Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Yuichirou Iijima

Masatoshi Watanabe

Hiroshi Mukai

Kazuyuki Sugimura

Nobuhiro Kanda

Katsuyasu Inagaki

In semiconductor surface inspection apparatus, foreign matter that sticks to the wafer can reduce the quality of the wafer. The present invention is directed to improving the internal cleanliness of the apparatus. Specifically, during rotation of a semiconductor wafer, foreign matter suspended in an atmosphere surrounding the wafer is attracted to a central section of the wafer, and that while heading from the central section of the wafer, towards an outer edge thereof, the foreign matter is most likely to stick to the wafer. In conventional techniques, sufficient consideration is not given to such likelihood of foreign matter sticking. This invention supplies a medium from two directions to an inner circumferential section of a substrate. In accordance with the invention, foreign matter that sticks to a wafer can be reduced more significantly than in the conventional techniques.

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Yorii, Japan

Yuichirou Iijima