Wafer inspection apparatus

• US 20030169916A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covalent Materials Corporation, Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Carrier Company Limited (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanabe, Atsushi, Hayashi, Yoshinori, Izunome, Koji, Isogai, Hiromichi, Naraidate, Hiroyuki, Yuda, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/145
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9503 Wafer edge inspection

Abstract

A wafer inspection apparatus has a supporting means (10) for rotatably supporting a wafer (W) formed of a disk, a circumferential edge imaging means (40) for imaging a circumferential edge (S) of the wafer (W) that is supported by the supporting means for rotation, a notch imaging means (50) for imaging a notch (N), a notch illumination part (52) for illuminating the notch (N), and a control means (70) for processing image data imaged by the circumferential edge imaging means (40) and the notch imaging means (50). The circumferential edge imaging means (40) has a plurality of imaging cameras (41) for imaging a plurality of different parts in a thickness direction of the circumferential edge of the wafer (W). The different parts of the circumferential edge (S) of the wafer (W) include an apex at right angles to a surface of the wafer (W) and a front side bevel and a back side bevel inclined relative to the apex. The notch imaging means (50) for the wafer (W) having the notch (N) has a plurality of imaging cameras (51) for imaging different parts in the thickness direction of the notch (N).

Claims

1. A wafer inspection apparatus comprising:

a supporting means for rotatably supporting a wafer formed of a disk,

a circumferential edge imaging means for imaging a circumferential edge of the wafer that is supported by the supporting means and rotated,

a control means for processing image data imaged by the circumferential edge imaging means,

wherein the circumferential edge imaging means includes a plurality of imaging cameras for imaging a plurality of different parts of the circumferential edge of the wafer, respectively,

wherein the plurality of different parts include an apex, a front side bevel and a back side bevel, the apex being at right angles to a surface of the wafer, the front side bevel and the back side bevel being inclined relative to the apex,

wherein the plurality of imaging cameras correspond to the apex, the front side bevel and the back side bevel, and wherein an apex imaging camera, a front side bevel imaging camera, and a back side bevel imaging camera are provided in such a condition that imaging directions thereof are at substantially right angles to the faces, respectively.

2. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a circumferential edge illumination part is provided for illuminating the circumferential edge of the wafer, and wherein the circumferential edge illumination part illuminates so that an illumination light focuses on a center of a certain arc formed along a thickness direction of the circumferential edge of the wafer,

and wherein each imaging camera is positioned in a bright field of a reflection light by the illumination light from the circumferential edge illumination part positions.

3. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means is provided with an image data processing means and a display,

wherein the image data processing means displays images of the circumferential edge imaged by the apex imaging camera, the front side bevel imaging camera and the back side bevel imaging camera on the display in such a condition that each phase of the images is matched to an angle position of the wafer.

4. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image data processing means is provided with

a defect recognizing means for recognizing an area with a certain difference of brightness compared to a standard brightness from the image data of the circumferential edge of the wafer.

5. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 4, comprising

an angle coordinate displaying function for displaying an angle coordinate along a peripheral direction of the circumferential edge of the wafer, and

a thickness direction coordinate displaying function for displaying a relative position along a thickness direction of the circumferential edge of the wafer.

6. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 3, comprising

a defect recognizing means for recognizing an area with a certain difference of brightness compared to a standard brightness from the image data of the circumferential edge of the wafer,

a defect form recognizing means for recognizing a form of the defect identified by the defect recognizing means, and

a defect form displaying means for displaying the form identified by the defect form recognizing means on the display.

7. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the defect form recognizing means has a function of classifying into each one of point defects, line defects, and plane defects and recognizing based on a predetermined threshold value.

8. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 7, having a defect distribution calculating means for calculating a distribution of the point defects, the line defects, and the plane defects at each certain angle unit for each image face of the imaging cameras.

9. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein a defect ranking means is provided for sizing in point defects, line defects, and plane defects at certain angles on the image face at each certain angle unit for each image face of the imaging cameras,

wherein the image data processing means is provided with

a defect area calculating means for calculating an area of the defect identified by the defect recognizing means,

a defect area displaying means for displaying the area calculated by the defect area calculating means on the display,

a defect circumscribed rectangle size calculating means for calculating a size of a circumscribed rectangle circumscribing the defect that is recognized by the defect recognizing means,

a defect circumscribed rectangle size displaying means for displaying the size calculated by the defect circumscribed rectangle size calculating means, and

wherein the image data processing means is provided with

a defect density calculating means for calculating a density of the defect from the area of the defect calculated by the defect area calculating means and the size of the circumscribed rectangle calculated by the defect circumscribed rectangle size calculating means,

a defect density displaying means for displaying the density of the defect calculated by the defect density displaying means on the display, and

wherein the image data processing means is provided with

a defect brightness calculating means for calculating a mean brightness of the defect identified by the defect recognizing means and

a defect brightness displaying means for displaying a mean brightness of the defect calculated by the defect brightness calculating means on the display, and

wherein the image data processing means is provided with

a quality judging means for judging quality of the wafer based on the defect obtained by the defect recognizing means and

a wafer quality displaying means for displaying quality of the wafer judged by the quality judging means.

10. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer has a notch, and

wherein the circumferential edge imaging means is provided with

a bottom apex imaging camera that corresponds to an apex of a bottom of the notch,

a bottom front side bevel imaging camera that corresponds to a front side bevel of the bottom,

a bottom back side bevel imaging camera that corresponds to a back side bevel of the bottom,

one side part-apex imaging camera that corresponds to an apex of one side part of the notch, and

the other side part-apex imaging camera that corresponds to an apex of the other side part of the notch.

11. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the supporting means is provided with

a supporting board having a plurality of support fingers that are rotatably mounted around a central axis as a rotating center for supporting the circumferential edge of the wafer and provided on the circumference around the central axis, and

a driving means for rotating the supporting board, and

wherein each support finger is provided with a support face that is inclined downward to the central axis for supporting the circumferential edge of the wafer, and

wherein the supporting means is provided with a support position changing system for changing a support position of the wafer supported by the support fingers of the supporting board.

12. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the support position changing system is provided with a carrying board, and

wherein the carrying board is provided with a plurality of carrying fingers relatively rotatably provided around the same central axis with the supporting board for carrying the circumferential edge of the wafer on the circumference around the central axis, and

wherein the carrying board can move the carrying fingers to two positions, one position being a carrying position where the wafer is carried and lifted to a higher position than the support fingers of the supporting board, the other position being a delivery position where the wafer is delivered to the support fingers at a lower position than the support fingers, and

wherein the support position changing system is provided with a moving system for moving two positions of the carrying position and the delivery position.

13. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 11, having a wafer transfer for transferring the wafer to be inspected from a storage of the wafer and centering the wafer to the support fingers of the supporting board and supporting.

14. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the wafer transfer means is provided with an engaging means for engaging the circumferential edge of the wafer, and

wherein the wafer transfer means has a pair of carrying hands that can relatively move to two positions, one position being a carrying position where the engaging means is engaged to grasp the wafer in a face direction of the wafer and the other position being a carrying-release position where carrying is released, and

wherein the engaging means has an elastic contact body for elastically contacting the wafer at the carrying position.

15. A wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 1, having a diameter measuring means for measuring a diameter of the wafer to be supported by the supporting means and rotated.