Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080204737 | MASK PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS WITH KOEHLER ILLUMINATION SYSTEM USING LIGHT SOURCE OF HIGH SPATIAL COHERENCY - A semiconductor device fabrication-use mask pattern inspection apparatus having an optical configuration adaptable for achievement of a Koehler illumination system using a light source high in spatial coherency is disclosed. This apparatus includes a laser light source, a beam expander which is disposed between the laser source and a mask for expanding laser light to form an optical path of collimated light rays, and a beam splitter placed in the collimated light ray optical path for splitting the optical path into two optical paths. In one of these paths, a transmissive illumination optics is placed which irradiates transmission light onto the mask; in the other path, a reflective illumination optics is placed for irradiation of reflected light onto the mask. A pattern image of this mask is detected by a photosensitive device to generate a detected pattern image, which is sent to a comparator for comparison with a fiducial image thereof. | 08-28-2008 |
20080237489 | LIGHTING OPTICAL APPARATUS AND SAMPLE INSPECTION APPARATUS - A lighting optical apparatus using a deep ultraviolet light source that are easy to adjust due to a configuration with fewer components, has high illuminant and illuminant uniformity on an irradiated surface are provided. The apparatus has a deep ultraviolet light source from which deep ultraviolet rays are emitted, a first double-sided cylindrical lens which has a cylindrical lens array on both sides with a configuration of cylinder axes intersecting at right angles, a second double-sided cylindrical lens which has a cylindrical lens array on both sides with a configuration of cylinder axes intersecting at right angles, and a condenser lens. | 10-02-2008 |
20090075184 | MASK BLANK FOR EUV EXPOSURE AND MASK FOR EUV EXPOSURE - Provided are a mask for EUV exposure and a mask blank for EUV exposure for manufacturing the same, so as to improve the contrast of ultraviolet inspection light and improve the inspection performance for the mask. This mask blank for EUV exposure includes a substrate, a reflecting layer which is provided on the substrate and reflects EUV light, and an absorbent layer which is provided on the reflecting layer and absorbs EUV light. Reflectance of light at a wavelength between 150 nm and 300 nm is greater at the absorbent layer than that of the reflecting layer. The mask for EUV exposure can be manufactured by processing this mask blank for EUV exposure. | 03-19-2009 |
20100074512 | PHOTOMASK INSPECTION METHOD - A photomask inspection method that identifies a foreign particle such as dirt on a photomask with high sensitivity by suppressing erroneous identification due to an influence of noise is provided. The photomask inspection method includes acquiring image data of a photomask having regions with different layer structures on a surface thereof, creating inverted image data by subtracting the image data from pixel value data of the regions, creating offset inverted image data by raising pixel values of the inverted image data by a fixed amount, creating normalized correlation image data by computing a normalized correlation of the offset inverted image data and an offset Gaussian distribution-type kernel, and identifying foreign particles by comparing the normalized correlation image data and a predetermined threshold. | 03-25-2010 |
20100247085 | AUTOMATIC FOCUS ADJUSTING MECHANISM AND OPTICAL IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS - In an automatic focus adjusting mechanism, a test sample having a patterned surface is mounted on a mount table, and an light beam passing through a slit formed in a field stop is applied to the patterned surface of the test sample. The light beam reflected from the test sample is split into two segment light beams. Focus adjusting aperture stops having respective apertures formed rhomboid are provided across the optical paths of the segment light beams. The amounts of the segment light beams passing through the rhomboid apertures are detected by light receiving units. Based on the difference between the detected light amounts, the position of the mount table is controlled by the focus adjusting unit. | 09-30-2010 |
20120081538 | PATTERN INSPECTION APPARATUS - This pattern inspection apparatus includes an inspection region information storage unit that stores an inspection region specified in a pattern region, a pattern surface height detection unit that detects a pattern surface height signal corresponding to a pattern surface height measurement position on the inspection sample, an autofocus mechanism that focuses on the inspection sample using the pattern surface height signal detected by the pattern surface height detection unit, a determination unit, and an autofocus mechanism control unit. When the determination unit determines that the pattern surface height measurement position is located within the inspection region, the autofocus mechanism control unit drives the autofocus mechanism, and the determination unit determines that the pattern surface height measurement position is not located within the inspection region, the autofocus mechanism control unit stops the autofocus mechanism. | 04-05-2012 |
20140204202 | INSPECTION APPARATUS - An inspection apparatus comprising, an optical system emitting light having a predetermined wavelength, illuminating a sample while the light is converted into light having a polarization plane not in the range of −5 degrees to 5 degrees and 85 degrees to 95 degrees with respect to a direction of a repetitive pattern on the sample, an optical system for acquiring an image and forming said image on an image sensor using a lens, a half-wave plate, a first image sensor, a second image sensor, an inspection analyzer, wherein these differ in a transmission axis direction, a processor that obtains an average gray level and a standard deviation in each predetermined unit region of the image, and a defect detector, wherein a resolution limit defined by a wavelength of the light source and a numerical aperture of the lens is a value in which the pattern is not resolved. | 07-24-2014 |
20140232849 | INSPECTION METHOD AND INSPECTION APPARATUS - An inspection method and apparatus comprising, a step of reflecting linearly-polarized light having a predetermined wavelength using an non-polarizing beam splitter after transmitting the linearly-polarized light through a half-wave plate, irradiating a sample with the linearly-polarized light having a polarization plane of a predetermined angle, causing the light reflected by the sample to be incident to an image capturing sensor through a lens, the non-polarizing beam splitter, and an analyzer, and acquiring an optical image of a pattern formed on the sample; acquiring a plurality of optical images by changing an angle of the analyzer or the half-wave plate, and obtaining an angle of the analyzer or the half-wave plate such that a value of (σ/√A) becomes a minimum; and a step of inspecting whether a defect of the pattern exists, wherein the pattern is a repetitive pattern having a period at a resolution limit or less. | 08-21-2014 |