Optics: measuring and testing – Inspection of flaws or impurities – Surface condition
Reexamination Certificate
2011-08-02
2011-08-02
Stafira, Michael P (Department: 2886)
Optics: measuring and testing
Inspection of flaws or impurities
Surface condition
C356S237100
Reexamination Certificate
active
07990530
ABSTRACT:
In the conventional contaminant particle/defect inspection method, if the illuminance of the illumination beam is held at not more than a predetermined upper limit value not to give thermal damage to the sample, the detection sensitivity and the inspection speed being in the tradeoff relation with each other, it is very difficult to improve one of the detection sensitivity and the inspection speed without sacrificing the other or improve both at the same time. The invention provides an improved optical inspection method and an improved optical inspection apparatus, in which a pulse laser is used as a light source, and a laser beam flux is split into a plurality of laser beam fluxes which are given different time delay to form a plurality of illumination spots. The scattered light signal from each illumination spot is isolated and detected by using a light emission start timing signal for each illumination spot.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5798829 (1998-08-01), Vaez-Iravani
patent: 6084716 (2000-07-01), Sanada et al.
patent: 2001-255278 (2001-09-01), None
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Stafira Michael P
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