Abstract: An image generating apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain plural pieces of tomographic image data, in which each piece of tomographic image data indicates a cross section of substantially the same position of a subject, a calculation unit configured to calculate a motion contrast value based on the plural pieces of tomographic image data and a comparison result of a representative value of the plural pieces of tomographic image data indicating a signal intensity and a threshold, a generation unit configured to generate a motion contrast image of the subject based on the motion contrast value, and a change unit configured to change the threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lithography apparatus including a plurality of detectors each configured to detect a mark on the substrate, and a controller configured to control a patterning so that a first operation and a second operation are alternately performed, the first operation irradiating the substrate with a beam while scan movement of the substrate is performed in a first direction, the second operation performing step movement of the substrate in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the controller is configured to cause, in the first operation, at least one of the plurality of detectors to detect the mark, and the plurality of detectors are arranged, in the second direction, at an interval which is a positive integer multiple of a distance of the step movement.

Abstract: An image generating apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain plural pieces of tomographic image data, in which each piece of tomographic image data indicates a cross section of substantially the same position of a subject, a calculation unit configured to calculate a motion contrast value based on the plural pieces of tomographic image data and a comparison result of a representative value of the plural pieces of tomographic image data indicating a signal intensity and a threshold, a generation unit configured to generate a motion contrast image of the subject based on the motion contrast value, and a change unit configured to change the threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lithography apparatus including a plurality of detectors each configured to detect a mark on the substrate, and a controller configured to control a patterning so that a first operation and a second operation are alternately performed, the first operation irradiating the substrate with a beam while scan movement of the substrate is performed in a first direction, the second operation performing step movement of the substrate in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the controller is configured to cause, in the first operation, at least one of the plurality of detectors to detect the mark, and the plurality of detectors are arranged, in the second direction, at an interval which is a positive integer multiple of a distance of the step movement.

Abstract: At least one lithography apparatus, lithography method and method of manufacturing an article are provided herein. At least one lithography apparatus for performing patterning on a substrate, includes a stage configured to hold the substrate and be movable, an irradiation device configured to irradiate the substrate with a beam for the patterning, and a controller configured to cause the stage and the irradiation device to perform a first process of forming, on a substrate including a zeroth mark for overlay inspection, a first mark for overlay inspection to be paired with the zeroth mark and a second mark for overlay inspection, with the patterning not being performed, and to perform a second process of forming, on the substrate, a third mark for overlay inspection to be paired with the second mark, with the patterning being performed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lithography apparatus which forms a pattern by sequentially irradiating a first region and a second region on a substrate with a beam, the apparatus including a beam detector configured to detect the beam, and a processor configured to obtain position information of the second region by giving a weight to first position information of the second region based on an output from the beam detector before irradiation of the first region with the beam, and giving a weight to second position information of the second region based on an output from the beam detector after the irradiation.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus for performing patterning on a substrate with a charged particle beam is provided. An optical system of the apparatus has a function of adjusting the focus position of the charged particle beam and the irradiation position of the charged particle beam on the substrate, and irradiates the substrate with the charged particle beam. A controller of the apparatus controls the optical system such that the patterning is performed with adjustment, of the focus position and the irradiation position based on the surface shape of the substrate for adjustment of the focus position, accompanied with the patterning.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for measuring inclination of a beam emitted to a substrate with respect to an optical-axis direction of an optical system for forming the beam. The method includes moving the substrate to a first height and a second height and turning the substrate about a rotational axis in the optical-axis direction. The method further includes acquiring a beam position with respect to the substrate situated at each of the first height and the second height both before and after the turning and determining the inclination of the beam based on the first height, the second height, and the beam positions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for drawing data that indicates a timing at which a substrate is irradiated with a beam. The method includes determining whether or not a mark to be irradiated with the beam exists in a predetermined region on a substrate. The method further includes creating, in a case where the mark exists in the predetermined region, the drawing data such that a mark region including the mark is irradiated with the beam at a predetermined timing after a region other than the mark region is irradiated with the beam.

Abstract: A drawing apparatus performs drawing on a first partial region and a second partial region. The first and second partial regions having an overlap region in which the first and second partial regions overlap each other. The apparatus includes a transformation device configured to transform first pattern data for the first partial region into first quantized pattern data in accordance with a first transformation rule, and to transform second pattern data for the second partial region into second quantized pattern data in accordance with a second transformation rule different from the first transformation rule, and a controller configured to control the drawing on the first partial region based on the first quantized pattern data, and to control the drawing on the second partial region based on the second quantized pattern data.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided to measure a position of a mark with a less measurement error caused by a variation in a wafer process condition. The mark is illuminated with light and an image of the mark is formed, via an optical system, in a light receiving surface of a sensor. The image of the mark is sensed and image data thereof is acquired by the sensor. Correction data of a fundamental frequency and a high harmonic of the image data is set based on information associated with a shape of the mark, an imaging magnification of the optical system, and an imaging area of the sensor. The image data is corrected using the correction data, and the position of the mark is calculated using the corrected image data.

Abstract: The present invention provides a processing method of processing a first signal obtained by detecting an alignment mark including a plurality of mark elements to obtain a position of the alignment mark, the method including steps of performing filtering to the first signal to generate a second signal, and obtaining the position of the alignment mark based on the second signal, wherein the filtering uses a plurality of filters by which a plurality of weights are respectively given to the plurality of mark elements, all of the plurality of weights being not the same for obtaining the position.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical system configured to irradiate a surface of a substrate with a beam, a control unit configured to control a position of the irradiation of the beam, and a first measurement unit and a second measurement unit each configured to measure a position of a mark formed on the substrate. The second measurement unit is placed at a position closer to an optical axis of the optical system than the first measurement unit is. Based on a position measurement value measured by the first measurement unit and position measurement values measured at different timings by the second measurement unit, the control unit controls the position of the beam irradiated to the substrate. The position measurement values measured at the different timings are values obtained from the same mark or values obtained from two marks adjacent to a common shot area.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus measures a position of each sample shot, and obtains a measurement error with respect to each second shot region of the sample shot regions based on a position of each second shot region obtained by first regression calculation based on a measurement value of a position of each first shot region of the sample shot regions, and a measurement value of a position of each second shot region. After forming the pattern in at least one shot region, the apparatus measures a position of each of shot regions of the second shot regions in a partial area, and obtains positions of shot regions in the partial area by second regression calculation based on measurement values of the positions of shot regions in the partial area and the obtained measurement error.

Abstract: A drawing apparatus performs drawing on a first partial region and a second partial region. The first and second partial regions having an overlap region in which the first and second partial regions overlap each other. The apparatus includes a transformation device configured to transform first pattern data for the first partial region into first quantized pattern data in accordance with a first transformation rule, and to transform second pattern data for the second partial region into second quantized pattern data in accordance with a second transformation rule different from the first transformation rule, and a controller configured to control the drawing on the first partial region based on the first quantized pattern data, and to control the drawing on the second partial region based on the second quantized pattern data.

Abstract: A method detects a position of a mark based on an image signal of the mark. The method includes steps of obtaining a first position of the mark by performing a first process for the image signal, extracting plural feature values from the image signal based on the first position, and detecting the position of the mark by obtaining an offset value for the first position based on the plural feature values.

Abstract: A drawing apparatus includes a charged particle optical system, a first measurement device including an image taking optical system and configured to measure a position of a reference mark in a first direction, a second measurement device configured to measure a position of the reference mark in the first direction based on an amount of charged particle beams that arrives thereat from the reference mark on which the charged particle beam are incident. The reference mark includes a first region having a first edge inclined with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a second region having a second edge parallel to the second direction. A processor obtains a baseline based on measurement result with respect to the first region obtained by the first measurement device and measurement result with respect to the second region obtained by the second measurement device.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided to measure a position of a mark with a less measurement error caused by a variation in a wafer process condition. The mark is illuminated with light and an image of the mark is formed, via an optical system, in a light receiving surface of a sensor. The image of the mark is sensed and image data thereof is acquired by the sensor. Correction data of a fundamental harmonic and a high harmonic of the image data is set based on information associated with a shape of the mark, an imaging magnification of the optical system, and an area of the sensor. The image data is corrected using the correction data, and the position of the mark is calculated using the corrected image data.

Abstract: An alignment method is provided in which a substrate including first and second layers is aligned in forming a second pattern in the second layer. The method includes storing first alignment measurement data to be used in alignment performed in forming a first pattern and a second alignment mark in the second layer, the first alignment measurement data obtained by measuring a first alignment mark provided in the first layer; obtaining second alignment measurement data by measuring the second alignment mark through a resist applied over the second layer; obtaining third alignment measurement data by measuring the first alignment mark through the resist; and performing alignment of the substrate in accordance with a first difference between the first and second alignment measurement data, or in accordance with the first difference and a second difference between the first and third alignment measurement data.

Abstract: The present invention provides a position detection apparatus including a first obtaining unit configured to obtain imaging characteristics of an imaging optical system for a plurality of light beams, having different wavelength with each other, of the light having the wavelength width, a second obtaining unit configured to obtain optical images of a target object for the plurality of light beams, a restoration unit configured to restore optical images of the target object for the plurality of light beams by correcting, deterioration in the obtained optical images of the target object attributed to the imaging optical system, based on the obtained imaging characteristics of the imaging optical system, and a generation unit configured to generate an optical image of the target object for light including the plurality of light beams by synthesizing the restored optical images of the target object for the plurality of light beams.