Asml Netherlands B.v.

Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef

Patrick Warnaar

Michael Kubis

Martin Jacobus Johan Jak

Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren

Omer Abubaker Omer Adam

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya

Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel

Xing Lan Liu

Andreas Fuchs

Johannes Marcus Maria Beltman

Willem Marie Julia Marcel Coene

Christophe David Fouquet

Alexander Straaijer

Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

Scott Anderson Middlebrooks

Markus Gerardus Martinus Maria Van Kraaij

Niels Geypen

Arno Jan Bleeker

Armand Eugene Albert Koolen

Bastiaan Onne Fagginger Auer

Davit Harutyunyan

Marcus Adrianus Van De Kerkhof

Paul Christiaan Hinnen

Youping Zhang

Thomas Theeuwes

Adriaan Johan Van Leest

Anagnostis Tsiatmas

Alok Verma

Henricus Johannes Lambertus Megens

Adrianus Johannes Hendrikus Schellekens

Everhardus Cornelis Mos

Henricus Petrus Maria Pellemans

Hakki Ergün Cekli

Te-Chih Huang

Reinder Teun Plug

Seyed Iman Mossavat

Lukasz Jerzy Macht

Mohammadreza Hajiahmadi

Remco Dirks

Victor Emanuel Calado

Sergei Sokolov

Martyn John Coogans

Hilko Dirk Bos

Yue-Lin Peng

Lucas Tijn Kunneman

Josselin Pello

MIchael Kubis

Karel Hendrik Wouter Van Den Bos

A diffraction measurement target that has at least a first sub-target and at least a second sub-target, and wherein (1) the first and second sub-targets each include a pair of periodic structures and the first sub-target has a different design than the second sub-target, the different design including the first sub-target periodic structures having a different pitch, feature width, space width, and/or segmentation than the second sub-target periodic structure or (2) the first and second sub-targets respectively include a first and second periodic structure in a first layer, and a third periodic structure is located at least partly underneath the first periodic structure in a second layer under the first layer and there being no periodic structure underneath the second periodic structure in the second layer, and a fourth periodic structure is located at least partly underneath the second periodic structure in a third layer under the second layer.

Metrology method, target and substrate

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.

Metrology method and apparatus, substrate, lithographic system and device manufacturing method

A method of determining an estimated intensity of radiation scattered by a target illuminated by a radiation source, has the following steps: obtaining and training () a library REFLIB of wavelength-dependent reflectivity as a function of the wavelength, target structural parameters and angle of incidence R(&#x3bb;,&#x3b8;,x,y); determining () a wide-band library (W-BLIB) of integrals of wavelength-dependent reflectivity R of the target in a Jones framework over a range of radiation source wavelengths &#x3bb;; training (TRN) () the wide-band library; and determining (), using the trained wide-band library, an estimated intensity (INT) of radiation scattered by the target illuminated by the radiation source.

Method and metrology apparatus for determining estimated scattered radiation intensity

Techniques for determining a value of a parameter of interest of a patterning process are described. One such technique involves obtaining a plurality of calibration data units from one or more targets in a metrology process. Each calibration data unit of at least two of the calibration data units represents detected radiation obtained using different respective polarization settings in the metrology process, each polarization setting defining a polarization property of incident radiation of the metrology process and of detected radiation of the metrology process. The calibration data units are used to obtain calibration information about the metrology process. A measurement data unit representing detected radiation scattered from a further target is obtained, the further target having a structure formed using the patterning process on the substrate or on a further substrate. A value of the parameter of interest is determined using the measurement data unit and the obtained calibration information.

Method of determining a value of a parameter of interest of a patterning process, device manufacturing method

A substrate has first and second target structures formed thereon by a lithographic process. Each target structure has two-dimensional periodic structure formed in a single material layer on a substrate using first and second lithographic steps, wherein, in the first target structure, features defined in the second lithographic step are displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a first bias amount that is close to one half of a spatial period of the features formed in the first lithographic step, and, in the second target structure, features defined in the second lithographic step are displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a second bias amount close to one half of said spatial period and different to the first bias amount. An angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the first target structure and an angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the second target structure is obtained, and a measurement of a parameter of a lithographic process is derived from the measurements using asymmetry found in the scatter spectra of the first and second target structures.

Method and apparatus for measuring a parameter of a lithographic process, substrate and patterning devices for use in the method

Disclosed is a method of measuring a parameter of a lithographic process, and associated inspection apparatus. The method comprises measuring at least two target structures on a substrate using a plurality of different illumination conditions, the target structures having deliberate overlay biases; to obtain for each target structure an asymmetry measurement representing an overall asymmetry that includes contributions due to (i) the deliberate overlay biases, (ii) an overlay error during forming of the target structure and (iii) any feature asymmetry. A regression analysis is performed on the asymmetry measurement data by fitting a linear regression model to a planar representation of asymmetry measurements for one target structure against asymmetry measurements for another target structure, the linear regression model not necessarily being fitted through an origin of the planar representation. The overlay error can then be determined from a gradient described by the linear regression model.

Metrology method and apparatus, lithographic system and device manufacturing method

A substrate has first and second target structures formed by a lithographic process. Each target structure has a two-dimensional periodic structure formed in a single layer using first and second lithographic steps. The first target structure has features defined in the second lithographic step displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a first bias amount. The second target structure has features defined in the second lithographic step displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a second bias amount. An angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the first target structure and an angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the second target structure is obtained. A measurement of a parameter of a lithographic process is derived from the measurements using asymmetry found in the scatter spectra of the first and second target structures.

A method of devising a target arrangement, and associated target and reticle. The target includes a plurality of gratings, each grating having a plurality of substructures. The method includes: defining a target area; locating the substructures within the target area so as to form the gratings; and locating assist features at the periphery of the gratings, the assist features being configured to reduce measured intensity peaks at the periphery of the gratings. The method may include an optimization process including modelling a resultant image obtained by inspection of the target using a metrology process; and evaluating whether the target arrangement is optimized for detection using a metrology process.

Optimization of target arrangement and associated target

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Veldhoven, Netherlands

Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde