| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit comparative inspection of the same level to chips in the periphery of a semiconductor wafer as chips at other parts by using for a leading end and a trailing end patterns comparison information thereof with respective adjacent patterns and further adjacent patterns. SOLUTION: In the case, e.g. where chips A-H are arranged on a semiconductor wafer 3, an image of an area A-a at a leading end of a detection area is detected as a reference image. Then, an image of an area B-a is detected. A defect X is not coincident (defect candidate d1 ) on a difference image AB formed by a difference image calculation means 14, which is stored in a coincidence.incoincidence information memory means 12. Further, an image of an area C-a is detected. A difference image BC is compared with a coincidence.incoincidence information stored beforehand, whereby the defect X is detected to be incoincident (coincident) on the difference image AB (BC). A defect position-judging means 13 specifies that the defect X is present on the chip A. At a final area D-a, a defect Y is incoincident (defect candidate d2 ) on a difference image CD and coincident in the difference image BC, so that the defect Y is specified to be on the chip D. |
