Abstract: A laser-operated light source encompasses a chamber for accommodating an ionizable gas and an ignition source for ionizing the gas in the chamber for generating a plasma. The light source furthermore encompasses a laser for inputting laser energy into the plasma such that, under the impact of the laser radiation, the plasma emits useful light, which forms the output signal of the light source, wherein provision is made for means for coupling the useful light into a transferring optical fiber. In the case of the light source according to the invention, at least one mode scrambler is assigned to the optical fiber or the optical fibers.

Abstract: An optical system comprising: an illumination system configured, to form a periodic illumination mode comprising radiation in a pupil plane of the optical system having a spatial intensity profile which is periodic in at least one direction, a measurement system configured to measure a dose of radiation which is received in an field plane of the optical system as a function of position in the field plane, and a controller configured to: select one or more spatial frequencies in the field plane at which variation in the received dose of radiation as a function of position is caused by speckle, and determine a measure of the variation of the received dose of radiation as a function of position at the selected one or more spatial frequencies, the measure of the variation in the received dose being indicative of speckle in the field plane.

Abstract: A method including: obtaining a measurement of a metrology target on a substrate processed using a patterning process, the measurement having been obtained using measurement radiation; and deriving a parameter of interest of the patterning process from the measurement, wherein the parameter of interest is corrected by a stack difference parameter, the stack difference parameter representing an un-designed difference in physical configuration between adjacent periodic structures of the target or between the metrology target and another adjacent target on the substrate.

Abstract: Methods provide computationally efficient techniques for designing gauge patterns for calibrating a model for use in a simulation process. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods of designing gauge patterns that achieve complete coverage of parameter variations with minimum number of gauges and corresponding measurements in the calibration of a lithographic process utilized to image a target design having a plurality of features. According to some aspects, a method according to the invention includes transforming the space of model parametric space (based on CD sensitivity or Delta TCCs), then iteratively identifying the direction that is most orthogonal to existing gauges' CD sensitivities in this new space, and determining most sensitive line width/pitch combination with optimal assist feature placement which leads to most sensitive CD changes along that direction in model parametric space.

Abstract: A metrology tool, an aplanatic singlet lens, and a method of designing an aplanatic singlet lens are provided. The metrology tool is for determining a characteristic of a structure on a substrate. The metrology tool comprises an optical detection system for detecting radiation over a wavelength range. The optical detection system comprises an aplanatic singlet lens for focusing the radiation on to a detector. The aplanatic singlet lens has a n aplanatic wavelength which is within the wavelength range.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a positioning system, comprising: a first actuator to exert an actuation force on a moveable body, the first actuator being coupled to a balance mass configured to absorb a reaction force resulting from the actuation force, the actuation force providing an acceleration of the moveable body and the reaction force providing an acceleration of the balance mass, wherein a force resulting from the acceleration of the moveable body together with a force resulting from the acceleration of the balance mass result in a balance mass torque; a balance mass support to support the balance mass onto a frame, which balance mass support engages the frame at a support position; and a torque compensator; wherein the torque compensator exerts a compensation force to compensate the balance mass torque, and wherein the torque compensator exerts the compensation force on the frame at the support position.

Abstract: A two-dimensional diffraction grating for a phase-stepping measurement system for determining an aberration map for a projection system comprises a substrate provided with a square array of through-apertures, wherein the diffraction grating is self-supporting. It will be appreciated that for a substrate provided with a square array of through-apertures to be self-supporting at least some substrate material is provided between each through-aperture and the adjacent through apertures. A method of designing a two-dimensional diffraction grating for a phase-stepping measurement system for determining an aberration map for a projection system comprises: selecting a general geometry for the two-dimensional diffraction grating, the general geometry having at least one parameter; and selecting values for the least one parameter that result in a grating efficiency map for the two-dimensional diffraction grating so as to control the contributions to a first harmonic of a phase stepping signal.

Abstract: A method to determine a mask pattern for a patterning device. The method includes obtaining a target pattern to be printed on a substrate, an initial continuous tone image corresponding to the target pattern, a binarization function (e.g., a sigmoid, an arctan, a step function, etc.) configured to transform the initial continuous tone image, and a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from an output of the binarization function; and generating a binarized image having a mask pattern corresponding to the initial continuous tone image by iteratively updating the initial continuous tone image based on a cost function such that the cost function is reduced. The cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern determined by the process model and the target pattern.

Abstract: Method and machine utilizes the real-time recipe to perform weak point inspection on a series of wafers during the fabrication of integrated circuits. Each real-time recipe essentially corresponds to a practical fabrication history of a wafer to be examined and/or the examination results of at least one examined wafer of same “lot”. Therefore, different wafers can be examined by using different recipes where each recipe corresponds to a specific condition of a wafer to be examined, even these wafers are received by a machine for examining at the same time.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is described having a liquid supply system configured to at least partly fill a space between a projection system of the lithographic apparatus and a substrate with liquid, a barrier member arranged to substantially contain the liquid within the space, and a heater.

Abstract: A functional device pattern is formed in a self-aligned multiple patterning process (e.g. SADP, SAQP). A first grid structure is formed on the substrate, the first grid structure including a plurality of elements in a first periodic arrangement. The first grid structure may be formed, for example, by a self-aligned pitch multiplication process. The first grid structure is then modified at specific locations in accordance with a cut mask, thereby to define the functional device pattern. In an intermediate step, a second grid structure is formed overlying the first grid structure. The second grid structure includes a plurality of elements in a second periodic arrangement. The elements of the second grid structure work in addition to the cut mask to constrain the locations at which the first grid structure is modified. Overlay and CD requirements of the cut mask can be relaxed.

Abstract: A three-dimensional mask model that provides a more realistic approximation of the three-dimensional effects of a photolithography mask with sub-wavelength features than a thin-mask model. In one embodiment, the three-dimensional mask model includes a set of filtering kernels in the spatial domain that are configured to be convolved with thin-mask transmission functions to produce a near-field image. In another embodiment, the three-dimensional mask model includes a set of correction factors in the frequency domain that are configured to be multiplied by the Fourier transform of thin-mask transmission functions to produce a near-field image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus, comprising: —a primary frame (10) which is provided with a functional unit (11, 12, 14), —a secondary frame (20), —a primary frame support (30), which is adapted to support the primary frame onto the secondary frame, —a flexible utility connection (40), adapted to connect the functional unit to an auxiliary system (51, 52, 53), —a vibration isolation body (60) having a body mass, which is moveably connected to the secondary frame by a flexible passive body support (61) having a body support stiffness, wherein the flexible utility connection is fixed to the vibration isolation body at a distance from the primary frame.

Abstract: Substrates to be processed are partitioned based on pre-processing data that is associated with substrates before a process step. The data is partitioned using a partition rule and the substrates are partitioned into subsets in accordance with subsets of the data obtained by the partitioning. Corrections are applied, specific to each subset. The partition rule is obtained using decision tree analysis on a training set of substrates. The decision tree analysis uses pre-processing data associated with the training substrates before they were processed, and post-processing data associated with the training substrates after being subject to the process step. The partition rule that defines the decision tree is selected from a plurality of partition rules based on a characteristic of subsets of the post-processing data. The associated corrections are obtained implicitly at the same time.

Abstract: A method including: obtaining data based an optical proximity correction for a spatially shifted version of a training design pattern; and training a machine learning model configured to predict optical proximity corrections for design patterns using data regarding the training design pattern and the data based on the optical proximity correction for the spatially shifted version of the training design pattern.

Abstract: Methods of controlling a patterning process are disclosed. In one arrangement, tilt data resulting from a measurement of tilt in an etching path through a target layer of a structure on a substrate is obtained. The tilt represents a deviation in a direction of the etching path from a perpendicular to the plane of the target layer. The tilt data is used to control a patterning process used to form a pattern in a further layer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of detection, registration and quantification of an image is described. The method may include obtaining an image of a lithographically created structure, and applying a level set method to an object, representing the structure, of the image to create a mathematical representation of the structure. The method may include obtaining a first dataset representative of a reference image object of a structure at a nominal condition of a parameter, and obtaining second dataset representative of a template image object of the structure at a non-nominal condition of the parameter. The method may further include obtaining a deformation field representative of changes between the first dataset and the second dataset. The deformation field may be generated by transforming the second dataset to project the template image object onto the reference image object. A dependence relationship between the deformation field and change in the parameter may be obtained.

Abstract: A method for improving the yield of a lithographic process, the method including: determining a parameter fingerprint of a performance parameter across a substrate, the parameter fingerprint including information relating to uncertainty in the performance parameter; determining a process window fingerprint of the performance parameter across the substrate, the process window being associated with an allowable range of the performance parameter; and determining a probability metric associated with the probability of the performance parameter being outside an allowable range. Optionally a correction to the lithographic process is determined based on the probability metric.

Abstract: Disclosed method of measuring a parameter relating to a structure formed using a lithographic process, and more specifically focus or line edge roughness. The method includes measuring a structure having a dimension, e.g., a critical dimension, which is sufficiently large to enable radiation diffracted by at least one edge of said structure to be (e.g., individually) optically resolved. The method comprises obtaining an intensity metric from an image of the at least one edge and determining a value for said parameter based on the intensity metric.

Abstract: An overlay metrology target (T) is formed by a lithographic process. A first image (740(0)) of the target structure is obtained using with illuminating radiation having a first angular distribution, the first image being formed using radiation diffracted in a first direction (X) and radiation diffracted in a second direction (Y). A second image (740(R)) of the target structure using illuminating radiation having a second angular illumination distribution which the same as the first angular distribution, but rotated 90 degrees. The first image and the second image can be used together so as to discriminate between radiation diffracted in the first direction and radiation diffracted in the second direction by the same part of the target structure. This discrimination allows overlay and other asymmetry-related properties to be measured independently in X and Y, even in the presence of two-dimensional structures within the same part of the target structure.