Abstract:
Disclosed is a method to determine a performance indicator for a metrology process, comprising obtaining first measurement data relating to a first set of measurement conditions and determining a first measurement recipe based on said first measurement data. The at least one performance indicator is determined from one or more components of said first measurement data obtained from a component analysis or statistical decomposition. Alternatively, the at least one performance indicator is determined from a comparison of one or more first measurement values relating to said first measurement recipe and one or more second measurement values relating to a second measurement recipe, where second measurement recipe is different to said first measurement data and relates a second set of measurement conditions, said second set of measurement conditions being different to said first set of measurement conditions.
Abstract:
A method for determining one or more optimized values of an operational parameter of a sensor system configured for measuring a property of a substrate is disclosed the method comprising: determining a quality parameter for a plurality of substrates; determining measurement parameters for the plurality of substrates obtained using the sensor system for a plurality of values of the operational parameter; comparing a substrate to substrate variation of the quality parameter and a substrate to substrate variation of a mapping of the measurement parameters; and determining the one or more optimized values of the operational parameter based on the comparing.
Abstract:
Disclosed is method of determining a position value relating to at least one target, and associated apparatuses. The method comprises obtaining measurement data relating to measurement of at least one target; wherein the measurement data comprises at least two parameter distributions which each describe variation of a parameter value over at least part of said target, and where said at least two parameter distributions comprises at least one position distribution which describes variation of said position value over at least part of said target. The method further comprises determining a weighting factor for at least one of said at least two parameter distributions and a corresponding weighted position distribution, wherein the weighting factor(s) minimizes a variation metric in the weighted position distribution, and said weighted position distribution comprises a combination of said at least two parameter distributions subject to said weighting factor(s).
Abstract:
Disclosed is a metrology method relating to measurement of a structure on a substrate, said structure being subject to one or more asymmetric deviation. The method comprises obtaining at least one intensity asymmetry value relating to the asymmetric deviation, wherein the at least one intensity asymmetry value comprises a metric related to a difference or imbalance between the respective intensities or amplitudes of at least two diffraction orders of radiation diffracted by said structure; determining at least one phase offset value corresponding to the one or more asymmetric deviation based on said at least one intensity asymmetry value; and determining one or more measurement correction for said one or more asymmetric deviation from the one or more phase offset.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method for determining a process correction for at least a first process of a lithographic process, comprising at least the first process performed on at least a first substrate using at least a first apparatus and a second process performed on at least said first substrate using at least a second apparatus, where a correction actuation capability of the first apparatus differs from the second apparatus, comprising: obtaining metrology data relating to said first substrate; modeling said metrology data using a first model, the model being related to said first apparatus; and controlling said first process based on the modeled metrology data; the modeling step and/or an additional processing step comprises distributing a penalty in a performance parameter across said first process and said second process such that the distributed penalties in the performance parameter are within their respective specifications of the performance parameter.
Abstract:
A method of controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process, the method comprising: obtaining first metrology data based on measurements performed after a first process step; obtaining second metrology data based on measurements performed after the first process step and at leastone additional process step; estimating a contribution to the process of: a) a control action which is at least partially based on the second metrology data and/or b) the at least one additional process step by using at least partially the second metrology data; and determining a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) or a correction for the first process step using the first metrology data and the estimated contribution.
Abstract:
The invention provides a method of measuring an alignment mark or an alignment mark assembly, wherein the alignment mark comprises grid features extending in at least two directions, the method comprising: measuring the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly using an expected location of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly, determining a first position of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in a first direction, determining a second position of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, determining a second direction scan offset between the expected location of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in the second direction and the determined second position, and correcting the first position on the basis of the second direction scan offset using at least one correction data set to provide a first corrected position.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method of measuring positions of at least one alignment target on a substrate using an optical system. The method comprises measuring at least one sub-segmented target by illuminating said sub-segmented target with radiation and detecting radiation diffracted by said sub-segmented target using one or more detectors to obtain signals containing positional information of the sub-segmented target. The sub-segmented target comprise structures arranged periodically in at least a first direction, at least some of said structures comprising smaller sub-structures, each sub-segmented target being formed with a positional offset between the structures and the sub- structures that is a combination of both known and unknown components. The signals, together with information on differences between known offsets of the sub-segmented target are used to calculate a measured position of at least one alignment target which is corrected for said unknown component of said positional offset.
Abstract:
In a method of controlling a lithographic apparatus, historical performance measurements (512) are used to calculate a process model (PM) relating to a lithographic process. Current positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided on a current substrate are measured (502) and used to calculate a substrate model relating to a current substrate. Additionally, historical position measurements (522) obtained at the time of processing the prior substrates are used (530) with the historical performance measurements to calculate a model mapping (M). The model mapping is applied (520) to modify the substrate model. The lithographic apparatus is controlled (508) using the process model and the modified substrate model (SM') together (PSM). Overlay performance is improved by avoiding over- or under-correction of correlated components of the process model and the substrate model. The model mapping may be a subspace mapping, and dimensionality of the model mapping may be reduced, before it is used.