Visual inspection apparatus, visual inspection method, and peripheral edge inspection unit that can be mounted on visual inspection apparatus.

Abstract

This visual inspection apparatus has a macro-inspection section and a micro-inspection section. In the micro-inspection section, a inspection stage and a microscope are loaded into a loading plate. The inspection stage can be moved in any directions of the X, Y, and Z directions, and can also be rotated in the θ direction. Moreover, a peripheral edge inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of a peripheral edge of wafer W is fixed to the loading plate. The peripheral edge inspection section is arranged so as to image the peripheral edge of wafer W held by the inspection stage.

1 . A visual inspection apparatus comprising:
 a visual inspection section for performing visual inspection of a surface of a workpiece;   a peripheral edge inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of a peripheral edge which includes a side part, a chamfered part of a workpiece, and a surrounding part of front and back surfaces of the workpiece; and   a holding unit that is configured to hold the workpiece and that is capable of moving, the holding unit being provided in the visual inspection section;   wherein the holding unit is shared between an inspection at the visual inspection section and an inspection at the peripheral edge inspection section by moving between the visual inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section.   
   
   
       2 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the holding unit and the peripheral edge inspection section are provided so as to be brought closer to and spaced apart from each other. 
   
   
       3 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral edge inspection section is detachably provided in the visual inspection section. 
   
   
       4 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the visual inspection section includes a micro-inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of the surface of the workpiece, and wherein the holding unit is shared so as to be movable between the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       5 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising means for: (i) recording a coordinate of an observation position when inspection is performed in one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section, and (ii) moving the observation position to an observation position of the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section based on the recorded coordinate of the observation position when inspection is performed in the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       6 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the holding unit and the peripheral edge inspection section are provided on a same loading plate that is free from vibration. 
   
   
       7 . A visual inspection method comprising:
 holding a workpiece by a holding unit provided in a visual inspection section, and visually inspecting a surface of the workpiece;   bringing a peripheral edge inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of a peripheral edge which includes a side part, a chamfered part, and front and back surfaces of the workpiece closer to the holding unit; and   acquiring the enlarged image of the peripheral edge of the workpiece in a state where the holding unit is brought closer to the peripheral edge inspection section.   
   
   
       8 . A peripheral edge inspection unit that is mountable on a visual inspection apparatus, the peripheral edge inspection unit comprising:
 an anchor which is detachable from a visual inspection section that performs visual inspection of a surface of a workpiece in a state where the workpiece is movably held by a holding unit; and   an enlarged image acquisition part that is arranged so as to face a peripheral edge which includes a side part, a chamfered part, and front and back surfaces of the workpiece held by the holding unit, and that is capable of acquiring an enlarged image of the peripheral edge of the workpiece.   
   
   
       9 . The peripheral edge inspection unit according to  claim 8 , wherein the anchor and the enlarged image acquisition part are connected via a uniaxially movable stage. 
   
   
       10 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the workpiece is a flat plate-like test body, and the peripheral edge inspection section includes: (i) an observation optical system that observes a peripheral end face of the flat plate-like test body, and (ii) a mirror part that deflects an optical axis in the observation optical system to make the optical axis reach the peripheral end face of the test body, and   wherein, while a direction of view is changed by rotation of the mirror part, a distance between the observation optical system and the peripheral end face of the test body is kept substantially constant, and the peripheral end face of the test body is observed.   
   
   
       11 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the peripheral edge inspection section is detachably provided in the visual inspection section. 
   
   
       12 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the visual inspection section includes a micro-inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of the surface of the workpiece, and wherein the holding unit is shared so as to be movable between the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       13 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 12 , further comprising means for: (i) recording a coordinate of an observation position when inspection is performed in one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section, and (ii) moving the observation position to an observation position of the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section based on the recorded coordinate of the observation position when inspection is performed in the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       14 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the visual inspection section includes a micro-inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of the surface of the workpiece, and wherein the holding unit is shared so as to be movable between the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       15 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 14 , further comprising means for: (i) recording a coordinate of an observation position when inspection is performed in one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section, and (ii) moving the observation position to an observation position of the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section based on the recorded coordinate of the observation position when inspection is performed in the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       16 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the visual inspection section includes a micro-inspection section that acquires an enlarged image of the surface of the workpiece, and wherein the holding unit is shared so as to be movable between the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section. 
   
   
       17 . The visual inspection apparatus according to  claim 16 , further comprising means for: (i) recording a coordinate of an observation position when inspection is performed in one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section, and (ii) moving the observation position to an observation position of the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section based on the recorded coordinate of the observation position when inspection is performed in the other one of the micro-inspection section and the peripheral edge inspection section.