Mitsui Minings & Melting Co., Ltd.

Raytex Corporation

Kazuo Moriya

Katsuyuki Hirai

Kiyoshi Yamagishi

Yasuhide Yamaguchi

Mikio Kimura

Kazumi Fujimoto

Yutaka Anzai

Hideo Wada

Takayuki Tsuzura

Masaru Ohtsuka

A defective particle measuring apparatus that irradiates focused laser light on a sample, images scattered light from the sample, and measures defective particles in the sample based on the image result, includes a position deviation computing portion which, based on an in-plane intensity distribution of scattered light of each defective particle that is imaged, obtains a deviation from a focal point position on an image point side of the scattered light of each defective particle and calculates a position deviation amount in a depth direction of the defective particle corresponding to the deviation from the focal point position, a light intensity correcting portion for correcting the light intensity of the scattered light of the defective particle corresponding to the position deviation amount in the depth direction, and a size determining portion for determining the defective particle size based on the light intensity corrected by the light intensity correcting portion. Thus, the size of the defective particles can be determined at a high precision by a simple constitution in a short time, and density distribution of the defective particles can be obtained.

Defective particle measuring apparatus and defective particle measuring method

An observation apparatus includes a CCD sensor which has, on a light-receiving surface, pixel lines each including a plurality of pixels, sequentially shifts charge signals of the pixels of each line, which are generated upon receiving light, to the adjacent line, and sequentially outputs the charge signals through the line at one end; an illuminating device for illuminating a moving observation target with a laser beam; an imaging device for focusing scattered light from the moving observation target to form an image on the light-receiving surface; and a driving circuit for driving the CCD such that the shift speed of the charge signals matches the moving speed of the image on the light-receiving means. In some cases, the CCD sensor and the driving circuit has a function of shifting the charge signals in a direction perpendicular to the shift direction. The CCD sensor has a shift register for receiving the charge signals of the pixels of the line at one end, shifting the charge signals to sequentially output each charge signal, and a dark current buffer for storing charge signals of a dark current output to the shift register through the line at one end, and outputs contents obtained by subtracting, from contents of the shift register, corresponding contents of the dark current buffer.

Observation apparatus for observing a defect in a moving target object using scattered light

A defect evaluation apparatus of this invention includes a laser irradiation unit for obliquely irradiating a laser beam onto an object, and an observation unit for observing scattered light from inside the object or a surface of the object. The laser irradiation unit irradiates the laser beam onto the object from a plurality of incident directions around an observation optical axis, and the observation unit receives the scattered light from the object to obtain shape information of a defect in the object or on the surface of the object.

Defect evaluation apparatus for evaluating defects and shape information thereof in an object or on the surface of an object

A detect observing apparatus according to the present invention has a purpose for forming an observing specimen by using a TEM and the like in a positive and simple manner and is used in observation of defect or foreign matter in an object to be tested by means of a laser tomography and includes an illumination means for illuminating observing laser light onto the object to be tested, and a microscope for observing the illuminated object to be tested, the apparatus further comprises a marking means for forming marks at a plurality of points on a surface of the object to be tested in the vicinity of the defect or foreign matter to be observed under the microscope, and a position detecting means for detecting positions of the plurality of marks formed on the surface of the object to be tested and a position of the observed defect or foreign matter through the microscope.

Apparatus and method for observing defect having marks making means

A pattern inspection apparatus for inspecting an abnormality in a pattern of a plurality of straight lines which are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction includes a data acquisition means for acquiring, by photoelectric conversion, first and second image data of the straight lines on first and second lines which pass first and second points at different positions along the straight lines, respectively, and are perpendicular to the straight lines, and a data processing means for detecting the abnormality in the straight lines on the basis of a difference between the first and second image data. The pattern is a pattern of, e.g., inner leads of a TAB tape. When density changes of the first and second image data at a position x along the first and second lines can be approximated by sin.sup.2 x, the data processing means can detect the abnormality by using a relationship established between a phase difference and a density difference between the two changes.

Pattern inspection apparatus

A pattern inspection apparatus includes a device for acquiring image data of a target inspection pattern, and an image processing unit for extracting a defect in the target inspection pattern on the basis of the image data and image data of a reference pattern. The image processing means performs image processing such that image data is prepared by reducing or increasing the pattern width of at least one of the pattern of a target inspection image represented by the image data of the target inspection pattern and the pattern of a reference image represented by the image data of the reference pattern to make the pattern width of the reference image smaller than that of the target inspection image, in this condition the target inspection image and the reference image are superposed and a portion where only the pattern of the reference image is present is extracted as a defect, image data is prepared by reducing or increasing the pattern width of at least one of the pattern of the target inspection image and the pattern of the reference image to make the pattern width of the reference image larger than that of the target inspection image, in this condition the target inspection image and the reference image are superposed and a portion where only the pattern of the target inspection image is present is extracted as a defect.

Pattern inspection apparatus and method

A resist scattered on and attached to unwanted portions is stably detected. A target inspection region including the unwanted portions to which the scattered resist should not be attached is illuminated with white light to obtain a color image, and a region having the same hue and chroma as a resist is detected. The target inspection region may be illuminated with light containing a first wavelength light exhibiting high reflectance for the unwanted portions and high absorbance for the resist and a second wavelength light exhibiting high reflectance for the unwanted portions and high transmittance for the resist to detect a color image obtained with the second wavelength light from the images of the target inspection region which are obtained by illumination with the illumination light. The resist attached to the unwanted portions may be detected on the basis of the contrast of the image obtained upon illumination with only the first wavelength light. The image of a resist-attached portion is extracted as a portion having lightness not more than a predetermined value from the images of the target inspection region which are obtained by illumination with the first wavelength light, and there is extracted the image of the scattered resist attached to the unwanted portions which are common to both the image of the unwanted portions having no scattered resist thereon, said image being obtained upon illumination of the target inspection region with the second wavelength light, and the image of the resist-attached portions.

Apparatus and method for the inspection of scattered resist

An apparatus for inspecting repetitive patterns includes a signal generation device for outputting a signal every time each of repetitive patterns reaches a predetermined observation area, and a flash generation device for generating a flash in synchronism with the signal to instantaneously illuminate each of the patterns sequentially reaching the observation area. The signal generation device may be a device for generating a signal upon detecting the predetermined shape of each pattern. The repetitive patterns may be those on a tape carrier which moves, e.g., in the longitudinal direction thereof. It is preferable to provide an image pickup device for picking up the image of each repetitive pattern on the observation area and a display device for displaying the picked-up image. The display device preferably keeps display of the picked-up image of each of the patterns illuminated by the flash for a predetermined period of time within between this illumination and the next illumination by the next flash.

Apparatus for inspecting repetitive patterns

An apparatus for measuring the line widths of a wiring pattern obtained by etching a metal foil includes a first illumination means for illuminating the wiring pattern from one side with a light beam having a first wavelength, a second illumination means for illuminating the wiring pattern from the other side with a light beam having a second wavelength which is different from the first wavelength, and a measuring means for obtaining information of a line width by the light beam having the first wavelength and a line width by the light beam having the second wavelength, on the basis of the light beams having the first and second wavelengths which advance at the same time point from the wiring pattern simultaneously illuminated by the first and second illumination means to said the other side. The wiring pattern may be repetitive patterns on a moving tape carrier. In that case, the first and second illumination means output the light beams having the first and second wavelengths as flashes, respectively, every time each repetitive pattern reaches a predetermined measurement position.

Wiring pattern line width measuring apparatus

A size of particle or defect in an object is measured. A laser beam is guided through an optical system into the object. A light receiving element receives scattered light from a particle or a defect in the object. A scattering image is formed by an image processor from the scattered light thus received. The size of particle or defect is obtained by integrating a scattering intensity of the scattered light. Also, a size distribution of particle or defect in an object may be acquired by detecting a maximum scattering intensity of each particle or defect. A polarization dependency of scattering may be checked as well.

Method and apparatus for measuring size of particle or defect

The position, size, structure, and the like of each particle can be accurately detected. Gray image data of a tomographic image group having a clear positional correlation in a sample where particles are distributed is obtained to obtain three-dimensional gray image data of each particle. Binarization of a density of each pixel data of the three-dimensional gray image data is performed to obtain three-dimensional binary image data of each particle. Three-dimensional shrinkage of the three-dimensional binary image data is performed to convert binary image data of each particle to binary image data of only a central point thereof, thereby the position of each particle is three-dimensionally confirmed.

Method and apparatus for three-dimensional detection of particles

A defect estimating apparatus includes a laser radiating unit For obliquely radiating laser light on a surface to be observed of an object to be inspected, an observing unit for observing, through the surface to be observed, scattered light produced From internal defects or particles of the object by refracted light of the laser light, and observing scattered light or reflected light produced from flaws or particles on the surface by tile laser light, and a component separating unit for allowing the observing unit to perform observation by using both light containing primarily a p-polarized light component of the laser light and light containing primarily an s-polarized light component of the laser light.

Substrate internal defect and external particle detecting apparatus

Provided are a method and an apparatus for measuring photoluminescence, which can measure the inside of crystal such as silicon. A lifetime of fluorescence-generating carrier may be evaluated in a mathematical technique without using an expensive pulse laser source. Also, an incident beam wavelength dependency and a polarization dependency of fluorescence may be evaluated by a simple method. A laser having a wavelength which can go into a crystal is projected into an object crystal, fluorescence in generated light inside the crystal is separated through a filter having a frequency band for transmission of fluorescence. An intensity and a spread of fluorescence are obtained as a function of depth from a surface of the crystal to evaluate the lifetime of luminescent center in a mathematical manner. The projection light wavelength dependency of fluorescence may be evaluated by rotating a narrow-band filter, and a polarization dependency by suitably inserting a polarizing filter into an optical patch.

Method and apparatus for measuring photoluminescence in crystal

An apparatus for inspecting the surface of a sheet-like object has a movable stage with an object mounted thereon; a source for lighting the object on the stage, particularly by making a plurality of illumination lights respectively having different wavelengths incident on the surface of the object from respective predetermined directions; image pickup device for fetching the image of the object under illumination of the light as image data or the images of parts of the object as image data obtained on the respective different wavelengths; image data processing device for inspecting the image data for defects; and a device for synchronizing control either for flashing the light at a predetermined time interval just after the stage commences its movement, synchronously with fetching the image data or for flashing the light and simultaneously fetching the image data obtained on the respective different wavelengths, synchronously with the object on the stage reaching respective predetermined positions while moving the stage.

Apparatus for inspecting the surface of materials

A method for measuring internal defects of a specimen, comprising the steps of allowing a finely focused laser beam to be incident into a specimen from its surface and observing the scattered light of the said laser beam from inside the said specimen from the surface of the specimen and in a different direction to the optical axis of incidence of the laser beam.

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Ageo, Japan

Kazuo Moriya