Asml Netherlands B.v.

Asml Holding N.v.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Asml Holding N.v. & Asml Netherlands B.v.

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya

Simon Gijsbert Josephus Mathijssen

Nitesh Pandey

Henricus Petrus Maria Pellemans

Mircea Dusa

Patricius Aloysius Jacobus Tinnemans

Everhardus Cornelis Mos

Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

Martin Jacobus Johan Jak

Antoine Gaston Marie Kiers

Johannes Catharinus Hubertus Mulkens

Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren

Hans Butler

Marcus Adrianus Van De Kerkhof

Patrick Warnaar

Michael Kubis

Joost Jeroen Ottens

Sander Frederik Wuister

Alexander Straaijer

Andre Bernardus Jeunink

Yvonne Wendela Kruijt-Stegeman

Paul Christiaan Hinnen

Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde

Erik Roelof Loopstra

Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus Donders

Christiaan Alexander Hoogendam

Bob Streefkerk

Jeroen Johannes Sophia Maria Mertens

Arno Jan Bleeker

Joeri Lof

Helmar Van Santen

Klaus Simon

Timotheus Franciscus Sengers

Joannes Theodoor De Smit

Hendricus Johannes Maria Meijer

Mark Kroon

Erik Theodorus Maria Bijlaart

Frank Van Schaik

Aleksey Yurievich Kolesnychenko

Justin Lloyd Kreuzer

Roelof Aeilko Siebrand Ritsema

Armand Eugene Albert Koolen

Simon Reinald Huisman

Willem Marie Julia Marcel Coene

Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine

Martin Ebert

Irwan Dani Setija

Hans Van Der Laan

Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel

Neal Patrick Callan

Sander Bas Roobol

Franciscus Godefridus Casper Bijnen

Sebastianus Adrianus Goorden

Markus Gerardus Martinus Maria Van Kraaij

Karel Diederick Van Der Mast

Cheng-Qun Gui

Youping Zhang

Anagnostis Tsiatmas

Te-Chih Huang

Martinus Hendrikus Antonius Leenders

Engelbertus Antonius Fransiscus Van Der Pasch

Johan Frederik Dijksman

Harry Sewell

Robert John Socha

Thomas Theeuwes

Han-Kwang Nienhuys

Antonius Johannes Josephus Van Dijsseldonk

Jozef Petrus Henricus Benschop

Leon Martin Levasier

Adrianus Hendrik Koevoets

Sanjeev Kumar Singh

Yevgeniy Konstantinovich Shmarev

Edo Maria Hulsebos

Gerrit Johannes Nijmeijer

Ralph Brinkhof

Raymond Wilhelmus Louis Lafarre

Pieter Willem Herman De Jager

Johannes Petrus Martinus Bernardus Vermeulen

Frank Staals

Frits Van Der Meulen

Scott Anderson Middlebrooks

Stephen Roux

Theodorus Petrus Maria Cadee

Martinus Bernardus Van Der Mark

Johannes Hendrikus Maria Spruit

Andrei Mikhailovich Yakunin

Alexander Ypma

Heine Melle Mulder

Roelof Koole

Teunis Willem Tukker

Haico Victor Kok

Stanislav Y Smirnov

Pieter-Jan Van Zwol

Hakki Ergün Cekli

Willem Jurrianus Venema

Adrianus Cornelis Matheus Koopman

Yang-Shan Huang

Alok Verma

Disclosed is a metrology apparatus for measurement of a target formed on a substrate by a lithographic process and associated method. The metrology apparatus comprises a radiation source operable to provide first radiation; a configured solid high harmonic generation medium being configured to receive and be excited by said first radiation to generate high harmonic second radiation from an output surface of the configured solid high harmonic generation medium; and a detection arrangement operable to detect said second radiation, at least a portion of which having been scattered by said target. The configured solid high harmonic generation medium is configured to shape the beam of said second radiation and/or separate said first and second radiation.

Metrology apparatus based on high harmonic generation and associated method

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for determining a characteristic of a structure. In one arrangement, the structure is illuminated with first illumination radiation to generate first scattered radiation. A first interference pattern is formed by interference between a portion of the first scattered radiation reaching a sensor and first reference radiation. The structure is also illuminated with second illumination radiation from a different direction. A second interference pattern is formed using second reference radiation. The first and second interference patterns are used to determine the characteristic of the structure. Azimuthal angles of the first and second reference radiations onto the sensor are different.

Method of determining a characteristic of a structure, and metrology apparatus

A system includes a radiation source and a phased array. The phased array includes optical elements, waveguides and phase modulators. The phased array generates a beam of radiation. The optical elements radiate radiation waves. The waveguides guide radiation from the radiation source to the optical elements. The phase modulators adjust phases of the radiation waves such that the radiation waves accumulate to form the beam. An amount of incoherence of the beam is based on randomization of the phases.

Metrology systems, coherence scrambler illumination sources and methods thereof

Described is a metrology system for determining a characteristic of interest relating to at least one structure on a substrate, and associated method. The metrology system comprises a processor being configured to computationally determine phase and amplitude information from a detected characteristic of scattered radiation having been reflected or scattered by the at least one structure as a result of illumination of said at least one structure with illumination radiation in a measurement acquisition, and use the determined phase and amplitude to determine the characteristic of interest.

Metrology system and method for determining a characteristic of one or more structures on a substrate

Disclosed is an illumination arrangement for spectrally shaping a broadband illumination beam to obtain a spectrally shaped illumination beam. The illumination arrangement comprises a beam dispersing element for dispersing the broadband illumination beam and a spatial light modulator for spatially modulating the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed. The illumination arrangement further comprises at least one of a beam expanding element for expanding said broadband illumination beam in at least one direction, located between an input of the illumination arrangement and the spatial light modulator; and a lens array, each lens of which for directing a respective wavelength band of the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed onto a respective region of the spatial light modulator.

Illumination apparatus and associated metrology and lithographic apparatuses

A metrology tool that includes a substrate table to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project a beam on a target portion of the substrate; an actuator configured to adjust a position of the projection system relative to the substrate on the substrate table; a sensor configured to determine a position of the substrate table; and a one or more processors configured to: determine, based on the position of the substrate table, a position error of the substrate table with respect to a reference; and control, via the actuator, a position of the projection system to compensate for the position error of the substrate table so that the beam projects on the target portion of the substrate.

Metrology tool with position control of projection system

A scatterometer for measuring a property of a target on a substrate includes a radiation source, a detector, and a processor. The radiation source produces a radiated spot on the target. The scatterometer adjusts a position of the radiated spot along a first direction across the target and along a second direction that is at an angle with respect to the first direction. The detector receives radiation scattered by the target. The received radiation is associated with positions of the radiated spot on the target along at least the first direction. The detector generates measurement signals based on the positions of the radiated spot on the target. The processor outputs, based on the measurement signals, a single value that is representative of the property of the target. The processor also combines the measurement signals to output a combined signal and derives, based on the combined signal, the single value.

Inspection method and apparatus, lithographic apparatus, lithographic processing cell and device manufacturing method

Disclosed is a method of improving a measurement of a parameter of interest. The method comprises obtaining metrology data comprising a plurality of measured values of the parameter of interest, relating to one or more targets on a substrate, each measured value relating to a different measurement combination of a target of said one or more targets and a measurement condition used to measure that target and asymmetry metric data relating to asymmetry for said one or more targets. A respective relationship is determined for each of said measurement combinations relating a true value for the parameter of interest to the asymmetry metric data, based on an assumption that there is a common true value for the parameter of interest over said measurement combinations. These relationships are used to improve a measurement of the parameter of interest.

Metrology method and apparatus and computer program

An illumination and detection apparatus for a metrology tool, and associated method. The apparatus includes an illumination arrangement operable to produce measurement illumination having a plurality of discrete wavelength bands and having a spectrum having no more than a single peak within each wavelength band. The detection arrangement includes a detection beamsplitter to split scattered radiation into a plurality of channels, each channel corresponding to a different one of the wavelength bands; and at least one detector for separate detection of each channel.

Illumination and detection apparatus for a metrology apparatus

A method includes receiving an image formed in a metrology apparatus wherein the image comprises at least the resulting effect of at least two diffraction orders, and processing the image wherein the processing comprises at least a filtering step, for example a Fourier filter. The process of applying a filter may be obtained also by placing an aperture in the detection branch of the metrology apparatus.

Method for overlay metrology and apparatus thereof

Disclosed is a detection apparatus for simultaneous acquisition of multiple images of an object at a plurality of different focus levels; comprising: a modulator for obtaining multiple beam copies of an incoming beam; and a detector operable to capture said multiple beam copies, such that at two of said multiple beam copies are captured at different focus levels. Also disclosed is an inspection apparatus comprising such a detection system.

Detection apparatus for simultaneous acquisition of multiple diverse images of an object

A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing a portion of a design layout onto a substrate, the method including: identifying a hot spot from the portion of the design layout; determining a range of values of a processing parameter of the device manufacturing process for the hot spot, wherein when the processing parameter has a value outside the range, a defect is produced from the hot spot with the device manufacturing process; determining an actual value of the processing parameter; determining or predicting, using the actual value, existence, probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the hot spot with the device manufacturing process.

Computational wafer inspection

A sensor apparatus includes a sensor chip, an illumination system, a first optical system, a second optical system, and a detector system. The illumination system is coupled to the sensor chip and transmits an illumination beam along an illumination path. The first optical system is coupled to the sensor chip and includes a first integrated optic to configure and transmit the illumination beam toward a diffraction target on a substrate, disposed adjacent to the sensor chip, and generate a signal beam including diffraction order sub-beams generated from the diffraction target. The second optical system is coupled to the sensor chip and includes a second integrated optic to collect and transmit the signal beam from a first side to a second side of the sensor chip. The detector system is configured to measure a characteristic of the diffraction target based on the signal beam transmitted by the second optical system.

On chip sensor for wafer overlay measurement

Methods and systems for determining information about a target structure are disclosed. In one arrangement, a value of an asymmetry indicator for the target structure is obtained. The value of the asymmetry indicator represents an amount of an overlay independent asymmetry in the target structure. An error in an initial overlay measurement performed on the target structure at a previous time is estimated. The estimation is performed using the obtained value of the asymmetry indicator and a relationship between values of the asymmetry indicator and overlay measurement errors caused at least partially by overlay independent asymmetries. An overlay in the target structure is determined using the initial overlay measurement and the estimated error.

Method and system for determining information about a target structure

A method provides the steps of receiving an image from a metrology tool, determining individual units of said image and discriminating the units which provide accurate metrology values. The images are obtained by measuring the metrology target at multiple wavelengths. The discrimination between the units, when these units are pixels in said image, is based on calculating a degree of similarity between said units.

Metrology method

Growing community of inventors

Waalre, Netherlands

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef