Abstract:
An apparatus for measuring positions of marks on a substrate, includes an illumination arrangement for supplying radiation with a predetermined illumination profile across a pupil of the apparatus, an objective lens for forming a spot of radiation on a mark using radiation supplied by said illumination arrangement, a radiation processing element for processing radiation that is diffracted by the mark, a first detection arrangement for detecting variations in an intensity of radiation output by the radiation processing element and for calculating therefrom a position of the mark, an optical arrangement, a second detection arrangement, wherein the optical arrangement serves to direct diffracted radiation to the second detection arrangement, and wherein the second detection arrangement is configured to detect size and/or position variations in the radiation and to calculate therefrom a defocus and/or local tilt of the mark.
Abstract:
An apparatus to measure the position of a mark, the apparatus including an illumination arrangement to direct radiation across a pupil of the apparatus, the illumination arrangement comprising an illumination source to provide multiple-wavelength radiation of substantially equal polarization and a wave plate to alter the polarization of the radiation in dependency of the wavelength, such that radiation of different polarization is supplied; an objective lens to direct radiation on the mark using the radiation supplied by the illumination arrangement while scanning the radiation across the mark in a scanning direction; a radiation processing element to process radiation that is diffracted by the mark and received by the objective lens; and a detection arrangement to detect variation in an intensity of radiation output by the radiation processing element during the scanning and to calculate from the detected variation a position of the mark in at least a first direction of measurement.
Abstract:
A lithographic apparatus includes an alignment sensor including a self-referencing interferometer for reading the position of a mark comprising a periodic structure. An illumination optical system focuses radiation of different colors and polarizations into a spot (406) which scans said structure. Multiple position-dependent signals I A (G,R,N,F), I B (G,R,N,F) are detected (430A, 430B) in a detection optical system and processed (PU) to obtain multiple candidate position measurements. Each mark comprises sub-structures of a size smaller than a resolution of the optical system. Each mark is formed with a positional offset between the sub-structures and larger structures that is a combination of both known (d1, d2) and unknown (∆d) components. A measured position of at least one mark is calculated using signals from a pair of marks (702-1, 702-2), together with information on differences between the known offsets. in order to correct for said unknown component of said positional offset.
Abstract:
A lithographic apparatus includes an alignment sensor including a self-referencing interferometer for reading the position of an alignment target comprising a periodic structure. An illumination optical system for focusing radiation into a spot on said structure. An asymmetry detection optical system receives a share of positive and negative orders of radiation diffracted by the periodic structure, and forms first and second images of said spot on first and second detectors respectively, wherein said negative order radiation is used to form the first image and said positive order radiation is used to form the second image. A processor for processing together signals from said first and second detectors representing intensities of said positive and negative orders to produce a measurement of asymmetry in the periodic structure. The asymmetry measurement can be used to improve accuracy of the position read by the alignment sensor.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a metrology method. The method comprises obtaining measurement data relating to measurement of at least one target using two or more different illumination profiles; and a respective parameter of interest value for a parameter of interest for each of said two or more different illumination profiles. The method described determining, from said measurement data, a respective measurement parameter deviation value for each of said two or more different illumination profiles, said measurement parameter deviation value describing a deviation in a measurement parameter with respect to a measurement parameter value attributed to a region of interest of said target or a sub-target thereof; determining a relationship for the target between the parameter of interest values and the measurement parameter deviation values; and determining one or both of a corrected parameter of interest value and a preferred illumination profile from said relationship.
Abstract:
Apparatus, systems, and methods are used for detecting the alignment of a feature on a substrate using a polarization independent interferometer. The apparatus, system, and methods include optical elements that receive light that has diffracted or scattered from a mark on a substrate. The optical elements may split the diffracted light into multiple subbeams of light which are detected by one or more detectors. The diffracted light may be combined optically or during processing after detection. The system may determine alignment and/or overlay based on the received diffracted light having any polarization angle or state.