Asml Netherlands B.v.

Sietse Thijmen Van Der Post

Sander Bas Roobol

Ferry Zijp

Peter Danny Van Voorst

Simon Gijsbert Josephus Mathijssen

Han-Kwang Nienhuys

Duygu Akbulut

Nan Lin

Koos Van Berkel

Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus Donders

Teunis Willem Tukker

Johannes Hubertus Antonius Van De Rijdt

Sarathi Roy

Marinus Johannes Maria Van Dam

Jacobus Maria Antonius Van Den Eerenbeemd

Jeroen Cottaar

Nitish Kumar

Johan Maria Van Boxmeer

Stefan Michael Bruno Bäumer

Adrianus Johannes Hendrikus Schellekens

Willem Maria Julia Marcel Coene

Fanhe Kong

Pavel Evtushenko

Johan Reinink

Apparatus and method for measuring one or more parameters of a substrate using source radiation emitted from a radiation source and directed onto the substrate. The apparatus comprises at least one reflecting element and at least one detector. The at least one reflecting element is configured to receive a reflected radiation resulting from reflection of the source radiation from the substrate and further reflect the reflected radiation into a further reflected radiation. The at least one detector is configured for measurement of the further reflected radiation for determination of at least an alignment of the source radiation and/or the substrate.

Measuring method and measuring apparatus

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a reflector. The method comprises polishing () at least the uppermost surface of the uppermost substantially flat substrate of a plurality of substantially flat substrates, deforming () each substantially flat substrate into the desired shape, and bonding () the deformed substrates together to form said reflector. In an embodiment, the deforming and bonding is performed together using a mold.

Reflector manufacturing method and associated reflector

A grating is provided on a mirror for specularly reflecting and diffracting a grazing-incidence beam of radiation and has a periodic structure with a grating period comprising first (ridge) and second (trench) substructures either side of a sidewallfacing the incident beam. The ridge is configured to specularly reflect the beam from the flat topof the ridge into a specularly reflected beamin a zeroth-order direction β'=β. The grating is configured with fixed or varying pitch to diffract the beam from the grating periods in one or more non-zero-diffraction-order direction β′≠β. The shape of the trench may be is described by structural parameters top width and depth that define the aspect ratio of the trench. The shape is determined such that any rays (and optionally diffraction) of the beam that reflect once from the trench floor in the zeroth-order direction are obscured by the sidewall.

Manufacturing a reflective diffraction grating

Disclosed is a wavefront sensor for measuring a tilt of a wavefront at an array of locations across a beam of radiation, wherein said wavefront sensor comprises a film, for example of Zirconium, having an indent array comprising an indent at each of said array of locations, such that each indent of the indent array is operable to perform focusing of said radiation. Also disclosed is a radiation source and inspection apparatus comprising such a wavefront sensor.

Wavefront sensor and associated metrology apparatus

A radiation source arrangement causes interaction between pump radiation () and a gaseous medium () to generate EUV or soft x-ray radiation by higher harmonic generation (HHG). The operating condition of the radiation source arrangement is monitored by detecting () third radiation () resulting from an interaction between condition sensing radiation and the medium. The condition sensing radiation () may be the same as the first radiation or it may be separately applied. The third radiation may be for example a portion of the condition sensing radiation that is reflected or scattered by a vacuum-gas boundary, or it may be lower harmonics of the HHG process, or fluorescence, or scattered. The sensor may include one or more image detectors so that spatial distribution of intensity and/or the angular distribution of the third radiation may be analyzed. Feedback control based on the determined operating condition stabilizes operation of the HHG source.

Methods and apparatus for predicting performance of a measurement method, measurement method and apparatus

An optical system delivers illuminating radiation and collects radiation after interaction with a target structure on a substrate. A measurement intensity profile is used to calculate a measurement of the property of the structure. The optical system may include a solid immersion lens. In a method, the optical system is controlled to obtain a first intensity profile using a first illumination profile and a second intensity profile using a second illumination profile. The profiles are used to derive a correction for mitigating the effect of, e.g., ghost reflections. Using, e.g., half-moon illumination profiles in different orientations, the method can measure ghost reflections even where a solid immersion lens would cause total internal reflection. The optical system may include a contaminant detection system to control a movement based on received scattered detection radiation. The optical system may include an optical component having a dielectric coating to enhance evanescent wave interaction.

Method and apparatus for deriving corrections, method and apparatus for determining a property of a structure, device manufacturing method

An optical system (OS) for focusing a beam of radiation (B) on a region of interest in a metrology apparatus is described. The beam of radiation (B) comprises radiation in a soft X-ray or Extreme Ultraviolet spectral range. The optical system (OS) comprises a first stage (S) for focusing the beam of radiation at an intermediate focus region. The optical system (OS) comprises a second stage (S) for focusing the beam of radiation from the intermediate focus region onto the region of interest. The first and second stages each comprise a Kirkpatrick-Baez reflector combination. At least one reflector comprises an aberration-correcting reflector.

Optical systems, metrology apparatus and associated method

An optical system and detector capture a distribution of radiation modified by interaction with a target structure. The observed distribution is used to calculate a property of the structure (e.g. CD or overlay). A condition error (e.g. focus error) associated with the optical system is variable between observations. The actual condition error specific to each capture is recorded and used to apply a correction for a deviation of the observed distribution due to the condition error specific to the observation. The correction in one practical example is based on a unit correction previously defined with respect to a unit focus error. This unit correction can be scaled linearly, in accordance with a focus error specific to the observation.

Method of determining a property of a structure, inspection apparatus and device manufacturing method

A method of and an apparatus for use in determining one or more alignment properties of an illumination beam of radiation emitted by a radiation source are provided. The illumination beam is for irradiating a target area on a substrate in a metrology apparatus. The method comprises: (a) obtaining a first set of intensity data; (b) obtaining a second set of intensity data; (c) processing said first and second sets of intensity data to determine said one or more alignment properties of said illumination beam of radiation; wherein said processing involves comparing said first and second sets of intensity data to calculate a value which is indicative of a translation of said illumination beam of radiation.

Method and apparatus for determining alignment properties of a beam of radiation

A method involving a radiation intensity distribution for a target measured using an optical component at a gap from the target, the method including: determining a value of a parameter of interest using the measured radiation intensity distribution and a mathematical model describing the target, the model including an effective medium approximation for roughness of a surface of the optical component or a part thereof.

Method and apparatus for inspection and metrology

Disclosed is a method of optimizing within an inspection apparatus, the position and/or size (and therefore focus) of a measurement illumination spot relative to a target on a substrate. The method comprises detecting scattered radiation from at least the target resultant from illuminating the target, for different sizes and/or positions of said illumination spot relative to the target; and optimizing said position and/or size of the measurement illumination spot relative to the target based on a characteristic of the detected scattered radiation for the different sizes and/or positions of said illumination spot relative to the target.

Method of optimizing the position and/or size of a measurement illumination spot relative to a target on a substrate, and associated apparatus

Disclosed is an inspection apparatus and associated method for measuring a target structure on a substrate. The inspection apparatus comprises an illumination source for generating measurement radiation; an optical arrangement for focusing the measurement radiation onto said target structure; and a compensatory optical device. The compensatory optical device may comprise an SLM operable to spatially modulate the wavefront of the measurement radiation so as to compensate for a non-uniform manufacturing defect in said optical arrangement. In alternative embodiments, the compensatory optical device may be located in the beam of measurement radiation, or in the beam of pump radiation used to generate high harmonic radiation in a HHG source. Where located in the beam of pump radiation, the compensatory optical device may be used to correct pointing errors, or impart a desired profile or varying illumination pattern in a beam of the measurement radiation.

Illumination source for an inspection apparatus, inspection apparatus and inspection method

Disclosed is an inspection apparatus and associated method for measuring a target structure on a substrate. The inspection apparatus comprises an illumination source for generating measurement radiation; an optical arrangement for focusing the measurement radiation onto said target structure; and a compensatory optical device. The compensatory optical device may comprise an SLM operable to spatially modulate the wavefront of the measurement radiation so as to compensate for a non-uniform manufacturing defect in said optical arrangement. In alternative embodiments, the compensatory optical device may be located in the beam of measurement radiation, or in the beam of pump radiation used to generate high harmonic radiation in a HHG source. Where located in in the beam of pump radiation, the compensatory optical device may be used to correct pointing errors, or impart a desired profile or varying illumination pattern in a beam of the measurement radiation.

A method including obtaining a plurality of radiation distributions of measurement radiation redirected by the target, each of the plurality of radiation distributions obtained at a different gap distance between the target and an optical element of a measurement apparatus, the optical element being the nearest optical element to the target used to provide the measurement radiation to the target, and determining a parameter related to the target using data of the plurality of radiation distributions in conjunction with a mathematical model describing the measurement target.

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Utrecht, Netherlands

Sietse Thijmen Van Der Post