The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 14, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 29, 2000
Michael Veith, Wetzlar, DE;
Volker Knorz, Huettenberg, DE;
Edgar Maehringer-Kunz, Muenster-Sarmsheim, DE;
Leica Microsystems Semiconductor GmbH, Wetzlar, DE;
Abstract
A method and an apparatus are described for the optical examination of structured surfaces of objects, especially of wafers and/or masks. The optical apparatus has an observation beam path ( ) whose central axis ( ) is directed vertically against the surface of the object ( ), an illumination beam ( ) whose central ray ( ) falls vertically on the surface of the object, and an illumination beam ( ) whose central ray ( ) falls obliquely onto the surface of the object ( ). In the observation beam path ( ) the image of the surface of the object ( ) is observed and/or detected. In the observation beam path ( ) a filter device ( ) and/or detector device ( ) is disposed. The optical system has an illumination device ( ) for the simultaneous production of a dark field illumination, a device for the coding ( ) of the illumination beams ( ) being associated with the bright field ( ) and/or the dark field illumination beam ( ).