Asml Netherlands B.v.

Masashi Ishibashi

Hakki Ergün Cekli

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Youping Zhang

Elliott Gerard McNamara

Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver

Michiel Kupers

Willem Seine Christian Roelofs

Marc Jurian Kea

Chi-Hsiang Fan

Erik Henri Adriaan Delvigne

Wendy Johanna Martina Van De Ven

Ralph Timotheus Huijgen

Rizvi Rahman

Liping Ren

Marcel Theodorus Maria Van Kessel

Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren

Reiner Maria Jungblut

Xing Lan Liu

Leon Paul Van Dijk

Ronald Henricus Johannes Otten

Hakki Ergun Cekli

Cedric Marc Affentauschegg

Measurements are obtained from locations across a substrate before or after performing a lithographic process step. Examples of such measurements include alignment measurements made prior to applying a pattern to the substrate, and measurements of a performance parameter such as overlay, after a pattern has been applied. A set of measurement locations is selected from among all possible measurement locations. At least a subset of the selected measurement locations are selected dynamically, in response to measurements obtained using a preliminary selection of measurement locations. Preliminary measurements of height can be used to select measurement locations for alignment. In another aspect, outlier measurements are detected based on supplementary data such as height measurements or historic data.

Method of obtaining measurements, apparatus for performing a process step, and metrology apparatus

A method, system and program for determining a position of a feature referenced to a substrate. The method includes measuring a position of the feature, receiving an intended placement of the feature and determining an estimate of a placement error based on knowledge of a relative position of a first reference feature referenced to a first layer on a substrate with respect to a second reference feature referenced to a second layer on a substrate. The updated position may be used to position the layer of the substrate having the feature, or another layer of the substrate, or another layer of another substrate.

Method of determining a position of a feature

A lithographic process includes clamping a substrate onto a substrate support, measuring positions across the clamped substrate, and applying a pattern to the clamped substrate using the positions measured. A correction is applied to the positioning of the applied pattern in localized regions of the substrate, based on recognition of a warp-induced characteristic in the positions measured across the substrate. The correction may be generated by inferring one or more shape characteristics of the warped substrate using the measured positions and other information. Based on the one or more inferred shape characteristics, a clamping model is applied to simulate deformation of the warped substrate in response to clamping. A correction is calculated based on the simulated deformation.

Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method and associated data processing apparatus and computer program product

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Masashi Ishibashi