The disclosed device, which, using an electron microscope or the like, minutely observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, can reliably insert a defect to be observed into the field of an electron microscope or the like, and can be a device of smaller scale. The electron microscope, which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration incorporating an optimal microscope that re-detects defects, and a spatial filter and a distribution polarization element are inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope. The electron microscope, which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration incorporating an optimal microscope that re-detects defects, and a distribution filter is inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope.

Unique methods and systems are introduced herein for the determination of unique spatial light modulator based optical signatures of intrinsic and extrinsic scattering surface markers. These techniques can be used to authenticate semiconductor components and systems at various stages during the manufacturing process by measuring and cross correlating the surface marker's unique optical signature. In addition, these techniques can be used with extrinsic surface markers which are added to existing hardware (e.g. containers, locks, doors, etc.). These markers can then be measured for their unique optical signatures, which can be stored and used at a later time for cross-correlation to authenticate the surface marker and verify the hardware's provenance.

A dark field metrology device includes an objective lens arrangement and a zeroth order block to block zeroth order radiation. The objective lens arrangement directs illumination onto a specimen to be measured and collects scattered radiation from the specimen, the scattered radiation including zeroth order radiation and higher order diffracted radiation. The dark field metrology device is operable to perform an illumination scan to scan illumination over at least two different subsets of the maximum range of illumination angles; and simultaneously perform a detection scan which scans the zeroth order block and/or the scattered radiation with respect to each other over a corresponding subset of the maximum range of detection angles during at least part of the illumination scan.

A defect detection device including an illumination optical system, an image capturing optical system configured to capture an image of scattered light generated by the illumination optical system irradiating the wafer, and an image processing unit configured to process a picture of the image of the scattered light to extract a defect on the wafer. The image capturing optical system includes an objective lens, a filter unit configured to shield a part of light transmitted through the objective lens, and an imaging lens configured to form an image of light transmitted through the filter unit. The filter unit includes a first microlens array configured to condense parallel light transmitted through the objective lens, a shutter array including a light transmission unit at a focus position of the first microlens array, and a second microlens array disposed opposite to the first microlens array with respect to the shutter array.

A method includes emitting light from a light source (12) onto an at least partially reflective surface (24). The reflected light (30) is collected from the surface at a screen (32) to capture the intensity distribution (34) of the reflected light with a camera (40) in a first image (42). The intensity distribution of the first image of the reflected light is processed (50) by performing suitable filtering of a Fourier transform of the intensity distribution of the reflected light so as to emphasize features having an intensity variation of interest. The features of the intensity distribution of the reflected light having the variation of interest are analyzed to determine a uniformity value for the surface.

A system and method that obtains contact heights of a packaged chip. In particular, the system includes a first light source for emitting direct light, a second light source for emitting structured light, two or more cameras pointed towards the packaged chip for capturing a first set of images of the packaged chip, and a second set of images of the packaged chip, and at least one processor that processes the first set of images and the second set of images captured by the cameras to determine contact heights of the packaged chip. The cameras capture the first set of images when the first light source emits direct light towards the packaged chip, and capture the second set of images when the second light source emits structured light towards the packaged chip.

A metrology target includes a first set of pattern elements compatible with a first metrology mode along one or more directions, and a second set of pattern elements compatible with a second metrology mode along one or more directions, wherein the second set of pattern elements includes a first portion of the first set of pattern elements, and wherein the second set of pattern elements is surrounded by a second portion of the first set of pattern elements not included in the second set of pattern elements.

A method for high throughput defect detection, the method may include (i) performing, using first detection channels, a simultaneous inspection process through a segmented pupil plane that comprises multiple pupil plane segments to select one or more pupil plane segments of interest out of multiple pupil plane segments; (ii) configuring one or more configurable filters related to second detection channels to pass radiation received from the one or more pupil plane segment of interest and to block radiation received from one or more non-of-interest pupil plane segments; and (iii) performing, using the second detection channels, a partially masked pupil plane inspection process.

An optical inspection system includes one or more single-material gratings to convert the polarization of light scattered from a target from an elliptical polarization that varies spatially across a collection pupil to a linear polarization that is uniformly oriented across the collection pupil. The one or more single-material gratings have phase retardation that varies spatially across the collection pupil in accordance with the elliptical polarization. The optical inspection system also includes a linear polarizer to filter out the linearly polarized light.

A system that may include a radiation source to generate a beam of coherent radiation; traveling lens optics to focus the beam 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 to generate a pattern of interference fringes; and a detection unit to detect changes in the pattern of interference fringes.