Asml Netherlands B.v.

Zili Zhou

Nitesh Pandey

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef

Armand Eugene Albert Koolen

Gerbrand Van Der Zouw

Paul Christiaan Hinnen

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Joost Jeroen Ottens

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya

Patrick Warnaar

Sebastianus Adrianus Goorden

Markus Gerardus Martinus Maria Van Kraaij

Anagnostis Tsiatmas

Michael Kubis

Elliott Gerard McNamara

Jin Lian

Murat Bozkurt

Bastiaan Onne Fagginger Auer

Olger Victor Zwier

Sergey Tarabrin

Janneke Ravensbergen

Martinus Hubertus Maria Van Weert

Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

Simon Gijsbert Josephus Mathijssen

Coen Adrianus Verschuren

Simon Reinald Huisman

Alok Verma

Duygu Akbulut

Nitish Kumar

Shu-jin Wang

Arjan Johannes Anton Beukman

Hilko Dirk Bos

Mustafa Ümit Arabul

Disclosed is an illumination arrangement for spectrally shaping a broadband illumination beam to obtain a spectrally shaped illumination beam. The illumination arrangement comprises a beam dispersing element for dispersing the broadband illumination beam and a spatial light modulator for spatially modulating the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed. The illumination arrangement further comprises at least one of a beam expanding element for expanding said broadband illumination beam in at least one direction, located between an input of the illumination arrangement and the spatial light modulator; and a lens array, each lens of which for directing a respective wavelength band of the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed onto a respective region of the spatial light modulator.

Illumination apparatus and associated metrology and lithographic apparatuses

Disclosed is a pupil shaping arrangement for obtaining a defined pupil intensity profile for a metrology illumination beam configured for use in a metrology application. The pupil shaping arrangement comprises an engineered diffuser (ED) having a defined far-field profile configured to impose said defined pupil intensity profile on said metrology illumination beam. The pupil shaping arrangement may further comprise a multimode fiber (MMF) and be configured to reduce spatial coherence of coherent radiation.

Method and apparatus for coherence scrambling in metrology applications

The disclosure relates to determining information about a target structure formed on a substrate using a lithographic process. In one arrangement, a cantilever probe is provided having a cantilever arm and a probe element. The probe element extends from the cantilever arm towards the target structure. Ultrasonic waves are generated in the cantilever probe. The ultrasonic waves propagate through the probe element into the target structure and reflect back from the target structure into the probe element or into a further probe element extending from the cantilever arm. The reflected ultrasonic waves are detected and used to determine information about the target structure.

Method and metrology tool for determining information about a target structure, and cantilever probe

A method of measuring overlay uses a plurality of asymmetry measurements from locations (LOI) on a pair of sub-targets () formed on a substrate (W). For each sub-target, the plurality of asymmetry measurements are fitted to at least one expected relationship () between asymmetry and overlay, based on a known bias variation deigned into the sub-targets. Continuous bias variation in one example is provided by varying the pitch of top and bottom gratings (P/P). Bias variations between the sub-targets of the pair are equal and opposite (P/P). Overlay (OV) is calculated based on a relative shift (xs) between the fitted relationships for the two sub-targets. The step of fitting asymmetry measurements to at least one expected relationship includes wholly or partially discounting measurements () that deviate from the expected relationship and/or fall outside a particular segment of the fitted relationship.

Metrology method, patterning device, apparatus and computer program

The disclosure relates to measuring a target. In one arrangement, a measurement apparatus is provided that has an optical system configured to illuminate a target with radiation and direct reflected radiation from the target to a sensor. A programmable spatial light modulator in a pupil plane of the optical system is programmed to redirect light in each of a plurality of pupil plane zones in such a way as to form a corresponding plurality of images at different locations on the sensor. Each image is formed by radiation passing through a different respective one of the pupil plane zones.

Measurement apparatus and method of measuring a target

An inspection apparatus, method, and system are described herein. An example inspection apparatus includes an optical system and an imaging system. The optical system may be configured to output an illumination beam incident on a target including one or more features, the illumination beam polarized with a first polarization when incident on the target. The imaging system may be configured to obtain intensity data representing at least a portion of the illumination beam scattered by the one or more features, where the portion of the illumination beam has a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. The inspection apparatus may be further configured to generate image data representing an image of each of the feature(s) based on the intensity data, and determine a measurement of a parameter of interest associated with the feature(s) based on an amount of the portion of the illumination beam having the second polarization.

Method and apparatus for measuring a parameter of interest using image plane detection techniques

The disclosure relates to methods of determining a value of a parameter of interest of a patterning process, and of cleaning a signal containing information about the parameter of interest. In one arrangement, first and second detected representations of radiation are obtained. The radiation is provided by redirection of polarized incident radiation by a structure. The first and second detected representations are derived respectively from first and second polarization components of the redirected radiation. An asymmetry in the first detected representation comprises a contribution from the parameter of interest and a contribution from one or more other sources of asymmetry. An asymmetry in the second detected representation comprises a larger contribution from said one or more other sources of asymmetry relative to a contribution from the parameter of interest. A combination of the first and second detected representations is used to determine a value of the parameter of interest.

Method of determining a value of a parameter of interest, method of cleaning a signal containing information about a parameter of interest, device manufacturing method

Methods of measuring a target formed by a lithographic process, a metrology apparatus and a polarizer assembly are disclosed. The polarizer assembly comprises a polarizing structure having a substantially planar form and configured to polarize radiation passing there through in a circular polarizing region. The circular polarizing region is configured to apply a first polarization to radiation passing through a first one of two pairs of diametrically opposite quadrants of the circular polarizing region and to apply a second polarization, orthogonal to the first polarization, to radiation passing through a second one of two pairs of diametrically opposite quadrants of the circular polarizing region.

Method of measuring a target, metrology apparatus, polarizer assembly

A metrology apparatus is disclosed that measures a structure formed on a substrate to determine a parameter of interest. The apparatus comprises an optical system configured to focus radiation onto the structure and direct radiation after reflection from the structure onto a detector, wherein: the optical system is configured such that the detector detects a radiation intensity resulting from interference between radiation from at least two different points in a pupil plane field distribution, wherein the interference is such that a component of the detected radiation intensity containing information about the parameter of interest is enhanced relative to one or more other components of the detected radiation intensity.

Metrology apparatus, lithographic system, and method of measuring a structure

Disclosed is a metrology apparatus for measuring a parameter of a lithographic process, and associated computer program and method. The metrology apparatus comprises an optical system for measuring a target on a substrate by illuminating the target with measurement radiation and detecting the measurement radiation scattered by the target; and an array of lenses. Each lens of the array is operable to focus the scattered measurement radiation onto a sensor, said array of lenses thereby forming an image on the sensor which comprises a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image being formed by a corresponding lens of the array of lenses. The resulting plenoptic image comprises image plane information from the sub-images, wavefront distortion information (from the relative positions of the sub-images) and pupil information from the relative intensities of the sub-images.

Metrology method and apparatus, computer program and lithographic system

Methods of measuring a target formed by a lithographic process, a metrology apparatus and a polarizer assembly are disclosed. The target comprises a layered structure having a first periodic structure in a first layer and a second periodic structure in a second layer. The target is illuminated with polarized measurement radiation. Zeroth order scattered radiation from the target is detected. An asymmetry in the first periodic structure is derived using the detected zeroth order scattered radiation from the target. A separation between the first layer and the second layer is such that the detected zeroth order scattered radiation is independent of overlay error between the first periodic structure and the second periodic structure. The derived asymmetry in the first periodic structure is used to derive the correct overlay value between the first periodic structure and the second periodic structure.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Zili Zhou