Asml Netherlands B.v.

Laurentius Cornelius De Winter

Jozef Maria Finders

Marcus Adrianus Van De Kerkhof

Frank Staals

Pieter-Jan Van Zwol

Wouter Joep Engelen

Johannes Jacobus Matheus Baselmans

Hans Van Der Laan

Robbert Jan Voogd

Maria Johanna Agnes Rubingh

Pieter Cristiaan De Groot

Eelco Van Setten

Maksym Yuriiovych Sladkov

Carsten Andreas Köhler

Gerard Frans Jozef Schasfoort

Stefan Michael Bruno Baumer

Manfred Petrus Johannes Maria Dikkers

Arno Jan Bleeker

Wim Tjibbo Tel

Paul Christiaan Hinnen

Thomas Theeuwes

Andrey Alexandrovich Nikipelov

Herman Philip Godfried

James Norman Wiley

Marinus Jochemsen

Derk Servatius Gertruda Brouns

Anton Bernhard Van Oosten

Luigi Scaccabarozzi

Jin Lian

Alexey Olegovich Polyakov

Peter David Engblom

Zhuangxiong Huang

Michel Fransois Hubert Klaassen

Roland Pieter Stolk

Robert Kazinczi

Florian Didier Albin Dhalluin

Pedro Julian Rizo Diago

Juan Diego Arias Espinoza

Luis Alberto Colina Santamaria

Fei Liu

Disclosed is a method for focus measurement of a lithographic process. The method comprises receiving a substrate on which a metrology pattern has been printed with a lithographic apparatus with an illumination pupil, illuminating the metrology pattern with a metrology tool to measure a signal based on radiation scattered by the metrology pattern, and determining or monitoring a focus of the lithographic process based on the measured signal. Position of at least part of the metrology pattern is focus dependent. At least part of the metrology pattern has been printed by the lithography apparatus with an angular asymmetric illumination pupil.

Methods and patterning devices and apparatuses for measuring focus performance of a lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method

A first diffusor configured to receive and transmit radiation has a plurality of layers, each layer arranged to change an angular distribution of EUV radiation passing through it differently. A second diffusor configured to receive and transmit radiation has a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is formed from a first material, the first layer including a nanostructure on at least one surface of the first layer. The second layer is formed from a second material adjacent to the at least one surface of the first layer such that the second layer also includes a nanostructure. The second material has a refractive index that is different to a refractive index of the first layer. The diffusors may be configured to receive and transmit EUV radiation.

Transmissive diffusor

Disclosed is a method of measuring focus performance of a lithographic apparatus, and corresponding patterning device and lithographic apparatus. The method comprises using the lithographic apparatus to print one or more first printed structures and second printed structures. The first printed structures are printed by illumination having a first non-telecentricity and the second printed structures being printed by illumination having a second non-telecentricity, different to said first non-telecentricity. A focus dependent parameter related to a focus-dependent positional shift between the first printed structures and the second printed structures on said substrate is measured and a measurement of focus performance based at least in part on the focus dependent parameter is derived therefrom.

A patterning device for use with a lithographic apparatus, the device comprising an absorber portion configured to absorb incident radiation and to reflect a portion of incident radiation, the absorber portion comprising a first layer and a second layer, the first layer of the absorber portion comprising a first material that is different from a second material of the second layer of the absorber portion; a reflector portion arranged beneath the absorber portion, the reflector portion being configured to reflect incident radiation; and a phase tune portion arranged between the reflector portion and the absorber portion, the phase tune portion being configured to induce a phase shift between the radiation reflected by the reflector portion and the portion of radiation reflected by the absorber portion such that the radiation reflected by the reflector portion destructively interferes with the portion of radiation reflected by the absorber portion.

Patterning device

A patterning device comprising a reflective marker, wherein the marker comprises: a plurality of reflective regions configured to preferentially reflect radiation having a given wavelength; and a plurality of absorbing regions configured to preferentially absorb radiation having the given wavelength; wherein the absorbing and reflective regions are arranged to form a patterned radiation beam reflected from the marker when illuminated with radiation, and wherein the reflective regions comprise a roughened reflective surface, the roughened reflective surface being configured to diffuse radiation reflected from the reflective regions, and wherein the roughened reflective surface has a root mean squared roughness of about an eighth of the given wavelength or more.

A method is described that includes illuminating a patterning device pattern with a radiation beam having a symmetric illumination mode, the patterning device pattern comprising a first pattern feature that substantially diffracts radiation of the radiation beam, and a second pattern feature that does not substantially diffract radiation of the radiation beam, introducing an asymmetry, relative to an optical axis, in the substantially diffracted radiation using a phase modulation element, illuminating a radiation beam receiving element with radiation emanating from the phase modulation element to form a receiving element pattern that is related to the patterning device pattern, the receiving element pattern having first and second receiving element pattern features related to the first and second pattern features respectively, and determining information at least indicative of a focal property from positional information regarding the relative positions of the first and second receiving element pattern features.

Method for a lithographic apparatus

The present invention is concerned with an apparatus for shielding a reticle for EUV lithography. The apparatus comprises a pellicle, and at least one actuator in communication with the pellicle, the actuator being configured to induce, in use, movement of the pellicle with respect to a reticle.

Lithographic apparatus

A lithographic apparatus is provided and configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate. The apparatus has a measurement system to provide measurement data related to a thickness of a resist layer on the substrate, and a controller to control the operation of the lithographic apparatus such that a radiation intensity level in the patterned beam to be projected onto the substrate is controlled based on the measurement data.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

A method of projecting a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system, the method including using an optical phase adjustment apparatus in the projection system to apply a phase modification to radiation which has been diffracted from an assist feature of the pattern, the phase modification acting to reduce the size of an assist feature image exposed in resist on the substrate or prevent printing of the assist feature image in the resist on the substrate, while maintaining a contribution of the assist feature image to an image enhancement of a functional feature of the pattern.

Lithographic method and apparatus

In an embodiment, there is provided a method of at least partially compensating for a deviation in a property of a pattern feature to be applied to a substrate using a lithographic apparatus. The method includes determining a desired phase change to be applied to at least a portion of a radiation beam that is to be used to apply the pattern feature to the substrate and which would at least partially compensate for the deviation in the property. The determination of the desired phase change includes determining a desired configuration of a phase modulation element. The method further includes implementing the desired phase change to the portion of the radiation beam when applying the pattern feature to the substrate, the implementation of the desired phase change comprising illuminating the phase modulation element with the portion of the radiation beam when the phase modulation element is in the desired configuration.

Embodiments of the invention related to lithographic apparatus and methods. A lithographic method comprises calculating a laser metric based on a spectrum of laser radiation emitted from a laser to a lithographic apparatus together with a representation of an aerial image of a pattern to be projected onto the substrate by the lithographic apparatus, and using the laser metric to modify operation of the laser or adjust the lithographic apparatus, and projecting the pattern onto the substrate.

Calculating a laser metric within a lithographic apparatus and method thereof

A method of increasing a depth of focus of a lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The method includes forming diffracted beams of radiation using a patterning device pattern; and transforming a phase-wavefront of a portion of the diffracted beams into a first phase-wavefront having a first focal plane for the lithographic apparatus, and a second phase-wavefront having a second, different focal plane, wherein the transforming comprises: subjecting a phase of a first portion of a first diffracted beam and a phase of a corresponding first portion of a second diffracted beam to a phase change which results in an at least partial formation of the first phase-wavefront, and subjecting a phase of a second portion of the first diffracted beam and a phase of a corresponding second portion of the second diffracted beam to a phase change which results in an at least partial formation of the second phase-wavefront.

A mask can be used to print a pattern. Due to mask pattern surface topography, an image error may occur, such as an intensity imbalance between adjacent bright lines in the projected pattern. To help alleviate or eliminate the problem of intensity imbalance, the projection system may include an optical phase adjuster constructed and arranged to adjust a phase of an electric field of optical beams of radiation beam traversing the adjuster. A reduction of intensity imbalance is achieved by suitably adjusting the phases of the zeroth, plus first and minus first-order diffracted radiation emanating from the mask pattern. By adjusting the phase differently for different portions of the illumination, the method can be applied such that no decrease of depth of focus due, for example, the 0order is occurring.

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Vessem, Netherlands

Laurentius Cornelius De Winter