Defect inspection apparatus and defect inspection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9588055-B2
Application number	US-201414331681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Aug 30, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A defect inspection apparatus includes: a seed light generator including a pulse signal generator that generates a pulse signal and a polarization modulator that outputs pulse light of any one of two polarization states orthogonal to each other in synchronization with the pulse signal output from the pulse signal generator; a wavelength converting unit including a branching mechanism that branches the pulse light output by the polarization modulator of the seed light generator using polarization and a converting unit that wavelength-converts the pulse light branched by the branching mechanism into beams of two different wavelengths, respectively; an illumination optical system that illuminates a surface of an inspected target material with the beams of the two different wavelengths converted by the wavelength converting unit; a detection optical system including a detecting unit that detects light generated by the beams of the two different wavelengths illuminated by the illumination optical system; and a signal processing system including a distributor that distributes a signal based on the light detected by the detecting unit of the detection optical system for each wavelength, on the basis of the pulse signal output from the pulse signal generator, and a defect determining unit that processes a signal based on the light distributed by the distributor and determines a defect.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A defect inspection apparatus comprising:
a seed light generator including a pulse signal generator that generates a pulse signal and a polarization modulator that outputs pulse light in either of two polarization states orthogonal to each other and in synchronization with the pulse signal;
a wavelength converter that branches the pulse light using polarization and wavelength-converts the branched pulse light into beams of two different wavelengths, respectively;
an optical illuminator that illuminates a surface of an inspected target material with the beams of two different wavelengths, each of the beams being applied at different times corresponding to their respective orthogonal polarization states;
an optical detector that detects light generated by the beams of two different wavelengths illuminated by the illumination optical system; and
a signal processor that distributes a signal based on the light detected by the optical detector and based on the pulse signal, and a defect detector that processes a signal based on the light distributed by the signal processor and determines a defect,
wherein the wavelength converter includes a pair of harmonic converters such that an intensity ratio between the pair of converters is (N−1):1 and a ratio of pulse numbers per unit time in a beam incident to one of the pair of harmonic converters and a beam incident to another of the pair of harmonic converts is (N−1):1, where N=4 and a first intensity of a first output of the optical detector due to a first wavelength of light scattered by a minute defect is approximately equal to a second intensity of a second output of the optical detector due to a second wavelength of light scattered by the minute defect.

2. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the wavelength converter includes any one of a combination of a fifth harmonic converter and a third harmonic converter, and a combination of a fourth harmonic converter and the third harmonic converter.

3. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the signal processor merges a defect determination result determined by the defect detector.

4. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the wavelength converter overlaps the beams of two different wavelengths that are wavelength-converted on the same optical axis and outputs the beams.

5. A defect inspection method comprising:
generating seed light including generating a pulse signal and performing polarization modulation for outputting pulse light in either of two polarization states orthogonal to each other and in synchronization with the pulse signal;
converting wavelength including branching the pulse light using polarization and wavelength-converting the branched pulse light into beams of two different wavelengths, respectively;
performing an illumination optical process of illuminating a surface of an inspected target material with the beams of two different wavelengths, each of the beams being applied at different times corresponding to their respective orthogonal polarization states;
performing a detection optical process including detecting light generated by the beams of two different wavelengths illuminated by the illumination optical process; and
performing a signal processing process including distributing a signal based on the light detected by the detection of the detection optical process and based on the pulse signal, and processing a signal based on the light distributed by the distribution, and determining a defect,
wherein the wavelength converter includes a pair of harmonic converters such that an intensity ratio between the pair of converters is (N−1):1 and a ratio of pulse numbers per unit time in a beam incident to one of the pair of harmonic converters and a beam incident to another of the pair of harmonic converts is (N−1):1, where N=4 and a first intensity of a first output of the optical detector due to a first wavelength of light scattered by a minute defect is approximately equal to a second intensity of a second output of the optical detector due to a second wavelength of light scattered by the minute defect.

6. The defect inspection method according to claim 5 , wherein:
in the conversion of the wavelength conversion, any one of a combination of fifth harmonic conversion and third harmonic conversion and a combination of fourth harmonic conversion and the third harmonic conversion is performed.

7. The defect inspection method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the signal processing process includes merging a defect determination result based on the signal based on the light distributed by the distribution, which has been determined by the defect determination.

8. The defect inspection method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the wavelength conversion overlaps the beams of the two different wavelengths wavelength-converted by the conversion on the same optical axis and outputs the beams.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Urano Yuta
• Ueno Taketo
• Hamamatsu Akira
• Honda Toshifumi

Classifications

• G01N21/21

  Polarisation-affecting properties (G01N21/19 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2021/8848

  Polarisation of light · CPC title

• G01N2021/8845

  Multiple wavelengths of illumination or detection · CPC title

• G01N21/8806 Primary

  Specially adapted optical and illumination features · CPC title

• G01N21/9501

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