WAFER FOREIGN MATTER INSPECTOR

PURPOSE:To automatically discriminate a production process of wafer and perform foreign matter inspection by obtaining light receiving pattern data in regard to wafer by an operation processor and pattern-matching for light receiving image data stored in a memory. CONSTITUTION:Light receiving pattern data corresponding to a pattern formed on a wafer 1 can be obtained by directly gathering images of scattered light from the pattern of the wafer 1 with a two-dimensional image sensor 41 previously. Since the data are proportional to the pattern of the wafer 1, the wafer 1 corresponds to the produced process. There, the pattern data are obtained from the wafers 1 of respective production processes classified by a semiconductor production process, stored in a memory 72, matched with the pattern of the wafers 1 to be inspected in accordance with a pattern matching process and the semiconductor production process of its wafer is automatically discriminated. As a result, correct analysis can be performed without producing a slip between a detection result and the semiconductor process.