Defect inspection method and defect inspection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9310318-B2
Application number	US-201514638305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2015
Priority date	Mar 25, 2014
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

To detect a bridge defect between lines of a line pattern formed on a sample at pitches narrower than the wavelength of inspection light, a defect inspection device is configured to comprise: a light source which emits laser; a vertical illumination unit which applies the laser to the sample from a vertical direction via an objective lens by converting the laser into linearly polarized light by using a polarization conversion unit in a state polarized in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern; an oblique illumination unit which applies the laser to the sample from an oblique direction; a detection optical unit including an optical filter which selectively transmits a scattered light component from the defect by converting the polarization state of the reflected/scattered light; and a signal processing unit which detects the defect on the sample by processing a detection signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A defect inspection device comprising:
a light source that emits laser;
a vertical illumination unit that applies the laser emitted from the light source to a sample having a line pattern formed thereon from a vertical direction via an objective lens;
an oblique illumination unit that applies the laser emitted from the light source to the sample having the line pattern formed thereon from an oblique direction;
a detection optical system unit which condenses and detects light that is reflected/scattered from the sample illuminated with the laser applied by the vertical illumination unit or the oblique illumination unit but that enters the objective lens; and
a signal processing unit that processes a signal generated by the detection optical system unit to thereby detect a defect on the sample having the line pattern formed thereon,
wherein, the vertical illumination unit includes a polarization conversion unit that converts the laser emitted from the light source into linearly polarized light and the vertical illumination unit applies the laser passed through the polarization conversion unit to the line pattern formed on the sample, with the laser being set in a state polarized in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the line pattern; and
wherein, the detection optical, system unit includes an optical filter that selectively transmits a scattered light component from the defect on the sample having the line pattern by converting the polarization state of the reflected/scattered light entered and condensed by the objective lens into linear polarization.

2. The defect inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical illumination unit condenses the laser emitted from the light source into a linear shape that is long in one direction, adjusts a longitudinal direction of the condensed laser to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern formed on the sample, and applies the laser to the line pattern formed on the sample, the laser being condensed in the linear shape long in one direction and in the state polarized in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern.

3. The defect inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the oblique illumination unit condenses the laser emitted from the light source into a linear shape that is long in one direction, sets the polarization state of the laser to p-polarization, and applies the laser to the sample having the line pattern formed thereon.

4. The defect inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the vertical illumination unit and the oblique illumination unit includes:
a polarization separation unit that separates the laser emitted from the light source into two beams of polarized light in opposite polarization directions; and
a lens unit that condenses the two beams of polarized light in opposite polarization directions separated by the polarization separation unit into a linear shape.

5. The defect inspection device according to claim 1 , further comprising an oblique detection optical system unit that condenses and detects reflected/scattered light that was reflected/scattered in an oblique direction outside the objective lens of the detection optical system unit, the reflected/scattered light having been reflected/scattered from the sample illuminated with the laser applied by the vertical illumination unit or the oblique illumination unit.

6. A defect inspection method comprising the steps of:
applying laser emitted from a light source to a sample having a line pattern formed thereon from a vertical direction via an objective lens, or applying laser emitted from the light source to the sample having the line pattern formed thereon from an oblique direction;
condensing and detecting light that is reflected/scattered from the sample illuminated with the laser applied from the vertical direction or the oblique direction but that enters the objective lens; and
processing a detection signal, thereby detecting a defect on the sample having the line pattern formed thereon,
wherein, the application of the laser from the vertical direction is performed by first converting the laser emitted from the light source into linearly polarized light, and then applying the linearly polarized laser to the line pattern formed on the sample, with the linearly polarized light being set in a state polarized in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the line pattern; and
wherein, the detection is performed by first converting into linear polarization the polarization state of the reflected/scattered light entered and condensed by the objective lens, and then selectively detecting a scattered light component from the defect on the sample having the line pattern.

7. The defect inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein the application of the laser from the vertical direction is performed by first condensing the laser emitted from the light source into a linear shape that is long in one direction, next adjusting a longitudinal direction of the condensed laser to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern formed on the sample, and then applying the laser to the line pattern formed on the sample, the laser being condensed in the linear shape long in one direction and in the state polarized in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern.

8. The defect inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein the application of the laser from the oblique direction is performed by first condensing the laser emitted from the light source into a linear shape that is long in one direction, next setting the polarization state of the laser to p-polarization, and then applying the laser to the sample having the line pattern formed thereon.

9. The defect inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein each of the application of the laser from the vertical direction and the application of the laser from the oblique direction is performed by first separating the Laser emitted from the light source into two beams of polarized light in opposite polarization directions, and then condensing the two separated beams of polarized light in opposite polarization directions into a linear shape by using a lens.

10. The defect inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein reflected/scattered light in an oblique direction outside the objective lens is condensed and detected, the reflected/scattered light having being reflected/scattered from the sample illuminated with the laser applied from the vertical direction or the oblique direction.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Urano Yuta
• Honda Toshifumi
• Shibata Yukihiro

Classifications

• G01N21/95607 Primary

  using a comparative method · CPC title

• G01N2021/8848

  Polarisation of light · CPC title

• G01N21/9501

  Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20) · CPC title

• G01N2021/9513

  Liquid crystal panels · 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