Abstract: Disclosed is an optical imaging system, and associated method, comprising a stage module configured to support an object such that an area of the object is illuminated by an illumination beam; an objective lens configured to collect at least one signal beam, the at least one signal beam originating from the illuminated area of the object; an image sensor configured to capture an image formed by the at least one signal beam collected by the objective lens; and a motion compensatory mechanism operable to compensate for relative motion of the stage module with respect to the objective lens during an image acquisition. The motion compensatory mechanism causes a compensatory motion of one or more of: said objective lens or at least one optical element thereof; said image sensor; and/or an optical element comprised within a detection branch and/or illumination branch of the optical imaging system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of measuring a periodic structure on a substrate with illumination radiation having at least one wavelength, the periodic structure having at least one pitch. The method comprises configuring, based on a ratio of said pitch and said wavelength, one or more of: an illumination aperture profile comprising one or more illumination regions in Fourier space; an orientation of the periodic structure for a measurement; and a detection aperture profile comprising one or more separated detection regions in Fourier space. This configuration is such that: i) diffracted radiation of at least a pair of complementary diffraction orders is captured within the detection aperture profile, and ii) said diffracted radiation fills at least 80% of the one or more separated detection regions. The periodic structure is measured while applying the configured one or more of illumination aperture profile, detection aperture profile and orientation of the periodic structure.

Abstract: A method and system for predicting complex electric field images with a parameterized model are described. A latent space representation of a complex electric field image is determined based on dimensional data in a latent space of the parameterized model for a given input to the parameterized model. The given input may be a measured amplitude (e.g., intensity) associated with the complex electric field image. The complex electric field image is predicted based on the latent space representation of the complex electric field image. The predicted complex electric field image includes an amplitude and a phase. The parameterized model comprises encoder-decoder architecture. In some embodiments, determining the latent space representation of the electric field image comprises minimizing a function constrained by a set of electric field images that could be predicted by the parameterized model based on the dimensional data in the latent space and the given input.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of measuring a structure, and associated metrology device and computer program. The method comprises obtaining an amplitude profile of scattered radiation relating to a measurement of a first structure on a first substrate and obtaining a reference phase profile relating to a reference measurement of at least one reference structure on a reference substrate. The at least one reference structure is not the same structure as said first structure but is nominally identical in terms of at least a plurality of key parameters. The method further comprises determining a complex-valued field to describe the first structure from the amplitude profile and reference phase profile.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of determining a complex-valued field relating to a sample measured using an imaging system. The method comprises obtaining image data relating to a series of images of the sample, imaged at an image plane of the imaging system, and for which at least two different modulation functions are imposed in a Fourier plane of the imaging system; and determining the complex-valued field from the imaging data based on the imposed modulation functions.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of obtaining data describing an object structure. The method comprising the steps of: (a) illuminating the object structure with illuminating radiation; (b) modulating the phase of the illuminating radiation after scattering by the object structure, the modulation comprising applying a first phase factor dependent upon at least one controllable parameter and an aberration function having a form of a subadditive function of a vector norm; (c) capturing a plurality of intensity patterns, wherein each intensity pattern corresponds to a unique value of the at least one controllable parameter; and (d) reconstructing the data describing the object structure based on the plurality of intensity patterns. Also disclosed are corresponding inspection and lithographic apparatuses, a method of manufacturing devices and a computer program.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of obtaining data describing an object structure. The method comprising the steps of: (a) illuminating the object structure with illuminating radiation; (b) modulating the phase of the illuminating radiation after scattering by the object structure, the modulation comprising applying a first phase factor dependent upon at least one controllable parameter and an aberration function having a form of a subadditive function of a vector norm; (c) capturing a plurality of intensity patterns, wherein each intensity pattern corresponds to a unique value of the at least one controllable parameter; and (d) reconstructing the data describing the object structure based on the plurality of intensity patterns. Also disclosed are corresponding inspection and lithographic apparatuses, a method of manufacturing devices and a computer program.