JPH102865A - Inspecting device of reticle and inspecting method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize the visual inspection by a user by storing the state of a foreign matter adhered to a reticle judged to be usable in an inspection data memory part, and judging a reticle substantially in the same state to be usable without depending on the judgement of the user. SOLUTION: When a user judges a reticle 1 to be usable by the observation of a foreign matter, an usable signal is inputted to a total control part 20. Signals related to the position coordinate where the foreign matter is present and the magnitude of the scattered light at that time are outputted from the control part 20 to an inspection data memory part 21 together with the bar code information attached to the reticle 1. The memory part 21 stores the information. When a foreign matter inspected by a laser scattering type foreign matter inspecting part 101 is smaller than the foreign matter stored in the memory part 21, the control part 20 judges that it is a usable reticle, and a reticle carrying part delivers the reticle 1 to a usable reticle delivering part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reticle inspection method, which is a step required for manufacturing a semiconductor by a projection exposure method.
The present invention relates to a reticle inspection method for detecting foreign matter attached to a reticle and determining whether to use the reticle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In semiconductor manufacturing by a projection exposure method, a pattern formed on a reticle is reduced to form a circuit pattern on a wafer. Therefore, when a semiconductor is manufactured by a projection exposure method using a reticle to which foreign matter has adhered, an image of the foreign matter is also formed on the wafer, and a defect occurs in a circuit pattern formed on the wafer.

In recent years, in order to prevent such a problem from occurring, foreign substances are prevented from adhering to the reticle by covering the reticle with a pellicle film which is a transparent protective film.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which a pellicle film is provided on the reticle on which the prototype of the circuit pattern is formed. As described above, the pellicle film frame 73 is provided on each of the front surface (the surface on which the pattern is formed) and the back surface of the reticle substrate 71, and the pellicle film 72 is provided on the frame 73. A reticle substrate 71 has a circuit pattern master formed by a chrome pattern 74 formed of a chrome film.

As described above, a pellicle film is provided on a reticle in order to prevent foreign matter from adhering. However, in practice, even with a reticle provided with a pellicle film, the storage period, the number of movements, and the number of times of use increase. Foreign matter is generated inside the area surrounded by the pellicle. One example is shown in FIG. FIG.
Indicates a state in which a foreign substance is generated inside the pellicle film. When foreign matter is generated inside the pellicle film, the foreign matter 85, 86 adheres to the substrate 71 or the chrome pattern 74.

Foreign matter 86 adhered to chrome pattern 74
Has no effect on semiconductor manufacturing, but the foreign matter 85 directly adhered to the substrate 71 has a bad influence on semiconductor manufacturing. Foreign matter adhering to the reticle in this way
This is a factor that causes defects in the manufacture of semiconductors.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for detecting foreign matter.

[0006] As a method of detecting a foreign substance adhering on a reticle, there is a laser scattering type inspection apparatus. This apparatus includes a plurality of light receiving elements at different positions for irradiating a reticle with laser light and receiving scattered light emitted from the reticle. When these light receiving elements receive light, they convert the light into an electric signal. Whether or not the foreign matter exists on the reticle is determined by integrally analyzing the electric signals from the respective light receiving elements. It is detected whether or not there is any foreign matter at the position where the laser beam has been irradiated. This device can relatively move the laser beam and the reticle, so that it is possible to two-dimensionally detect whether or not there is a foreign substance.

[0007]

However, such a laser scattering type inspection apparatus can detect the presence or absence of foreign matter, but such foreign matter has a bad effect when manufacturing a semiconductor by projection exposure. I cannot judge it. For example, FIG. 9 shows a reticle with a pellicle that can be used in a projection exposure apparatus such as a stepper. However, a laser scattering type inspection apparatus detects foreign matter existing in a place as shown in FIG. Would. However, foreign matter present in such places has no adverse effect on semiconductor manufacturing by projection exposure. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a reticle with a pellicle that can be used in a projection exposure apparatus such as a stepper.
The laser scattering type inspection apparatus detects foreign matter 86 on the pattern and a non-fatal defect pattern 87. Even if such foreign matter exists, it is no problem if a semiconductor is manufactured using this reticle. Absent.

However, it is not possible to judge whether or not the foreign matter adversely affects the semiconductor manufacturing by inspection using only a laser scattering type inspection apparatus. Therefore, all of the reticles in which the foreign matter is detected are directly detected by a human. It is necessary to judge whether or not the reticle can be used by looking at the enlarged image of the portion. This determination step actually takes a long time, so that the throughput in the semiconductor manufacturing process is reduced.

Therefore, in the present invention, by improving the inspection method of the laser scattering type inspection apparatus, the number of steps for visually inspecting the reticle by a human to judge whether or not to use the reticle is reduced as much as possible. The purpose is to improve the yield of the reticle used.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a reticle is irradiated with a laser beam to detect a foreign substance on the reticle, and the reticle is output from the foreign substance detecting means. Foreign matter information storage means for storing information on foreign matter on the reticle, and information on the size of foreign matter on the reticle output by the foreign matter detection means and foreign matter information for the reticle inspected at least once by the foreign matter detection means Determining means for comparing the information on the size of the foreign substance detected before output from the means and determining whether or not use is possible;

[0011]

Next, in order to explain the present invention in detail, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a reticle inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an overall configuration diagram of the reticle inspection apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the reticle inspection apparatus includes a laser scattering foreign matter inspection unit 101 and a visual inspection unit 102 shown in FIG. 1, and further includes an inspection reticle carry-in unit 201 for storing a reticle for inspection. And an unusable reticle unloading unit 202 for storing a reticle determined to be unusable by the reticle inspection device, a usable reticle unloading unit 203 for storing a reticle determined to be usable by the reticle inspection device, and transport of the reticle And a reticle transport unit 204 having an arm for controlling the reticle inspection apparatus.

In the inspection reticle carry-in section 201, the unusable reticle carry-out section 202, and the usable reticle carry-out section 203, the reticle is housed in a reticle case. The mechanism for taking out the reticle from the case has a mechanism for storing the reticle in the reticle case.

More specifically, the reticle transport means 204 includes a robot arm and a robot arm driving member. The robot arm is provided for transporting a reticle and a reticle case. Further, the robot arm driving member connects the robot arm to the inspection reticle loading section 20.
1. It is provided for moving to an unusable reticle unloading unit 202, usable reticle unloading unit 203, laser scattering type inspection unit 101, and visual inspection unit 102.

The inspection reticle carry-in section 201, unusable reticle 202 and usable reticle carry-out section 203 include:
A mechanism is provided for opening and closing the lid of the reticle case when the robot arm enters. The reticle stored in the reticle case can be taken out and stored by the robot arm. Laser scattering type foreign matter inspection section 1
01 has the configuration shown in FIG.

The laser scattering type inspection unit 101 includes an inspection table 2, a laser light source 3, a light receiving unit 4, a signal processing unit 5, an inspection table driving unit 6, and a laser inspection control unit 7.
The inspection table 2 is a table on which the reticle 1 for inspecting foreign substances is placed, and can be moved two-dimensionally by the inspection table driving means 6. The laser light source 3 is a light source for irradiating the reticle 1 for inspecting foreign matter with laser light. The light receiving section 4 is for detecting scattered light generated when there is a foreign substance present on the reticle.

The reticle is irradiated from the laser light source 3,
Among the light reflected by the reticle, scattered light generated when there is a foreign substance is detected, and the presence or absence of the foreign substance and the size of the foreign substance are detected. In addition, the inspection table 2 is scanned by the inspection table driving means 6 so that the laser light can be two-dimensionally irradiated on the reticle. As described above, by controlling the position of the inspection table 2 and detecting the presence or absence of scattered light by the light receiving unit 4, the position of the foreign matter on the reticle can be detected. Further, the size of the foreign matter can be detected based on the intensity of the obtained scattered light.

The signal processing unit 5 digitizes the information on the scattered light obtained from the light receiving unit 4 and outputs a signal on the presence or absence of the scattered light and the magnitude of the scattered light. The signal output from the signal processing unit 5 is output to the laser scattering inspection control unit 7. The laser scattering inspection controller 7 sets the inspection table 2 to 2
The XY drive unit 6 for dimensional scanning is controlled, and the position of the inspection table 2 is controlled.

In the reticle inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, first, the inspection reticle loading section 2
The reticle to be inspected is taken out of the laser scatter inspection unit 101 and is loaded into the laser scattering type inspection unit 101 by the reticle transport unit 204. Then, the reticle carried into the laser scattering inspection unit 101 is fixed to the inspection table 1 shown in FIG. By the way, when the reticle to be inspected is in the inspection reticle carry-in section 201, a barcode reading section (not shown) reads a barcode provided on a part of the reticle 1, and outputs a reticle identification signal to the overall control section 20. I do.

Then, while the inspection table driving means 6 is controlled by the laser scattering inspection control section 7, the reticle 1 is irradiated with light from the laser 3 while performing two-dimensional raster scanning. The presence or absence of scattered light is detected by the light receiving unit 4. If the scattered light detected by the light receiving unit 4 has a scattered light signal of a certain intensity or more determined by the signal processing unit 5 based on the light receiving signal output from the light receiving unit 4, a foreign substance is present. And outputs a signal to the laser scattering inspection controller 7. Then, the laser scattering inspection control unit 7 determines the irradiation position of the laser spot at the time when the signal is output from the signal processing unit 5, and outputs the position coordinates where the foreign matter exists on the reticle 1 to the overall control unit 20. Also,
At this time, a signal relating to the magnitude of the scattered light received by the light receiving unit 4 is also output to the overall control unit 20. In this way, until the light from the laser 3 inspects the inspection area of the reticle 1,
The foreign substance inspection is performed while controlling the XY drive section 6 by the laser scattering inspection control section 7.

When the inspection area of the reticle 1 has been inspected, a search is made from the data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 as to whether the same reticle has been previously inspected, based on the previously stored reticle identification signal. . At this time, if you have not previously inspected the same reticle,
Immediately, the overall control unit 20 outputs a signal relating to the position coordinates where the foreign matter exists to the microscopic inspection control unit 15. Then, the reticle 1 on which the foreign substance inspection is completed is sent to the visual inspection section 102 by the robot arm of the reticle transport section 204.
And is fixed to the stage (stage) 12 of the microscope unit 13 of the visual inspection unit 102. When the fixing of the reticle 1 to the stage of the microscope unit 13 is completed, a movement signal is output from the microscope inspection control unit 15 to the microscope stage driving unit 14 so that the field of view of the microscope unit 13 is located at the position where the foreign matter is detected in the previous inspection. I do. Then, the user observes a foreign substance using the optical microscope of the microscope unit 13.

At this time, the user observes the foreign matter and determines whether or not the reticle 1 can be used. When the user determines that the reticle 1 can be used, the user inputs a signal indicating that the reticle 1 can be used to the overall control unit 20. Then, the overall control unit 20 outputs to the inspection data storage unit 21 signals relating to the position coordinates of the presence of the foreign matter and the magnitude of the scattered light at that time together with the barcode information attached to the reticle 1. Then, a signal for transporting the reticle 1 is output from the overall control unit 20 to the reticle transport unit 204, and the reticle 1 is transported by the reticle transport unit 204 to the usable reticle unloading unit 202.

When the user determines that the device cannot be used, the user inputs an unusable signal to the overall control unit 20. Then, the reticle transport section 204
The reticle transport unit 204 outputs a signal that transports the reticle 1, and the reticle transport unit 204 transports the disabled reticle 1 to the unusable reticle unloading unit 202. By the way, based on the reticle identification signal previously stored, when the data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 is searched for whether the same reticle has been previously inspected,
The case where the reticle inspection has been performed before and the inspection data is stored is as follows.

For the reticle which has been previously subjected to the reticle inspection, the inspection data of the foreign substance inspection and the storage data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 are stored in the overall control unit 2.
Compare with 0. Then, first, it is detected whether or not there is a foreign substance existing at a position not included in the inspection data with respect to the storage data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21.
At this time, even if the position does not completely match the position stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, the inspection data storage unit 2
The position stored in No. 1 has a certain allowable range, and the presence or absence of a foreign substance existing at a position other than the position is detected. The overall control unit 20 determines an allowable range appropriate for an environment in which the reticle is to be used.

At this time, if there is a foreign substance present at a position that does not exist in the stored data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, the overall control unit 20 determines the size of the foreign substance. It is determined from the inspection data of the detected foreign matter. Then, the overall control unit 20 compares whether or not the size of the foreign matter already determined with respect to the use condition of the reticle is larger than the reference rank. At this time, if the foreign matter is larger than the reference rank, a signal of an instruction to transport the reticle 1 to the pedestal 12 is output from the overall control unit 20 to the reticle transport unit 204. Further, a signal relating to the position coordinates of the newly found foreign matter is output from the overall control unit 20 to the microscope inspection unit 15. Then, when the reticle 1 is fixed to the base 12, a movement command is output from the microscope inspection unit 15 to the microscope stage driving unit 14 so that the position coordinates of the newly found foreign substance are included in the field of view of the microscope of the microscope 13. Then, the user observes the foreign matter using the microscope unit 13 and determines whether or not the reticle can be used.

The reticle determined to be unusable is conveyed to the unusable reticle unloading unit 202 by the reticle conveying unit 204. When the reticle becomes usable, the user inputs to the overall control unit 20 that the reticle can be used. Then, the overall control unit 20 outputs a command to unload the reticle 1 to the usable reticle unloading unit 203 to the reticle transport unit 204. Then, the robot arm of the reticle transport unit 204 grasps the reticle 1 fixed to the table 12, and transports the reticle 1 to the usable reticle unloading unit 203. Further, the overall control unit 20 outputs to the inspection data storage unit 21 a signal relating to the position coordinates of the presence of the foreign matter and the magnitude of the scattered light at that time, together with the barcode information attached to the reticle 1. Then, the inspection data storage unit 21 stores the position coordinates of these foreign substances, the magnitude of scattered light, and barcode information.

If the size of the foreign matter outside the allowable range is smaller than the reference rank, then, regarding the foreign matter existing within the allowable range, whether the size of the foreign matter is larger than the reference rank is determined. Are compared and examined by the overall control unit 20. If the foreign matter within the allowable range is smaller than the reference rank, the reticle is determined to be a usable reticle,
A command to convey to the usable reticle unloading unit 203 is output from the general control unit 20 to the reticle conveying unit 202, and the reticle 1 placed on the inspection table 2 by the reticle conveying unit 202.
Is transported to the usable reticle unloading section 203.

If at least one of the foreign substances present in the allowable range is larger than the reference rank, the position is detected from the inspection data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 next. The size of the foreign matter corresponding to the foreign matter is obtained, and the size of the foreign matter in the inspection data is compared with the size of the detected foreign matter. This comparison is performed by the overall control unit 20.

At this time, the laser scattering foreign matter inspection unit 1
If the foreign matter detected in step 01 is larger than the size of the foreign matter stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, a command to transport the reticle 1 to the visual inspection unit 102 is output from the general control unit 20 to the reticle transport unit 202. I do. Then, a signal relating to the position coordinates of the foreign matter larger than the size of the foreign matter stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 is output from the overall control unit 20 to the microscope inspection unit 15. And reticle 1
Is fixed to the table 12, a movement command is output from the microscope inspection unit 15 to the microscope stage drive unit 14 so that the position coordinates of the newly discovered foreign matter fall within the field of view of the microscope of the microscope 13. Then, the user observes the foreign matter using the microscope unit 13 and determines whether or not the reticle can be used.

The reticle determined to be unusable is transported to the unusable reticle unloading unit 202 by the reticle transport unit 204. When the reticle becomes usable, the user inputs to the overall control unit 20 that the reticle can be used. Then, the overall control unit 20 outputs a command to unload the reticle 1 to the usable reticle unloading unit 203 to the reticle transport unit 204. Then, the robot arm of the reticle transport unit 204 grasps the reticle 1 fixed to the table 12, and transports the reticle 1 to the usable reticle unloading unit 203. Further, the overall control unit 20 outputs to the inspection data storage unit 21 a signal relating to the position coordinates of the presence of the foreign matter and the magnitude of the scattered light at that time, together with the barcode information attached to the reticle 1. Then, the inspection data storage unit 21 stores the position coordinates of these foreign substances, the magnitude of scattered light, and barcode information.

Incidentally, the laser scattering type foreign matter inspection unit 10
If the foreign matter detected in step 1 is smaller than the size of the foreign matter stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, it is determined as a usable reticle by the overall control unit 20, and the reticle 1 is transported to the usable reticle unloading unit 203. Output the instruction to execute. Then, reticle transport section 203 unloads reticle 1 to usable reticle unloading section 203.

Of the procedures performed above, the inspection of a reticle for which inspection data has already been acquired is described in FIGS.
Can be represented as in the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart for the entire reticle inspection apparatus, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart in the overall computer 205. FIG. 4 corresponds to the flow performed in the step of FIG.
Note that a flowchart in a reticle inspection for which inspection data has not been acquired is omitted.

By the way, in the first step S001,
The reticle to be inspected carried into the inspection reticle carry-in section 201 is installed. In the next step S002, the barcode of the reticle to be inspected installed in the inspection reticle carry-in section 201 is read, and the reticle name is input to the overall control computer 205. Then, the reticle to be inspected for which reading of the next step S003 barcode has been completed is sent to the reticle transport unit 20.
By 4, it is transported to the laser scattering type inspection unit 101. Then, a foreign substance inspection of the reticle to be inspected conveyed to the laser scattering type inspection unit 101 is performed. At the same time, in step S004, the reticle name input to the general control computer 205 is searched for the previous data performed before the current inspection from the inspection data storage unit 21 of the general control computer 205, and the previous data is output.

In step S005, the previous data output from the inspection data storage unit 21 is compared with the previous data in step S00.
The inspection data obtained in step 3 is compared with the current inspection data. Then, in step S006, it is determined from the comparison result in step S005 whether the reticle is unusable or reticle is usable in the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the inspection data storage unit 2
The position stored in No. 1 has a certain allowable range, and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign substance existing outside the position (outside the allowable range) (step S061). Then, when there is a foreign substance outside the allowable range, it is determined whether the size of the foreign substance outside the allowable range is larger than the size of the reference rank (outside the reference rank) or not (inside the reference rank) (step). S062). If the foreign matter is out of the reference rank, it is determined that the reticle is unusable, and step S in FIG.
008 is executed. At this time, if all the foreign substances outside the reference range are not outside the reference rank, it is determined whether or not the size of the foreign substances inside the allowable range is outside the reference rank (step S063). This step S06
In the case of No. 3, when the judgment is not made in step S061, the judgment in step S063 is immediately performed. If the size of the foreign substance is out of the reference rank in step S063, the determination in step S064 is performed. If the size of the foreign matter is not out of the reference rank in step S063, it is determined that the reticle is usable, and the reticle is determined to be usable in step S06 of FIG.
007 is performed. In step S064, it is determined whether the foreign matter within the allowable range is larger than the size of the foreign matter corresponding to the allowable range in the previous data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 or not. If the foreign matter within the allowable range is larger than the size of the corresponding foreign matter stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, it is determined that the reticle is unusable, and the process of step S008 in FIG. 4 is performed.
If the foreign matter within the allowable range is smaller than the size of the corresponding foreign matter stored in the inspection data storage unit 21, the process of step S007 is performed.

In step S006, such processing is performed. If the reticle is determined to be usable, the reticle is transported to the reticle transport unit 204 by the reticle transport unit 204 in step S007. If the reticle is determined to be unusable, the reticle is transported to the visual inspection unit 102 by the reticle transport unit 204 in step S008, and the reticle is not within the allowable range of the previous data and the foreign matter is out of the reference rank. The position coordinates of the foreign matter or the inconsistent foreign matter whose size is larger than that of the previous data and whose foreign matter is outside the reference rank are output to the microscope stage driving unit 14. Then, the table 12 is moved so that the inconsistent foreign matter enters the visual field of the microscope unit 13.

Then, in step S009, the user visually inspects the mismatched foreign matter using the optical microscope of the microscope unit 13. Next, in step S010, it is determined whether the user can use the reticle. And
At this point, if the user determines that the reticle is unusable, the reticle is transported to the unusable reticle unloading unit 202. Also,
At this point, if the user determines that it can be used, the process of step S011 is performed.

At this time, it is determined whether or not all the mismatched foreign substances have been visually inspected. If not, the process returns to step S008 to determine whether or not all the mismatched foreign substances can be visually inspected and used. The process is repeated from step S008 to step S011 until the determination is made. Then, as a result of visually inspecting all mismatched foreign substances,
If it is determined that the data can be used, the previous data stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 is deleted, and the current inspection data inspected by the current laser scattering inspection unit is stored in the inspection data storage unit 21 (step S012). ). Then, in step S013, the reticle can be used, and
Take out to 3.

Thus, the operation performed in one reticle inspection is completed. An example of a result obtained based on such processing is shown in FIGS. FIG. 5A shows detection data of a foreign substance obtained when the present reticle inspection apparatus inspects for the first time, and FIG. 5B shows data obtained when foreign substance detection is performed again. Things. As described above, when it is determined that the reticle inspection apparatus can be used in the state shown in FIG. 5A, even if the reticle is in the state shown in FIG. Can be determined to be usable. When the reticle in the state shown in FIG. 6A is usable, when the reticle is in the state shown in FIG. 6B,
It can be determined that the reticle inspection apparatus cannot be used.

As described above, the state of the foreign matter adhering to the reticle 1 when the user determines that the reticle 1 is usable is stored in the inspection data storage unit 21. With respect to the reticle in a state substantially similar to the state, it can be determined that the reticle can be used without looking up at the user. Therefore, even if a foreign substance is present, if the foreign substance is of such a degree that it can be used, it is determined that the foreign substance can be used without bothering the user. As a result, it is possible to improve the throughput.

In the reticle inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, as the order of judging whether or not use is possible, it is determined whether or not a foreign substance exists outside the allowable range of the foreign substance in the stored data. For the size of the foreign matter, it is determined whether or not the size is outside the reference rank, and thereafter, whether or not the foreign matter within the allowable range is larger than that of the stored data. However, it is determined whether or not a foreign object exists outside the allowable range of the foreign object in the stored data, and whether or not the size of the foreign object is outside the reference rank. The order of the determination as to whether or not it is larger than this is not limited to this. Further, it is determined whether or not a foreign substance exists outside the allowable range of the foreign substance in the stored data,
The determination as to whether or not the foreign matter within the allowable range is larger than that of the stored data may be performed in parallel, and the determination as to whether or not the caught foreign matter is outside the reference rank may be made.

[0040]

As described above, with the reticle inspection apparatus and inspection method of the present invention, visual inspection by the user can be minimized, and the yield of reticle inspection in the semiconductor manufacturing process can be improved. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a main part of a reticle inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a reticle inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an inspection flow of the reticle inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow in step (A) of the inspection flow in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a model diagram of a reticle determined to be usable in the reticle inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a model diagram of a reticle determined to be unusable in the reticle inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a reticle with a pellicle.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a reticle with a pellicle including foreign matter.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a reticle with a pellicle usable in a stepper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 laser scattering type inspection unit 1 reticle 2 inspection table 3 laser light source 4 light receiving unit 6 XY driving unit 7 laser scattering inspection control unit 102 visual inspection unit 12 units 13 microscope unit 14 microscope table 15 microscope inspection control unit 201 inspection reticle loading unit 202 Unusable reticle unloading unit 203 Unusable reticle unloading unit 204 Reticle transport unit 205 Overall computer 20 Overall control unit 21 Inspection data storage unit

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A foreign matter detecting means for irradiating a reticle with a laser beam to detect foreign matter on the reticle, and a foreign matter information storing means for storing information on the foreign matter on the reticle output from the foreign matter detecting means. For a reticle inspected at least once by the foreign matter detecting means, the information on the size of the foreign matter on the reticle output by the foreign matter detecting means and the foreign matter detected before being output from the foreign matter information storage means A reticle inspecting apparatus, comprising: a deciding means for comparing information on the size of the reticle to determine whether or not it can be used. 2. The reticle inspection according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter information storage means records size information of said foreign matter and coordinate data of a position of said foreign matter from information from said foreign matter detecting means. apparatus 3. A foreign matter information creating means for outputting information on the size of the foreign matter and coordinate data of the position of the foreign matter from information on the foreign matter on the reticle for which foreign matter has been detected by the foreign matter detecting means. The reticle inspection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the judging means compares coordinate data of the foreign matter existing before being output from the foreign matter information storing means with coordinate data of a position of the foreign matter from the foreign matter information creating means. Detecting a new foreign substance present at a position different from the position of the foreign substance that existed before,
4. The reticle inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a foreign matter position comparing unit that outputs coordinate data of the new foreign matter. 5. A reticle inspection apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a microscope provided with a stage that moves by obtaining new foreign object coordinate data output from said foreign object position comparing means. 6. The foreign object detected by the foreign object detecting means determines whether the foreign object detected by the foreign object detecting means is a foreign object larger than a certain reference value. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a foreign matter size inspection unit for outputting coordinate data.
Reticle inspection apparatus according to any one of the above items. 7. A microscope unit provided with a stage provided with a stage for moving by obtaining coordinate data of a foreign matter larger than the certain reference outputted by the foreign matter size inspection means. Reticle inspection device according to item 4. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said foreign matter information storage means stores information on the foreign matter on the reticle determined to be usable as a result of inspecting the foreign matter on the reticle by the microscope unit. Reticle inspection equipment 9. information on foreign matter on the reticle;
9. The reticle inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reticle is stored in the foreign matter information storage unit in association with an identification name of the reticle. 10. A reticle is irradiated with a laser beam to check for the presence of a foreign substance. When the presence of the foreign substance is confirmed, the reticle corresponds to the first position data of the foreign substance and the first position data of the foreign substance. The first dimensional data of the foreign matter is created, the first position data and the first dimensional data are recorded, and the reticle is inspected again for the presence of the foreign matter. When the presence of the foreign matter is confirmed, Creating second dimension data of the foreign matter in correspondence with the second position data of the foreign matter and the first position data of the foreign matter, and obtaining the first position data of the foreign matter and the position data of the second foreign matter. And the first position data corresponding to a position where the first position data and the second position data match.
Reticle inspection method, comprising comparing the second dimension data with the second dimension data. 11. The first size data is compared with the second size data corresponding to a position where the first position data and the second position data match, and the first size data is compared with the first size data. The size of the foreign substance indicated by
11. The reticle inspection method according to claim 10, wherein when the size of the foreign matter indicated by the size data is large, position information is output from position data corresponding to the size data. 12. The first size data is compared with the second size data corresponding to a position where the first position data and the second position data match, and the first size data is compared with the first size data. The size of the foreign substance indicated by
When the size of the foreign matter indicated by the dimension data is large, the position information is output from the position data corresponding to the dimension data, and the position corresponding to the position information is visually inspected,
12. The reticle inspection method according to claim 10, wherein whether or not use is possible is determined. 13. A moving means for relatively moving the reticle and the light source, and irradiating the reticle with laser light from the light source, and detecting light reflected from the reticle to detect foreign matter on the reticle. And a microscope for visually inspecting the reticle in which the presence of the foreign matter is recognized by the foreign matter detecting means, and a reticle having the foreign matter enabled by the inspection using the microscope. Foreign matter information storage means for recording information on foreign matter; information on foreign matter on a reticle at which foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detection means at least once for the reticle inspected by the foreign matter detection means; Means for comparing the information output from the means with respect to the foreign substance detection performed before and determining whether or not use is possible. Reticle inspection device