Patent ID: 8169613

Claim:
A sample inspection system, comprising: a) one or more collection systems that receive scattered radiation from a region on a sample surface proximate a symmetry axis of said collection systems and originating from an incident radiation directed at an oblique angle with respect to said sample surface, said collection systems being further configured to direct the scattered radiation to one or more detectors; and b) a polarizing device disposed between said one or more collection systems and the detector, said polarizing device comprising a plurality of polarizing sections, wherein each section is characterized by different polarization characteristics, said polarizing device being configured to transmit scattered radiation from defects to the detector and to block noise from background sources that do not share characteristics with scattered radiation from the defects from reaching the detector, wherein the polarizing device is configured such that a capture rate for the defects by the one or more detectors is maximized at a less than optimal signal-to-noise ratio.