” from conditions within the illumination direction condition 3001, further select “surface foreign matters” from conditions within the illumination angle condition 3002, and select “upper-directed detection (magnification-variable): high sensitivity inspection” from conditions within detection optic system condition 3003; and an example of conducting those selections is shown in FIG. 31. Also, when she/he wishes to make an inspection upon the defects, such as, the foreign matters and/or the scratches, if the inspection target is the oxidation film, for example, then it is enough to select “CMP post-process” from conditions within the illumination direction condition 3001, and further select “surface foreign matters” from conditions within the illumination angle condition 3002, and select “oblique detection: high speed inspection” from conditions within detection optic system condition 3003.
Next, the details thereof will be given. First, the condition setup sequence 4301 shows a flow of the setups of inspection conditions within the foreign-matter inspecting apparatus according to the present invention. A user may set up the conditions in series from the “chip layout setup” within the condition setup sequence 4301.
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