Patent ID: 7307725

Claim:
A surface inspection apparatus comprising: a light source unit that emits a divergent light flux of predetermined linearly polarized light to be used to illuminate a test substrate; an optical member that allows the divergent light flux of the predetermined linearly polarized light to enter therein with a principle ray of the divergent light flux achieving a predetermined angle of incidence and then guides a light flux to the test substrate; a light-receiving unit that receives linearly polarized light in a light flux from the test substrate, which is polarized along a direction perpendicular to a polarization direction of the predetermined linearly polarized light; at least one polarization correcting member disposed within a light path extending between the light source unit and the light-receiving unit, which corrects a disruption of a polarization plane attributable to the optical member; and an inspection unit that inspects a surface of the test substrate based upon the light received at the light-receiving unit.