Provided are a defect observation method and a defect observation device which detect a defect from an image obtained by imaging the defect on a sample with an optical microscope by using positional information of the defect on the sample detected by a different inspection device to correct the positional information of the defect and observe in detail the defect on the sample with a scanning electron microscope using the corrected positional information. The defect observation method includes detecting the defect from the image to correct the positional information of the defect, switching a spatially-distributed optical element of a detection optical system of the optical microscope according to the defect to be detected, and changing an image acquisition condition for acquiring the image and an image processing condition for detecting the defect from the image according to a type of the switched spatially-distributed optical element.

A defect inspection device is provided with an illumination optical system that irradiates light or an electron beam onto a sample, a detector that detects a signal obtained from the sample through the irradiation of the light or electron beam, a defect detection unit that detects a defect candidate on the sample through the comparison of a signal output by the detector and a prescribed threshold, and a display unit that displays a setting screen for setting the threshold. The setting screen is a two-dimensional distribution map that represents the distribution of the defect candidates in a three dimensional feature space having three features as the axes thereof and includes the axes of the three features and the threshold, which is represented in one dimension.

Provided is a sample property detecting apparatus including: a wave source configured to irradiate a wave towards a sample; a detector configured to detect a laser speckle that is generated when the wave is multiple-scattered by the sample, at every time point that is set in advance; and a controller configured to obtain a temporal correlation that is a variation in the detected laser speckle according to time, and to detect properties of the sample in real-time based on the temporal correlation, wherein the detector detects the laser speckle between the sample and the detector or from a region in the detector.

A system that may include a radiation source to generate a beam of coherent radiation; traveling lens optics to focus the beam so as to generate multiple spots on a surface of a sample and to scan the spots together over the surface; collection optics to collect the radiation scattered from the multiple spots and to focus the collected radiation so as to generate a pattern of interference fringes; and a detection unit to detect changes in the pattern of interference fringes.

A structure of interest (T) is irradiated with radiation for example in the x-ray or EUV waveband, and scattered radiation is detected by a detector (19, 274, 908, 1012). A processor (PU) calculates a property such as linewidth (CD) or overlay (OV), for example by simulating (S16) interaction of radiation with a structure and comparing (S17) the simulated interaction with the detected radiation. The method is modified (S14a, S15a, S19a) to take account of changes in the structure which are caused by the inspection radiation. These changes may be for example shrinkage of the material, or changes in its optical characteristics. The changes may be caused by inspection radiation in the current observation or in a previous observation.

In an inspection apparatus, a plurality of light source parts (42, 43) for irradiating an object area on a surface of an object (9) with light from a plurality of directions, respectively, are provided, and a first picked-up image representing an object area is acquired in one image pickup part (32, 33) by light irradiation from one of the plurality of light source parts and a second picked-up image is acquired in the image pickup part by light irradiation from the plurality of light source parts. Further, a first defect candidate area is detected by comparing the first picked-up image with a first reference image corresponding to the first picked-up image and a second defect candidate area is detected by comparing the second picked-up image with a second reference image corresponding to the second picked-up image. Then, an overlapping area in the first defect candidate area and the second defect candidate area is specified as a defect area in the object area. It is thereby possible to detect a defect on the satin-finished surface of the object with high accuracy.

A system and method for defect detection in a hole array on a substrate is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for defect detection in a hole array on a substrate, includes: scanning a substrate surface using at least one optical detector, generating at least one image of the substrate surface; and analyzing the at least one image to detect defects in the hole array on the substrate surface based on a set of predetermined criteria.

A method for inspecting a three dimensional structure of a microscopic scale of a sample, the method may include obtaining an image of the three dimensional structure; obtaining a reference image of a reference three dimensional structure, the reference three dimensional structure and the three dimensional structure are ideally identical to each other; wherein each one of the image and the reference image was generated using optics that includes a phase mask, wherein the phase mask virtually expands a depth of field of the optics by encoding depth information over a depth range that exceeds the depth of field; generating a difference image that represents a difference between the image and the reference image; determining, based on the difference image, whether there is at least one defect in the three dimensional structure; wherein when determining that there is the at least one defect then providing a depth of the at least one defect

A method for correcting a processing condition includes imaging a substrate using an imaging device before start and after completion of a series of processings; specifying a processing apparatus estimated as having an abnormality, based on an imaging result and information on the processing apparatus; performing the unit processing in the processing apparatus on an inspection substrate under a predetermined processing condition, and imaging the inspection substrate by the imaging device before and after performing the unit processing; determining presence/absence of an actual abnormality in the processing apparatus specified in the specifying; and correcting, with respect to the processing apparatus determined as having the actual abnormality in the determining presence/absence of an actual abnormality, the processing condition of the unit processing in the processing apparatus based on the imaging result in the imaging the inspection substrate for determining an abnormality.

In one embodiment, apparatus and methods for determining a parameter of a target are disclosed. A target having an imaging structure and a scatterometry structure is provided. An image of the imaging structure is obtained with an imaging channel of a metrology tool. A scatterometry signal is also obtained from the scatterometry structure with a scatterometry channel of the metrology tool. At least one parameter, such as overlay error, of the target is determined based on both the image and the scatterometry signal.