JP2001147198A - Sample surface deposit inspection system, sample surface deposit inspection method, sample surface deposit elimination system, sample surface deposit sticking system and sample surface deposit disposal system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sample surface deposit inspection system, a deposit elimination system and a deposit sticking system capable of easily detecting deposit even on a rugged sample surface and efficiently eliminating static electric charge to eliminate the deposit from a base. SOLUTION: An ultraviolet light source 12 irradiates ultraviolet rays from every angle including the surface and back face of a solid or liquid sample. An optical system 13 converges the ultraviolet rays directly or through a lens or the like to irradiate the sample. An optical mechanism 13 has a measuring mechanism for recording the in-plane distributed image of fluorescent intensity radiated from the sample surface after the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, by an image pickup apparatus or the like, and a magnifying mechanism for the detection of the radiated fluorescence from the local part of the sample surface through a microscope, and guides the radiated fluorescence into a spectroscope 11. A moving mechanism can move these sample stage and observation system precisely in a wide range.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the detection, removal and fixation of deposits on solid surfaces such as tapes, silicon substrates, food sheets and pharmaceuticals, and the detection of deposits such as bacteria and fine particles in liquids. And removal technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technique for inspecting deposits, there is a method of directly observing deposits such as solids and liquids on a sample surface using a microscope as shown in FIG. There has been a method of inspecting the position and size of fine particles by irradiating light to the (substrate) from an oblique direction and detecting scattered light scattered by the attached matter (fine particles) on the substrate. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contrast (shade) of the sample surface image obtained by the above-described microscope observation and the image obtained by the scattered light observation are reversed. In these conventional cases, if there are many irregularities on the sample surface, it is impossible to observe and detect the attached matter because the image of the attached matter and the scattered light are buried in the irregularity image on the sample surface. . In addition, it was impossible in principle to identify the material of the deposit.

On the other hand, as a conventional method for removing extraneous matter, FIG.
As shown in (1), there is a method in which ions generated by a discharge-type ion generator or the like are sprayed on the surface of a sample to utilize a static elimination effect. However, in this case, there is a problem that the sample surface is damaged by the reaction with the ions, and the sample surface is further charged by the reaction with the excessive ions, which causes fine particles and the like to adhere more easily. was there.

[0004] Further, there is no fixing technique for more firmly attaching the deposits on the solid surface.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional attached matter detection technique, as shown in FIG. 4, when there is unevenness on the sample surface, observation using a conventional microscope is performed. In the method and the light scattering method, the concavo-convex image and the fine particle image are overlapped, or the irregular reflection on the concavo-convex part of the sample surface and the scattered light from the adhering substance are mixed, so that it is not possible to distinguish them from each other and the adhering substance can be detected. There was a problem that it was not possible. Further, it was not possible to identify materials such as deposits on the sample surface and fine particles in the solution.

The present invention solves such a problem, and even if the sample has irregularities on the surface, it is possible to easily detect the attached matter on the surface, and the material of the attached matter can be easily detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide a revolutionary inspection system and an inspection method for adhering substances that enable identification.

On the other hand, in the conventional deposit removing technique, as shown in FIG. 5, in the conventional ion spraying method using an ion generator, after the neutralization of the charged charge is completed as described above. Further, there is a problem in that the charged ions are again generated by the sprayed ions, so that the effect of static elimination cannot be obtained.

Conventionally, there has been no fixing technique for preventing adhered substances from peeling off.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to provide an epoch-making deposit removing system and the like.

[0010]

The gist of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An ultraviolet light source for irradiating the sample surface including the back surface of a solid or a liquid with ultraviolet light from any angle; and an optical system for irradiating the sample with the ultraviolet light directly or by focusing it by a lens or the like; A measuring mechanism for recording the in-plane distribution image of the intensity of the fluorescent light radiated from the sample surface after the irradiation by the imaging means, and a magnifying mechanism for detecting the radiated fluorescent light from a local place on the sample surface through a microscope, An inspection system for adhering matter on a sample surface, comprising: an optical mechanism for introducing the emitted fluorescent light into the spectroscope; and a moving mechanism capable of moving the sample stage or the observation system precisely and over a wide range. It is related to.

[0012] In addition, using the attached matter inspection system according to the first aspect, the sample surface including the solid surface or the back surface of the solid or liquid having the uneven shape is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the uneven shape of the sample surface is radiated. By taking advantage of the fact that the fluorescence intensity does not appear in the sample and the emission intensity is constant and uniform, the difference in the intensity of the fluorescence emitted from the sample body and the attached matter on the sample surface is detected as a contrast, and the difference on the sample surface is detected. The present invention relates to a method for inspecting an adhering substance on a sample surface, which detects an adsorbing substance adsorbing place and a size thereof and displays them as an image in two-dimensional distribution.

In addition, the spectral distribution of the wavelength of the fluorescent light radiated from the attached matter or the sample surface and the local area is analyzed by using a spectroscope by using the sample surface attached matter inspection system according to the first aspect of the present invention. The present invention also relates to a method for inspecting an adhering substance on a sample surface, wherein the adhering substance and the material of the sample are simultaneously identified.

A mist neutralizing mechanism for exposing the sample to a closed space filled with mist of droplets such as saturated water vapor for a certain period of time is provided. After removing the sample, the sample surface is dried and the adhering matter is removed by spraying a gas onto the sample surface or by providing a drying and removing mechanism to decompress the enclosed space. It is related.

[0015] In addition, the deposit on the surface of the solid sample is pressed by a fine probe, or is fixed to the solid surface by applying energy such as heat or ultraviolet light so as not to peel off. It relates to an anchoring system.

The present invention further comprises a sample transport mechanism such as a belt conveyor or an arm, wherein the system for inspecting an attached substance on the sample surface according to claim 1 and the system for removing an attached substance on the sample surface according to claim 4 or the attached substance according to claim 5. The present invention relates to a system for treating a substance adhering to a sample surface, wherein the sample is transported to a fixing system and sequentially processed, or only the respective processes are individually performed.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention (how to implement the invention) will be briefly described with reference to the drawings, showing the operational effects thereof.

In the attached matter detection technique of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, when a sample surface including a back surface of a solid sample (solid substrate) having an uneven shape is irradiated with ultraviolet rays,
Utilizing the fact that fluorescence is emitted from the sample. The emitted fluorescence intensity strongly depends on the material. For example, when the fluorescence intensity of the solid substrate is higher than that of the attached matter, the adhesion distribution can be visualized as a light intensity difference as shown in FIG. When the fluorescence intensity of the attached matter is high, the contrast (shade) is reversed. This fluorescence radiation is uniformly radiated from the sample surface at the same intensity without being affected by the uneven shape of the sample and the attached matter. Therefore, even on a solid substrate having irregularities, it is possible to clearly detect the presence of the attached matter.

In the technique for removing deposits according to the present invention, FIG.
As described in (2), when the water vapor mist comes into contact with the charged surface present on the sample surface, the charge can be neutralized to eliminate the charge. In this case, after all the charged charges are neutralized, the water vapor mist simply adheres to the sample surface. Therefore, unlike the related art, new charging and redeposition of fine particles are not caused. The water vapor mist adhering to the sample surface can be effectively dried by blowing gas or reducing the pressure of the container. At this time, it is possible to remove extraneous matter from the sample surface by blowing gas or airflow at the time of pressure reduction.

In the deposit fixing system of the present invention,
Using a fine probe, a load can be applied to the deposit to increase the adhesion to the substrate, or heat and ultraviolet rays can be applied to increase the adhesion to the deposit so that the deposit is not peeled off.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, it is also possible to provide a system capable of performing the sequence processing of the detection of the deposits and the removal of the deposits and / or the fixation of the deposits singly or collectively.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 6, a mercury lamp or the like that generates ultraviolet light having a wavelength in the range of, for example, 200 to 400 nm is used as the ultraviolet light source in the attached matter detection system of the present invention. The generated ultraviolet light can be condensed or converted into parallel light by an optical system having a combination of lenses, and the light intensity of the ultraviolet light can be freely controlled. Further, since the sample surface and the attached matter can be enlarged by using a microscope as an enlargement mechanism, it is possible to observe only the attached matter and a local portion of the sample surface. The stage on which the sample is placed has a moving mechanism that moves in a three-dimensional direction. The fluorescence emitted from the sample and the attached matter is observed by a CCD camera or the like and recorded as an image. By analyzing these images, the number, size, distribution, and the like of the deposits on the sample surface can be automatically calculated and displayed. Further, the emitted fluorescent light is introduced into the spectroscope by a lens optical system. As a principle of detecting fine particles, the fluorescence intensity and its wavelength spectrum change greatly depending on the material of the sample and the attached matter. Therefore, if there is an attached matter of a different material on the surface of the solid sample, a difference in the fluorescence intensity occurs due to the difference in the material, so that the attached place and size of the attached matter can be detected as a difference in contrast. Also, using the above-described lens optical system, the attached matter is enlarged, and the fluorescence from only the attached matter is introduced into the spectroscope.
Then, spectral analysis of the wavelength spectrum is performed. The wavelength spectrum of fluorescence contains a wealth of information on the chemical structure and constituent elements of the substance that has emitted the fluorescence. This makes it possible to identify the material of the attached matter or to analyze the material and alteration of the sample.

Further, even when viruses, bacteria, bacteria, and the like are attached, ultraviolet rays are used as a light source, so that these bacteria can be killed and sterilized simultaneously with the detection.

As shown in FIG. 7, as a system and method for removing fine particles of the present invention, a steam mist produced by, for example, an ultrasonic vibration method is introduced into a chamber in which the humidity and the degree of vacuum can be controlled. A sample is placed in this chamber, and the sample is exposed to a steam mist for a certain period of time, thereby neutralizing the charge accumulated on the sample surface and eliminating the charge.
Next, the inside of the chamber is dried using a vacuum pump in order to remove and dry the steam mist excessively attached to the sample surface. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained by introducing a gas such as dry air into the chamber and drying it directly. Even if the liquid mist is not water vapor, the same effect can be obtained with another solution. At the same time as drying the sample, the deposits on the surface of the sample can be removed from the surface of the sample by blowing gas and airflow during evacuation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in the attached matter fixing system of the present invention, the attached force is further increased by applying a load to the sample surface and pressing the attached matter using a probe having a small tip curvature. Can be fixed. Thereafter, the adhered substance can be more firmly fixed to the sample surface by performing heating, ultraviolet irradiation, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 9, it is also effective to combine these adhering matter inspection system, adhering matter removing system and adhering matter fixing system into one system. While repeating the process of inspecting the attached matter or removing and attaching the attached matter, it is finally confirmed in the attached matter inspection that there is no attached matter on the sample surface.

In the deposit inspection system of the present invention,
As shown in FIG. 10, the same effect can be obtained by irradiating an ultrashort pulse ultraviolet laser or the like and measuring the attenuation characteristic of the fluorescence generated from the sample.

In the deposit removing system of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, spare chambers are provided before and after the chamber to shut off the chamber from the environment and improve the processing capacity. Plan. FIG.
As in 2, even if a sample is continuously introduced into a deposit inspection system or a deposit removal system using a belt conveyor or a robot arm, high throughput can be obtained. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, the information on the deposit obtained by the deposit inspection system is displayed by a two-dimensional map and a statistical histogram so that the user can clearly understand the information.

[0030]

According to the present invention, as described above, even if the sample (solid substrate) has an uneven surface,
It is possible to easily detect an attached matter on the surface, and for example, it is possible to provide an epoch-making attached matter inspection system and an inspection method capable of identifying the material of the attached matter.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the location and size of the adhering matter on the sample surface can be detected, and these can be displayed on the image as a two-dimensional distribution. It becomes an attached matter inspection method.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously identify the material of the deposit and the material of the sample,
It is a more excellent method for inspecting deposits on the sample surface.

Further, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, in the conventional mere ion spraying method, the charge is generated again by the ions, so that the effect of the charge elimination cannot be obtained. However, in the present invention, there is no such a problem, and an epoch-making adhering matter removing system on the sample surface which can easily remove the adhering matter from the sample surface by blowing gas or airflow at the time of decompression is provided.

Further, in the invention according to the fifth aspect, there was no conventional technique for preventing the adhered substance from peeling off from the surface of the sample. However, a load is applied to the adhered substance using a fine probe, and thereafter, heating is performed. In addition, an epoch-making adhering matter fixing system capable of increasing and adhering the adhering force to the sample surface by ultraviolet irradiation or the like is provided.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, for example, while the process of inspecting the deposits or removing and depositing the deposits is repeatedly performed, the deposits are finally inspected on the sample surface in the deposit inspection. It is also possible to easily confirm that there is no debris, etc., and an epoch-making deposit surface treatment system for the sample surface capable of performing the sequence processing of the debris detection and the debris removal or fixation singly or collectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a conventional method for observing a deposit using a microscope.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional method for observing an attached matter using a light scattering method.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a conventional static elimination method using an ion generator.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an adhered substance adhered on an uneven substrate.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an adhered substance which is attached to a solid sample while being charged.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of the attached matter inspection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a deposit removing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a deposit fixing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a batch processing system in which an attached matter inspection system, an attached matter removing system, and an attached matter fixing system according to the present invention are combined.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a deposit inspection system using an ultrashort pulse ultraviolet laser according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a system provided with a spare room according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a system including a belt conveyor and a robot arm according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for displaying the attached matter distribution on a two-dimensional map and a statistical histogram according to the present invention.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ultraviolet light source for irradiating ultraviolet light to the surface of a sample including a back surface of a solid or a liquid from all angles, and an optical system for irradiating the sample with ultraviolet light directly or by focusing by a lens or the like. It has a measurement mechanism that records the in-plane distribution image of the fluorescence intensity radiated from the sample surface after ultraviolet irradiation by the imaging means, and an enlargement mechanism that detects the radiated fluorescence from a local location on the sample surface through a microscope. And an optical mechanism for introducing the radiated fluorescent light into the spectroscope, and a moving mechanism capable of moving the sample stage or the observation system precisely and over a wide range. Inspection system. 2. A sample surface including a solid surface or a sample surface including a back surface of a solid or a liquid having an uneven shape is irradiated with ultraviolet light by using the attached matter inspection system according to claim 1, and the uneven shape of the sample surface is radiated. By taking advantage of the fact that the fluorescence intensity does not appear in the sample and the emission intensity is constant and uniform, the difference in the intensity of the fluorescence emitted from the sample body and the attached matter on the sample surface is detected as a contrast, and the difference on the sample surface is detected. A method for inspecting an adhering substance on a sample surface, comprising: detecting an adsorbing position and a size of the adhering substance; and displaying the adsorbed substance and a two-dimensional distribution on an image. 3. The spectral distribution of the wavelength of the fluorescent light radiated from the attached matter or the surface of the sample and a local region is analyzed using a spectroscope using the system for inspecting the attached matter on the sample surface according to claim 1. A method for inspecting the surface of a sample, wherein the surface of the sample and the material of the sample are simultaneously identified. 4. A mist neutralizing mechanism capable of exposing a sample to a closed space filled with mist of droplets such as saturated steam for a certain period of time. An adhering matter removal system for a sample surface, comprising: drying a sample surface and removing an adhering matter by spraying a gas onto the sample surface or decompressing a closed space after removing the gas. 5. A deposit on the surface of a sample, wherein the deposit on the surface of the solid sample is pressed by a fine probe or is fixed to the surface of the solid by applying energy such as heat or ultraviolet rays so as not to peel off. Fastening system. 6. A sample surface deposit inspection system according to claim 1, comprising a sample transport mechanism such as a belt conveyor or an arm, and a sample surface deposit removal system according to claim 4, or a deposit according to claim 5. A system for treating deposits on the surface of a sample, wherein the sample is transported to a fixing system and sequentially processed, or only the respective processes are individually performed.