Abstract: Disclosed among other aspects is a charged particle inspection system including a phaseplate configured and arranged to modify the local phase of charged particles in a beam to reduce the effects of lens aberrations. The phaseplate is made up of an array of apertures with the voltage and/or a degree of obscuration of the apertures being controlled individually or in groups.

Abstract: Embodiments consistent with the disclosure herein include methods for image enhancement for a multi-beam charged-particle inspection system. Systems and methods consistent with the present disclosure include analyzing signal information representative of first and second images, wherein the first image is associated with a first beam of a set of beams and the second image is associated with a second beam of the set of beams; detecting, based on the analysis, disturbances in positioning of the first and second beams in relation to a sample; obtaining an image of the sample using the signal information of the first and second beams; and correcting the image of the sample using the identified disturbances.

Abstract: A method for configuring a semiconductor manufacturing process, the method including: providing an initial prediction model including a plurality of model parameters to one or more remote locations; receiving at least one updated model parameter from the one or more remote locations, the at least one model parameter is updated by training the initial prediction model with local data at the one or more remote locations; determining aggregated model parameters based on the at least one updated model parameter received from the one or more remote locations; and adjusting the initial prediction model based on the aggregated model parameters, the adjusted prediction model being operable to configure the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Abstract: A contamination trap for use in a debris mitigation system of a radiation source, the contamination trap comprising a plurality of vanes configured to trap fuel debris emitted from a plasma formation region of the radiation source; wherein at least one vane or each vane of the plurality of vanes comprises a material comprising a thermal conductivity above 30 W m?1K?1.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present disclosure provide various techniques for detecting backscatter charged particles, including accelerating charged particle sub-beams along sub-beam paths to a sample, repelling secondary charged particles from detector arrays, and providing devices and detectors which can switch between modes for primarily detecting charged particles and modes for primarily detecting secondary particles.

Abstract: A radiation system configured to produce radiation and comprising a droplet generator (3) configured to produce a droplet of fuel traveling towards a plasma formation region, a laser system operative to generate a pre-pulse (PP) and a main pulse (MP), wherein the pre-pulse is configured to condition the droplet for receipt of the main pulse, and wherein the main pulse is configured to convert the conditioned droplet into plasma producing the radiation and a control system configured to control a spatial offset between the pre-pulse and the droplet in a plane transverse to a propagation direction of the pre-pulse, wherein the control system is configured to adjust the spatial offset so as to maximize a velocity change of the conditioned droplet in a plane transverse to a propagation direction of the main pulse.

Abstract: A method of configuring a step of scanning a beam of photons or particles across a patterning device for exposing a pattern onto a substrate, wherein the method includes determining a spatial resolution of a patterning correction configured to improve quality of the exposing, and determining a spatial dimension of the beam based on the determined spatial resolution of the patterning correction.

Abstract: A laser beam monitoring system configured to monitor an attribute of an incident laser beam (24), the laser beam monitoring system comprising a beam separating element (30) and a plurality of sensors (34a-34d), wherein the beam separating element is configured to form a plurality of sub-beams (24a-24d) from the incident laser beam (24), a first sub-beam being directed towards a first sensor of the plurality of sensors and a second sub-beam being directed towards a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, wherein relative intensities of the first and second sub-beams are determined by a spatial position at which the incident laser beam is incident upon the beam separating element.

Abstract: A broadband radiation source device configured for generating a broadband output radiation upon receiving pump radiation, the device including: a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF) including at least one structurally varied portion having at least one structural parameter of the HC-PCF varied with respect to one or more main portions of the HC-PCF, wherein the at least one structurally varied portion includes at least a structurally varied portion located downstream of a position along the length of the HC-PCF where the pump radiation will be spectrally expanded by a modulation instability dominated nonlinear optical process, and wherein the at least one structurally varied portion is configured and located such that the broadband output radiation includes wavelengths in the ultraviolet region.

Abstract: The invention provides an inspection apparatus for inspecting an object, the apparatus comprising: a measurement system configured to measure: —a first parameter of the object across an area of interest of the object, and —a second parameter, different from the first parameter, of the object at a plurality of locations on the object; a stage apparatus configured to position the object relative to the measurement system during a measurement of the first parameter, wherein the measurement system is configured to measure the second parameter at the plurality of different locations during the measurement of the first parameter and wherein the stage apparatus is configured to position the object relative to the measurement system based on a compliance characteristic of the stage apparatus.

Abstract: A method for selecting an optimal set of locations for a measurement or feature on a substrate, the method includes: defining a first candidate solution of locations, defining a second candidate solution with locations based on modification of a coordinate in a solution domain of the first candidate solution, and selecting the first and/or second candidate solution as the optimal solution according to a constraint associated with the substrate.

Abstract: A multi-beam inspection apparatus including an adjustable beam separator is disclosed. The adjustable beam separator is configured to change a path of a secondary particle beam. The adjustable beam separator comprises a first Wien filter and a second Wien filter. Both Wien filters are aligned with a primary optical axis. The first Wien filter and the second Wien filter are independently controllable via a first excitation input and a second excitation input, respectively. The adjustable beam separator is configured move the effective bending point of the adjustable beam separator along the primary optical axis based on the first excitation input and the second excitation input.

Abstract: A device manufacturing method using a lithographic apparatus having a localized immersion system for confining an immersion liquid to a space between a projection system and a substrate to be exposed by the projection system, the method including: predicting a set of first locations on the substrate having a risk of residual liquid from the immersion system when exposed using an initial route for a substrate to expose a plurality of fields thereon; determining a set of modifications to the initial route to reduce the risk of residual loss; test exposing at least one test substrate using the initial route; obtaining a set of second locations of defects in the exposed test substrate; selecting a subset of the set of modifications by comparing the first locations and the second locations; and exposing a plurality of production substrates using the initial route modified by the selected subset of modifications.

Abstract: Electron emitters and methods of fabricating the electron emitters are disclosed. According to certain embodiments, an electron emitter includes a tip with a planar region having a diameter in a range of approximately (0.05-10) micrometers. The electron emitter tip is configured to release field emission electrons. The electron emitter further includes a work-function-lowering material coated on the tip.

Abstract: A method for generating a sampling scheme for a device manufacturing process, the method including: obtaining a measurement data time series of a plurality of processed substrates; transforming the measurement data time series to obtain frequency domain data; determining, using the frequency domain data, a temporal sampling scheme; determining an error offset introduced by the temporal sampling scheme on the basis of measurements on substrates performed according to the temporal sampling scheme; and determining an improved temporal sampling scheme to compensate the error offset.

Abstract: A method for training a machine learning model configured to predict a substrate image corresponding to a printed pattern of a substrate as measured via a metrology tool. The method involves obtaining a training data set including (i) metrology data of the metrology tool used to measure the printed pattern of the substrate, and (ii) a representation of a mask pattern employed for imaging the printed pattern on the substrate; and training, based on the training data set, a machine learning model to predict the substrate image of the substrate as measured by the metrology tool such that a cost function is improved, wherein the cost function includes a relationship between the predicted substrate image and the metrology data.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of measuring an alignment mark or an alignment mark assembly, wherein the alignment mark comprises grid features extending in at least two directions, the method comprising: measuring the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly using an expected location of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly, determining a first position of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in a first direction, determining a second position of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, determining a second direction scan offset between the expected location of the alignment mark or alignment mark assembly in the second direction and the determined second position, and correcting the first position on the basis of the second direction scan offset using at least one correction data set to provide a first corrected position.

Abstract: A pellicle for a lithographic apparatus, the pellicle including nitridated metal silicide or nitridated silicon as well as a method of manufacturing the same. Also disclosed is the use of a nitridated metal silicide or nitridated silicon pellicle in a lithographic apparatus. Also disclosed is a pellicle for a lithographic apparatus including at least one compensating layer selected and configured to counteract changes in transmissivity of the pellicle upon exposure to EUV radiation as well as a method of controlling the transmissivity of a pellicle and a method of designing a pellicle.

Abstract: A method of predicting thermally induced aberrations of a projection system for projecting a radiation beam, the method comprising: calculating a change in temperature of the projection system from a power of the radiation beam output from the projection system using a dynamic linear function; and calculating the thermally induced aberrations from the calculated change in temperature using a static non-linear function.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for providing beams for controlling charges on a sample surface of charged particle beam system. In some embodiments, a module comprising a laser source configured to emit a beam. The beam may illuminate an area adjacent to a pixel on a wafer to indirectly heat the pixel to mitigate a cause of a direct photon-induced effect at the pixel. An electron beam tool configured to detect a defect in the pixel, wherein the defect is induced by the indirect heating of the pixel.