Abstract: An apparatus comprising: a position monitoring system configured to determine the position of the substrate with respect to a projection system configured to project a radiation beam through an opening in the projection system and onto a substrate, wherein a component of the position monitoring system is located beneath the projection system in use; and a baffle disposed between the opening and the component.

Abstract: Disclosed is a detection apparatus for simultaneous acquisition of multiple images of an object at a plurality of different focus levels; comprising: a modulator for obtaining multiple beam copies of an incoming beam; and a detector operable to capture said multiple beam copies, such that at two of said multiple beam copies are captured at different focus levels. Also disclosed is an inspection apparatus comprising such a detection system.

Abstract: A lens element of a charged particle system comprises an electrode having a central opening. The lens element is configured for functionally cooperating with an aperture array that is located directly adjacent said electrode, wherein the aperture array is configured for blocking part of a charged particle beam passing through the central opening of said electrode. The electrode is configured to operate at a first electric potential and the aperture array is configured to operate at a second electric potential different from the first electric potential. The electrode and the aperture array together form an aberration correcting lens.

Abstract: A method, involving determining a first distribution of a first parameter associated with an error or residual in performing a device manufacturing process; determining a second distribution of a second parameter associated with an error or residual in performing the device manufacturing process; and determining a distribution of a parameter of interest associated with the device manufacturing process using a function operating on the first and second distributions. The function may include a correlation.

Abstract: A system for and method of processing a wafer in which a scan signal is analyzed locally to extract information about alignment, overlay, mark quality, wafer quality, and the like.

Abstract: An illumination source apparatus (500), suitable for use in a metrology apparatus for the characterization of a structure on a substrate, the illumination source apparatus comprising: a high harmonic generation, HHG, medium (502); a pump radiation source (506) operable to emit a beam of pump radiation (508); and adjustable transformation optics (510) configured to adjustably transform the transverse spatial profile of the beam of pump radiation to produce a transformed beam (518) such that relative to the centre axis of the transformed beam, a central region of the transformed beam has substantially zero intensity and an outer region which is radially outwards from the centre axis of the transformed beam has a non-zero intensity, wherein the transformed beam is arranged to excite the HHG medium so as to generate high harmonic radiation (540), wherein the location of said outer region is dependent on an adjustment setting of the adjustable transformation optics.

Abstract: In some general aspects, a surface of a structure within a chamber of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source is cleaned using a method. The method includes generating a plasma state of a material that is present at a location adjacent to a non-electrically conductive body that is within the chamber. The generation of the plasma state of the material includes electromagnetically inducing an electric current at the location adjacent the non-electrically conductive body to thereby transform the material that is adjacent the non-electrically conductive body from a first state into the plasma state. The plasma state of the material includes plasma particles, at least some of which are free radicals of the material. The method also includes enabling the plasma particles to pass over the structure surface to remove debris from the structure surface without removing the structure from the chamber of the EUV light source.

Abstract: A method of calculating electromagnetic scattering properties of a structure represented as a nominal structure and a structural perturbation, has the steps: 1008 numerically solving a volume integral equation comprising a nominal linear system 1004 to determine a nominal vector field being independent with respect to the structural perturbation; 1010 using a perturbed linear system 1006 to determine an approximation of a vector field perturbation arising from the structural perturbation, by solving a volume integral equation or an adjoint linear system. Matrix-vector multiplication of a nominal linear system matrix convolution operator may be restricted to sub-matrices; and 1012 calculating electromagnetic scattering properties of the structure using the determined nominal vector field and the determined approximation of the vector field perturbation.

Abstract: A lithographic system comprises a radiation source and a lithographic apparatus. The radiation source provides radiation to the lithographic apparatus. The lithographic apparatus uses the radiation for imaging a pattern onto multiple target areas on a layer of photo-resist on a semiconductor substrate. The imaging requires a pre-determined dose of radiation. The system is controlled so as to set a level of a power of the radiation in dependence on a magnitude of the pre-determined dose.

Abstract: Degradation of the reflectivity of one or more reflective optical elements in a system (SO) for generating EUV radiation is reduced by the controlled introduction of a gas into a vacuum chamber (26) containing the optical element. The gas may be added to the flow of another gas such as hydrogen or alternated with the introduction of hydrogen radicals.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for reducing particles in the vicinity of an electrostatic chuck (300) in which a cleaning reticle or substrate (320) is secured to the chuck, the cleaning reticle or substrate having surfaces partially devoid of conductive material so that an electric field from the chuck can pass through to a volume adjacent the substrate to draw particles (360) in the volume to the surface of the substrate. Voltage supplied to the chuck may have an alternating polarity to enhance the attraction of particles to the surface.

Abstract: The invention provides a position sensor (300) which comprises an optical system (305,306) configured to provide measurement radiation (304) to a substrate (307). The optical system is arranged to receive at least a portion of radiation (309) diffracted by a mark (308) provided on the substrate. A processor (313) is applied to derive at least one position-sensitive signal (312) from the received radiation. The measurement radiation comprises at least a first and a second selected radiation wavelength. The selection of the at least first and second radiation wavelengths is based on a position error swing-curve model.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a capillary usable as part of a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The method includes obtaining a capillary having capillary wall including a first wall thickness; and chemically etching the capillary wall to reduce the wall thickness of the capillary wall. During performance of the etching, a control parameter is locally varied along the length of the capillary, the control parameter relating to reactivity of an etchant used in the etching, so as to control the etched wall thickness of the capillary wall along the capillary length. Also disclosed is a capillary manufactured by such a method and various devices including such a capillary.

Abstract: Disclosed among other aspects is a charged particle inspection system including an absorbing component and a programmable charged-particle mirror plate arranged to modify the energy distribution of electrons in a beam and shape the beam to reduce the energy spread of the electrons and aberrations of the beam, with the absorbing component including a set of absorbing structures configured as absorbing structures provided on a transparent conductive layer and a method using such an absorbing component and with the programmable charged-particle mirror plate including a set of pixels configured to generate a customized electric field to shape the beam and using such a programmable charged-particle mirror plate.

Abstract: A radiation measurement system (200) comprising an optical apparatus (205) configured to receive a radiation beam (210) and change an intensity distribution of the radiation beam to output a conditioned radiation beam (215), and a spectrometer (220) operable to receive the conditioned radiation beam and determine spectral content of the conditioned radiation beam. The radiation measurement system may form part of a lithographic apparatus.

Abstract: An immersion lithography apparatus is disclosed in which liquid is supplied to a space between a projection system and a substrate, and a plate structure is provided to divide the space into two parts. The plate structure has an aperture to allow transmission of the projection beam, has through holes in it to reduce the damping effect of the presence of the plate and optionally has one or more inlets and outlets to provide various flows around the aperture in the plate. An embodiment of the invention may reduce the transportation of contaminants, stray light, temperature gradients, and/or the effect of bubbles on the imaging quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for compensating dispersion of a beam separator in a single-beam or multi-beam apparatus. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dispersion device comprising an electrostatic deflector and a magnetic deflector configured to induce a beam dispersion set to cancel the dispersion generated by the beam separator. The combination of the electrostatic deflector and the magnetic deflector can be used to keep the deflection angle due to the dispersion device unchanged when the induced beam dispersion is changed to compensate for a change in the dispersion generated by the beam separator. In some embodiments, the deflection angle due to the dispersion device can be controlled to be zero and there is no change in primary beam axis due to the dispersion device.

Abstract: A method for estimating a parameter across a region on a substrate, the region being divided into a plurality of sub-regions, the method including: obtaining values of the parameter for at least two sub-regions out of the plurality of sub-regions; and estimating the parameter for a position on the region by evaluation of a function having said values of the parameter as input values, wherein the function: a) has piecewise defined base functions, wherein a single base function is defined across a sub-region; and b) is continuous between one or more adjacent sub-regions of the at least two sub-regions within the region.

Abstract: A method of determining a correction for a process parameter related to a lithographic process, wherein the lithographic process includes a plurality of runs during each one of which a pattern is applied to one or more substrates. The method of determining includes obtaining pre-exposure metrology data describing a property of a substrate; obtaining post-exposure metrology data comprising one or more measurements of the process parameter having been performed on one or more previously exposed substrates; assigning, based on the pre-exposure metrology data, a group membership status from one or more groups to the substrate; and determining the correction for the process parameter based on the group membership status and the post-exposure metrology data.

Abstract: A metrology apparatus for and a method of determining a characteristic of interest relating to at least one structure on a substrate. The metrology apparatus comprises a sensor and an optical system. The sensor is for detecting characteristics of radiation impinging on the sensor. The optical system comprises an illumination path and a detection path. The optical system is configured to illuminate the at least one structure with radiation received from a source via the illumination path. The optical system is configured to receive radiation scattered by the at least one structure and to transmit the received radiation to the sensor via the detection path.