Inspection system and apparatus

1. A method of inspecting a sample's surface with an inspection system, comprising the steps of:

providing a sample having a surface;

providing a non-vibrating contact potential probe;

scanning the sample's surface with the non-vibrating contact potential probe by causing relative motion between the non-vibrating contact potential probe and the sample's surface;

measuring contact potential difference between the sample's surface and the non-contact potential probe;

generating a first signal portion characteristic of a topographical feature of the sample's surface and further having a second signal portion representing chemical features of the sample's surface.

2. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 further comprising the step of amplifying the topographical signal relative to the chemical signal.

3. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 further comprising the step of biasing a portion of the inspection system.

4. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

providing a negative bias voltage to a portion of the inspection system chosen from the group consisting of the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe, the sample, and combinations thereof;

providing a positive bias voltage of substantially equal but opposite charge as the negative bias voltage to the portion of the inspection system to which the first bias voltage was applied; and

subtracting the negative bias signal from the positive bias signal.

5. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the relative motion is accomplished by rotating the sample about a central axis with the probe tracing tracks of data at varying radii.

6. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 5 , further comprising the step of decreasing rotational velocity in proportion with the motion of the probe to provide the probe with substantially even data density.

7. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a plurality of non-vibrating contact potential difference probes.

8. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of probes are arranged in a linear array.

9. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of probes are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

10. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 7 further comprising the step of providing the plurality of probes at a plurality of heights.

11. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 7 further comprising the step of providing a voltage bias to the plurality of probes.

12. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the relative motion is provided by moving the non-contact potential difference probe with respect to the sample which is maintained substantially stationary.

13. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the relative motion is provided by moving the sample with respect to the non-vibrating contact potential probe which is substantially stationary.

14. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 further including the step of providing a height sensor.

15. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , further including the step of calibrating the height of the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe to measurements made by the height sensor.

16. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the step of calibrating the height of the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe to measurements made by the height sensor further comprises the steps of:

positioning the height sensor above a reference surface so that the distance between the reference surface and the height sensor is within a range of detection for the height sensor;

recording the height of the sensors as z 1 ;

recording the height of the height sensor reading above a reference point as h 1 ;

moving the non-vibrating contact potential sensor to a position above the reference point on the reference surface;

slowly moving the non-vibrating contact potential sensor down towards the reference surface while monitoring the level of the non-contact potential difference probe signal; and

recording as z 2 the height when the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe contacts the reference surface as indicated by a significant change in the output of the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe.

17. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 16 further comprising the step of positioning the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe at a desired height of h* by the steps of:

positioning the height sensor above the surface so that the surface is within a measurement range of the height sensor;

recording this height as z 3 and the height sensor reading as h 3 ;

positioning the non-vibrating contact potential probe above the point z 3 ; and

adjusting the height to z*=z 3 −(h 3 −h 1 )−(z 1 −z 2 )+h*, wherein the height of the non-vibrating contact potential difference probe is located above the surface of point z 3 at height h*.

18. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises an liquid crystal panel.

19. The method of inspecting a sample's surface of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises a semiconductor wafer.

20. A system for identifying features on the surface of a sample comprising:

a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor;

a mechanism for causing relative motion between the sample and the non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor;

a mechanism for measuring contact potential difference between the sample and the non-vibrating contact potential probe;

a generated signal representing the contact potential difference; and

a generated bias voltage applied to a portion of the system chosen from the group consisting of the sample, the non-vibrating contact potential probe, and combinations thereof.

21. The system for identifying features on the surface of a sample of claim 20 further comprising a plurality of non-vibrating contact potential probes.

22. The system for identifying features on the surface of a sample of claim 20 further comprising a height sensor.

23. The system for identifying features on the surface of a sample of claim 20 , further comprising a voltage bias applied to a portion of the system.

24. A system for inspecting the surface of a sample comprising:

a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor;

a chuck for rotating the sample about a central axis;

the chuck having a variable speed control mechanism for changing rotational velocity in proportion with the motion of the probe to provide the probe with substantially even data density; and

a source of data representing a contact potential difference between the non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor and the surface of the sample.