Characteristics of UV confocal microscopy inspection for detecting 0.1 μm level defects

Abstract

Due to shrinkage of design rule, optical in-line defect inspection with white-light source is reaching its detection litnit. To overcoine the limitation, a defect inspection system using UV coilfocal microscopy was recently introduced. In this paper, we investigated characteristics of UV confocal tnicroscopy, which is coilfocal microscopy using UV light source, by analyzing TDI irnages captured by a defect inspection system with UV confocal inicroscopy. The results of this study showed that UV confocal inicroscopy has higher sensitivity and is more eflcietzt for detection of 0. Ipi-level sinall defects rather than white-light source or conventional inicroscopy.