Patent ID: 7522290

Claim:
A semiconductor wafer inspection apparatus, comprising: a scanning device which irradiates each point of a surface of a semiconductor wafer ( 200 ) with a laser beam ( 102 ) while scanning said surface; a reflected-light sensor ( 130 ) which receives the laser beam reflected from each of said points irradiated with said laser beam ( 102 ), and outputs a signal ( 131 ); an inclination point detection means ( 132 , 302 ), which receives the signal ( 131 ) from said reflected-light sensor ( 130 ), and detects upward-inclination points ( 400 ) having an inclination which rises in a prescribed direction and downward-inclination points ( 402 ) having an inclination which falls; anomalous area detection means ( 132 , 304 ) which receives detection results from said inclination point detection means ( 132 , 302 ), and based on positional relationship between said upward-inclination points and said downward-inclination points, detects anomalous areas ( 404 ); and output means ( 132 , 306 ) which outputs detection results from the anomalous area detection means, wherein said anomalous area detection means ( 132 , 304 ) detects, as said anomalous area, an area in which both said upward-inclination point ( 400 ) and said downward-inclination point ( 402 ) exist in proximity within a prescribed range of mutual distances.