Patent ID: 8351683

Claim:
An inspection apparatus comprising: an illumination system which illuminates an object with light and forms a substantive line on the object; a detection system which detects scattered light from the object; and a processing system, wherein: the illumination system includes: a light source which generates coherent light; a first optical element which provides different phase differences to two polarization components of the coherent light as a function of a position where the coherent light passes through the first optical element; and a second optical element which provides a coherent reduction effect to light passed through the first optical element, and the processing system is programmed to perform the process functions of: i) acquiring defect candidates using a detection result from the detection system; ii) relating the defect candidates to coordinates on the object; and iii) classifying each defect candidate into either a defect group or a false group, using a characteristic quantity of each defect candidate.