Substrate inspection method and a substrate processing method

Abstract

There is provided a substrate inspection method. The method includes: maintaining a vacuum in said inspection chamber; isolating said inspection chamber from a vibration; positioning the substrate on a stage in the inspection chamber; selecting an evaluation parameter according to a kind of said processing apparatus; and determining inspection regions of the substrate so that an inspection time required per a lot of the substrate is equal to a processing time spent for said processing step required per a lot of the substrate. The method also includes radiating a primary electron beam from an electron gun; deflecting the primary electron beam with an E*B unit; irradiating said inspection regions of the substrate with the deflected primary electron beam; and projecting secondary electrons emitted from said substrate through the E*B unit onto a detector with a secondary optical system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate inspection method, comprising:
 a. conveying a substrate processed in a processing step with a processing apparatus into a mini-environmental space for an atmosphere control provided in a mini-environmental device;   b. cleaning an air and blowing the clean air downward in laminar flow to control the atmosphere within the mini-environmental space;   c. positioning the substrate in the mini-environmental space;   d. taking the substrate from the mini-environmental space to a loading chamber;   e. controlling an atmosphere in the loading chamber to be a vacuum condition;   f. carrying the substrate from the loading chamber into an inspection chamber;   g. maintaining a vacuum in said inspection chamber;   h. isolating said inspection chamber from a vibration;   i. positioning the substrate on a stage in the inspection chamber;   j. selecting an evaluation parameter according to a kind of said processing apparatus;   k. determining inspection regions of the substrate so that an inspection time required per a lot of the substrate is equal to a processing time spent for said processing step required per a lot of the substrate;   k-1. radiating a primary electron beam from an electron gun;   k-2. deflecting the primary electron beam with an E*B unit;   l. irradiating said inspection regions of the substrate with the deflected primary electron beam;   
       l-1. projecting secondary electrons emitted from said substrate through the E*B unit onto a detector with a secondary optical system;
 m. detecting the projected secondary electrons by the detector; 
 n. forming a secondary electron image in an image processing system based on said secondary electrons; 
 o. detecting a defective location on said substrate based on said secondary electron image; 
 p. indicating and/or storing the detected defective location on said substrate; and 
 q. taking said substrate having been completely inspected out of said inspection chamber. 
 
     
     
         2 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said step (c) comprises:
 positioning the substrate conveyed into the mini-environmental space in its rotational direction.   
     
     
         3 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said step (b) comprises:
 blowing the clean air in laminar flow onto the substrate conveyed into the mini-environmental space; and   recovering the clean air by taking a portion of the air from the outside.   
     
     
         4 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said step (b) further comprises:
 detecting a level of cleanness of said clean air; and   shutting down said mini-environmental device in case of deterioration in the detected level of cleanness.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 providing a first shutter device between said mini-environmental device and said loading chamber, and a second shutter device between said loading chamber and said inspection chamber;   closing said first shutter device in performing said step (b);   opening said first shutter device in performing said step (d);   closing said first and second shutter devices in performing said step (e);   opening said second shutter device in performing said step (f); and   closing said second shutter device in performing said step (g).   
     
     
         6 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least two loading chambers are disposed between said mini-environment device and said inspection chamber,   said step of taking the substrate into the loading chamber further comprising:   taking the substrate into each of said loading chambers sequentially, said loading chambers being controlled to a vacuum atmosphere independently from of each other.   
     
     
         7 . A substrate processing method, comprising:
 a. processing a substrate at a processing apparatus;   b. conveying the processed substrate into an inspection apparatus;   c. selecting an evaluation parameter according to a kind of said processing apparatus;   d. determining inspection regions of the substrate so that an inspection time required per a lot of the substrate is equal to a processing time spent for said processing step (a) required per a lot of the substrate;   e. positioning the substrate on a stage in the inspection chamber of the inspection apparatus;   e-1. radiating a primary electron beam from an electron gun;   e-2. deflecting the primary electron beam with an E*B unit;   f. irradiating said inspection regions of the substrate with the deflected primary election beam;   f-1. projecting secondary electrons emitted from said substrate through the E*B unit onto a detector with a secondary optical system;   g. detecting the projected secondary electrons by the detector;   h. forming a secondary electron image in an image processing system based on said secondary electrons; and   i. detecting a defective location on said substrate based on said secondary electron image.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing method in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein said step (d) comprises determining a sampling inspection according to said processing time required per a lot of the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing method in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein said step (c) comprises selecting a fluctuation of a minimum line width as said evaluation parameter when said processing apparatus is a lithography apparatus. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing method in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein said step (c) comprises selecting a defect inspection as said evaluation parameter when said processing apparatus is an etching apparatus. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1  or  7 , wherein the E*B unit is a unit of electromagnetic prism optical system, in which an electrode and a magnetic pole are arranged in the directions orthogonal to each other so that an electric field and a magnetic field are crossed at a right angle, where an electron beam entering into the field from one direction is deflected, while in the electron beam entering from the opposite direction, a force applied by the electric field and another force applied by the magnetic field are offset to each other, and thereby the primary electron beam is deflected to be radiated onto the substrate at a right angle and the secondary electron beam is allowed to be advanced approximately straight ahead toward the detector. 
     
     
         12 . The substrate inspection method in accordance with  claim 1  or  7 , wherein the secondary optical system comprises a cathode lens, a numerical aperture, a second lens, the E*B unit, a third lens, a field aperture, a fourth lens and a deflector, wherein the cathode lens and the numerical aperture construct a telecentric electron optical system for the secondary electron beam.