公开(公告)号：US20190063911A1

公开(公告)日：2019-02-28

申请号：US16105013

申请日：2018-08-20

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Alok Verma ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Bert Verstraeten

IPC: G01B11/27 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G06F17/50

Abstract: A substrate having a plurality of features for use in measuring a parameter of a device manufacturing process and associated methods and apparatus. The measurement is by illumination of the features with measurement radiation from an optical apparatus and detecting a signal arising from interaction between the measurement radiation and the features. The plurality of features include first features distributed in a periodic fashion at a first pitch, and second features distributed in a periodic fashion at a second pitch, wherein the first pitch and second pitch are such that a combined pitch of the first and second features is constant irrespective of the presence of pitch walk in the plurality of features.

公开(公告)号：US11710668B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-25

申请号：US17072391

申请日：2020-10-16

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Adriaan Johan Van Leest ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen ,  Elliott Gerard McNamara ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer ,  Maria Isabel De La Fuente Valentin ,  Koen Van Witteveen ,  Martijn Maria Zaal ,  Shu-jin Wang

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G03F9/00 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: H01L22/12 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70683 ,  G03F9/7003

Abstract: A metrology target includes: a first structure arranged to be created by a first patterning process; and a second structure arranged to be created by a second patterning process, wherein the first structure and/or second structure is not used to create a functional aspect of a device pattern, and wherein the first and second structures together form one or more instances of a unit cell, the unit cell having geometric symmetry at a nominal physical configuration and wherein the unit cell has a feature that causes, at a different physical configuration than the nominal physical configuration due to a relative shift in pattern placement in the first patterning process, the second patterning process and/or another patterning process, an asymmetry in the unit cell.

公开(公告)号：US11092900B2

公开(公告)日：2021-08-17

申请号：US16675674

申请日：2019-11-06

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Maurits Van Der Schaar ,  Youping Zhang ,  Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Adriaan Johan Van Leest ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/47

Abstract: A substrate has first and second target structures formed thereon by a lithographic process. Each target structure has two-dimensional periodic structure formed in a single material layer on a substrate using first and second lithographic steps, wherein, in the first target structure, features defined in the second lithographic step are displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a first bias amount that is close to one half of a spatial period of the features formed in the first lithographic step, and, in the second target structure, features defined in the second lithographic step are displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a second bias amount close to one half of said spatial period and different to the first bias amount. An angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the first target structure and an angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the second target structure is obtained, and a measurement of a parameter of a lithographic process is derived from the measurements using asymmetry found in the scatter spectra of the first and second target structures.

公开(公告)号：US10546790B2

公开(公告)日：2020-01-28

申请号：US15445478

申请日：2017-02-28

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Adriaan Johan Van Leest ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen ,  Elliott Gerard McNamara ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

IPC: G06F17/50 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G03F9/00 ,  G01N21/95

Abstract: A method of determining overlay of a patterning process, the method including: obtaining a detected representation of radiation redirected by one or more physical instances of a unit cell, wherein the unit cell has geometric symmetry at a nominal value of overlay and wherein the detected representation of the radiation was obtained by illuminating a substrate with a radiation beam such that a beam spot on the substrate was filled with the one or more physical instances of the unit cell; and determining, from optical characteristic values from the detected radiation representation, a value of a first overlay for the unit cell separately from a second overlay for the unit cell that is also obtainable from the same optical characteristic values, wherein the first overlay is in a different direction than the second overlay or between a different combination of parts of the unit cell than the second overlay.

公开(公告)号：US10379446B2

公开(公告)日：2019-08-13

申请号：US15270150

申请日：2016-09-20

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Alok Verma ,  Sinatra Canggih Kho ,  Adriaan Johan Van Leest

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06F9/00 ,  G03F9/00

Abstract: This disclosure includes a variety of methods of describing a shape in a hierarchical manner, and uses of such a hierarchical description. In particular, this disclosure includes a method comprising: fitting one or more sub-shapes of a first order against a shape; determining an error of the fitting; and fitting one or more sub-shapes of a second order against the error.

公开(公告)号：US12142535B2

公开(公告)日：2024-11-12

申请号：US15445465

申请日：2017-02-28

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Adriaan Johan Van Leest ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen ,  Elliott Gerard McNamara ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G03F7/00 ,  G03F9/00 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A method of determining overlay of a patterning process, the method including: illuminating a substrate with a radiation beam such that a beam spot on the substrate is filled with one or more physical instances of a unit cell, the unit cell having geometric symmetry at a nominal value of overlay; detecting primarily zeroth order radiation redirected by the one or more physical instances of the unit cell using a detector; and determining, by a hardware computer system, a non-nominal value of overlay of the unit cell from values of an optical characteristic of the detected radiation.

公开(公告)号：US10983445B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-20

申请号：US16268564

申请日：2019-02-06

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Nitesh Pandey ,  Zili Zhou ,  Gerbrand Van Der Zouw ,  Arie Jeffrey Den Boef ,  Markus Gerardus Martinus Maria Van Kraaij ,  Armand Eugene Albert Koolen ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen ,  Martinus Hubertus Maria Van Weert ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Shu-jin Wang ,  Bastiaan Onne Fagginger Auer ,  Alok Verma

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/88

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US10481503B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-19

申请号：US15237246

申请日：2016-08-15

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Maurits Van Der Schaar ,  Youping Zhang ,  Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Adriaan Johan Van Leest ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/47

Abstract: A substrate has first and second target structures formed by a lithographic process. Each target structure has a two-dimensional periodic structure formed in a single layer using first and second lithographic steps. The first target structure has features defined in the second lithographic step displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a first bias amount. The second target structure has features defined in the second lithographic step displaced relative to features defined in the first lithographic step by a second bias amount. An angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the first target structure and an angle-resolved scatter spectrum of the second target structure is obtained. A measurement of a parameter of a lithographic process is derived from the measurements using asymmetry found in the scatter spectra of the first and second target structures.

公开(公告)号：US09952517B2

公开(公告)日：2018-04-24

申请号：US14753642

申请日：2015-06-29

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Alok Verma ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

IPC: G03B27/72 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/47

CPC classification number: G03F7/70558 ,  G01N21/4738 ,  G01N21/4785 ,  G01N2021/4735 ,  G03F7/70625 ,  G03F7/70683 ,  G03F7/7085

Abstract: A method of determining exposure dose of a lithographic apparatus used in a lithographic process on a substrate, the method comprising the steps: (a) receiving a substrate comprising first and second structures produced using the lithographic process; (b) detecting scattered radiation while illuminating the first structure with radiation to obtain a first scatterometer signal; (c) detecting scattered radiation while illuminating the second structure with radiation to obtain a second scatterometer signal; (d) using the first and second scatterometer signals to determine an exposure dose value used to produce said first and second structures wherein the first structure has a first periodic characteristic with spatial characteristics and yet at least another second periodic characteristic with spatial characteristics designed to be affected by the exposure dose and the second structure has a first periodic characteristic with spatial characteristics and yet at least another second periodic characteristic with spatial characteristics designed to be affected by the exposure dose wherein the exposure dose affects the exposure dose affected spatial characteristics of the first and second structures in a different manner.

公开(公告)号：US20170255737A1

公开(公告)日：2017-09-07

申请号：US15445522

申请日：2017-02-28

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Adriaan Johan VAN LEEST ,  Anagnostis Tsiatmas ,  Paul Christiaan Hinnen ,  Elliott Gerard McNamara ,  Alok Verma ,  Thomas Theeuwes ,  Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

IPC: G06F17/50 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A method of determining a parameter of a patterning process, the method including: obtaining a detected representation of radiation redirected by a structure having geometric symmetry at a nominal physical configuration, wherein the detected representation of the radiation was obtained by illuminating a substrate with a radiation beam such that a beam spot on the substrate was filled with the structure; and determining, by a hardware computer system, a value of the patterning process parameter based on optical characteristic values from an asymmetric optical characteristic distribution portion of the detected radiation representation with higher weight than another portion of the detected radiation representation, the asymmetric optical characteristic distribution arising from a different physical configuration of the structure than the nominal physical configuration.