JPH06265479A - Defect tester and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a defect tester that is able to judge the presence of any defect on a sample in an accurate manner. CONSTITUTION:In a defect tester which is provided with five scanning means 1 to 5 scanning on a test piece TP by means of a spot-form testing light, and a Fourier transforming lens 6 receiving a scattered light from the test piece TP to the testing light and imaging a Fourier image on the test piece TP on a pupil surface, it preliminarily scans the test piece TP, thereby outputting an image on the pupil surface at that time from a random accessible camera element 10 as two-dimensional image information. In succession, such a position where a scattered light from a pattern is not incident on up to and end from a start of the preliminary scanning is specified by a central processing unit 13, plural numbers of light receiving parts serving as a monitoring object are selected from a light receiving part of the camera element 10 corresponding to this position. At the time of inspecting the test piece TP, the presence of a defect is judged by the central processing unit 13 on the basis of incident light intensity in the light receiving part selected as the monitoring object.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a defect inspection apparatus and a defect inspection method for inspecting a sample such as a semiconductor for defects.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 shows an apparatus for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter or pattern defects attached to the surface of a semiconductor substrate or a liquid crystal substrate. In this device, the light emitted from the laser light source 1 is expanded into a parallel light flux by the collimator lens 2, reflected by the galvano mirror 3 toward the stage 4 side, and the reflected light is condensed by the lens 5 to sample on the stage 4. Spot-like inspection light is made incident on the surface of the TP. The scattered light from the sample TP with respect to the inspection light is guided to the Fourier transform lens 6 to form a Fourier image of the sample TP on its pupil surface, and the transmitted light from the slit 7s of the filter 7 provided on the pupil surface is the light receiving element behind. Light is received at 8. The galvanometer mirror 3 is rotated around the axis 3A to change the incident position of the inspection light in the x direction, and the stage 4 is moved in the y direction to scan the entire surface of the sample TP. At this time, if the pattern on the surface of the sample TP is regularly arranged in the xy directions, the scattered light from the pattern forms a Fourier image P _{0 in} which bright points BP are arranged in a lattice shape as shown in FIG. . On the other hand, the scattered light from the foreign matter is considered to be Mie scattering. Therefore, when the foreign matter is irradiated with the inspection light, an image with substantially uniform brightness is formed on the pupil plane. Therefore, if the slit 7s of the filter 7 is arranged so as to avoid the bright point BP of the Fourier image from the pattern,
The output from the light receiving element 8 increases only at the position where the foreign matter exists, and the presence of the foreign matter can be detected. As an apparatus for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter by blocking an image of a regular pattern with a filter of this kind, there is, for example, the one described in JP-A-1-158308. The sample TP is, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal substrate, or a mask or reticle for exposing them.

[0003]

Since the Fourier image from the pattern of the sample TP depends on the pitch of the pattern and the like,
The position, number, and size of the bright points BP of the Fourier image differ for each pattern of the sample TP. Therefore, in the device described above,
Depending on the pattern type, the Fourier image from the pattern cannot be completely blocked, which may result in erroneous detection. It is possible to prepare a dedicated filter for each pattern type of the sample, check the pattern type before the inspection, and attach a filter corresponding to this, but it is unavoidable that the work efficiency deteriorates and the filter is erroneous. There is also a possibility that an inspection error may occur due to mounting. When the pattern type changes in the middle of the sample TP, it is necessary to change the slit position in the middle of the inspection, and such an operation is virtually impossible.

An object of the present invention is to provide a defect inspection apparatus and a defect inspection method capable of surely determining the presence or absence of a defect on a sample without using a filter that blocks a Fourier image from a non-defect portion of the sample.

[0005]

A defect inspection apparatus according to the present invention comprises a scanning means 1 for scanning a sample TP with spot-like inspection light.
5 to 5, and a light receiving optical system 6 that receives scattered light from the sample TP with respect to the inspection light and forms a Fourier image on the sample TP on a pupil plane. Then, the image pickup means 10 having a plurality of light receiving portions capable of outputting the image of the pupil plane as two-dimensional pixel information.
And the scattered light from the pattern formed on the sample TP from among the plurality of light receiving portions of the imaging unit 10 is incident on the basis of the output of the imaging unit 10 when the sample TP is pre-scanned by the scanning units 1 to 5. The above-described object is achieved by providing a selecting unit 13 for selecting a light receiving unit that is not selected, and a determining unit 13 for determining whether or not there is a defect in the sample TP based on the light intensity incident on the light receiving unit selected as a monitoring target. . In the apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the preliminary scanning route Rp can be set to be coarser than the scanning route Rs used when inspecting the sample TP for defects. As shown in FIG. 6, the sample TP may be divided into a plurality of preliminary scanning areas A1 to A4, and the light receiving portions to be monitored may be selected for each preliminary scanning area. By using the two-dimensional element 10 capable of random access as the image pickup means, it is possible to access only the light receiving section selected as the monitoring target and determine the presence or absence of a defect. In the apparatus of claim 4, as shown in FIG. 7, instead of the above-mentioned selecting means, the position on the pupil plane where the scattered light from the pattern does not enter is set to the sample TP.
The monitoring target estimation means 18 is provided for performing a calculation based on the design information of the pattern formed in the above and selecting a light receiving part to be monitored from the light receiving parts corresponding to the positions obtained by the calculation.

Further, in the defect inspection method according to the present invention, the sample TP is scanned by the spot-shaped inspection light, the scattered light from the sample TP at this time is received by the light receiving optical system 6, and the sample is placed on the pupil plane of the sample. Is formed, and the presence or absence of defects in the sample TP is determined based on this Fourier image. Then, prior to the inspection of the sample TP, the sample TP is pre-scanned with inspection light,
The image of the pupil plane at this time is output as two-dimensional pixel information from the image pickup unit 10 having a plurality of light receiving sections arranged two-dimensionally, and based on the output of the image pickup unit 10 from the start to the end of the preliminary scanning. Among the plurality of light receiving portions of the image pickup means 10, the light receiving portion to which the scattered light from the pattern formed on the sample TP does not enter is selected as a monitoring target, and the light entering the selected light receiving portion during the inspection of the sample TP. The above-described object is achieved by determining the presence or absence of a defect in the sample TP based on the strength. In the defect inspection method of the present invention, the pre-scanning route Rp can be set to be rougher than the scanning route Rs used when inspecting the sample TP for defects as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the sample TP may be divided into a plurality of preliminary scanning areas A1 to A4, and the light receiving portions to be monitored may be selected for each preliminary scanning area. Random access to imaging means 2
By using the three-dimensional element 10, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a defect by accessing only the light receiving portion selected as the monitoring target. In the method according to claim 9, the sample TP is scanned by the spot-shaped inspection light, the scattered light from the sample TP at this time is received by the light receiving optical system, and a Fourier image on the sample is formed on the pupil plane thereof. The presence or absence of defects in the sample is determined based on this Fourier image. Then, the image of the pupil plane can be output as two-dimensional pixel information by the image pickup means 10 having the two-dimensionally arranged light receiving portions, and the sample T can be inspected prior to the inspection of the sample TP.
The position where the scattered light from the pattern on the pupil surface when scanning P is not calculated is calculated based on the design information of the pattern formed on the sample, and the light receiving unit corresponding to the position obtained by the calculation becomes the monitoring target. Select the light receiving part, sample TP
At the time of inspection, the above-described object is achieved by determining the presence or absence of a defect in the sample TP based on the light intensity incident on the selected light receiving unit.

[0007]

In the defect inspection apparatus of the present invention, the sample TP is pre-scanned by the scanning means 1-5 prior to the inspection of the sample TP. At this time, the selection unit 13 selects the light receiving unit to which the scattered light from the sample TP does not enter as the light receiving unit to be monitored during the sample inspection. At the time of inspecting the sample TP, the light intensity incident on the light receiving section selected as the monitoring target by the determining unit 13 is monitored. When the image on the pupil plane becomes uniformly bright due to the defect on the sample TP, the incident light intensity of the light receiving portion to be monitored increases, and the existence of the defect becomes clear. In the apparatus of claim 4, the position to which scattered light from the pattern on the pupil plane does not enter is calculated by the monitoring target estimation means 18 based on the design information of the pattern formed on the sample TP, and the light reception to be the monitoring target is calculated from the calculation result. The department is specified.

In the defect inspection method of the present invention, the preliminary scanning is performed prior to the measurement of the sample TP, and the light receiving portion to which the scattered light from the pattern does not enter is selected as the monitoring target based on the output of the image pickup means 10 at this time. To be done. And the sample T
At the time of inspecting P, the presence or absence of a defect is determined based on the light intensity incident on the light receiving unit selected as the monitoring target. According to the method of claim 9, the position on the pupil plane where the scattered light from the pattern does not enter is calculated based on the design information of the pattern to be formed on the sample TP, and the light receiving unit to be monitored during the sample inspection is calculated from the calculation result. Be sorted.

Incidentally, in the section of means and action for solving the above-mentioned problems for explaining the constitution of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments are used to make the present invention easy to understand. It is not limited to.

[0010]

【Example】

-First Example- Hereinafter, a first example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the same parts as those in the examples of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, in the defect inspection apparatus of the present embodiment, the filter is removed from the pupil plane of the Fourier transform lens 6, and the image of the pupil plane is photoelectrically converted and can be output as two-dimensional pixel information 1.
Only 0 is placed on the pupil plane. The image sensor 10 has a plurality of light receiving sections that are arranged two-dimensionally and stores electric charges according to the intensity of incident light. The image sensor drive circuit 11 enables random access to any light receiving section, and the accessed light receiving section. Only the electric charges of are output to the A / D converter 12. The output of the image sensor 10 converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 12 is stored in a predetermined address of the frame memory 14 according to a command from the CPU 13.

The CPU 13 controls the data output operation of the image pickup device 10 via the image pickup device drive circuit 11, and controls the operations of the galvano mirror 3 and the stage 4 via the mirror drive circuit 3D and the stage drive circuit 4D. A preliminary scanning process and a defect inspection process, which will be described later, are performed. Reference numeral 15 is a memory as an external storage means of the CPU 13, and 16 is a monitor for displaying the calculation result of the CPU 13 as an image.

Next, the operation of the inspection apparatus of this embodiment will be described. When a sample to be inspected is attached to the inspection device and an instruction to start the inspection is given from an operation panel (not shown), first, the preliminary scanning process of FIG. 2 is started. In the first step S1, a drive command is output to the mirror drive circuit 3D and the stage drive circuit 4D to start the preliminary scanning of the sample TP with the laser light. In the next step S2, the image pickup device driving circuit 11 is connected to the image pickup device 10
To access all the light receiving parts of the
It is converted into three-dimensional image data and fetched at a predetermined address of the frame memory 14. An example of the image at this time is shown in FIG.
Shown in (a) and (b). In the illustrated images P ₁ and P ₂ , bright points BP ₁ and BP ₂ corresponding to the pattern of the sample TP appear in a grid pattern.

In the following step S3, the frame memory 1
The gradations of all the pixels of the image captured in 4 are compared with an appropriate threshold to determine the pixels corresponding to the bright points BP ₁ and BP ₂ in the image, and the positions thereof are stored in the memory 15. The threshold value is set so that the image of the scattered light from the defect of the sample is not judged as a bright spot. In the next step S4, it is determined whether or not the preliminary scanning is completed, and if it is not completed, the step S2 is executed.
Return to and capture the image and repeat the following process. If it is determined in step S4 that the preliminary scanning is completed, step S5
Then, the position of the dark portion common to the images captured from the start to the end of the preliminary scanning is determined by superimposing the positions of the bright spots stored in the memory 15. The common dark area is an area in which no bright spot is generated during the preliminary scanning, and for example, the two types of images P ₁ and P illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B from the start to the end of the preliminary scanning. Assuming that ₂ is incorporated, as is clear from FIG. 3 (c) in which they are synthesized, the bright spots BP ₁ and BP ₂
The area DP that is not included in any of the above is the common dark portion.

If a common dark area is selected, step S
In step 6, the plurality of pixels in the common dark portion DP are selected as monitoring targets at the time of defect inspection, their positions are stored in the memory 15, and the process ends. The reason why all the pixels corresponding to the common dark portion DP are not to be monitored is to reduce the data amount to improve the inspection efficiency, and the target to be a plurality of pixels is to prevent erroneous detection due to noise.

When the above preliminary scanning is completed, the process shown in FIG.
The defect inspection process shown in is started. First, step S1
In step 1, information about the monitoring target selected in the preliminary scanning is read from the memory 15, and the light receiving unit of the image sensor 10 corresponding to the pixel selected as the monitoring target in the next step S12 is set as the access target. Then step S13
Then, a drive command is output to the mirror drive circuit 3D and the stage drive circuit 4D to start scanning the sample with the laser light. In the next step S14, the image sensor drive circuit 11 is instructed to output data, and only the output of the light receiving portion to be accessed is fetched into the frame memory 14. In the next step S15, the image data fetched in the frame memory 14 is read and the gradation of each pixel is added. In step S16, the added value of the gradation and the predetermined threshold value TH are compared. Threshold TH
When it is determined that the scanning is not completed, it is determined in step S17 whether or not the scanning is completed.
The process returns to step 14 and the following processes are repeated. The added value of the gradation of the pixel to be monitored is compared with the threshold value TH in step S16 in order to eliminate the influence of noise of each pixel as described above.

When it is determined in step S16 that the threshold value is equal to or more than the threshold value TH, the process proceeds to step S18, the scanning position at that time is stored in the memory 15 as a defect position, and the process proceeds to step S17. When it is determined in step S17 that scanning has ended, the process proceeds to step S19, the information on the defect position stored in the memory 15 is output to the monitor 16, and the process ends.

As is clear from the above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, steps S3 and S in the pre-scanning of the sample TP are performed.
By the processing of S5 and S6, the pixels to be monitored are selected so as to avoid scattered light from the pattern of the sample TP. And
During the defect inspection, by the processing of steps S11 and S12, only the light receiving portion corresponding to the pixel selected as the monitoring target among the light receiving portions of the image sensor 10 is targeted for access.
Image sensor 10 calculated in step S15 during defect inspection
The added value of the outputs from the above is less than the threshold value TH unless a defect portion such as a foreign substance or a pattern defect is present in the sample TP and the entire pupil surface on which the image pickup device 10 is placed becomes bright. Therefore, only when there is a defect on the sample TP, the step S1 is performed.
No. 6 is denied, whereby the defect position of the sample TP is accurately grasped.

Since the object to be monitored during the defect inspection is selected based on the output from the image pickup device 10 when the sample TP is actually pre-scanned, the Fourier image from the regular pattern is erroneously imaged from the defective portion. There is no possibility that it will be judged that, and an extremely accurate inspection can be performed regardless of the type of pattern of the sample TP. Even if the pattern changes in the middle of the sample TP, the inspection accuracy is not impaired at all. Sample TP
Since it is not necessary to mechanically replace the parts between the pre-scan and the inspection of defects, the effect of the addition of the pre-scan process on the inspection efficiency is slight.

Here, since many patterns of the semiconductor substrate, the liquid crystal substrate, or the exposure mask and reticle for these are formed by repeating substantially the same pattern, the Fourier image on the same sample changes a lot. Not a thing.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A, the route Rp for performing the preliminary scanning may be set to be coarser than the route Rs for the defect inspection shown in FIG. 4B to shorten the preliminary scanning time. .
For this purpose, the driving speed of the galvano mirror 3 and the stage 4 during the preliminary scanning may be set higher than the speed during the defect inspection.

In the embodiment, the pre-scan is always executed prior to the defect inspection, but when a plurality of samples of the same type are continuously inspected, only the first sample is pre-scan, and the two samples are pre-scanned. For the second and subsequent sheets, the preliminary scan data for the first sheet may be used as it is. It is also possible to collect the preliminary scan data corresponding to a plurality of types of samples in advance and read the necessary preliminary scan data according to the types of samples to perform the inspection. In this case, the sample may be provided with a discriminating means such as a bar code, and the discrimination of the sample and the reading of the preliminary scanning data corresponding thereto can be automatically performed.

On the other hand, when the pattern on the sample changes intricately, it is necessary to perform the preliminary scanning as precisely as in the defect inspection. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the sample TP is divided into a plurality (four in the figure) of preliminary scanning areas A1 to A4, and the preliminary scanning processing of FIG. 2 is performed for each of the preliminary scanning areas A1 to A4. It is advisable to select the monitoring target for each of the inspection targets, and change the access target light receiving part of the image sensor 10 for each of the preliminary scanning regions A1 to A4 during the defect inspection. For a sample in which the Fourier image changes frequently, if the pre-scan area is set to a large value, the common dark part will be reduced accordingly, and in the extreme case, the common dark part does not exist and it is not possible to select a common monitoring target on the entire surface of the sample. Is.

-Second Embodiment- A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, in the defect inspection apparatus of the present embodiment, a design data memory 17 for storing design data of patterns formed on the sample TP is connected to the CPU 18. The CPU 18
Instead of the preliminary scanning process shown in FIG. 2, the bright spot position of the Fourier image of the regular pattern is calculated based on the design data in the design data memory 17. Then, the pixels to be monitored are selected so as to avoid the bright spot position and stored in the memory 15. The procedure of the defect inspection process is the same as that of the first embodiment.

As described above, also in this embodiment, since the light receiving portion to be monitored is specified according to the pattern formed on the sample TP, the accurate inspection can be efficiently performed as in the first embodiment. In addition, since preliminary scanning is not required, it is possible to shorten the inspection time by selecting the monitoring target in advance in the free time before the inspection. When selecting the monitoring target from the design information of the pattern of the sample TP, the monitoring target may be determined for each area by dividing the sample TP into a plurality of areas as in the example of FIG.

In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional image pickup device 10 which can be randomly accessed is used. However, the image pickup device such as CCD which constantly outputs the electric charges of all the light receiving portions is changed to the CPUs 13 and 1.
Alternatively, only the data from the light receiving unit to be monitored may be processed on the 8 side. However, 2 that can be randomly accessed
When the three-dimensional image pickup device is used, the amount of data to be processed by the CPUs 13 and 18 is reduced, so that the inspection efficiency can be increased accordingly.

In the correspondence between the above embodiment and the claims,
The laser light source 1, the collimator lens 2, the galvano mirror 3, the lens 5 and the stage 4 serve as a scanning means, the Fourier transform lens 6 serves as a light receiving optical system, the image pickup device 10 serves as an image pickup means, the CPU 13 serves as a selecting means and a discriminating means, and the CPU 1
Reference numeral 8 constitutes a monitoring target selection means and a discrimination means. The present invention is not limited to the inspection of semiconductor substrates and liquid crystal substrates,
It can be applied to all devices and methods for inspecting a sample for defects based on the Fourier image of scattered light on the sample.

[0026]

As described above, in the defect inspection apparatus of the present invention, the light receiving portion to be monitored is selected according to the pattern of the sample, and the presence / absence of a defect is determined based on the light intensity incident on the selected light receiving portion. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform an accurate inspection that is not affected by the pattern type. In the apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the monitoring target can be selected without preliminary scanning, so that the inspection efficiency can be further improved. In the defect inspection method of the present invention, prior to the inspection of defects, preliminary scanning is performed to select a light receiving portion to be monitored according to the pattern of the sample, and the presence or absence of a defect is determined based on the gradation of the selected light receiving portion. Therefore, an accurate inspection that is not affected by the pattern type can be efficiently performed. In the method of claim 9, the monitoring target is selected in advance from the design information of the sample pattern, so that the inspection efficiency is further enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a defect inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a pre-scan processing procedure in the CPU of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between an output image from the image sensor of FIG. 1 and a common dark portion.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of defect inspection by the CPU of FIG.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of setting a scanning path in the apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 5A is a diagram during preliminary scanning and FIG. 5B is a diagram during sample inspection.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a sample is divided into a plurality of regions and pre-scanned.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a defect inspection apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional defect inspection apparatus.

9 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between a light-receiving image of the light-receiving element of FIG. 8 and a slit of a filter.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Laser Light Source 3 Galvano Mirror 3D Mirror Drive Circuit 4 Stage 4D Stage Drive Circuit 6 Fourier Transform Lens 10 Image Sensor 11 Image Sensor Drive Circuit 13, 18 CPU 14 Frame Memory 17 Design Data Memory DP Common Dark Area P ₁ , P ₂ Image Sensor Output image TP sample

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A scanning unit that scans a sample with spot-shaped inspection light, and a light-receiving optical system that receives scattered light from the sample with respect to the inspection light and forms a Fourier image on the sample on a pupil plane. In a defect inspection apparatus comprising: an image pickup unit having a plurality of light receiving sections capable of outputting the image of the pupil plane as two-dimensional pixel information; and an image pickup unit when the sample is pre-scanned by the scanning unit. Based on the output, a selection unit that selects, as a monitoring target, a light receiving unit to which scattered light from a pattern formed on the sample does not enter, from a plurality of light receiving units of the image capturing unit, and a selection unit that selects the monitoring target. A defect inspecting apparatus, comprising: a determining unit that determines whether or not there is a defect in the sample based on the intensity of light incident on the light receiving unit. 2. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pre-scanning path is set to be coarser than a scanning path used when inspecting the sample for defects. 3. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample is divided into a plurality of preliminary scanning regions, and a light receiving unit to be monitored is selected for each preliminary scanning region. apparatus. 4. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position on the pupil plane where scattered light from the pattern does not enter is calculated based on design information of a pattern formed on the sample, and the position is calculated by the calculation. A defect inspection apparatus characterized in that a monitoring target estimation unit for selecting a light receiving unit to be monitored from a light receiving unit corresponding to the obtained position is provided in place of the selection unit. 5. The defect inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is a randomly accessible two-dimensional element, and the determination unit is a light receiving device selected as the monitoring target. A defect inspection apparatus, wherein only a part is accessed to determine the presence or absence of the defect. 6. A sample is scanned with spot-like inspection light, scattered light from the sample at this time is received by a light receiving optical system, and a Fourier image on the sample is formed on the pupil plane, and this Fourier image is formed. In the defect inspection method for determining the presence or absence of a defect in the sample based on, the sample is pre-scanned with the inspection light prior to the inspection of the sample, and the image of the pupil plane at this time is arranged two-dimensionally. The two-dimensional pixel information is output from the imaging unit having a plurality of light receiving units, and the sample is selected from the plurality of light receiving units of the imaging unit based on the output of the imaging unit from the start to the end of the preliminary scanning. The light receiving part to which scattered light from the pattern formed above does not enter is selected as a monitoring target, and at the time of inspecting the sample, the presence or absence of a defect in the sample is determined based on the light intensity incident on the selected light receiving part. Do Defect inspection method comprising and. 7. The defect inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the pre-scanning path is set to be coarser than a scanning path used when inspecting the sample for defects. 8. The defect inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the sample is divided into a plurality of preliminary scanning regions, and a light receiving portion to be monitored is selected for each preliminary scanning region. Method. 9. A sample is scanned with spot-like inspection light, scattered light from the sample at this time is received by a light receiving optical system, and a Fourier image on the sample is formed on the pupil plane, and this Fourier image is formed. In the defect inspection method for determining the presence / absence of a defect of the sample based on the above, it is possible to output the image of the pupil plane as two-dimensional pixel information by an imaging unit having a two-dimensionally arranged light receiving section, Prior to the inspection, the position on the pupil plane where the scattered light from the pattern does not enter when the sample is scanned is calculated based on the design information of the pattern formed on the sample, and obtained by the calculation. The light receiving unit to be monitored is selected from the light receiving units corresponding to the positions, and at the time of inspecting the sample, the presence or absence of a defect in the sample is determined based on the light intensity incident on the selected light receiving unit. Defect inspection method to be. 10. The defect inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the imaging unit is a randomly accessible two-dimensional element, and is selected as the monitoring target when inspecting the sample. A defect inspection method characterized in that only the light receiving portion is accessed to determine the presence or absence of the defect.