Optics: measuring and testing – Inspection of flaws or impurities – Surface condition
Reexamination Certificate
2005-05-31
2005-05-31
Rosenberger, Richard A. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Inspection of flaws or impurities
Surface condition
C356S237500, C250S559420, C250S559400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06900888
ABSTRACT:
The inventive method and apparatus for detecting defects of a microscopic circuit pattern by imaging the pattern at high resolution comprises an objective lens for imaging the subject pattern, a laser illumination means for illuminating the pupil of the objective lens, means of diminishing the coherency of the laser illumination, an accumulative detector, and means of processing the signal detected by the detector. The method and apparatus are capable of imaging the subject pattern at high sensitivity and high speed based on the illumination by a short wavelength, which is indispensable for the enhancement of resolution, particularly based on a laser light source which is advantageous for practicing, with a resulting image being the same or better in quality as compared with an image resulting from the ordinary discharge tube illumination, whereby it is possible to detect microscopic defects at high sensitivity.
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Maeda Shunji
Okabe Takafumi
Sakai Kaoru
Shimoda Atsushi
Watanabe Masahiro
Barth Vincent P.
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
Rosenberger Richard A.
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