Apparatus for surface inspection

• US 6,204,918 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Takano Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Sato, Takuji, Isozaki, Hisashi, Shida, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US09/285,259
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 356/237.1, 356/239.1, 356/239.2, 356/239.3, 356/239.7, 356/239.8, 356/237.2, 356/237.3, 356/237.4, 356/237.5, 356/394, 356/388, 356/398, 356/431, 250/358.1, 250/360.1, 250/559.01, 250/559.16, 250/559.18
• US Class Current: 356/239.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8851 Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002

Abstract

An apparatus for surface inspection according to the invention comprises an irradiating optical system for throwing an irradiating light beam from a light source onto the surface of an object of inspection, a light receiving optical system for receiving a scattered light beam reflected from the surface of the object of inspection irradiated by the irradiating optical system, a photosensing portion for forming a surface data signal from the scattered light beam received by the light receiving optical system, a displacement portion for displacing the surface of the object of inspection relative to the irradiating optical system, plus the light receiving optical system, continuously in the main scanning direction and intermittently in the sub-scanning direction, and a foreign matter detecting portion for detecting a foreign matter present on the surface of the object of inspection on the basis of the maximum value level of the surface data signal and obtaining the position, in the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of the object of inspection on the basis of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction.

Claims

1. An apparatus for surface inspection comprising:

a light source;

an irradiating optical system for directing an irradiating light beam from said light source onto a surface of an object under inspection;

a light receiving optical system for receiving a scattered light beam reflected from the surface of said object under inspection;

a photosensing portion for forming a surface data signal from the scattered light beam received by said light receiving optical system;

a displacement portion for continuously displacing a surface of said object under inspection, relative to said irradiating optical system and said light receiving optical system, in main and sub-scanning directions; and

a foreign matter detecting portion for detecting foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on a basis of a maximum value level of said surface data signal and measuring the position, in the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of each levels of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction.

2. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion measures the position of the foreign matter present on the surface of the object under inspection on a basis of each peak levels of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction.

3. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 2, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion measures the position, in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction given that an intensity distribution of the irradiating light beam is in conformity with a specific curve.

4. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 3, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion measures the position, in the sub-scanning direction of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction given that the intensity distribution of the irradiating light beam of the irradiating optical system is in conformity with a Gaussian curve, according to the numerical expression as mentioned below:

$x=\left\{D^2/8\right)<br><br>1<br><br>n<br><br>\left(\ln /\ln +1\right)-p^2\}/2<br><br>p$

where x;

is the position, in the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection

D;

beam diameter

p;

scanning pitch

n;

the scanning number of the beam

In;

the peak level of the n-the received-light signal

In+1;

the peak level of the (n+1)-the received-light signal.

5. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion measures the position, in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, of a center of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of positional data of each of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction.

6. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 5, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion is measures the position, in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection by measuring the position of a center of gravity of said object under inspection from starting and ending positions of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction.

7. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion is measures the position, in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction of a center of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of an area in the surface data signal in the main scanning direction.

8. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 7, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion is measures a sectional area produced by the foreign matter from a change in the surface data signal in the main scanning direction of adjoining surface data signals and to measure the position, in the main scanning direction and the subs-scanning direction, of a center of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection, on the basis of the obtained sectional area.

9. An apparatus for surface inspection comprising:

a light source;

an irradiating optical system for throwing an irradiating light beam from said light source onto the source of an object under inspection;

a light receiving optical system for receiving a scattered light beam reflected from the surface of said object under inspection irradiated by the irradiating optical system;

a photosensing portion for forming a surface data signal from the scattered light beam received by said light receiving optical system;

a displacement portion for displacing the surface of said object under inspection, relative to said irradiating optical system and said light receiving optical system, continuously in a main scanning direction and intermittently in a sub-scanning direction; and

a foreign matter detecting portion for detecting a foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of a maximum value level of said surface data signal and measuring the position, in the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of each levels of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction on the presumption that an intensity distribution of the irradiating light beam of the irradiating optical system is in conformity with a specific curve.

10. An apparatus for surface inspection according to claim 9, wherein said foreign matter detecting portion is designed to measure the position, in the sub-scanning direction, of the foreign matter present on the surface of said object under inspection on the basis of at least two adjoining surface data signals in the sub-scanning direction on the presumption that the intensity distribution of the irradiating light beam of the irradiating optical system is in conformity with a Gaussian curve, according to the numerical expression as mentioned below: