Patent ID: 7326929

Claim:
A method for detecting defects in at least one semiconductor device or a portion of a semiconductor device having a reflective back plane, comprising: illuminating at least one semiconductor device or a portion of a semiconductor device with infrared radiation from a flat-panel illuminator oriented to direct the radiation onto the semiconductor device at a selected incident angle; positioning an infrared camera to receive specularly reflected radiation from the at least one semiconductor device or a portion of a semiconductor device; and forming an image in the camera, representative of radiation specularly reflected from the at least one semiconductor device or a portion of a semiconductor device, wherein any defects in the at least one semiconductor device or a portion of a semiconductor device are visible in the image as contrasting features, and wherein the flat-panel illuminator radiates light over a broad band of infrared wavelengths and the camera is sensitive in a wavelength range of approximately 3-5 μm.