| US 7,608,821 B2 | ||
| Substrate inspection apparatus, substrate inspection method and semiconductor device manufacturing method | ||
| Ichirota Nagahama, Koga (Japan); Yuichiro Yamazaki, Tokyo (Japan); and Atsushi Onishi, Yokohama (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 26, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/698,132. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2006-035297 (JP), filed on Feb. 13, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0194232 A1, Aug. 23, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. H01J 37/26 (2006.01); G01N 23/04 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 250—310 [250/306; 250/307; 250/309; 250/311; 250/492.1; 250/492.2; 250/492.3] | 16 Claims |
| 1. A substrate inspection apparatus comprising:
an electron gun which generates an electron beam to irradiate the electron beam to a substrate;
an electron detection unit which detects at least one of a secondary electron, a reflection electron and a back scattering
electron generated from a surface of the substrate by the irradiation of the electron beam to output signals constituting
an image showing a state of the substrate surface; and
a uniform surface potential creating unit which generates ions, and irradiates the ions to the substrate prior to the irradiation
of the electron beam to create a uniform surface potential of the substrate:
wherein the uniform surface potential creating unit is configured to form a first electric field to guide the ions to the
substrate until the surface potential of the substrate becomes a first potential having a preset value and is configured to
form a second electric field whose direction is opposite to that of the first electric field to turn back the irradiated ions
from the substrate in replacement of the first electric field, when an absolute value of the surface potential of the substrate
becomes congruent with or exceeds an absolute value of the first potential.
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