Patent ID: 8482728

Claim:
A defect inspection apparatus comprising: a light source; a placement table for mounting a sample; a moving unit which moves said placement table; an irradiation unit for irradiating the sample placed on the placement table with light emitted from the light source; a light detection unit for detecting light reflected from a sample surface; a defect detection unit for detecting a defect on the sample surface based on the reflected light detected by the light detection unit; a foreign matter anti-adhesive unit for preventing a foreign matter from adhering to the surface of the sample, wherein: the foreign matter anti-adhesive unit covers the sample; an opening-closing unit for opening and closing the foreign matter anti-adhesive unit in a direction along a z-direction of said sample, said z-direction being the direction perpendicular to the plane of the placement table; and a convey system which conveys the sample associated with said opening-closing unit; the foreign matter anti-adhesive unit is attached to the opening-closing unit, and the opening-closing unit is arranged on the moving unit, and the foreign matter anti-adhesive unit is formed of a dielectric member, said dielectric member being charged by an electric source in a polarity opposite to a foreign matter for trapping the foreign matter on the dielectric member.