Patent ID: 7813539

Claim:
A defect data analysis method comprising the steps of: obtaining defect position information by inspecting a substrate with an inspection apparatus, wherein the substrate is processed in a process of circuit pattern formation on the substrate; storing the obtained defect position information in memory; processing the defect position information stored in the memory using a processor; obtaining a defect distribution pattern on a wafer map from the processed defect position information, the defect distribution pattern representing a placement state of a plurality of defects on the wafer map; classifying the obtained defect distribution pattern on the wafer map into one of a plurality of distribution regional defect categories by using a defect distribution shape pattern classifier and the processed defect position information, wherein the plurality of regional defect categories comprises: repeated defects, clustered defects, arc-shaped regional defects, radial regional defects, line type regional defects, ring and blob type regional defects and random defects; and displaying, on a display screen, the classified defect distribution pattern relative to the wafer map, wherein the characteristic regional defect categories are each displayed using different colors, wherein the radial regional defects are detected by creating distribution data on a ρθ space based on information associated with the defects distributed on the processed substrate on Cartesian coordinate space and extracting the radial regional defects from the distribution data on the ρθ space, further comprising: converting the information associated with the defects distributed on the processed substrate on the Cartesian coordinate space into the defect position information on the polar coordinate space by using: a distance between a straight line connecting two arbitrary defects on the processed substrate and an origin of the Cartesian coordinate space, and an angle defined by an X axis and a perpendicular drawn from the origin of the Cartesian coordinate space to a straight line connecting two arbitrary defects.