PURPOSE: To detect foreign matter with high efficiency, by making a priority inspection of major defect foreign matter existing at points of intersection of multilayered wirings, by installing a storage device for controlling the operation of an XY stage, a video camera for sensing foreign matter, a storage device for storing positions where the foreign matter is detected, etc.

CONSTITUTION: The following are installed; a wafer stage 5 for mounting a wafer 6, an XY stage 4 for mounting the wafer stage 5, a storage device 2 for controlling the operation of the XY stage 4, a video camera 1 for sensing foreign matter 6a on the wafer 6 surface, and a storage device 3 for storing positions where foreign matter was detected by the video camera 1. Coordinates of points where wirings intersect with each other are previously obtained from manufacturing data of reticles, and stored in a storage device 2. The wafer stage 5 is moved to the position stored in the storage device 2 by using the XY stage 4. The position where the existence of foreign matter is confirmed by the sensing with the video camera 1 is stored in the storage device 3.