Patent ID: 7903264

Claim:
A structure inspection method comprising: preparing a substrate having layers whose structure is characterized by an optical constant, film thickness, ratio and pitch, the substrate having one or more structure-determined layer and one or more structure-undetermined layer; preparing predicted structures of each of the layers; preparing a substrate structure library storing substrate structures comprising combinations of the structures in each of the layers; making light enter each of the substrate structures at a specified angle and calculating a light intensity of the light which is diffracted or reflected from the substrate structure, thereby preparing a first light intensity library storing the substrate structures and the light intensity calculated to each of the substrate structures; newly preparing structures including a structure of a structure-determined layer; extracting a substrate structure including one of the newly prepared structures from the substrate structures in the first light intensity library, and preparing a second light intensity library storing the extracted substrate structure and a light intensity calculated with respect to the extracted substrate structure; making light enter the substrate at the specified angle and detecting a light intensity of light which is diffracted or reflected from the substrate; and comparing the detected light intensity with the light intensity stored in the second light intensity library to determine a structure of the substrate.