PATTERN INSPECTING APPARATUS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To speed up SEM type pattern inspection in a semiconductor integrated circuit device producing field by arranging a plurality of scanning electron microscope(SEM) units at equal intervals in the feeding direction and specifying a stage feeding width for feeding carried out during a continuous movement. SOLUTION: This device is provided with N=4 sets of SEM units 1 at intervals (d) in the feeding direction, and electron beams 6 are radiated onto a sample 7 fixed in a stage 8. A stage control device 10 moves the stage 8 at a fixed speed from a starting point of the continuous movement direction to a terminal point and then returns it to the starting point again, while simultaneously moving it in the feeding direction by just a fixed quantity (s). In this process, the stage control device 10 is provided with a function for controlling the fixed quantity (s) so as to satisfy the equation: (s)=N(N-1)d/(Nk-1) and allocates inspection areas, based on the respective SEM units 1 in order at intervals of s/N on the sample 7. In the equation, (k) is a natural number. As a result, inspection can be accomplished N-times faster as than the case in which a set of SEM units 1 are used.