Abstract: Particle trap assemblies configured to reduce the possibility of contaminant particles with a large range of sizes, materials, travel speeds and angles of incidence reaching a particle-sensitive environment. The particle trap may be a gap geometric particle trap located between a stationary part and a movable part of the lithography apparatus. The particle trap may also be a surface geometric particle trap located on a surface of a particle sensitive environment in lithography or metrology apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to determine a property of a substrate by measuring, in the pupil plane of a high numerical aperture lens, an angle-resolved spectrum as a result of radiation being reflected off the substrate. The property may be angle and wavelength dependent and may include the intensity of TM- and TE-polarized radiation and their relative phase difference.

Abstract: A method including computing, in accordance with one or more parameters of a substrate measurement recipe, measurement with a latent image of a target and measurement with a post- development image corresponding to the latent image, to evaluate a characteristic determined from the computed measurement with the latent image of the target and determined from the computed measurement with the post-development image corresponding to the latent image; and adjusting the one or more parameters of the substrate measurement recipe and re-performing the computing, until a certain termination condition is satisfied with respect to the characteristic,

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a patterning device support to support a patterning device, the patterning device system including a moveable structure movably arranged relative to an object, a patterning device holder movably arranged relative to the movable structure to hold the patterning device, an actuator to move the movable structure relative to the object, and an ultra short stroke actuator to move the patterning device holder with respect to the movable structure; a substrate support to hold a substrate; a projection system to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; a transmission image sensor for measuring a position of the patterned radiation beam downstream of the projection system; and a calibrator for determining a relationship between magnitude of an applied control signal to the ultra short stroke actuator and resulting change in position of the patterned radiation beam and/or patterning device holder and/or patterning device.

Abstract: Methods of determining information about a patterning process. In a method, measurement data from a metrology process applied to each of a plurality of metrology targets on a substrate is obtained. The measurement data for each metrology target includes at least a first contribution and a second contribution. The first contribution is from a parameter of interest of a patterning process used to form the metrology target. The second contribution is from an error in the metrology process. The method further includes using the obtained measurement data from all of the plurality of metrology targets to obtain information about an error in the metrology process, and using the obtained information about the error in the metrology process to extract a value of the parameter of interest for each metrology target.

Abstract: A focus metrology target includes one or more periodic arrays of features. A measurement of focus performance of a lithographic apparatus is based at least in part on diffraction signals obtained from the focus metrology target. Each periodic array of features includes a repeating arrangement of first zones interleaved with second zones, a feature density being different in the first zones and the second zones. Each first zone includes a repeating arrangement of first features. A minimum dimension of each first feature is close to but not less than a resolution limit of the printing by the lithographic apparatus, so as to comply with a design rule in a given a process environment. A region of high feature density may further include a repeating arrangement of larger features.

Abstract: A substrate table to support a substrate on a substrate supporting area, the substrate table having a heat transfer fluid channel at least under the substrate supporting area, and a plurality of heaters and/or coolers to thermally control the heat transfer fluid in the channel at a location under the substrate supporting area.

Abstract: A method for recovering alignment marks in a mark layer of a substrate, the method including providing a substrate with a mark layer covered by a resist layer; forming alignment marks in the mark layer, wherein an alignment mark is formed by: exposing the resist layer to a patterned radiation beam thereby forming an alignment pattern in the resist; forming one or more recovery marks in the mark layer, wherein a recovery mark is formed by exposing the resist layer to at least a portion of the patterned radiation beam thereby forming an alignment pattern in a mark area of the resist and subsequently exposing the mark area of the resist, each time with a shifted patterned radiation beam until a substantial part of the mark area has been exposed.

Abstract: A method includes providing a target material that comprises a component that emits extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light when converted to plasma; directing a first beam of radiation toward the target material to deliver energy to the target material to modify a geometric distribution of the target material to form a modified target; directing a second beam of radiation toward the modified target, the second beam of radiation converting at least part of the modified target to plasma that emits EUV light; measuring one or more characteristics associated with one or more of the target material and the modified target relative to the first beam of radiation; and controlling an amount of radiant exposure delivered to the target material from the first beam of radiation based on the one or more measured characteristics to within a predetermined range of energies.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process monitoring method, and an associated metrology apparatus. The method comprises: comparing measured target response spectral sequence data relating to the measurement response of actual targets to equivalent reference target response sequence data relating to a measurement response of the targets as designed; and performing a process monitoring action based on the comparison of said measured target response sequence data and reference target response sequence data. The method may also comprise determining stack parameters from the measured target response spectral sequence data and reference target response spectral sequence data.

Abstract: Methods of reducing a pattern displacement error, contrast loss, best focus shift, and/or tilt of a Bossung curve of a portion of a design layout used in a lithographic process for imaging that portion onto a substrate using a lithographic apparatus. The methods include adjusting an illumination source of the lithographic apparatus, placing one or more assist features onto, or adjusting a position and/or shape of one or more existing assist features in, the portion. Adjusting the illumination source and/or the one or more assist features may be by an optimization algorithm.

Abstract: A positioning device comprising an object table and a positioning module configured to position the object table. The positioning module comprises a first positioning module member configured to hold the object table, a second positioning module member configured to support the first positioning module member, and a support frame configured to support the second positioning module member. The positioning module also includes one or more actuators, a position measurement system configured to measure a position of the object table, and a control unit configured to control a position of the object table based on the measured position of the object table. The control unit is further configured to control a vertical position of the second position module member so as to maintain a top surface of the second positioning module member substantially parallel to a bottom surface of the first positioning module member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate support (1), comprising: a support body (2) forming a support surface configured to support a substrate, wherein said support surface comprises a support surface part configured to support a substrate area of the substrate, at least one actuator (6) arranged on the support body at a location aligned with the support surface part and configured to contract or extend in a direction substantially parallel to a main plane of the support surface.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for measuring a plurality of structures formed on a substrate are disclosed. In one arrangement, a method includes obtaining data from a first measurement process. The first measurement process including individually measuring each of the plurality of structures to measure a first property of the structure. A second measurement process is used to measure a second property of each of the plurality of structures. The second measurement process includes illuminating each structure with radiation having a radiation property that is individually selected for that structure using the measured first property for the structure.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate, a vacuum chamber through which the patterned beam of radiation is projected during use, and a purge system configured to provide a purge gas flow in the chamber.

Abstract: An efficient OPC method of increasing imaging performance of a lithographic process utilized to image a target design having a plurality of features. The method includes determining a function for generating a simulated image, where the function accounts for process variations associated with the lithographic process; and optimizing target gray level for each evaluation point in each OPC iteration based on this function. In one given embodiment, the function is approximated as a polynomial function of focus and exposure, R(?,ƒ)=P0+ƒ2·Pb with a threshold of T+V? for contours, where PO represents image intensity at nominal focus, ƒ represents the defocus value relative to the nominal focus, ? represents the exposure change, V represents the scaling of exposure change, and parameter “Pb” represents second order derivative images. In another given embodiment, the analytical optimal gray level is given for best focus with the assumption that the probability distribution of focus and exposure variation is Gaussian.

Abstract: An extraction body for a support apparatus of a lithographic apparatus. The support apparatus is configured to support an object. The extraction body is formed with an opening at a surface thereof. The opening extends within the extraction body forming a first passageway. The first passageway is configured to fluidly communicate an extraction channel in the extraction body to liquid between the surface and the object. A first pressure in the extraction channel is less than ambient pressure. At least a part of the first passageway is sized and dimensioned such that when the liquid enters the first passageway via the opening, a second pressure in the first passageway associated with surface tension of the liquid is lower than the first pressure such that at least a portion of the liquid is retained in the first passageway.

Abstract: A method of reconstructing a characteristic of a structure formed on a substrate by a lithographic process, and an associated metrology apparatus. The method includes combining measured values of a first parameter associated with the lithographic process to obtain an estimated value of the first parameter; and reconstructing at least a second parameter associated with the characteristic of the structure using the estimated value of the first parameter and a measurement of the structure. The combining may involve modeling a variation of the first parameter to obtain a parameter model or fingerprint of the first parameter.

Abstract: A lithographic method for measuring a position of a target grating with a mask sensor apparatus which comprises a plurality of detector modules each comprising a diffraction grating located at a mask side of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus and an associated detector, the method comprising a first step of measuring first intensities of a combination of diffraction orders diffracted from the target grating while the mask sensor apparatus is moved relatively to the target grating along a first direction; a second step of displacing the mask sensor apparatus relative to the target grating in a second direction, wherein a size of the relative displacement is proportional to a spatial frequency of a potential error; and a third step of measuring second intensities of the combination of diffraction orders diffracted from the target grating while the mask sensor apparatus is moved relatively to the target grating along the first direction.

Abstract: Disclosed are an optical system for conditioning a beam of radiation, and an illumination system and metrology apparatus comprising such an optical system. The optical system comprises one or more optical mixing elements in an optical system. The optical system defines at least a first optical mixing stage, at least a second optical mixing stage, and at least one transformation stage, configured such that radiation entering the second optical mixing stage includes a transformed version of radiation exiting the first optical mixing stage. The first and second optical mixing stages can be provided using separate optical mixing elements, or by multiple passes through the same optical mixing element. The transformation stage can be a Fourier transformation stage. Both spatial distribution and angular distribution of illumination can be homogenized as desired.