JP2001135691A - Inspecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly attain microfine pattern inspection by maintaining an environment in which a semiconductor wafer or the like is inspected in a high clean level, and effectively suppressing vibration. SOLUTION: An air exhaust unit 70 is arranged at the lower part of a device main body 10, and air supplied from a clean air unit 4 to a clean box 3, and circulated as an air flow in the clean box 3 is positively discharged from the lower edge part of the clean box 3 to the outside of the clean box 3. An air exhaust unit 70 is set at the lower side of the device main body 10 so as to be butted through a dumper member 73 to the lower edge part of a supporting stand 11 of the device main body 10. Thus, dusts generated in the clean box 3 can be effectively discharged to outside the clean box 3, and vibration generated in the air release unit 70 can be effectively prevented from being transmitted to the device main body 10. Therefore, the inspection of a semiconductor wafer or the like can be properly operated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus used for inspecting a semiconductor wafer or the like on which a predetermined device pattern is formed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor device is manufactured by forming a fine device pattern on a semiconductor wafer. When such a device pattern is formed, dust or the like may adhere to the semiconductor wafer or may be damaged, thereby causing a defect. A semiconductor device having such a defect becomes a defective device and reduces the yield.

[0003] Therefore, in order to stabilize the yield of a production line at a high level, defects generated by dust and scratches are found at an early stage, the causes thereof are identified, and effective measures are taken for production facilities and production processes. It is preferable to take it.

[0004] Therefore, when a defect is found, an inspection device is used to check the type of the defect and classify the defect, thereby identifying the equipment or process that caused the defect. I have. Here, the inspection device for checking what the defect is is like an optical microscope, so to speak.
By looking at a defect in an enlarged manner, it tries to identify what the defect is.

[0005]

When dust or the like adheres to the semiconductor wafer during the above-described inspection, an appropriate inspection cannot be performed. Therefore, the inspection of the semiconductor wafer needs to be performed in a clean environment.

As a method for keeping the environment for inspecting semiconductor wafers clean, it is effective to cover the main body of the inspection apparatus with a clean box and keep the inside of the clean box at a high degree of cleanliness. In this case, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is transported in a sealed container, and the semiconductor wafer is transferred into a clean box via this container, so that the entire environment in which the inspection apparatus is installed is highly clean. Even if the temperature is not kept high, it is possible to effectively suppress the attachment of dust and the like on the semiconductor wafer, and to appropriately inspect the semiconductor wafer.

[0007] By the way, the device pattern of a semiconductor wafer to be inspected is becoming finer and finer with the increase in the degree of integration of semiconductor devices.
It has been reduced to 18 μm or less. In inspecting such a fine pattern, very fine dust, which has not been considered a problem in the past, is a factor that hinders an appropriate inspection. Therefore, in order to properly inspect such fine patterns, the inspection environment is kept at a higher level of cleanliness, and even if extremely fine dusts or the like are generated during the inspection process, they adhere to the semiconductor wafer. It has become necessary to effectively prevent such situations.

In order to prevent dust and the like generated in the inspection process from adhering to the semiconductor wafer, an exhaust unit such as an exhaust fan for actively discharging air in the clean box to the outside of the clean box is provided to the inspection apparatus. Provided by this exhaust unit, including dust, etc. generated during the inspection process,
It is very effective to discharge the air outside the clean box together with the air inside the clean box.

However, when an exhaust unit such as an exhaust fan is operated, vibration is generated. If the vibration of the exhaust unit is transmitted to the main body of the inspection apparatus, the semiconductor wafer may not be properly inspected. In particular, when inspecting a fine pattern as described above, even a slight vibration may interfere with the inspection. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent such vibration from being transmitted to the main body of the inspection apparatus. Is done.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an inspection apparatus which realizes a high clean environment, suppresses vibration, and appropriately inspects fine patterns. It is intended to be.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An inspection apparatus according to the present invention has been devised to achieve the above object, and includes an apparatus main body for inspecting an object to be inspected, and the apparatus main body provided therein. A clean box to be housed, an air supply unit provided above the clean box and supplying clean air to the inside of the clean box, and supplied to the inside of the clean box by the air supply unit to circulate inside the clean box And an exhaust unit that exhausts at least a part of the air that has been exhausted to the outside of the clean box, wherein the exhaust unit is in contact with a lower part of the apparatus main body via a vibration absorbing member.

According to this inspection apparatus, a clean environment is maintained inside the clean box that houses the apparatus body by supplying clean air from the air supply unit. In this inspection device, an exhaust portion is provided at the lower portion of the device main body so as to abut via a vibration absorbing member, and air in the clean box is positively discharged to the outside of the clean box. Even if fine dust is generated in the clean box during the inspection process, it is discharged to the outside of the clean box together with the air in the clean box, effectively preventing the dust from adhering to the inspection object. can do. Further, since the exhaust unit is provided so as to contact the lower part of the apparatus main body via the vibration absorbing member, the vibration generated in the exhaust unit is absorbed by the vibration absorbing member, and transmission to the apparatus main body is effectively suppressed. You.
Therefore, according to this inspection apparatus, the inspection of the inspection object by the apparatus main body can be appropriately performed.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an inspection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This inspection apparatus 1 is for inspecting a semiconductor wafer on which a predetermined device pattern is formed,
When a defect is found in a device pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer, the defect is determined by examining what the defect is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes a clean unit 2 for keeping an environment for inspecting a semiconductor wafer clean. The clean unit 2 includes a clean box 3 formed by bending a stainless steel plate or the like to form a hollow box, and a clean air unit 4 integrally provided above the clean box 3.

The clean box 3 is provided with a window 3a at a predetermined location so that an inspector can visually recognize the inside of the clean box 3 from the window 3a.

The clean air unit 4 is for supplying clean air into the clean box 3, and includes two blowers 5a and 5b disposed at different positions on the upper portion of the clean box 3, respectively. 5a, 5
b and an air filter (not shown) disposed between the clean box 3. The air filter is, for example, a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate).
Air Filter) and ULPA Filter (Ultra Low Penetrat)
ion Air Filter). The clean air unit 4 is provided with blowers 5a, 5b
The dust and the like in the air blown by the above are removed by a high-performance air filter and supplied as clean air into the clean box 3.

In the inspection apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied, the amount of clean air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 is individually controlled for each of the two blowers 5a and 5b, thereby providing a clean air. The air flow in the box 3 can be appropriately controlled. Here, the clean air unit 4
Will be described with an example in which two blowers 5a and 5b are provided, but the number of blowers may be determined according to the size and shape of the clean box 3 and may be configured to include three or more blowers. In this case, the amount of clean air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 is individually controlled for each blower.

The clean box 3 is supported on a floor plate by supporting legs 6, and has a structure in which a lower end portion is opened. The air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 is mainly discharged from the lower end of the clean box 3 to the outside of the clean box 3. An opening area is provided at a predetermined position on the side surface of the clean box 3, and air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 is provided on the side surface of the clean box 3. The air is also discharged from the opening area to the outside.

The clean unit 2 always supplies clean air from the clean air unit 4 to the clean box 3 as described above, and circulates air circulated in the clean box 3 as an air flow to the outside of the clean box 3. To be discharged. As a result, dust and the like generated in the clean box 3 are discharged to the outside of the clean box 3 together with the air, so that the internal environment of the clean box 3 is maintained at a very high degree of cleanness, for example, about class 1. .

The internal pressure of the clean box 3 is always maintained at a positive pressure in order to prevent air containing dust and the like from entering the inside from outside.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the inspection apparatus 1, an apparatus main body 10 is accommodated in a clean box 3, and a predetermined device pattern is formed in the clean box 3 by the apparatus main body 10. Inspection of the semiconductor wafer is performed. Here, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is transported in a predetermined hermetically sealed container 7, and transferred to the inside of the clean box 3 via the container 7. FIG. 2 shows the inside of the clean box 3 viewed from the direction of arrow A1 in FIG.

The container 7 has a bottom 7a, a cassette 7b fixed to the bottom 7a, and a cover 7c detachably engaged with the bottom 7a to cover the cassette 7b. The semiconductor wafers to be inspected are mounted on the cassette 7b such that a plurality of the semiconductor wafers are overlapped at a predetermined interval, and are sealed by the bottom 7a and the cover 7c.

When inspecting a semiconductor wafer,
First, a container 7 containing a semiconductor wafer is installed in a container installation space 8 provided at a predetermined position of the clean box 3. In the container installation space 8, an upper surface of an elevator 22a of an elevator 22 to be described later is
The container 7 is installed in the container installation space 8 such that the bottom 7a is located on the elevator 22a of the elevator 22.

When the container 7 is installed in the container installation space 8, the engagement between the bottom 7a of the container 7 and the cover 7c is released. When the elevator 22a of the elevator 22 is lowered in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2, the bottom 7a of the container 7 and the cassette 7b are separated from the cover 7c and moved into the clean box 3. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is transferred into the clean box 3 without being exposed to the outside air.

When the semiconductor wafer is transferred into the clean box 3, the semiconductor robot to be inspected is taken out of the cassette 7b and inspected by the transfer robot 23 described later.

As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 inspects the semiconductor wafer inside the clean box 3 maintained at a high degree of cleanliness. Inconveniences such as obstruction of a simple test can be effectively avoided. In addition, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is placed in a sealed container 7 and transported, and the semiconductor wafer is transferred into the clean box 3 via the container 7. If only the inside of the container 7 is maintained at a sufficient degree of cleanness, it is possible to effectively prevent dust and the like from adhering to the semiconductor wafer without increasing the cleanliness of the entire environment in which the inspection device 1 is installed. .

By locally increasing only the degree of cleanliness at a necessary place in this way, it is possible to achieve a high degree of cleanliness and significantly reduce the cost for realizing a clean environment. The mechanical interface between the closed container 7 and the clean box 3 is a so-called SMIF (standard mechanical interface).
ace) is preferable, and in that case, a so-called SMIF-POD is used as the closed container 7.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes an external unit 50 in which a computer for operating the apparatus main body 10 is arranged. This external unit 50 is installed outside the clean box 3. The external unit 50 includes a display device 51 for displaying an image or the like obtained by imaging a semiconductor wafer, a display device 52 for displaying various conditions at the time of inspection, and a device body 10.
An input device 53 and the like for inputting an instruction and the like are also provided. The inspector who inspects the semiconductor wafer inputs necessary instructions from the input device 53 arranged in the external unit 50 while viewing the display devices 51 and 52 arranged in the external unit 50, and inspects the semiconductor wafer. I do.

The apparatus main body 10 disposed inside the clean box 3 has a support 11 as shown in FIG. The support table 11 is a table for supporting each mechanism of the apparatus main body 10. A support leg 12 is attached to the bottom of the support base 11, and the support base 11 and the support base 11 are attached.
Each of the mechanisms provided above is configured to be supported on a floor plate independently of the clean box 3 by the support legs 12.

The air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 is provided below the support base 11.
An exhaust unit 70 is provided for actively discharging the lower end of the clean box 3 to the outside of the clean box 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust unit 70 includes a plurality of exhausters 71a, 71b, 71c, 71
d, and these exhaust fans 71a, 71b, 71c, 71
By the d, the air supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 and circulated in the clean box 3 as an air current is positively discharged from the lower end of the clean box 3 to the outside of the clean box 3. It has been done.

In the inspection apparatus 1, the main body 1
An exhaust unit 70 is provided below the support base 11 of the clean box 3 and air circulated in the clean box 3 as airflow is positively discharged to the outside of the clean box 3 so that the inside of the clean box 3 is The dust and the like generated in the above are discharged to the outside of the clean box 3 together with the air. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent dust and the like generated in the clean box 3 from adhering to the semiconductor wafer to be inspected in the inspection process.

The exhaust unit 70 has a structure separated from the apparatus main body 10. The exhaust unit 70 is supported by a support leg 72 of the apparatus main body 10 by a support leg 72.
By being urged to the one side, it is in contact with the lower end of the support base 11 via the damper member 73.

The damper member 73 includes exhaust fans 71a, 71
b, 71c, 71d are operated when the exhaust unit 7
0 to absorb the vibration occurring at zero, and to suppress the transmission of the vibration to the support base 11 of the apparatus main body 10.
For example, it is made of elastic rubber having elasticity.

In the inspection apparatus 1, since a semiconductor wafer on which a fine device pattern is formed is inspected, even a slight vibration may hinder the inspection. In particular, in the inspection apparatus 1, as will be described later, since the inspection is performed at a high resolution using ultraviolet light, the influence of vibration is likely to be large. Therefore, in the inspection device 1, the exhaust unit 70 is configured to be separated from the device main body 10, and the exhaust unit 70 is brought into contact with the lower end of the support base 11 via the damper member 73, and When the exhaust units 70a, 71b, 71c, and 71d are operated, even if vibration occurs in the exhaust unit 70, the vibration is absorbed by the damper member 72 and is not transmitted to the apparatus body 10. I have.

On the support table 11, via a vibration isolation table 13,
An inspection stage 14 on which a semiconductor wafer to be inspected is placed is provided.

The anti-vibration table 13 is for suppressing vibrations generated from the apparatus main body 10 such as vibrations from the floor and vibrations generated when the inspection stage 14 is moved. Stone surface plate 13a to be installed,
It has a plurality of movable legs 13b that support the stone surface plate 13a. The anti-vibration table 13 detects the vibration of the apparatus main body 10 when the vibration is generated, and detects the vibration of the movable leg 13b.
Is driven to quickly cancel the vibration of the stone base 13a and the inspection stage 14 installed on the stone base 13a.

In the inspection apparatus 1, the inspection stage 14 on which the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is set is provided on the anti-vibration table 13, so that even if the apparatus body 10 is vibrated, This vibration is canceled quickly, the influence of the vibration is suppressed, and the inspection capability at the time of performing inspection with high resolution using ultraviolet light is improved.

The inspection stage 14 is placed on the vibration isolation table 13.
In order to stably install the vibration isolator, it is desirable that the center of gravity of the vibration isolation table 13 is located at a somewhat lower position. Therefore, in this inspection device 1, the notch 13 is formed at the lower end of the stone platen 13a.
c is provided so that the movable leg 13b supports the stone surface plate 13a at the notch 13c, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the vibration isolation table 13.

The vibration or the like generated when the inspection stage 14 is moved can be predicted to some extent in advance. If the vibration isolation table 13 is operated by predicting such vibrations in advance, it is possible to prevent the vibrations occurring on the inspection stage 14 from occurring. Therefore, it is desirable that the inspection apparatus 1 operates the anti-vibration table 13 by predicting in advance vibrations and the like that occur when the inspection stage 14 is moved.

The inspection stage 14 is a stage for supporting a semiconductor wafer to be inspected. The inspection stage 14 has a function of supporting a semiconductor wafer to be inspected and a function of moving the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined inspection target position.

Specifically, the inspection stage 14 includes an X stage 15 installed on the vibration isolation table 13 and an X stage 1
5, a Y stage 16 installed on the Y stage 16, a θ stage 17 installed on the Y stage 16, a Z stage 18 installed on the θ stage 17, and a suction plate 19 installed on the Z stage 18. Have.

The X stage 15 and the Y stage 16 are stages that move in the horizontal direction.
The stage 16 moves semiconductor wafers to be inspected in directions orthogonal to each other, and guides a device pattern to be inspected to a predetermined inspection position.

The θ stage 17 is a so-called rotary stage for rotating a semiconductor wafer.
When inspecting the semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor wafer is rotated by the θ stage 17 so that, for example, the device pattern on the semiconductor wafer is horizontal or vertical to the screen.

The Z stage 18 is a stage that moves in the vertical direction and adjusts the height of the stage. When inspecting a semiconductor wafer, the Z stage 18 is used to adjust the inspection surface of the semiconductor wafer to an appropriate height.
Adjust the height of the stage.

The suction plate 19 is for sucking and fixing the semiconductor wafer to be inspected. During the inspection of the semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is placed on the suction plate 19 and is sucked by the suction plate 18 to suppress unnecessary movement.

An optical unit 21 supported by a support member 20 is provided on the vibration isolation table 12 so as to be located on the inspection stage 14. The optical unit 21 is for taking an image of a semiconductor wafer when inspecting the semiconductor wafer. The optical unit 21 has a function of capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer to be inspected at low resolution using visible light, and a function of capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer to be inspected at high resolution using ultraviolet light. It also has the function to perform.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an elevator 22 for taking out the cassette 7b on which the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is mounted from the container 7 and moving the cassette 7b into the clean box 3, as shown in FIGS. Is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a transfer robot 23 for transferring the semiconductor wafer, and centering and phase setting of the semiconductor wafer before placing the semiconductor wafer on the inspection stage 14 are provided on the support base 11 as shown in FIG. Is provided. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the apparatus main body 10 viewed from above.

The elevator 22 has an elevating platform 22a that can be raised and lowered. The container 7 is installed in the container installation space 8 of the clean box 3 and the bottom 7 of the container 7
a when the engagement between the cover a and the cover 7c is released.
The lower portion 2a is operated to lower the bottom portion 7a of the container 7.
Then, the cassette 7b fixed thereto is moved into the clean box 3.

The transfer robot 23 has an operation arm 23b provided with a suction mechanism 23a at a distal end thereof. The operation arm 23b is moved and a semiconductor device is moved by the suction mechanism 23a provided at the distal end. The wafer is sucked, and the semiconductor wafer is transported in the clean box 3.

The pre-aligner 24 performs phase and centering of the semiconductor wafer based on an orientation flat and a notch formed in advance on the semiconductor wafer. The inspection apparatus 1 sets the pre-aligner 24 before placing the semiconductor wafer on the inspection stage 14.
In this way, the efficiency of the inspection is improved by performing the phase setting or the like.

When the semiconductor wafer is set on the inspection stage 14, first, the bottom 7 a of the container 7 and the cassette 7 b are moved into the clean box 3 by the elevator 22. Then, a semiconductor wafer to be inspected is selected from the plurality of semiconductor wafers mounted on the cassette 7b, and the selected semiconductor wafer is taken out of the cassette 7b by the transfer robot 23.

The semiconductor wafer taken out of the cassette 7b is transferred to the pre-aligner 24 by the transfer robot 23. The semiconductor wafer conveyed to the pre-aligner 24 is subjected to phase setting and center setting by the pre-aligner 24. Then, the semiconductor wafer on which the phase setting and the center setting have been performed is transferred to the inspection stage 14 by the transfer robot 23, and is placed on the suction plate 19 to perform the inspection.

When the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is transported to the inspection stage 14, the semiconductor wafer to be inspected next is taken out of the cassette 7b by the transport robot 23 and transported to the pre-aligner 24. Then, while the inspection of the semiconductor wafer previously conveyed to the inspection stage 14 is being performed, the phase of the semiconductor wafer to be inspected next and the centering are performed. When the inspection of the semiconductor wafer previously transported to the inspection stage 14 is completed, the next semiconductor wafer to be inspected is immediately transported to the inspection stage 14.

As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 performs the phase setting and the center setting by the pre-aligner 24 before transporting the semiconductor wafer to be inspected to the inspection stage 14 so that the inspection stage 14 The time required for positioning the semiconductor wafer can be reduced. Further, the inspection apparatus 1 takes out the semiconductor wafer to be inspected next from the cassette 7b by using the time during which the inspection of the semiconductor wafer previously carried to the inspection stage 14 is being performed, and performs phase detection by the pre-aligner 24. By performing the centering and the centering, the overall time can be reduced, and the inspection can be performed efficiently.

In the inspection apparatus 1, the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, the pre-aligner 2
4 are installed on the support base 11 so as to be aligned on a straight line as shown in FIG. The respective installation positions are determined so that the distance L1 between the elevator 22 and the transfer robot 23 is substantially equal to the distance L2 between the transfer robot 23 and the pre-aligner 24. Further, from the viewpoint of the transfer robot 23,
The inspection stage 14 is arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the elevators 22 and the pre-aligners 24 are arranged.

The inspection apparatus 1 can quickly and accurately transport a semiconductor wafer as an object to be inspected by arranging each mechanism as described above.

That is, in the inspection apparatus 1, since the distance L1 between the elevator 22 and the transfer robot 23 is substantially equal to the distance L2 between the transfer robot 23 and the pre-aligner 24, Transfer robot 23
Without changing the length of the arm 23b of the cassette 7b.
The semiconductor wafer taken out of the wafer can be transferred to the pre-aligner 24. Therefore, in the inspection apparatus 1, since an error or the like generated when the length of the arm 23b of the transfer robot 23 is changed does not matter, the operation of transferring the semiconductor wafer to the pre-aligner 24 can be performed accurately. Further, since the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, and the pre-aligner 24 are arranged in a straight line, the transfer robot 23 can transfer the semiconductor wafer taken out of the cassette 7b to the pre-aligner 24 only by linear movement. . Therefore, in the inspection apparatus 1, the operation of transporting the semiconductor wafer to the pre-aligner 24 can be performed extremely accurately and quickly.

Further, in the inspection apparatus 1, as viewed from the transfer robot 23, the elevator 22 and the pre-aligner 24
Are arranged so that the inspection stage 14 is positioned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the semiconductor wafers are arranged, so that the semiconductor wafer is transported to the inspection stage 14 by the linear movement of the transport robot 23. be able to. Therefore,
In this inspection apparatus 1, a semiconductor wafer is placed on an inspection stage 1
4 can be performed very accurately and quickly. In particular, the inspection apparatus 1 inspects a semiconductor wafer on which a fine device pattern is formed.
Since the transfer and positioning of the semiconductor wafer to be inspected must be performed very accurately, the above arrangement is very effective.

Next, the inspection apparatus 1 will be described in more detail with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the external unit 50 of the inspection apparatus 1 has an image processing computer 60 connected to a display device 51 and an input device 53a, and a control device connected to a display device 52 and an input device 53b. Computer 61
And are arranged. In FIG. 1, the input device 53a connected to the image processing computer 60 and the input device 53b connected to the control computer 61 are collectively shown as the input device 53.

When inspecting a semiconductor wafer, the image processing computer 60 operates to charge the CCD (charge-coupled device) camera 30 installed inside the optical unit 21.
A computer that takes in and processes an image obtained by imaging a semiconductor wafer by 31. That is, this inspection device 1
Performs inspection of the semiconductor wafer by processing and analyzing the image of the semiconductor wafer captured by the CCD cameras 30 and 31 installed inside the optical unit 21 by the image processing computer 60.

The input device 53a connected to the image processing computer 60 is used for inputting, to the image processing computer 30, instructions necessary for analyzing images captured from the CCD cameras 30 and 31. And comprises, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, and the like. The display device 51 connected to the image processing computer 60 is for displaying analysis results of images taken from the CCD cameras 30 and 31, and is composed of, for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display.

When inspecting the semiconductor wafer, the control computer 61 performs the inspection stage 14, the elevator 2
2. A computer for controlling the transfer robot 23, the pre-aligner 24, and each device inside the optical unit 12. That is, the inspection apparatus 1 controls the control computer so that an image of the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is picked up by the CCD cameras 30 and 31 installed inside the optical unit 21 when inspecting the semiconductor wafer. 61, the inspection stage 14, the elevator 2
2. It controls the transfer robot 23, the pre-aligner 24, and each device inside the optical unit 21.

The control computer 61 has a function of controlling the blowers 5a and 5b of the clean air unit 4. That is, the inspection apparatus 1 controls the blowers 5 a and 5 b of the clean air unit 4
Is controlled to constantly supply clean air into the clean box 3 when inspecting a semiconductor wafer,
Further, the air flow in the clean box 3 can be controlled.

The input device 53 b connected to the control computer 61 includes the inspection stage 14, the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23 and the pre-aligner 24, each device inside the optical unit 21, and the blower of the clean air unit 4. This is for inputting an instruction necessary for controlling 5a, 5b and the like to the control computer 61, and includes, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The control computer 6
1 is for displaying various conditions and the like at the time of inspection of a semiconductor wafer.
It consists of an RT display, a liquid crystal display and the like.

The image processing computer 60 and the control computer 61 can exchange data with each other by a memory link mechanism. That is,
Image processing computer 60 and control computer 61
Are connected to each other via memory link interfaces 60a and 61a provided respectively, so that the image processing computer 60 and the control computer 51 can exchange data with each other.

On the other hand, inside the clean box 3 of the inspection apparatus 1, the semiconductor wafer placed in the closed container 7 and conveyed is taken out from the cassette 7 b of the container 7 and set on the inspection stage 14. As described above, the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, and the pre-aligner 24 are arranged as mechanisms. These are connected to a control computer 61 arranged in the external unit 50 via a robot control interface 61b.
Then, control signals are sent from the control computer 61 to the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, and the pre-aligner 24 via the robot control interface 61b.

That is, the semiconductor wafers conveyed in the sealed container 7 are transferred to the cassette 7 of the container 7.
b, when it is taken out and installed on the inspection stage 14,
Control signals are sent from the control computer 61 to the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, and the pre-aligner 24 via the robot control interface 61b. Then, the elevator 22, the transfer robot 23, and the pre-aligner 24 operate based on the control signal, and as described above, the semiconductor wafers that have been transported in the closed container 7 are transferred to the cassette 7b of the container 7. , And the phase and center are set by the pre-aligner 25 and set on the inspection stage 14.

Further, an anti-vibration table 13 is provided inside the clean box 3 of the inspection apparatus 1, and the X-stage 15 and the Y-stage 1
6, an inspection stage 14 including a θ stage 17, a Z stage 18, and a suction plate 19 is provided.

Here, the X stage 15 and the Y stage 1
6, the θ stage 17, the Z stage 18, and the suction plate 19 are connected to a control computer 61 arranged in the external unit 50 via a stage control interface 61c. Then, control signals are sent from the control computer 61 to the X stage 15, the Y stage 16, the θ stage 17, the Z stage 18, and the suction plate 19 via the stage control interface 61c.

That is, when inspecting a semiconductor wafer, control signals are sent from the control computer 61 to the X stage 15, the Y stage 16, the θ stage 17, the Z stage 18, and the suction plate 19 via the stage control interface 61c. Sent out. And X stage 1
5, Y stage 16, θ stage 17, Z stage 18
The suction plate 19 operates on the basis of the control signal to suck and fix the semiconductor wafer to be inspected by the suction plate 19, and the semiconductor stage is controlled by the X stage 15, the Y stage 16, the θ stage 17 and the Z stage 18. The wafer is moved to a predetermined position, angle and height.

As described above, the optical unit 21 is also provided on the vibration isolation table 12. The optical unit 21 is for taking an image of the semiconductor wafer at the time of inspecting the semiconductor wafer, and as described above, the function of taking an image of the semiconductor wafer to be inspected at a low resolution using visible light. And a function of capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer to be inspected with high resolution using ultraviolet light.

Inside the optical unit 21, a mechanism for capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer with visible light is provided.
A CCD camera 30 for visible light, a halogen lamp 32,
An optical system 33 for visible light, an objective lens 34 for visible light, and an autofocus controller 35 for visible light are arranged.

When an image of the semiconductor wafer is taken with visible light, the halogen lamp 32 is turned on. Here, the driving source of the halogen lamp 32 is the external unit 50.
Is connected via a light source control interface 61d to a control computer 61 arranged in the computer. The driving source of the halogen lamp 32 includes the control computer 6.
1 transmits a control signal via the light source control interface 61d. The turning on / off of the halogen lamp 32 is performed based on this control signal.

When capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer with visible light, the halogen lamp 32 is turned on, and the visible light from the halogen lamp 32 is transmitted to the visible light optical system 33.
Then, the semiconductor wafer is illuminated by being applied to the semiconductor wafer via the visible light objective lens 34. Then, the image of the semiconductor wafer illuminated by the visible light is converted into a visible light objective lens 34.
And enlarges the enlarged image with the visible light CCD camera 30.
To capture an image.

Here, the visible light CCD camera 30 is connected to an image processing computer 60 provided in the external unit 50.
Are connected via an image capture interface 60b. Then, the image of the semiconductor wafer captured by the visible light CCD camera 30 is captured by the image processing computer 60 via the image capturing interface 60b.

When an image of a semiconductor wafer is captured with visible light as described above, the visible light auto-focus controller 35 performs automatic focus positioning. That is, the visible light autofocus control unit 35 detects whether or not the distance between the visible light objective lens 34 and the semiconductor wafer matches the focal length of the visible light objective lens 34. Is a visible light objective lens 34
Alternatively, the Z stage 18 is moved so that the inspection target surface of the semiconductor wafer coincides with the focal plane of the visible light objective lens 34.

Here, the visible light auto-focus control unit 35 is connected to a control computer 61 provided in the external unit 50 by an auto-focus control interface 61.
e. Then, a control signal is sent from the control computer 61 to the visible light autofocus control unit 35 via the autofocus control interface 61e. Automatic focus positioning of the visible light objective lens 34 by the visible light autofocus controller 35 is performed based on this control signal.

The optical unit 21 has a CCD camera 31 for ultraviolet light and a laser light source 3 for ultraviolet light as a mechanism for picking up an image of a semiconductor wafer with ultraviolet light.
6, an optical system 37 for ultraviolet light, and an objective lens 38 for ultraviolet light
And an ultraviolet light autofocus control section 39.

When an image of the semiconductor wafer is taken with ultraviolet light, the ultraviolet laser light source 36 is turned on. Here, the drive source of the ultraviolet laser light source 36 is connected to a control computer 61 arranged in the external unit 50 via a light source control interface 61d. A control signal is sent from the control computer 61 to the drive source of the ultraviolet laser light source 36 via the light source control interface 61d. Turning on / off the ultraviolet laser light source 36
The light is turned off based on this control signal.

The ultraviolet laser light source 36 preferably emits an ultraviolet laser having a wavelength of about 266 nm. An ultraviolet light laser having a wavelength of about 266 nm is obtained as a fourth harmonic of a YAG laser. Further, a laser light source having an oscillation wavelength of about 166 nm has been developed, and such a laser light source may be used as the ultraviolet laser light source.

When capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer with ultraviolet light, the ultraviolet laser light source 36 is turned on, and the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet laser light source 36 is transmitted to the ultraviolet optical system 37 and the objective lens for ultraviolet light. The semiconductor wafer is illuminated by being applied to the semiconductor wafer via 38. Then, the image of the semiconductor wafer illuminated by the ultraviolet light is enlarged by the ultraviolet light objective lens 38, and the enlarged image is captured by the ultraviolet light CCD camera 31.

Here, the ultraviolet light CCD camera 31 is connected to the image processing computer 60 provided in the external unit 50.
Are connected via an image capture interface 60c. The image of the semiconductor wafer captured by the ultraviolet light CCD camera 31 is captured by the image processing computer 60 via the image capturing interface 60c.

When the image of the semiconductor wafer is picked up by the ultraviolet light as described above, the automatic focus position is adjusted by the ultraviolet light autofocus control unit 39. That is, the autofocus controller 39 for ultraviolet light detects whether or not the interval between the objective lens 38 for ultraviolet light and the semiconductor wafer matches the focal length of the objective lens 38 for ultraviolet light. Is the objective lens 38 for ultraviolet light.
Alternatively, the Z stage 18 is moved so that the inspection surface of the semiconductor wafer coincides with the focal plane of the ultraviolet light objective lens 38.

Here, the auto-focus control section 39 for ultraviolet light sends an auto-focus control interface 61 to a control computer 61 arranged in the external unit 50.
e. Then, a control signal is sent from the control computer 61 to the ultraviolet light autofocus control section 39 via the autofocus control interface 61e. Automatic focusing of the ultraviolet light objective lens 38 by the ultraviolet light autofocus control unit 39 is performed based on this control signal.

Further, the clean air unit 4 is provided with two blowers 5a and 5b as described above. These blowers 5a and 5b are connected to a control computer 61 arranged in the external unit 50 via an air volume control interface 61f. A control signal is sent from the control computer 61 to the blowers 5a and 5b of the clean air unit 4 via the air volume control interface 61f. Control of the number of rotations of the blowers 5a and 5b, switching on / off, and the like are performed based on this control signal.

Next, the optical unit 21 of the inspection apparatus 1
Will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Here, the auto focus control units 35 and 3
The description of 9 will be omitted, and an optical system for illuminating the semiconductor wafer to be inspected and an optical system for imaging the semiconductor wafer to be inspected will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the optical unit 21
As an optical system for capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer with visible light, a halogen lamp 32 and an optical system 33 for visible light are used.
And a visible light objective lens 34.

The visible light from the halogen lamp 32 is guided to the visible light optical system 33 by the optical fiber 40.
The visible light guided to the visible light optical system 33 first passes through the two lenses 41 and 42 and enters the half mirror 43. Then, the visible light incident on the half mirror 43 is
The light is reflected by the half mirror 43 toward the objective lens 34 for visible light, and enters the semiconductor wafer via the objective lens 34 for visible light. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer is illuminated with the visible light.

Then, the image of the semiconductor wafer illuminated by the visible light is enlarged by the visible light objective lens 34,
The light passes through the half mirror 43 and the imaging lens 44 and is imaged by the visible light CCD camera 30. That is,
The reflected light from the semiconductor wafer illuminated by visible light
The light enters the visible light CCD camera 30 via the visible light objective lens 34, the half mirror 43, and the imaging lens 44.
The image is taken by the D camera 30. And C for visible light
An image of the semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a visible image) captured by the CD camera 30 is sent to the image processing computer 60.

The optical unit 21 includes an ultraviolet laser light source 36, an ultraviolet optical system 37, and an ultraviolet objective lens 38 as an optical system for capturing an image of a semiconductor wafer with ultraviolet light. Have.

The ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet laser light source 36 is guided to the optical system for ultraviolet light 37 by the optical fiber 45.
The ultraviolet light guided to the ultraviolet light optical system 37 first passes through the two lenses 46 and 47 and enters the half mirror 48. Then, the visible light incident on the half mirror 48 is
The light is reflected by the half mirror 48 toward the ultraviolet light objective lens 38 and is incident on the semiconductor wafer via the ultraviolet light objective lens 38. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer is illuminated by the ultraviolet light.

The image of the semiconductor wafer illuminated with the ultraviolet light is enlarged by the ultraviolet light objective lens 38,
The light passes through the half mirror 48 and the imaging lens 49 and is imaged by the ultraviolet light CCD camera 31. That is,
The reflected light from the semiconductor wafer illuminated by ultraviolet light,
The light enters the ultraviolet light CCD camera 31 via the ultraviolet light objective lens 38, the half mirror 48, and the imaging lens 49, whereby the enlarged image of the semiconductor wafer is converted to the ultraviolet light CC.
The image is captured by the D camera 31. And UV light C
The image of the semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as an ultraviolet image) captured by the CD camera 31 is sent to the image processing computer 60.

In the inspection apparatus 1 described above, an image of a semiconductor wafer can be imaged and inspected by using ultraviolet light having a wavelength shorter than that of visible light. As compared with the case of performing classification, finer defects can be detected and classified.

In addition, the inspection apparatus 1 has both an optical system for visible light and an optical system for ultraviolet light, so that a semiconductor wafer can be inspected at a low resolution using visible light and an ultraviolet light can be used. Inspection of a semiconductor wafer with high resolution can be performed. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 1 detects and classifies large defects by inspecting a semiconductor wafer at low resolution using visible light, and inspects a semiconductor wafer at high resolution using ultraviolet light. It is also possible to detect and classify small defects.

In the inspection apparatus 1, the numerical aperture NA of the ultraviolet light objective lens 40 is preferably large.
For example, it is set to 0.9 or more. As described above, by using a lens having a large numerical aperture NA as the ultraviolet light objective lens 40, it is possible to detect a finer defect.

When a defect of a semiconductor wafer is composed of only irregularities without color information such as a scratch, the defect can hardly be seen with light having no coherence. On the other hand, when light having excellent coherence, such as laser light, is used, even when a defect such as a scratch has no color information and consists only of irregularities, light is generated in the vicinity of the irregularities. By interfering, the defect can be clearly seen. The inspection apparatus 1 uses an ultraviolet laser light source 36 that emits laser light in the ultraviolet region as a light source of ultraviolet light. Therefore, in the above inspection device 1,
Even a defect such as a scratch, which has no color information and consists only of irregularities, can be clearly detected. That is, in the inspection apparatus 1, the halogen lamp 3
Phase information, which is difficult to detect with visible light (incoherent light) from 2, can be easily detected using the ultraviolet laser (coherent light) from the ultraviolet laser light source 36.

Next, an example of a procedure for inspecting a semiconductor wafer by the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 7 illustrates a procedure of a process after a state where the semiconductor wafer to be inspected is set on the inspection stage 14. Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 shows an example of a procedure when the defect is inspected by the inspection apparatus 1 and the classification is performed when the position of the defect on the semiconductor wafer is known in advance. Here, it is assumed that a number of similar device patterns are formed on a semiconductor wafer, and the detection and classification of defects are performed by using an image of a defective area (a defect image) and an image of another area (a reference image). ) Is taken and compared.

First, as shown in step S1-1, a defect position coordinate file is read into the control computer 61. Here, the defect position coordinate file is a file in which information relating to the position of the defect on the semiconductor wafer is described, and is created by measuring the position of the defect on the semiconductor wafer in advance by a defect detection device or the like. Then, here, the defect position coordinate file is read into the control computer 61.

Next, in step S1-2, the X stage 15 and the Y stage 16 are driven by the control computer 61 to move the semiconductor wafer to the defect position coordinates indicated by the defect position coordinate file. In the field of view of the objective lens 34 for visible light.

Next, in step S1-3, the visible light autofocus controller 35 is driven by the control computer 61 to perform automatic focusing of the visible light objective lens.

Next, in step S1-4, an image of the semiconductor wafer is taken by the visible light CCD camera 30, and the taken visible image is sent to the image processing computer 60. The visible image captured here is an image at the defect position coordinates indicated by the defect position coordinate file, that is, an image of a region where a defect is present (hereinafter, referred to as a defect image).

Next, in step S1-5, the X stage 15 and the Y stage 16 are driven by the control computer 61 to move the semiconductor wafer to the reference position coordinates. 3
4 so that it is within the field of view. Here, the reference region is a region other than the inspection target region of the semiconductor wafer, and is a region where a device pattern similar to the device pattern in the inspection target region of the semiconductor wafer is formed.

Next, in step S1-6, the visible light autofocus control unit 35 is driven by the control computer 61 to perform automatic focus positioning of the visible light objective lens.

Next, in step S1-7, an image of the semiconductor wafer is taken by the visible light CCD camera 30, and the taken visible image is sent to the image processing computer 60. Note that the visible image captured here is an image of a region where a device pattern similar to the device pattern in the inspection target region of the semiconductor wafer is formed (hereinafter, referred to as a reference image).

Next, in step S1-8, the image processing computer 60 compares the defect image captured in step S1-4 with the reference image captured in step S1-7, and detects a defect from the defect image. I do. If a defect is detected, the process proceeds to step S1-9. If a defect is not detected, the process proceeds to step S1-9.
Proceed to 11.

In step S1-9, the image processing computer 60 checks what the detected defect is and classifies it. If the defect can be classified, the process proceeds to step S1-10. If the defect cannot be classified, the process proceeds to step S1-11.

In step S1-10, the result of defect classification is stored. Here, the defect classification result is stored in, for example, a storage device connected to the image processing computer 60 or the control computer 61. Note that the defect classification result may be transferred to another computer connected to the image processing computer 60 or the control computer 61 via a network, and may be stored.

When the processing in step S1-10 is completed, it means that the defect classification of the semiconductor wafer has been completed, and the processing is terminated. However, when there are a plurality of defects on the semiconductor wafer, the process may return to step S1-2 to detect and classify other defects.

On the other hand, if the defect cannot be detected in step S1-8, or if the defect cannot be classified in step S1-9, the process proceeds to step S1-11 and the subsequent steps. Defect detection and classification are performed by imaging at a resolution.

In this case, first, in step S1-11, the X stage 15 is controlled by the control computer 61.
Then, the Y stage 16 is driven to move the semiconductor wafer to the defect position coordinates indicated by the defect position coordinate file, so that the inspection target area of the semiconductor wafer falls within the field of view of the ultraviolet light objective lens 38.

Next, in step S1-12, the control computer 61 drives the ultraviolet light autofocus control section 39 to perform automatic focusing of the ultraviolet light objective lens.

Next, in step S1-13, an image of the semiconductor wafer is taken by the ultraviolet CCD camera 31, and the taken ultraviolet image is sent to the image processing computer 60. The ultraviolet image captured here is an image at the defect position coordinates indicated by the defect position coordinate file, that is, a defect image. In addition, imaging of the defect image here is performed with higher resolution than imaging using visible light, using ultraviolet light that is light having a shorter wavelength than visible light.

Next, in step S1-14, the control stage 61 drives the X stage 15 and the Y stage 16 to move the semiconductor wafer to the reference position coordinates. 38. Here, the reference area is
This is an area other than the inspection target area of the semiconductor wafer, in which a device pattern similar to the device pattern in the inspection target area of the semiconductor wafer is formed.

Next, in step S1-15, the control computer 61 drives the ultraviolet light autofocus control section 39 to perform automatic focus position adjustment of the ultraviolet light objective lens 38.

Next, in step S1-16, an image of the semiconductor wafer is captured by the ultraviolet CCD camera 31, and the captured ultraviolet image is sent to the image processing computer 60. The ultraviolet image captured here is an image of a region where a device pattern similar to the device pattern in the inspection target region of the semiconductor wafer is formed, that is, a reference image. The imaging of the reference image here is performed at a higher resolution than when visible light is used by using ultraviolet light that is light having a shorter wavelength than visible light.

Next, in step S1-17, the image processing computer 60 compares the defect image fetched in step S1-13 with the reference image fetched in step S1-16, and detects a defect from the defect image. I do.
If a defect can be detected, step S1-1
Proceeding to step S8, if no defect is detected, proceeding to step S1-19.

In step S1-18, the image processing computer 60 checks what the detected defect is and classifies it. If the defect classification has been completed, the process proceeds to step S1-10, and the defect classification result is stored as described above. On the other hand, if the defect cannot be classified, the process proceeds to step S1-19.

In step S1-19, information indicating that the defect cannot be classified is stored. Here, information indicating that the defect cannot be classified is stored, for example, in a storage device connected to the image processing computer 60 or the control computer 61. Note that this information may be transferred to another computer connected to the image processing computer 60 or the control computer 61 via a network and stored.

According to the above-described procedure, first, the image picked up by the visible light CCD camera 30 is processed and analyzed to inspect the semiconductor wafer at a low resolution, and to detect a defect by visible light and When classification was not possible,
Next, the semiconductor wafer is inspected with high resolution by processing and analyzing the image captured by the ultraviolet CCD camera 31.

Here, a method of detecting a defect from a reference image and a defect image picked up by the CCD cameras 30 and 31 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8A shows an example of a reference area image in which a device pattern similar to the device pattern in the inspection target area is formed, that is, an example of the reference image. FIG. 8B shows an example of an image of an inspection target area determined to have a defect, that is, a defect image.

When detecting a defect from such a reference image and a defect image, a device pattern is extracted from the reference image as shown in FIG. 8C based on color information, density information, and the like. Further, a difference image is obtained from the reference image and the defect image, and a portion having a large difference is extracted as a defect as shown in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIG.
An image obtained by superimposing the image of the device pattern extraction result shown in FIG. 8C and the image of the defect extraction result shown in FIG. 8D is obtained. It is extracted as a feature value.

By the above-described method, the CCD camera 3
The image processing computer 60 processes and analyzes the reference image and the defect image captured by 0 and 31 to detect a defect and inspect a semiconductor wafer.

As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 first inspects the semiconductor wafer at a low resolution by processing and analyzing the image picked up by the visible light CCD camera 30, and inspects the defect by visible light. If the detection and classification cannot be performed, the semiconductor wafer is inspected at a high resolution by processing and analyzing the image captured by the ultraviolet CCD camera 31. It is possible to detect and classify finer defects as compared with the case of detecting and classifying defects using only visible light.

However, imaging at a low resolution using visible light has a wider area that can be imaged at a time, so if the defect is sufficiently large, inspection of the semiconductor wafer at a low resolution using visible light is possible. Is more efficient. Therefore,
Rather than using ultraviolet light to inspect and classify defects from the beginning, as described above, inspecting and classifying defects using visible light first enables more efficient semiconductor wafers. Inspection can be performed.

Further, in the inspection apparatus 1, as described above, the exhaust unit 70 is provided below the apparatus main body 10, and is supplied from the clean air unit 4 into the clean box 3 so that the air flows through the clean box 3. By actively discharging the circulated air from the lower end of the clean box 3 to the outside of the clean box 3, dust and the like generated in the clean box 3 during the inspection process are removed from the clean box 3 together with the air. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent dust and the like from adhering to the semiconductor wafer to be inspected, and to appropriately inspect the semiconductor wafer.

In the inspection apparatus 1, the exhaust unit 70 has a structure separated from the apparatus main body 10, and the exhaust unit 70 is brought into contact with the lower end of the support base 11 via the damper member 73, and The vibration generated in the exhaust unit 70 is absorbed by the damper member 73, so that the vibration generated in the exhaust unit 70 is effectively prevented from being transmitted to the apparatus body 10, and the semiconductor wafer Inspection can be performed appropriately.

In the above description, the inspection apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied has been used for checking what the defect is in the semiconductor wafer. However, the use of the inspection apparatus 1 according to the present invention can be used for purposes other than the defect identification of the semiconductor wafer. That is, the inspection apparatus 1 according to the present invention can be used, for example, to inspect whether a device pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer is formed in an appropriate shape as a desired pattern. Further, the use of the inspection device 1 according to the present invention is not limited to inspection of a semiconductor wafer, and the inspection device 1 according to the present invention is widely applicable to inspection of fine patterns. It is also effective for inspection of flat panel displays on which various patterns are formed.

[0133]

As described in detail above, in the inspection apparatus according to the present invention, at least a part of the air supplied to the inside of the clean box by the air supply unit and circulated inside the clean box is supplied to the outside of the clean box. The exhaust part that discharges to the lower part of the main body of the device via the vibration-absorbing member, removes fine dust etc. generated in the clean box during the inspection process together with the air in the clean box to the outside of the clean box. To prevent the dust and the like from adhering to the object to be inspected, and effectively prevent the vibration generated in the exhaust part from being absorbed by the vibration absorbing member and transmitting the vibration to the apparatus body. Can be suppressed. Therefore, in this inspection apparatus, the inspection of the inspection object by the apparatus main body can be appropriately performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an inspection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an apparatus main body and an exhaust unit disposed inside a clean box of the inspection apparatus are viewed from a direction of an arrow A1 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing the exhaust unit and its vicinity.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a state where the apparatus main body of the inspection apparatus is viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the inspection device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an optical system of an optical unit of the inspection device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure when a semiconductor wafer is inspected by the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting a defect from a reference image and a defect image.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 inspection device, 2 clean unit, 3 clean box, 4 clean air unit, 5a, 5b blower, 10 device body, 14 inspection stage, 21 optical unit, 22 elevator, 23 transport robot, 24 pre-aligner, 30 for visible light CCD camera, 31 ultraviolet CCD camera, 32 halogen lamp, 33 visible light optical system, 34 visible light objective lens, 36 ultraviolet laser light source, 37 ultraviolet light optical system,
38 Objective lens for ultraviolet light, 50 External unit, 5
1, 52 display device, 53 input device, 60 image processing computer, 61 control computer, 70 exhaust unit, 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d exhaust air, 72 legs, 73 damper member

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2F065 AA14 AA56 BB01 CC19 DD13 DD14 FF01 GG02 GG04 GG12 GG23 JJ03 JJ05 JJ09 JJ26 KK01 LL10 MM02 PP24 QQ24 QQ25 RR04 UU00 2G051 AA51 AB01 DA02 BA01 BA10 BA08 DA08 EC01 4M106 AA01 BA05 BA07 CA41 DB04 DB07 DB08 DB30 DJ02 DJ04 DJ05 DJ06 DJ07 DJ11 DJ23

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus main body for inspecting an object to be inspected, a clean box accommodating the apparatus main body therein, and a clean air provided at an upper portion of the clean box for supplying clean air to the inside of the clean box. An air supply unit for supplying air to the inside of the clean box by the air supply unit, and an exhaust unit for discharging at least a part of air circulated inside the clean box to the outside of the clean box. An inspection device, wherein the portion is in contact with a lower portion of the device main body via a vibration absorbing member. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus main body includes an inspection unit that irradiates the inspection object with ultraviolet light and detects reflected light or transmitted light to inspect the inspection object. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein