Method of and apparatus for detecting foreign substances
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a foreign substance on a patterned object having a plane surface and a raised pattern formed on said plane surface by illuminating said patterned object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said patterned object to detect said foreign substance in distinction from said raised pattern, comprising the steps of:
- applying oblique illumination onto an oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object having said raised pattern formed thereon in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system, and applying vertical illumination vertically onto the oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object along the optical axis of said optical system;
receiving, via said optical system, light from said oblique illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area and light from said vertical illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area, separating the received scattered lights from the received reflected lights by shutting off the received reflected lights, and independently detecting the separated scattered lights with one-dimensional photodetecting means to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination, wherein the oblong area is large enough to contain an image of an entire photodetecting area of said one-dimensional photodetecting means projected onto the plane surface of said patterned object through said optical system; and
non-additively processing said first detection signal and said second detection signal to cancel a component of said first detection signal and said second detection signal due to light scattered from said raised pattern and detect said foreign substance.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein are method of and apparatus for detecting a foreign substance on an object by illuminating said object, detecting via an optical system light reflected from said object and detecting said foreign substance in distinction from a background. The object is exposed to first illumination such that light reflected from said background is suppressed but light reflected from said foreign substance is highlighted relative to the light reflected from said background. The light reflected from said object as a result of said first illumination is detected, thereby obtaining a first detection signal. The object is exposed to second illumination such that light reflected from said background is free from suppression relative to the light reflected from said substance as a result of said second illumination. The light reflected from said object as a result of said second illumination is detected, thereby obtaining a second detection signal. Foreign-substance-highlighting processing is performed on said first detection signal by using said second detection signal, whereby said substance is detected.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a foreign substance on a patterned object having a plane surface and a raised pattern formed on said plane surface by illuminating said patterned object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said patterned object to detect said foreign substance in distinction from said raised pattern, comprising the steps of:
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applying oblique illumination onto an oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object having said raised pattern formed thereon in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system, and applying vertical illumination vertically onto the oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object along the optical axis of said optical system; receiving, via said optical system, light from said oblique illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area and light from said vertical illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area, separating the received scattered lights from the received reflected lights by shutting off the received reflected lights, and independently detecting the separated scattered lights with one-dimensional photodetecting means to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination, wherein the oblong area is large enough to contain an image of an entire photodetecting area of said one-dimensional photodetecting means projected onto the plane surface of said patterned object through said optical system; and non-additively processing said first detection signal and said second detection signal to cancel a component of said first detection signal and said second detection signal due to light scattered from said raised pattern and detect said foreign substance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of detecting a foreign substance on an unpatterned object having an unpatterned mirror-finished surface by illuminating said unpatterned object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said unpatterned object to detect said foreign substance on said unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object, comprising the steps of:
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applying oblique illumination onto an oblong area of the unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system, and applying vertical illumination vertically onto the oblong area of the unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object along the optical axis of said optical system; receiving, via said optical system, light from said oblique illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area, and light from said vertical illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area, separating the received scattered lights from the received reflected lights, and detecting the separated scattered lights with one-dimensional photodetecting means to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination, wherein the oblong area is large enough to contain an image of an entire photodetecting area of said one-dimensional photodetecting means projected onto the unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object through said optical system; and additively processing said first detection signal and said second detection signal to detect said foreign substance.
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7. A method of detecting a foreign substance on an object by illuminating said object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said object to detect said foreign substance, comprising the steps of:
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applying oblique illumination onto said object in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system and vertical illumination vertically onto said object along the optical axis of said optical system; condensing via said optical system lights scattered by said object from said oblique and vertical illuminations, and independently detecting the condensed scattered lights with photodetecting means to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination; when the object has a plane surface and a raised pattern formed on said plane surface, detecting the foreign substance on the basis of a difference between the first and second detection signals; and when the object has a mirror-finished surface, detecting the foreign substance by adding together the first and second detection signals to obtain a sum and comparing the sum with a predetermined reference value.
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8. An apparatus for detecting a foreign substance on a patterned object having a plane surface and a raised pattern formed on said plane surface by illuminating said patterned object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said patterned object to detect said foreign substance in distinction from said raised pattern comprising:
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an optical system; oblique illumination means for applying oblique illumination onto an oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object having said raised pattern formed thereon in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system; vertical illumination means for applying vertical illumination vertically onto the oblong area of the plane surface of said patterned object along the optical axis of said optical system; means for receiving, via said optical system, light from said oblique illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area and light from said vertical illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area; means for separating the received scattered lights from the received reflected lights by shutting off the received reflected lights; one-dimensional photodetecting means for independently detecting the separated scattered lights to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination, wherein the oblong area is large enough to contain an image of an entire photodetecting area of said one-dimensional photodetecting means projected onto the plane surface of said patterned object through said optical system; and signal processing means for non-additively processing said first detection signal and said second detection signal to cancel a component of said first detection signal and said second detection signal due to light scattered from said raised pattern and detect said foreign substance. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for optically detecting a foreign substance on an object, comprising:
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an objective lens; oblique illumination means for applying oblique illumination onto said object in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said objective system; vertical illumination means for applying vertical illumination vertically onto said object via said objective lens along the optical axis of said objective lens; an optical system for condensing light scattered by said object; signal detecting means responsive to the condensed scattered light from said optical system for independently detecting lights scattered by said object from said oblique and vertical illuminations to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination; first signal processing means for detecting the foreign substance on the basis of a difference obtained by comparing the first and second detection signals with each other; second signal processing means for detecting the foreign substance on the basis of a sum obtained by adding together the first and second detection signals; and means for selecting the first signal processing means when detecting a foreign substance on an object having a plane surface and a raised pattern formed on said plane surface, and for selecting the second signal processing means when detecting a foreign substance on an object having a mirror-finished surface.
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21. An apparatus for detecting a foreign substance on an unpatterned object having an unpatterned mirror-finished surface by illuminating said unpatterned object and detecting via an optical system light reflected by said unpatterned object to detect said foreign substance on said unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object comprising:
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an optical system; oblique illumination means for applying oblique illumination onto an oblong area of the unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object in an oblique direction relative to an optical axis of said optical system; vertical illumination means for applying vertical illumination vertically onto the oblong area of the unpatterned mirror-finished surface of said unpatterned object along the optical axis of said optical system; means for receiving, via said optical system, light from said oblique illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area and light from said vertical illumination reflected and scattered from the oblong area; means for separating the received scattered lights from the received reflected lights by shutting off the received reflected lights; one-dimensional photodetecting means for detecting the separated scattered lights to obtain a first detection signal based on the scattered light from the oblique illumination and a second detection signal based on the scattered light from the vertical illumination, wherein the oblong area is large enough to contain an image of an entire photodetecting area of said one-dimensional photodetecting means projected onto the plane surface of said patterned object through said optical system; and signal processing means for additively processing the first detection signal and the second detection signal to detect the foreign substance.
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Specification