DEFECT OBSERVING METHOD AND APPARATUS OF THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for quickly and accurately inspecting a minute foreign substance and a pattern defect generated during a manufacturing process in the device manufacturing process for forming a circuit pattern on a board of a semiconductor device. SOLUTION: A sample is illuminated in a plurality of directions with different incident angles in a dark view field. A scattered light from the sample illuminated in the dark view field is detected in a plurality of the directions. Noise other than the pattern is reduced by processing signals detected and obtained in a plurality of the directions. The defect existing on a surface of an optical transparent film of the sample and the defect existing in an interior or at a bottom of the optical transparent film are identified. The defect identified as a defect existing on the surface of the optical transparent film of the sample, is observed by an electron microscope. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI