Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Pil-sik Hyun

Chung-sam Jun

Sang-bong Choi

Sang-mun Chon

Hyung-suk Cho

Kyu-hong Lim

Byung-am Lee

Sang-Mun Chon

Hyun-suk Cho

Wafer inspection system and method which are suitable for inspection of highly integrated semiconductor devices. The wafer inspection system includes an apparatus for selectively inspecting conductive pattern defects, which includes a sensor for scanning the surface of a wafer in a noncontact manner and an RLC circuit which is connected to the sensor and converts a signal obtained from the sensor into an electrical characteristic; and an image processing computer which is connected to the apparatus for selectively inspecting conductive pattern defects. Only conductive defects are selectively extracted, thereby increasing inspection efficiency.

Wafer inspection system and method for selectively inspecting conductive pattern defects

A method and device detect for the presence of defects, namely micro-scratches, in the surface of a wafer. Light is projected onto a medium at the surface of the wafer, at an angle at which light is not reflected by another layer that may be located under the medium. Light reflected by the surface of the wafer is converted into an electrical signal but any light scattered by the surface is excluded as much as possible from contributing to the formation of the signal. The electric signal corresponds to the intensity of the light reflected from the surface of the wafer. As the light is scanned across the wafer, the values of the electric signal are compared to yield a determination of whether defects are present in the medium. Because the light projected onto the surface of the wafer will be scattered by defects such as micro-scratches, the wafer can be successfully monitored for the existence of such micro-scratches. In particular, defects including micro-scratches formed in the medium can be detected regardless of the structure underlying the medium, such as a pattern layer.

Method of and device for detecting micro-scratches

A method of measuring the thickness of a thin layer, by which the thickness of a top layer formed on the surface of a wafer can be detected in real time, and an apparatus therefor. This method includes irradiating light onto a cell and obtaining luminance from reflected light, detecting the thickness of a thin layer in an oxide site which is adjacent to the cell, repeating the irradiating and detecting steps to obtain a plurality of luminance values from cells formed on the wafer and a plurality of thickness values of thin layers in oxide sites that are adjacent to the cells, and employing a thickness calculation formula for calculating the thickness of a top layer using the plurality of luminance values and plurality of thickness values obtained in the prior steps. The thickness of a thin layer is directly detected from the luminance of light reflected by the cell, so that it can be precisely detected in a non-destructive manner, thus making it possible to detect the thickness of a thin layer in real time during the manufacture of a semiconductor device.

Method and apparatus for detecting thickness of thin layer formed on a wafer

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Yongin, South Korea

Pil-sik Hyun