A defect inspecting method and apparatus for inspecting a surface state including a defect on a wafer surface, in which a polarization state of a laser beam irradiated onto the wafer surface is connected into a specified polarization state, the converted laser beam having the specified polarization state is inserted onto the wafer surface, and a scattering light occurring from an irradiated region where the laser beam having the specified polarization state is irradiated, is separated into a first scattering light occurring due to a defect on the wafer and a second scattering light occurring due to a surface roughness on the wafer. An optical element for optical path division separates the first and second scattering lights approximately at the same time.

A vehicle part inspection device is configured to inspect an inspection object secured on a jig frame by a securing unit, and may include: i) a sensing unit which is pivotably installed on a mount frame, moves in multi-axis directions along the jig frame, and senses an inspection portion of the inspection object; and ii) angle changing units which are installed to be radially connected with the sensing unit, and change a sensing angle of the sensing unit by applying forward and rearward operating force to the sensing unit.

An image processing system includes one or more processors that select one target algorithm from evaluation algorithms, calculate an evaluation value indicating adaptation to image measurement using the target algorithm and one or more evaluation images corresponding to an evaluation lighting pattern for each evaluation lighting pattern, and determine a lighting pattern to be used for the image measurement from evaluation lighting patterns based on the evaluation value.

An autofocus support method according to an embodiment supports autofocus for a semiconductor device having a substrate and a device pattern formed on one main surface side of the substrate. The method includes: a step of acquiring a first image focused on the substrate; a step of acquiring a spatial frequency image from the first image by Fourier transform and generating mask data for masking linear patterns in the same direction on the substrate based on the spatial frequency image; a step of performing filtering on a plurality of second images, which are captured by using an imaging device while changing the focal position of the imaging device on the other main surface side of the substrate, by using the mask data; and a step of focusing the imaging device on the device pattern based on the second image after filtering.

A wafer defect inspection system is disclosed, and comprises a line light source, a camera and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to control the line light source to provide an inspection light to be incident on a wafer, wherein an included angle between the inspection light and the surface of the wafer ranges from 450 to 90. After incidence on the wafer, the inspection light travels inside the wafer according to the principle of total reflection, and when encountering a crack, part of the inspection light exits from the surface of the wafer through the crack. Moreover, the processor controls the camera to obtain a wafer image containing at least one defect feature, and after processing the wafer image into an inspection wafer image, compares the wafer image with a reference wafer image, so as to know the at least one defect feature.

A method for inspecting a manufactured product includes applying a first test regimen to the manufactured product to identify product defects. The first test regimen produces a first set of defect candidates. The method further includes applying a second test regimen to the manufactured product to identify product defects. The second test regimen produces a second set of defect candidates, and the second test regimen is different from the first test regimen. The method also includes generating a first filtered defect set by eliminating ones of the first set of defect candidates that are not identified in the second set of defect candidates.

The present disclosure relates to a method of providing a light signal separation unit in an optical reflective microscope system, said optical reflective microscope system comprising an objective lens arrangement configured to collect light reflected off a plurality of field points on an object and to onwardly transmit a light beam formed from the collected light and said light signal separation unit having a reflective surface with a central transmissive region formed therein, wherein said central transmissive region is arranged to allow therethrough a central portion of said light beam transmitted from said objective lens arrangement while said reflective surface is arranged to reflect a peripheral portion of said light beam transmitted from said objective lens arrangement. The method comprises determining an axial position at which to position said light signal separation unit. The axial position being a position along an optical axis of said objective lens arrangement, contiguous to an exit pupil of said objective lens arrangement, at which beam deformation of said light beam is substantially minimal; determining a dimension of a cross section of said light beam at said axial position; and determining a dimension of said central transmissive region based on said dimension of said cross section of said light beam and said lateral displacement at said axial position.

An optical inspection system for pre-bonding inspection system includes a stage on which a sample to be inspected is placed, a sensor, optical assemblies, each including an optical head having optics to direct a sample field-of-view (FOV) to a portion of the sample, a first light source configured to illuminate the sample at a first oblique angle, a second light source configured to illuminate the sample at a second oblique angle, a focusing lens to focus a first optical image of the portion of the sample generated by the first light source, and a second optical image of the portion of the sample generated by the second light source onto a segment of the sensor, and a controller configured to combine the first optical image and the second optical image generated by each optical assembly, and generate a map of point defects on the sample.

An optical inspection system for pre-bonding inspection includes a stage having a surface on which a sample to be inspected is placed, the surface of the sample having at least parts with a two dimensional (2D) periodic pattern which may include defects, an optical head including optics, a dark-field illuminator configured to illuminate the surface of the sample at an first angle, wherein the first angle is an oblique angle, a bright-field illuminator configured to illuminate the surface at a second angle, a dark-field collection path, a bright-field collection path, and a sensor configured to detect light transmitted from the dark-field illuminator, scattered at the surface of the sample, collected by the optical head, and relayed through the dark-field collection path, and light transmitted from the bright-field illuminator, reflected at the surface of the sample, and relayed through the bright-field collection path.

A highly reflective surface profile measurement system with liquid atomization and a method thereof are both provided. The method includes the following steps: spraying a liquid to form a droplet layer on the surface to reduce temporarily the roughness; scanning the surface by emitting an incident light and receiving a reflected/refracted light to obtain an electric signal; and processing the electric signal to generate an output which carries with the profile or the defect information of the surface.