Patent ID: 8194241

Claim:
An edge inspection apparatus of a semiconductor wafer having: an imaging unit arranged facing the outer circumference edge part of the semiconductor wafer, successively capturing the outer circumference edge part in a circumferential direction, and outputting an image signal; an image processing unit processing the image signal successfully output from the imaging unit; and a display unit, the image processing unit having an image information generating means for generating image information expressing the outer circumference edge part of one turn of the semiconductor wafer from the image signal, a shape information generating means for generating edge shape information expressing shapes of a plurality of positions of the outer circumference edge part of one turn of the semiconductor wafer from the image information, an inspection result information generating means for generating inspection result information based on the edge shape information, the inspection result information being capable of expressing a state of the shape of the outer circumference edge part of one turn of the semiconductor wafer, first means for controlling the display unit based on the image information so that an image of the outer circumference edge part of the semiconductor wafer is displayed on the display unit, and second means for controlling the display unit based on the inspection result Information so that inspection result is displayed on the display unit.