DEFECT IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, DEFECT IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, SEMICONDUCTOR DEFECT CLASSIFYING APPARATUS, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEFECT CLASSIFYING METHOD

A defect image processing apparatus uses a normalized cross correlation to image-match a layout image (52) acquired from a design data with an image acquired by removing, from a defect image (53), the defect area portions thereof, and displays, as a result of that matching, a layout image and defect image (54) on the display device. In the displayed layout image & defect image (54), not only the layout image, the layer of which is the same as that of the defect image (53), but also a layout image of another layer is displayed superimposed on the defect image (53). This makes it easier to analyze the factor of a systematic defect having occurred due to a positional relationship with another layer.