Patent ID: 7142300

Claim:
A semiconductor manufacturing method for inspecting Edge Bead Removal of resist from atop a silicon wafer, said wafer having a surface with a first bare silicon portion and a second resist covered portion, comprising the steps of: a) illuminating said wafer surface with a collimated illumination beam directed toward said wafer surface at an angle of illumination, said angle of illumination being at angle θ from a normal to said wafer surface, said angle θ being selected such that the ratio of reflectivity between s-polarized light and p-polarized light is substantially different for said resist as compared to said silicon at an angle of illumination equal to said angle θ; b) polarizing said collimated illumination beam so as to yield a p-polarized portion of said collimated illumination beam impinging on said wafer surface; c) detecting an image of reflected light from said p-polarized portion of said collimated illumination beam off of said wafer surface; and f) processing said image of reflected light from said image of reflected light from said p-polarized portion of said collimated illumination beam to enhance said image contrast between said first bare silicon portion of said wafer surface and said second resist covered portion of said wafer surface.