Optical inspecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016153918-A1
Application number	US-201514823343-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical inspecting apparatus includes a first light source, a beam splitter, a first lens, a first light detector, and pinhole plates. The first light source emits a first light beam. The beam splitter transmits or reflects the first light beam. The first lens provides the first light beam to transmit through a transparent substrate of a photomask and forms a first focusing spot on a first surface of the transparent substrate or a top surface of a photomask pattern formed on the transparent substrate. The first light detector detects a first reflection light beam generated by reflecting the first light beam from the first surface of the transparent substrate or the top surface of the photomask pattern. The pinhole plates are disposed in front of the first light detector to filter noise in the reflection light beam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optical inspecting apparatus comprising:
a first light source that emits a first light beam; a beam splitter that transmits or reflects the first light beam; a first lens that provides the first light beam to transmit through a transparent substrate of a photomask, and forms a first focusing spot on a first surface of the transparent substrate or a top surface of a photomask pattern formed on the transparent substrate; a first light detector that detects a first reflection light beam generated by reflecting the first light beam reflected from the first surface of the transparent substrate or the top surface of the photomask pattern; and pinhole plates disposed in front of the first light detector to filter in the reflection light beam.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first light source is a point light source, and
wherein the first light beam is converted into parallel rays and incident on the beam splitter.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photomask pattern is formed on the first surface of the transparent substrate, and
wherein the first light beam is incident on a second surface of the transparent substrate opposite to the first surface.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photomask is disposed on a horizontal stage, and
wherein edges of the transparent substrate contact supports disposed on the horizontal stage so that the photomask pattern does not directly contact the horizontal stage.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first light beam has a wavelength in an infrared wavelength range.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second light source that emits a second light beam having a second polarization direction different from a first polarization direction of the first light beam or a second wavelength different from a first wavelength of the first light beam; and a second light detector that detects a second reflection light beam generated by reflecting the second light beam from a portion of the photomask.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of light beams emitted from a plurality of light sources comprising the first light source and the second light source transmits through the transparent substrate and forms a plurality of different focusing spots on the first surface of the transparent substrate or the top surface of the photomask pattern formed on the transparent substrate.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a resonant mirror disposed between the beam splitter and the photomask,
wherein the resonant mirror rotates such that the plurality of light beams scan the photomask, and wherein a scanning direction of the photomask is substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of different focusing spots is formed.

9 . The apparatus of claim 6 ,
further comprising a polarizing beam splitter that splits the first light beam and the second light beam.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 ,
further comprising: a third light source that emits a third beam having the first polarization direction and a third wavelength different from the first wavelength; and a fourth light source that emits a fourth light beam having the second polarization direction and a fourth wavelength different from the second wavelength.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first to fourth light beams transmit through the transparent substrate and respectively form first to fourth focusing spots on the first surface of the transparent substrate or the top surface of the photomask pattern formed on the transparent substrate.

12 . The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a dichroic mirror that splits the first and second light beams.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a vertical stage disposed between the beam splitter and the first lens,
wherein the vertical stage adjusts a distance between the photomask and the first lens.

14 . An optical inspecting apparatus comprising:
a plurality of light sources that emits a plurality of light beams; a beam splitter that transmits or reflects the plurality of light beams; a first lens that focuses the plurality of light beams and forms a plurality of different focusing spots on the portion of the inspection target; and a plurality of light detectors that detects a plurality of reflection light beams generated by reflecting the plurality of light beams from the inspection target, at least two of the plurality of light beams have different polarization directions from each other or different wavelengths from each other.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the inspection target comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
wherein the plurality of light beams is incident on the second surface and forms the plurality of different focusing spots on the first surface, and wherein the plurality of reflection light beams corresponds to an image of the first surface.

16 . An optical inspecting apparatus comprising:
a first light source that emits a first light beam having a first polarization direction; a second light source that emits a second light beam having a second polarization direction different from the first polarization direction; a first lens that faces a first surface of a photomask, and forms a first focusing spot of the first light beam and a second focusing spot of the second light beam on a second surface of the photomask opposite to the first surface; a first beam splitter that divides a first reflection light beam and a second reflection light beam reflected from the second surface of the photomask; a first light detector that detects the first reflection light beam reflected from the second surface of the photomask; and a second light detector that detects the second reflection light beam reflected from the second surface of the photomask, wherein a photomask pattern is formed on the second surface of the photomask, wherein each of the first and second light beams has a wavelength in an infrared range.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising pinhole plates disposed in front of the first light detector to filter noise in the first reflection light beam reflected from the second surface of the photomask.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a second beam splitter that transmits or reflects the first and second light beams.

19 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first light source is a point light source, and
wherein the first light beam is converted into parallel rays and incident on the second beam splitter.

20 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first and second focusing spots move in a first direction to toward an edge on the second surface, and move in a second direction in which the first and second focusing spots are arranged,
wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Tae-Joong
• Park Young-Kyu
• Son Kl-Jung
• Jeon Byeong-Hwan
• Choi Chang-Hoon

Classifications

• G01N2021/95676

  Masks, reticles, shadow masks · CPC title

• G01N21/958

  Inspecting transparent materials {or objects, e.g. windscreens (for conveyed flat sheet or rod G01N21/896)} · CPC title

• G01N21/956 Primary

  Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects {(contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20)} · CPC title

• G02B21/00

  Microscopes · CPC title

• G01N21/95607

  using a comparative method · CPC title