Patent ID: 7369223

Claim:
A method of detecting a defect by inspecting a specimen including the steps of: illuminating a surface of a specimen on which plural patterns are formed and is continuously moved in one direction with a light flux formed in a shape prolonged in one direction from one of plural predetermined directions which are different in elevation angle from one another by switching an optical path of the light flux emitted from an illuminating light source in accordance with a kind of defect to be detected; capturing plural optical images of the specimen illuminated by the light flux formed in the shape prolonged in one direction with plural image sensors installed in different elevation angle directions from one another by changing an enlarging magnification in accordance with a density of the pattern formed on the sample in an area irradiated with the illuminating light flux formed in the shape prolonged in one direction; and detecting a defect on the specimen by processing the images captured by the plural image sensors.