JPH09186207A - Inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection apparatus which improves throughput. SOLUTION: A support shaft 3 supports support shaft 2a, 2b in such a manner that each of the support shafts 2a, 2b is movable on the support shaft 3 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3. Stages 1a, 1b are movable on the support shafts 2a, 2b in the longitudinal direction of the support shafts 2a, 2b, respectively, and are rotatable. With this structure, the stages 1a, 1b may independently perform operations required for inspection and alignment. Inspection of a wafer on the stage 1b by a detector 5 and alignment of a wafer on the stage 1b by an aligner 4a are carried out simultaneously. On completion of the inspection and alignment, the stages 1a, 1b are moved to below the detector 5 and an aligner 4b, respectively. By repeating inspection and alignment in the similar operation, throughput is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus used for non-contact inspection, and is particularly effective for non-contact inspection regarding defects of wafers and contamination of foreign matters.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of a conventional inspection apparatus. The mounting device 100 includes a stage 1 and support shafts 2 and 3.
It is composed of The support shaft 3 movably supports the support shaft 2 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3, and also supports the support shaft 2
Supports the stage 1 movably and rotatably on the support shaft 2 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 2. Using the mounting apparatus 100, the alignment of the wafer mounted on the stage 1 by the aligner 4 and the inspection of defects and foreign matter mixture by the detector 5 are performed in a non-contact manner.

Operations during alignment and inspection will be described. When performing the alignment, the stage 1 moves below the aligner 4. When inspecting a wafer, the stage 1 moves below the detector 5. The movement of the stage 1 in the plane direction necessary for alignment and inspection, that is, the longitudinal movement of the support shaft 3 and the longitudinal movement of the support shaft 2 are realized by the movement of the support shaft 2 by the support shaft 3 and the movement of the stage 1 itself. It

[0004]

Conventionally, one stage 1 is provided for one detector 5 as described above. When performing inspection of multiple wafers in succession, a series of procedures such as replacement of wafers on stage 1, alignment with the accuracy required for inspection, and inspection of defects and contamination are performed on multiple wafers in parallel. In order to carry out this, it was necessary to prepare a plurality of sets of one set of the inspection device including the mounting device 100, the detector 5 and the aligner 4.
When using one detector, it was impossible to perform the above procedure in parallel for a plurality of wafers. Therefore, all the procedures have to be repeated for each wafer, and there is a problem that the detector 5 wastes a waiting time during the alignment by the aligner 4, which hinders the improvement of throughput.

Further, by making the detector 5 also function as the aligner 4, it was possible to perform the inspection without providing the aligner 4. In this case, regardless of other configurations, it was completely impossible to perform detection and alignment in parallel, and the throughput was not improved.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-278166 discloses a technique in which a plurality of detectors are prepared and one stage is provided for each detector. In parallel with the inspection of a wafer by one detector, the alignment error of the wafer to be inspected by another detector is confirmed by an aligner.

However, in this technique, in order to compensate for the alignment deviation confirmed by the aligner, it is necessary to move the detector itself to perform the inspection. When the detector is based on optical means, for example, a laser beam is emitted from an oscillator to detect a wafer defect and contamination of a foreign substance, the movement of the detector makes the detector itself unreliable. There was a problem that it decreased.

In view of the above points, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inspection apparatus which improves the throughput and enables inspection with only one detector.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided one inspection means, a plurality of mounting bases on which an object to be inspected is mounted, and a support for supporting and driving the plurality of mounting bases. Driving means, the supporting driving means comprising first and second supports movable relative to each other, the first supports supporting a plurality of mounting tables, and the second supports being first Supporting the support, the plurality of mounting tables can be respectively moved to the detection position of the detection means by the support drive means, and any one of the plurality of mounting tables can be selectively positioned at the detection position. It is characterized by

An inspection apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes one detecting means, a first support, a second support for movably supporting the first support, and a movably supported by the first support. And an object to be inspected that is movable to at least one of the detection positions of the detection means by movement of at least one of itself and the first support, and any one of itself can be selectively positioned at the detection position. It is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of mounting bases to be mounted.

According to another aspect of the inspection apparatus of the present invention, one detecting means, a first support, a movable second support for movably supporting the first support, and first and second support means. The object to be inspected is placed on which the object to be inspected is placed, which can be moved to the detection position of the detection means by the movement of at least one of the supports, and one of which can be selectively positioned at the detection position It is characterized by comprising a plurality of mounting tables supported by the body.

An inspection apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention further comprises alignment means for aligning the objects to be inspected, and the plurality of mounting tables can be moved to the alignment positions of the alignment means.

An inspection apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of first supports are provided and each support table is independently supported.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inspecting device having a single aligning means, a plurality of second supporting bodies and independently supporting the first supporting bodies.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. The inspection device is composed of a mounting device 10, a detector 5, and aligners 4a and 4b. The mounting device 10 includes stages 1 a and 1 b and support shafts 2 and 3. The support shaft 2 is movable on the support shaft 2 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 2 and is rotatable independently.
Support b respectively. The support shaft 3 supports the support shaft 2 so that the support shaft 3 can move in the longitudinal direction thereof. In the figure, the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 2 and the support shaft 3 are orthogonal to each other. The application of the present invention is not limited as long as the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 2 and the support shaft 3 are not parallel to each other, and may be oblique.

The aligner 4a, the detector 5 and the aligner 4b are fixed in this order along the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 2 by a fixing means (not shown). For example, a laser beam or the like is emitted from the detector 5 or the outside, and by using this, it is possible to carry out a non-contact inspection for defects and contamination of a wafer.

With the above-described structure, it becomes possible to perform the wafer alignment and the defect / foreign matter mixture inspection in parallel. The operation at the time of inspection will be described. First, alignment of the wafer placed on the stage 1a located below the aligner 4a by the aligner 4a is performed.

After that, the stage 1a moves on the support shaft 2 below the detector 5 as shown in FIG. The stage 1b is located below the aligner 4b. The inspection of the wafer on the stage 1a by the detector 5 and the alignment of the wafer on the stage 1b by the aligner 4b are performed in parallel.

After the inspection by the detector 5 and the alignment by the aligner 4b are completed, the stages 1a, 1b are
Are moved below the aligner 4a and the detector 5, respectively. The wafer on the stage 1a is replaced with a new wafer. In parallel with the inspection of the wafer on the stage 1b by the detector 5, the alignment of the wafer on the stage 1a is performed by the aligner 4a.

By repeating the above operation for each wafer on the stages 1a and 1b in order, it is possible to align one wafer and inspect the other wafer, so that the wafers are extremely efficiently It is possible to perform the defect and foreign matter mixture inspection.

In the inspection apparatus of the present invention, the alignment of the wafer is surely performed by the aligners 4a and 4b. This eliminates the need for the detector 5 to move to correct the alignment deviation. Therefore, the inspection by the detector 5 can be performed immediately after the alignment is completed. Further, since it is not necessary to move the detector 5 according to the alignment deviation, the reliability of the detector 5 does not decrease.

When inspecting a wafer, it is necessary to move the wafer in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3. Therefore, during inspection of the wafer by the detector 5, the support shaft 2 and the stage 1a,
1b is driven by the support shaft 3 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3. Further, also during alignment by the aligners 4a and 4b, movement of the wafer in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3 is similarly required.

The support shaft 3 drives the support shaft 2 while giving priority to the movement required for inspection by the detector 5. Therefore, when the detector 5 is actually inspecting, the stages 1a and 1b cannot simultaneously perform the movements required for alignment. That is, alignment in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3 in parallel with the inspection by the detector 5 is not satisfactorily performed. However, even when the inspection by the detector 5 is being performed, the rotational movements of the stages 1a and 1b are independent of each other, so that the alignment relating to the rotational angle is satisfactorily performed.

From the above, it can be understood that it is impossible to perform efficient alignment in parallel with the inspection by the detector 5. However, it is possible to perform the confirmation work regarding the alignment of the wafer to be aligned by utilizing the movement of the support shaft 2 by the support shaft 3 accompanying the inspection of the wafer by the detector 5. Of course, after the inspection of a certain wafer by the detector 5 is completed, the alignment of the wafer to be inspected next must be completed. However, in parallel with the inspection by the detector 5, the aligner 4a or 4
Since the confirmation work relating to the alignment is performed by b, the alignment of the wafer can be completed promptly. Therefore, the waiting time of the detector 5 can be shortened, and the throughput is improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, any wafer having a size capable of being mounted on the stages 1a and 1b can be inspected as in the conventional case. Therefore, since it is not necessary to change the inspection device depending on the size of the cut wafer, the inspection device is highly versatile.

By providing the stage 1a, 1b with a suction means or a suction means by static electricity, it is possible to perform the inspection by the detector 5 while maintaining the alignment state by the aligners 4a, 4b more reliably. is there.

The inspection apparatus according to the present invention can be used when inspecting a wafer for defects and foreign matter, but is not limited to this, and can be used for inspecting, analyzing and observing a wafer that requires alignment. Is.

Next, another inspection apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The parts having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described inspection device are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The inspection device shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
The difference from the inspection device shown in FIG.

In the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the gap between the stage 1a and the stage 1b and the aligner 4a,
By setting the respective intervals of the detector 4b and the detector 5 to be equal, it is not necessary to move the stages 1a and 1b on the support shaft 2. The support shaft 3 shown in FIG. 3 is movable in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3 itself.

With this configuration, the stages 1a and 1b are
While the wafer mounted on one of the two is being inspected by the detector 5, the wafer mounted on the other is positioned below the aligner 4a or 4b. Therefore, similarly to the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to perform the confirmation work regarding the wafer alignment by utilizing the movement of the support shaft 2 caused by the movement of the support shaft 3 accompanying the inspection by the detector 5. Become.

Even if the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is used, FIG.
It is possible to obtain the same effect as the inspection device shown in FIG. The inspection apparatus of FIG. 3 does not require drive means for moving the stages 1a and 1b on the support shaft 2, respectively. Therefore, the apparatus can be simplified and the cost required for inspecting the wafer can be reduced.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the inspection device according to the second embodiment. The parts having the same configurations and functions as those of the inspection device of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the mounting device 30 shown in FIG. 4,
A feature is that the stages 1a and 1b are supported by support shafts 2a and 2b, respectively.

The support shaft 3 supports the support shafts 2a and 2b so as to be movable on the support shaft 3 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 3, respectively.
The stages 1a and 1b are movable and rotatable on the support shafts 2a and 2b, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the support shafts 2a and 2b. With this configuration, the stages 1a and 1b can be independently moved and rotated. Therefore, the movement required for the inspection by the detector 5 and the movement required for the alignment by the aligner 4a or 4b can be simultaneously performed by the stages 1a and 1b separately.

A specific operation at the time of detection and alignment will be described. An example will be given in which the wafer mounted on the stage 1b is inspected by the detector 5 and the wafer mounted on the stage 1a is aligned by the aligner 4a. The movement of the stage 1a itself on the support shaft 2a causes the support shaft 2a to move in the longitudinal direction. The movement of the support shaft 2a on the support shaft 3 causes the support shaft 3a to move in the longitudinal direction. Further, the stage 1a itself is rotatable. That is, the aligner 4a
The operation of the stage 1a required for the alignment is realized. Since the stage 1b and the support shaft 2b can perform the same operation independently of the stage 1a and the support shaft 2a, the operation of the stage 1b required for the inspection by the detector 5 is also realized.

By these operations, when the inspection by the detector 5 is completed, the alignment of the next wafer to be inspected can be completed.

In the inspection device according to the present embodiment,
In addition to the effect shown in the first embodiment, the standby time of the detector 5 is further shortened, and the throughput is improved. Further, since it is not necessary to adjust the interval at which the detector 5 and the aligners 4a and 4b are arranged, it is possible to easily and efficiently inspect the wafer.

Embodiment 3 In the present embodiment,
An inspection device is disclosed in which only one aligner is required. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. The parts having the same configurations and functions as those of the inspection device described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the inspection device according to the present embodiment,
The support shafts 2a and 2b shown in the second embodiment are the support shafts 3.
It is characterized by being independently supported by a and 3b.

The mounting device 40 comprises stages 1a and 1b, support shafts 2a and 2b, and support shafts 3a and 3b. The support shafts 2a and 2b rotatably support the stages 1a and 1b, respectively. In FIG. 5, the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 3a and the support shaft 3b are the same. In addition, along the respective longitudinal directions of the support shaft 3a and the support shaft 3b,
The detector 5 and the aligner 4 are arranged. Support shaft 3
The direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of a and 3b and approaching the aligner 4 from the detector 5 is shown by an arrow A in FIG.

The support shafts 3a and 3b support the support shafts 2a and 2b so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the support shafts 2a and 2b, respectively. Further, the support shafts 3a and 3b are movable in their own longitudinal direction. If the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 3a and the support shaft 2a do not coincide with each other, that is, they intersect at right angles or obliquely, the effect of the present invention can be obtained. Similarly, the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 3b and the support shaft 2b may be orthogonal or oblique to each other. With this configuration, the stages 1a and 1b can each move in a plane. FIG. 5 shows an inspection apparatus having a configuration in which the longitudinal directions of the support shafts 3a and 2a are orthogonal to each other and the longitudinal directions of the support shafts 3b and 2b are orthogonal to each other.

The wafer mounted on the stage 1b is aligned by the aligner 4 while the detector 5 inspects the wafer mounted on the stage 1a. At this time, the movement of the stages 1a and 1b in the direction of the arrow A is realized by the movement of the support shafts 3a and 3b. Further, the movement of the stages 1a and 1b in the direction orthogonal to the arrow A is performed by the support shafts 2a,
It is realized by moving 2b.

Next, in order to perform the inspection of the aligned wafer on the stage 1b and the alignment of the wafer newly placed on the stage 1a, the stage 1
The position of a and the position of the stage 1b must be exchanged. The support shaft 3a is moved in the direction of arrow A, and the support shaft 3b is moved.
The positions of the stages 1a and 1b are switched by moving in the opposite direction of the arrow A. At this time, the support shaft 2a is prevented from colliding with the support shaft 2a.
And 2b are previously moved in opposite directions in the longitudinal direction of the support shafts 2a and 2b. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the positions of the stage 1a and the stage 1b are exchanged. When the inspection of the wafer on the stage 1b by the detector 5 and the alignment of the wafer on the stage 1a by the aligner 4 are completed, this time, the reverse movement is performed and the position is changed again to return to the state shown in FIG.

It is also possible to provide an elevating means for elevating the support shafts 2a and 2b independently. At this time, stage 1
After the support shafts 2a and 2b are lifted and lowered so that the a and the support shaft 2a do not collide with the stage 1b and the support shaft 2b, the positions of the support shafts 3a and 3b are exchanged by moving them. It is also possible to move the detector 5 and the aligner 4 themselves onto the stages 1a and 1b, respectively.

By repeating the above operation, the inspection by the detector 5 and the alignment by the aligner 4 can be performed in parallel, and the throughput is improved.

In the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the longitudinal directions of the support shaft 3a and the support shaft 3b are the same,
The detector 5 and the aligner 4 are arranged along these longitudinal directions. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this configuration. If the inspection device has a structure in which the stages 1a and 1b can be alternately moved below the detector 5 and the aligner 4 by the movement of the support shafts 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b, it is considered that the present invention is applied. Is possible.

In the inspection device according to the present embodiment,
Only one aligner is needed. Therefore, it is easy to adjust the position of the aligner and the detector, and the inspection can be performed with high accuracy for a long period of time. As a result, the cost required for the maintenance of the device can be kept low, and the wafer inspection can be performed at low cost.

[0048]

According to the constitutions of claims 1 to 3,
By mounting the objects to be inspected on the plurality of mounting tables, respectively, it becomes possible to selectively inspect the plurality of objects to be inspected by one detector.

According to the structure of claim 4, it is possible to inspect the inspection object on one mounting table by the detecting means and at the same time align the inspection objects on the other mounting table by the aligning means. . Therefore, since the aligned inspection objects placed on the plurality of mounting tables are successively provided to the detecting means, the waiting time of the detecting means is reduced.

According to the structure described in claim 5, the plurality of mounting tables can be independently moved. With this configuration, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 2, it becomes possible to perform the alignment by the alignment means more efficiently. Therefore, the waiting time of the detection means is further reduced, and the cost required for the inspection is further reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to align the inspection objects placed on the plurality of placing tables by a single aligning means. Therefore, the equipment required for the inspection is reduced, and the cost required for the inspection is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inspection device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an operation of the inspection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of another inspection device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inspection device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inspection device according to a third embodiment.

6 is a perspective view showing an operation of the inspection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional inspection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b mounting table, 2, 2a, 2b, 3, 3a,
3b support shaft, 4 aligner, 5 detector.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A detection means, a plurality of mounting bases on which an object to be inspected is mounted respectively, and a support drive means for supporting and driving the plurality of mounting bases, wherein the support drive means comprises: First and second movable with respect to each other
A support body, the first support body supports the plurality of mounting bases, the second support body supports the first support body, and the plurality of mounting bases are respectively supported by the support driving means. An inspection apparatus that is movable to a detection position of a detection means, and any one of the plurality of mounting tables can be selectively positioned at the detection position. 2. A detection means, a first support, a second support that movably supports the first support, and a second support that is movably supported by the first support. An object to be inspected is placed, which can be moved to the detection position of the detection means by the movement of at least one of the supports, and one of which can be selectively positioned at the detection position. An inspection apparatus comprising a plurality of mounting tables. 3. A detection means, a first support, and a movable second support for movably supporting the first support.
The support and the at least one of the first and second supports can be moved to the detection position of the detection means, respectively, and any one of them can be selectively positioned at the detection position. An inspection apparatus comprising: a plurality of mounting bases on which an object to be inspected is mounted and supported by the first support. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an aligning means for aligning the objects to be inspected, wherein the plurality of mounting tables can be moved to respective aligning positions of the aligning means. The inspection device according to any one of the above. 5. A plurality of the first supports are provided, each supporting the mounting table independently.
The inspection device according to item 1. 6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the alignment means is singular, the second support is plural, and the first support is independently supported.