Patterned wafer inspection method and apparatus therefor

a technology of patterned wafers and inspection methods, applied in the direction of semiconductor/solid-state device testing/measurement, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of limiting the inspection time, limiting the high speed, and shortening the inspection tim
US20020117635A1Inactive Publication Date: 2002-08-29HITACHI LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
HITACHI LTD
Publication Date
2002-08-29
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.
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Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for testing the surface status of a sample (a semiconductor device, etc.) and apparatus therefor and particularly to an inspection method and apparatus therefor for imaging and inspecting fine pattern defects on the surface of a semiconductor device in high sensitivity and high resolution at high speed using an electron beam.

[0003] 1. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] As an inspecting method for detecting defects of a circuit pattern formed on a wafer by comparison test in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, there is a method for obtaining images of two or more same kind of LSI patterns on one wafer using light, comparing these plurality of images, and testing existence of pattern defects and it is already put into practical use. The outline of this inspecting method is described in "Monthly Semiconductor World", October issue, 1995, pp. 114 to 117. When pattern defects in the manufact...

Claims

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