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公开(公告)号:US11784098B2
公开(公告)日:2023-10-10
申请号:US17408043
申请日:2021-08-20
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
CPC classification number: H01L22/12 , G01N21/9501 , G03F7/70633 , G03F7/70683 , G03F9/7003
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.
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公开(公告)号:US11101184B2
公开(公告)日:2021-08-24
申请号:US16572751
申请日:2019-09-17
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
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.
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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
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.
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4.
公开(公告)号:US11774862B2
公开(公告)日:2023-10-03
申请号:US17501911
申请日:2021-10-14
Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Inventor: Hakki Ergün Cekli , Masashi Ishibashi , Wendy Johanna Martina Van De Ven , Willem Seine Christian Roelofs , Elliott Gerard McNamara , Rizvi Rahman , Michiel Kupers , Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver , Erik Henri Adriaan Delvigne
IPC: G03F7/20 , G03F7/00 , G01N21/956 , G03F9/00 , H01L21/66
CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 , G01N21/956 , G03F9/7046 , H01L22/12 , H01L22/20
Abstract: 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.
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5.
公开(公告)号:US11175591B2
公开(公告)日:2021-11-16
申请号:US16098165
申请日:2017-04-21
Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Inventor: Hakki Ergün Cekli , Masashi Ishibashi , Wendy Johanna Martina Van De Ven , Willem Seine Christian Roelofs , Elliott Gerard McNamara , Rizvi Rahman , Michiel Kupers , Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver , Erik Henri Adriaan Delvigne
IPC: G03F7/20 , G01N21/956 , G03F9/00 , H01L21/66
Abstract: 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.
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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.
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公开(公告)号:US11728224B2
公开(公告)日:2023-08-15
申请号:US17371380
申请日:2021-07-09
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
CPC classification number: H01L22/12 , G01N21/9501 , G03F7/70633 , G03F7/70683 , G03F9/7003
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.
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公开(公告)号:US10811323B2
公开(公告)日:2020-10-20
申请号:US15445612
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 , Maria Isabel De La Fuente Valentin , Koen Van Witteveen , Martijn Maria Zaal , Shu-jin Wang
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.
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公开(公告)号:US10453758B2
公开(公告)日:2019-10-22
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
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.
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公开(公告)号:US20170255736A1
公开(公告)日:2017-09-07
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
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.
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