Inspecting apparatus for inspecting a multilayer structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488598-B2
Application number	US-201414530952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An inspecting apparatus includes: a stage including a top surface on which a multilayer structure comprising a first layer and a second layer is placed; a first light irradiation unit which faces a first side surface of the multilayer structure and provides light to a first side surface of the first layer or a first side surface of the second layer; an image capture unit which is on the stage, receives scattered light from the multilayer structure and generates image information of the multilayer structure from the received scattered light, and a control unit which detects foreign body information of the multilayer structure based on the image information of the multilayer structure. The scattered light comprises the light which is provided from the first light irradiation unit and is scattered within the multilayer structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inspecting apparatus comprising:
a stage comprising a top surface on which a multilayer structure comprising a first layer and a second layer in different planes along a thickness direction of the multilayer structure is placed;
a first light irradiator which faces a first side surface of the multilayer structure and comprises:
a first light source which generates light and is extended to simultaneously emit the light in the different planes along the thickness direction of the multilayer structure,
wherein
for the first and second layers in different planes along the thickness of the multilayer structure, the first light irradiator selectively provides the light from the first light source to one among a plane in which a first side surface of the first layer is disposed and a plane in which a first side surface of the second layer is disposed, and
the light provided to the multilayer structure is scattered therein to generate scattered light;

an image detector which is on the multilayer structure placed on the stage, receives the scattered light from the multilayer structure and generates image information of the multilayer structure from the received scattered light; and
a controller which is connected to the image detector and configured to determine foreign body information of the multilayer structure from the image information of the multilayer structure which is generated by the image detector.

2. The inspecting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first light irradiator further comprises:
a first light transmission adjuster which is between the first light source and the first side surface of the multilayer structure, and comprises:
a first shutter at a position corresponding to the plane in which the first side surface of the first layer is disposed and adjusts transmission of the light from the first light source to the plane in which the first side surface of the first layer is disposed, and
a second shutter at a position corresponding to the plane in which the first side surface of the second layer is disposed and adjusts transmission of the light from the first light source to the plane in which the first side surface of the second layer is disposed.

3. The inspecting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter and the second shutter to open at different times.

4. The inspecting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first light irradiator further comprises a first lens which is between the first light transmission adjuster and the first side surface of the multilayer structure and converts light transmitted through the first light transmission adjuster into sheet light.

5. The inspecting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second light radiator which faces a second side surface of the multilayer structure and comprises a second light source which generates light and is extended to simultaneously emit the light in the different planes along the thickness direction of the multilayer structure,
wherein for the first and second layers in the different planes along the thickness of the multilayer structure, the second light irradiator selectively provides the light from the second light source to one among a plane in which a second side surface of the first layer is disposed or a plane in which a second side surface of the second layer is disposed.

6. The inspecting apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the second light irradiator comprises:
a second light transmission adjuster which is between the second light source and the second side surface of the multilayer structure, and comprises:
a first shutter which is at a position corresponding to the plane in which the second side surface of the first layer is disposed and adjusts transmission of the light from the second light source to the plane in which the second side surface of the first layer is disposed, and
a second shutter which is at a position corresponding to the plane in which the second side surface of the second layer is disposed and adjusts transmission of the light from the second light source to the plane in which the second side surface of the second layer is disposed.

7. An inspecting apparatus comprising:
a stage comprising a top surface on which a multilayer structure comprising a first layer and a second layer in different planes along a thickness direction of the multilayer structure is placed;
a first light irradiator which faces a first side surface of the multilayer structure and comprises:
a first light source which generates a light which is converted to color light and is extended to simultaneously emit the light in the different planes along the thickness direction of the multilayer structure, wherein
for the first and second layer in different planes along the thickness of the multilayer structure, the first light irradiator provides light of a first color to a plane in which a first side surface of the first layer is disposed, and provides light of a second color to a plane in which a first side surface of the second layer is disposed, and
the light of the first color and the light of the second color provided to the multilayer structure is scattered therein to generate scattered light comprising the light of the first color or the light of the second color;

an image detector which is on the multilayer structure placed on the stage, receives the scattered light from the multilayer structure and generates image information of the multilayer structure from the scattered light; and
a controller which is connected to the image detector and configured to determine foreign body information of the multilayer structure from the image information of the multilayer structure which is generated by the image detector.

8. The inspecting apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first light irradiator comprises:
a first light converter which is between the first light source and the first side surface of the multilayer structure, and comprises:
a first light sub-converter which converts the light emitted from the first light source into the light of the first color and provides the light of the first color to the plane in which the first side surface of the first layer is disposed, and
a second light sub-converter which converts the light emitted from the first light source into the light of the second color and provides the light of the second color to the plane in which the first side surface of the second layer is disposed.

9. The inspecting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein
the first light sub-converter is a first color filter, and
the second light sub-converter is a second color filter different in color from the first color filter.

10. The inspecting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first light source emits white light.

11. The inspecting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein
the multilayer structure further comprises a third layer in a plane different from that of the first or second layer,
the first light source emits the light toward a first side surface of the third layer,
the first light converter further comprises a third light sub-converter which converts the light emitted from the first light source into light of a third color and provides the light of the third color to the plane in which the first side surface of the third layer is disposed, and
the light of the third color is different in color from the light of the first color and the light of the second color.

12. The inspecting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first light irradiator further comprises a first lens which is between the first light converter and the first side surface of the multilayer structure and converts the light

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Wal Jun
• Baeck Seung Young

Classifications

• G01N21/94

  Investigating contamination, e.g. dust (G01N21/85 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2021/8438

  Mutilayers · CPC title

• G01N21/88

  Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination · CPC title

• G01N2201/068

  Optics, miscellaneous · CPC title

• G01N21/8422

  Investigating thin films, e.g. matrix isolation method · CPC title