Automatic in-line inspection system

1. A method for inline detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer surface during a semiconductor device manufacturing process, the method comprising:

transporting the wafer from a first processing station to an inspection station;

scanning a wafer surface using a camera in the inspection station;

generating at least one image of the wafer surface;

analyzing the at least one image to detect defects on the wafer surface based on a set of predetermined criteria;

if the wafer is determined to be defective, transporting the wafer from the inspection station to a stocker; and

if the wafer is determined to be not defective, transporting the wafer to a second processing station for further processing in accordance with the semiconductor device manufacturing process;

redirecting an optical pathway between the camera and the semiconductor wafer using a reflective mirror, wherein the reflective mirror has a surface corrugation level and a surface curvature, wherein the surface corrugation level is equal to or smaller than 20 μm/20 mm and the surface curvature is equal to or smaller than 0.1 mm/100 mm; and

illuminating the wafer surface using a light source.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transporting comprises using a robotic transfer arm to transport the semiconductor wafer between the first processing station and the inspection station.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the robotic transfer arm is coupled to a holder for holding the semiconductor wafer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises a line scan camera which scans the semiconductor wafer surface one pixel line at a time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transporting comprises using a conveyor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a line light source that only illuminates a line portion of the wafer surface at one time.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of at least one image comprises:

providing pixel data from the camera to a local processor coupled to the camera;

preprocessing the pixel data to generate the image of the wafer surface; and

displaying the image of the wafer surface on a display monitor coupled to the local processor.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

transmitting data representative of the image of the wafer surface to a remote computer; wherein the analyzing the at least one image of the wafer surface is conducted by the remote computer; and

receiving results of the analyzing from the remote computer at the local computer, wherein the transporting of the semiconductor wafer to either the second processing station or the stocker is based on the results.

9. An inspection station for inline detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer surface, the inspection station coupled to a first processing station, the inspection station comprising:

a conveyor configured to transport the semiconductor wafer from the first processing station to the inspection station;

a camera configured to scan a surface of the semiconductor wafer and generate at least one image of the surface; and

at least one processor configured to receive the at least one image from the camera and analyze the at least one image to detect defects on the surface based on a set of pre-determined criteria,

wherein the conveyor is further configured to automatically transport the wafer from the inspection station to either the second processing station if the wafer is determined to be not defective or a stocker if the wafer is determined to be defective.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the conveyor comprises a robotic transfer arm.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the robotic transfer arm is coupled to a holder for holding the wafer during transporting between the stations.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the camera comprises a line scan camera which automatically scans the wafer surface one pixel line at a time.

13. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a reflective mirror to redirect an optical pathway between the camera and the wafer surface, wherein the reflective mirror has a surface corrugation level and a surface curvature, wherein the surface corrugation level is equal to or smaller than 20 μm/20 mm and the surface curvature is equal to or smaller than 0.1 mm/100 mm; and

a light source to illuminate the wafer surface.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the light source comprises a line light source that only illuminates a line portion of the wafer surface at one time.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor coupled to the camera is further configured to:

receive a pixel data from the camera;

preprocess the pixel data to generate at least one image of the wafer surface; and

display the image of the wafer surface on a display monitor.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor comprises:

a local processor; and

a remote computer configured to:

receive the image of the wafer surface;

analyze the image of the wafer surface; and

transmit an analysis result to the local processor.

17. A system for inline detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer surface during a semiconductor device manufacturing process, the system comprising:

a first processing station for performing a first semiconductor manufacturing process;

a second processing station for performing a second semiconductor manufacturing process;

an inspection station coupled between the first and the second processing station for transporting a semiconductor wafer between the first and the second processing stations, wherein the inspection station comprises:

a conveyor configured to automatically transport the semiconductor wafer from the first processing station to the inspection station;

a reflective mirror to redirect an optical pathway between the camera and the wafer surface, wherein the reflective mirror has a surface corrugation level and a surface curvature, wherein the surface corrugation level is equal to or smaller than 20 μm/20 mm and the surface curvature is equal to or smaller than 0.1 mm/100 mm;

a camera configured to scan a surface of the semiconductor wafer and generate at least one image of the surface; and

at least one processor configured to receive the at least one image from the camera and analyze the at least one image to detect defects on the surface based on a set of pre-determined criteria,

wherein the conveyor is further configured to automatically transport the wafer from the inspection station to either the second processing station if the wafer is determined to be not defective or a stocker if the wafer is determined to be defective.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the conveyor comprises a robotic transfer arm.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the camera comprises a line scan camera which scans the wafer surface one pixel line at a time.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one processor comprises:

a local computer; and

a remote computer configured to:

receive the image of the wafer surface;

analyze the image of the wafer surface;

generate results of the analyzing; and

transmit the results to the local computer wherein the automatically transporting of the wafer to either the second processing station or the first stocker is conducted based on the results.