The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 27, 2016
Filed:
Apr. 23, 2013
Asml Netherlands B.v., Veldhoven, NL;
Irina Lyulina, Son, NL;
Franciscus Godefridus Casper Bijnen, Valkenswaard, NL;
Remi Daniel Marie Edart, Eindhoven, NL;
Antoine Gaston Marie Kiers, Veldhoven, NL;
Michael Kubis, Düsseldorf, DE;
ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven, NL;
Abstract
A method to determine the usefulness of an alignment mark of a first pattern in transferring a second pattern to a substrate relative to the first pattern already present on the substrate includes measuring the position of the alignment mark, modeling the position of the alignment mark, determining the model error between measured and modeled position, measuring a corresponding overlay error between first and second pattern and comparing the model error with the overlay error to determine the usefulness of the alignment mark. Subsequently this information can be used when processing next substrates thereby improving the overlay for these substrates. A lithographic apparatus and/or overlay measurement system may be operated in accordance with the method.