Patent ID: 7719669

Claim:
An inspection method of a substrate before forming a pattern which irradiates an optical beam onto the surface of a substrate before forming the pattern mounted on a movement stage for the substrate before forming a pattern, in which primary scan is performed by rotational movement and secondary scan is performed by translation movement; comprising collecting scattered, diffracted, and reflected lights from the substrate before forming a pattern; and inspects the surface of the substrate before forming a pattern on the basis of the collected light, the inspection method of substrate before forming a pattern comprising the steps of: irradiating two optical beams from mutually different azimuthal angles at substantially the same elevation angles with respect to the surface of the substrate before forming a pattern, onto two regions different in the surface of the substrate before forming a pattern; collecting scattered, diffracted, and reflected lights from the two regions; and detecting the position and the size of a contaminant particle and a defect existing on the surface of the substrate before forming a pattern or in the inside adjacent to the surface, or surface roughness of the substrate before forming a pattern on the basis of the collected light.