| US 7,477,383 B2 | ||
| System for detection of wafer defects | ||
| Dov Furman, Rehovot (Israel); Gad Neumann, Rehovot (Israel); Mark Wagner, Rehovot (Israel); Noam Dotan, Givataim (Israel); Ram Segal, Netanya (Israel); and Shai Silberstein, Rishon Le-Zion (Israel) | ||
| Assigned to Negevtech Ltd., Rehovot (Israel) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 28, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/476,322. | ||
| Application 11/476322 is a division of application No. 10/345097, filed on Jan. 15, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0244956 A1, Nov. 02, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01N 21/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 356—338 [356/337] | 15 Claims |
| 1. A dark field illuminating system for illuminating an object plane at non-perpendicular incidence useful in an inspection
system for inspecting an object, said dark field illuminating system comprising:
an imaging system including an imager operative to image said object, while said object is illuminated; and
an illuminating source beam having a cross section of a form such that it reduces elongation of an impingement area of said
beam on said object plane generated by virtue of the angle of incidence of said illuminating source beam on said object plane,
said angle of incidence being less than 90 degrees relative to said object plane,
wherein a numerical aperture (NA) value of said illuminating source beam along the length of an elongated impingement area
of said illuminating source beam is essentially the same as an NA value of said illuminating source beam along an axis extending
perpendicular to said length of said elongated impingement area.
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