Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alignment determination system for determining an alignment target on an object that is the alignment determination system capable of providing a better signal to noise ratio.SOLUTION: The present invention provides an alignment determination system for determining an alignment target on an object. The alignment determination system comprises: a lighting source which provides a determining beam towards an object; a detector system which receives the determining beam after being reflected on the object; and a processing unit which determines the alignment based on the determining beam received by the detector system. The determination system comprises: a beam division device; and a polarizing device which polarizes a first beam part and/or a second beam part, or changes the polarization. A polarization angle of the first beam part acquired as a result differs from a polarization angle of the second beam part acquired as a result. The processing unit is configured so as to determine the alignment based on a signal including comparison between the polarized first beam part and the polarized second beam part.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alignment determination system for determining an alignment target on an object that is the alignment determination system capable of providing a better signal to noise ratio.SOLUTION: The present invention provides an alignment determination system for determining an alignment target on an object. The alignment determination system comprises: a lighting source which provides a determining beam towards an object; a detector system which receives the determining beam after being reflected on the object; and a processing unit which determines the alignment based on the determining beam received by the detector system. The determination system comprises: a beam division device; and a polarizing device which polarizes a first beam part and/or a second beam part, or changes the polarization. A polarization angle of the first beam part acquired as a result differs from a polarization angle of the second beam part acquired as a result. The processing unit is configured so as to determine the alignment based on a signal including comparison between the polarized first beam part and the polarized second beam part.
Abstract:
In a lithographic process, product units such as semiconductor wafers are subjected to lithographic patterning operations and chemical and physical processing operations. Alignment data or other measurements are made at stages during the performance of the process to obtain object data representing positional deviation or other parameters measured at points spatially distributed across each unit. This object data is used to obtain diagnostic information by performing a multivariate analysis to decompose a set of vectors representing the units in the multidimensional space into one or more component vectors. Diagnostic information about the industrial process is extracted using the component vectors. The performance of the industrial process for subsequent product units can be controlled based on the extracted diagnostic information.
Abstract:
A method of production of alignment marks uses a self-aligned double patterning process. An alignment mark pattern is provided with first and second sub-segmented elements. After selecting the dipolar illumination orientation, dipole-X is used to illuminate the pattern and to image the first elements on the wafer, but not the second elements. Alternatively, dipole-Y is used to illuminate the pattern and to image the second elements on the wafer, but not the first elements. In either case, self-aligned double patterning processing may then be performed to produce product-like alignment marks with high contrast and wafer quality (WQ). Subsequently the X and Y alignment marks thus produced are used for the step of alignment in a lithographic process.