公开(公告)号：US20170176879A1

公开(公告)日：2017-06-22

申请号：US15381980

申请日：2016-12-16

Applicant: Stichting VU ,  Universiteit van Amsterdam ,  Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie ,  ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Stefan Michiel WITTE ,  Kjeld Sijbrand Eduard EIKEMA

IPC: G03F9/00 ,  G01B15/00 ,  H05G2/00 ,  G01N23/205

CPC classification number: G03F9/7042 ,  G01B15/00 ,  G01N23/2055 ,  G03F7/70625 ,  H05G2/008

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). The lithographic apparatus has an inspection apparatus with an EUV radiation source. The radiation source emits a radiation beam that includes coherent radiation of a specific wavelength. The beam propagates to illumination optical system, which focuses the radiation beam into a focused beam of illuminating radiation. The illumination optical system illuminates a three-dimensional product structure on the substrate, which scatters the illuminating radiation. On the surface of a detector, the radiation scattered by the product structure forms a diffraction pattern that is used to reconstruct data describing the three-dimensional product structure.

公开(公告)号：US20190354026A1

公开(公告)日：2019-11-21

申请号：US16478068

申请日：2018-01-10

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Stefan Michiel WITTE ,  Alessandro ANTONCECCHI ,  Stephen EDWARD ,  Hao ZHANG ,  Paulus Clemens Maria PLANKEN ,  Kjeld Sijbrand Eduard EIKEMA ,  Sebastianus Adrianus GOORDEN ,  Simon Reinald HUISMAN ,  Irwan Dani SETIJA

IPC: G03F9/00 ,  G01B11/24 ,  G01B17/06

Abstract: As increasing numbers of layers, using increasing numbers of specific materials, are deposited on substrates, it becomes increasingly difficult to detect alignment marks accurately for, for example, applying a desired pattern onto a substrate using a lithographic apparatus, in part due to one or more of the materials used in one or more of the layers being wholly or partially opaque to the radiation used to detect alignment marks. In a first step, the substrate is illuminated with excitation radiation. In a second step, at least one effect associated with a reflected material effect scattered by a buried structure is measured. The effect may, for example, include a physical displacement of the surface of the substrate. In a third step, at least one characteristic of the structure based on the measured effect is derived.

公开(公告)号：US20200232931A1

公开(公告)日：2020-07-23

申请号：US16751104

申请日：2020-01-23

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V. ,  Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten ,  Stichting VU ,  Universiteit van Amsterdam

Inventor： Stefan Michiel WITTE ,  Gijsbert Simon Matthijs JANSEN ,  Lars Christian FREISEM ,  Kjeld Sijbrand Eduard EIKEMA ,  Simon Gijsbert Josephus MATHIJSSEN

IPC: G01N21/88 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01J9/00 ,  G01J1/42 ,  G01N21/95

Abstract: A metrology apparatus (302) includes a higher harmonic generation (HHG) radiation source for generating (310) EUV radiation. Operation of the HHG source is monitored using a wavefront sensor (420) which comprises an aperture array (424, 702) and an image sensor (426). A grating (706) disperses the radiation passing through each aperture so that the image detector captures positions and intensities of higher diffraction orders for different spectral components and different locations across the beam. In this way, the wavefront sensor can be arranged to measure a wavefront tilt for multiple harmonics at each location in said array. In one embodiment, the apertures are divided into two subsets (A) and (B), the gratings (706) of each subset having a different direction of dispersion. The spectrally resolved wavefront information (430) is used in feedback control (432) to stabilize operation of the HGG source, and/or to improve accuracy of metrology results.

公开(公告)号：US20180246423A1

公开(公告)日：2018-08-30

申请号：US15754470

申请日：2016-08-22

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Simon Gijsbert Josephus MATHIJSSEN ,  Arie Jeffrey DEN BOEF ,  Nitesh PANDEY ,  Patricius Aloysius Jacobus TINNEMANS ,  Stefan Michiel WITTE ,  Kjeld Sijbrand Eduard EIKEMA

IPC: G03F9/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G01B11/27

CPC classification number: G03F9/7003 ,  G01B11/272 ,  G03F9/7046 ,  G03F9/7088 ,  G03F9/7092 ,  G06T7/73

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus comprises comprise a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; and a sensor configured to sense a position of an alignment mark provided onto the substrate held by the substrate table. The sensor comprises a source of radiation configured to illuminate the alignment mark with a radiation beam, a detector configured to detect the radiation beam, having interacted with the alignment mark, as an out of focus optical pattern, and a data processing system. The data processing system is configured to receive image data representing the out of focus optical pattern, and process the image data for determining alignment information, comprising applying a lensless imaging algorithm to the out of focus optical pattern.