Asml Netherlands B.v.

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Simon Gijsbert Josephus Mathijssen

Martin Jacobus Johan Jak

Michael Kubis

Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde

Peter David Engblom

Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel

Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver

Andreas Fuchs

Timothy Dugan Davis

Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren

Paul Christiaan Hinnen

Patrick Warnaar

Xing Lan Liu

Omer Abubaker Omer Adam

Olger Victor Zwier

Christophe David Fouquet

Johannes Marcus Maria Beltman

Wim Tjibbo Tel

Marc Johannes Noot

Joost Jeroen Ottens

Patricius Aloysius Jacobus Tinnemans

Frank Staals

Nitesh Pandey

Hans Van Der Laan

Sebastianus Adrianus Goorden

Leon Martin Levasier

Elliott Gerard McNamara

Ralph Brinkhof

Jen-Shiang Wang

Youri Johannes Laurentius Maria Van Dommelen

Peter Hanzen Wardenier

Stefan Carolus Jacobus Antonius Keij

Leonardus Henricus Marie Verstappen

Zili Zhou

Murat Bozkurt

Lambertus Gerardus Maria Kessels

Guangqing Chen

Panagiotis Pieter Bintevinos

Samee Ur Rehman

Marco Johannes Annemarie Pieters

Hendrik-Jan Hidde Smilde

Stephen Peter Morgan

Lotte Marloes Willems

Pieter Jacob Mathias Hendrik Knelissen

Leendert Jan Karssemeijer

Won-Jae Jang

Jinmoo Byun

Marcus Adrianus Van De Kerkhof

Haico Victor Kok

Armand Eugene Albert Koolen

Martin Ebert

Henricus Johannes Lambertus Megens

Igor Matheus Petronella Aarts

Reinder Teun Plug

Jin Lian

Rene Marinus Gerardus Johan Queens

Mohammadreza Hajiahmadi

Grzegorz Grzela

Wolfgang Helmut Henke

Victor Emanuel Calado

Peter Clement Paul Vanoppen

Martyn John Coogans

Hilko Dirk Bos

Manouk Rijpstra

Ralph Timotheus Huijgen

Jan-Willem Gemmink

Amir Bin Ismail

Martinus Gerardus Maria Johannes Maassen

Farzad Farhadzadeh

Aiqin Jiang

Paul Derwin

Keng-Fu Chang

Martin Kers

Stephen Morgan

Hui Quan Lim

S M Masudur Rahman Al Arif

Hyun-Su Kim

Bart Visser

Theodorus Franciscus Adrianus Maria Linschoten

Disclosed is a substrate and associated patterning device. The substrate comprises at least one target arrangement suitable for metrology of a lithographic process, the target arrangement comprising at least one pair of similar target regions which are arranged such that the target arrangement is, or at least the target regions for measurement in a single direction together are, centrosymmetric. A metrology method is also disclosed for measuring the substrate. A metrology method is also disclosed comprising which comprises measuring such a target arrangement and determining a value for a parameter of interest from the scattered radiation, while correcting for distortion of the metrology apparatus used.

Substrate comprising a target arrangement, and associated at least one patterning device, lithographic method and metrology method

A method including performing a simulation to evaluate a plurality of metrology targets and/or a plurality of metrology recipes used to measure a metrology target, identifying one or more metrology targets and/or metrology recipes from the evaluated plurality of metrology targets and/or metrology recipes, receiving measurement data of the one or more identified metrology targets and/or metrology recipes, and using the measurement data to tune a metrology target parameter or metrology recipe parameter.

Method and apparatus for inspection and metrology

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

A method for a metrology process, the method includes obtaining first measurement data relating to a first set of measurement conditions and determining a first measurement recipe based on the first measurement data. At least one performance indicator is determined from one or more components of the first measurement data obtained from a component analysis or statistical decomposition. Alternatively, at least one performance indicator is determined from a comparison of one or more first measurement values relating to the first measurement recipe and one or more second measurement values relating to a second measurement recipe, where second measurement recipe is different to the first measurement data and relates a second set of measurement conditions, the second set of measurement conditions being different to the first set of measurement conditions.

Metrology method and associated metrology and lithographic apparatuses

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

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 of determining a parameter of a lithographic apparatus, wherein the method includes providing first height variation data of a first substrate, providing first performance data of a first substrate, and determining a model based on the first height variation data and the first performance data. The method further includes obtaining second height variation data of a second substrate, inputting the second height variation data to the model, and determining second performance data of the second substrate by running the model. Based on the second performance data, the method determines a parameter of the apparatus.

Method for monitoring lithographic apparatus

A metrology method relating to measurement of a structure on a substrate, the structure being subject to one or more asymmetric deviation. The method includes obtaining at least one intensity asymmetry value relating to the one or more asymmetric deviations, wherein the at least one intensity asymmetry value includes a metric related to a difference or imbalance between the respective intensities or amplitudes of at least two diffraction orders of radiation diffracted by the structure; determining at least one phase offset value corresponding to the one or more asymmetric deviations based on the at least one intensity asymmetry value; and determining one or more measurement corrections for the one or more asymmetric deviations from the at least one phase offset value.

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

A method of inferring a value for at least one local uniformity metric relating to a product structure, the method including: obtaining intensity data including an intensity image relating to at least one diffraction order obtained from a measurement on a target; obtaining at least one intensity distribution from the intensity image; determining, from the at least one intensity distribution, an intensity indicator expressing a variation of either intensity over the at least one diffraction order, or a difference in intensity between two complimentary diffraction orders over the intensity image; and inferring the value for the at least one local uniformity metric from the intensity indicator.

Method for inferring a local uniformity metric

A method including: determining recipe consistencies between one substrate measurement recipe of a plurality of substrate measurement recipes and each other substrate measurement recipe of the plurality of substrate measurement recipes; calculating a function of the recipe consistencies; eliminating the one substrate measurement recipe from the plurality of substrate measurement recipes if the function meets a criterion; and reiterating the determining, calculating and eliminating until a termination condition is met. Also disclosed herein is a substrate measurement apparatus, including a storage configured to store a plurality of substrate measurement recipes, and a processor configured to select one or more substrate measurement recipes from the plurality of substrate measurement recipes based on recipe consistencies among the plurality of substrate measurement recipes.

Recipe selection based on inter-recipe consistency

A method including determining a type of structural asymmetry of the target from measured values of the target, and performing a simulation of optical measurement of the target to determine a value of an asymmetry parameter associated with the asymmetry type. A method including performing a simulation of optical measurement of a target to determine a value of an asymmetry parameter associated with a type of structural asymmetry of the target determined from measured values of the target, and analyzing a sensitivity of the asymmetry parameter to change in a target formation parameter associated with the target. A method including determining a structural asymmetry parameter of a target using a measured parameter of radiation diffracted by the target, and determining a property of a measurement beam of the target based on the structural asymmetry parameter that is least sensitive to change in a target formation parameter associated with the target.

Metrology method, computer product and system

A lithographic process is used to form a plurality of target structures distributed at a plurality of locations across a substrate and having overlaid periodic structures with a number of different overlay bias values distributed across the target structures. At least some of the target structures comprising a number of overlaid periodic structures (e.g., gratings) that is fewer than said number of different overlay bias values. Asymmetry measurements are obtained for the target structures. The detected asymmetries are used to determine parameters of a lithographic process. Overlay model parameters including translation, magnification and rotation, can be calculated while correcting the effect of bottom grating asymmetry, and using a multi-parameter model of overlay error across the substrate.

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

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Veldhoven, Netherlands

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya