Patent ID: 7531462

Claim:
A method of inspecting a semiconductor wafer, comprising: removing a device structure film on the semiconductor wafer with a chemical solution to expose a crystal surface of the semiconductor wafer; coating a protected area, which is a part of the crystal surface of the semiconductor wafer, with a mask material for protecting the crystal surface of the semiconductor wafer; etching the semiconductor wafer selectively, thereby making a crystal defect in a non-protected area, which is a part of the crystal surface of the semiconductor wafer that is not coated with the mask material, appear after the crystal surface is coated with the mask material; removing the mask material after the selective etching; carrying out quantitative measurement of the protected area and the non-protected area using an optical defect inspection apparatus or a beam-type defect inspection apparatus; and calculating a number of crystal defects of the semiconductor wafer base on the result of the measurement.