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:
Jul. 10, 2012
Filed:
Jun. 29, 2011
Hiroyuki Nakano, Chigasaki, JP;
Akira Hamamatsu, Yokohama, JP;
Sachio Uto, Yokohama, JP;
Yoshimasa Oshima, Yokohama, JP;
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Hitachinaka, JP;
Yuta Urano, Yokohama, JP;
Shunji Maeda, Yokohama, JP;
Hiroyuki Nakano, Chigasaki, JP;
Akira Hamamatsu, Yokohama, JP;
Sachio Uto, Yokohama, JP;
Yoshimasa Oshima, Yokohama, JP;
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Hitachinaka, JP;
Yuta Urano, Yokohama, JP;
Shunji Maeda, Yokohama, JP;
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A defect inspection apparatus and method includes utilizing an irradiation optical system that focuses a beam flux emitted from a laser light source and formed into a slit-shaped beam so as to irradiate the beam onto the surface of the substrate to be inspected, utilizing a detection optical system that detects light from the substrate that has been irradiated with the slit-shaped beam, and utilizing a signal processor that processes a signal output from the detection optical system. The irradiation optical system includes a cylindrical lens for focusing the beam that has been emitted from the laser light source onto the substrate to be inspected, as the slit-shaped beam, wherein the cylindrical lens is disposed so as to obtain a distance between an incidence surface or emitting surface thereof and the slit-shaped beam upon the substrate to be inspected to be equal to a focal distance of the cylindrical lens.