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:
Dec. 02, 2014
Filed:
Nov. 09, 2011
Nobuaki Hirose, Hitachinaka, JP;
Takahiro Jingu, Takasaki, JP;
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Hitachinaka, JP;
Kazuo Takahashi, Naka-gun, JP;
Hisashi Hatano, Hitachinaka, JP;
Nobuaki Hirose, Hitachinaka, JP;
Takahiro Jingu, Takasaki, JP;
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Hitachinaka, JP;
Kazuo Takahashi, Naka-gun, JP;
Hisashi Hatano, Hitachinaka, JP;
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
This invention implements reduction in the amount of background-scattered light from a semiconductor wafer surface and highly sensitive inspection, without increasing the number of detectors. A surface inspection apparatus that detects defects on the surface of an object (semiconductor wafer surface) to be inspected, by irradiating the surface of the object with a beam of light such as laser light and detecting the light reflected or scattered from the surface; wherein a widely apertured lens with an optical Fourier transform function is disposed between the object to be inspected and a detector, a filter variable in position as well in aperture diameter is provided on a Fourier transform plane, and background-scattered light from the semiconductor wafer surface is effectively blocked, whereby only a signal from a defect such as a foreign substance is detected.