Abstract: A method is provided for determining the position of a structure on a carrier, relative to a reference point of the carrier, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an image including a reference structure; b) recording an image of the structure on the carrier by means of a recording device, with a known recording position relative to the reference points; c) superimposing the two images to form one superimposed image; d) determining the image distance of the two structures in the superimposed image; e) shifting the two structures in the superimposed image relative to one another, depending on the determined image distance; f) checking whether the determined image distance is below a predetermined maximum value; wherein, if the image distance is below the maximum value, the method is continued in step g), and, if the image distance is not below the maximum value, steps d)-f) are repeated, taking into account the determined image distance/distances: g) determining the position of the structure relati

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining the position of a structure on a mask for microlithography, in which the position is determined by comparing an aerial image, measured by a recording device, of a portion of the mask with an aerial image determined by simulation. The position determination includes carrying out a plurality of such comparisons which differ from one another with regard to the input parameters of the simulation.

Abstract: The position of a first structure relative to a second structure can be determined by a) providing a reference image containing the first structure, b) providing a measurement image containing the second structure, in which the measurement image is recorded with an image sensor with a plurality of sensor pixels and the image sensor has at least one known faulty sensor pixel, c) producing a masked measurement image with a masked region that corresponds to the second structure, and forming an optimization function of the shift of the masked measurement image and the reference image relative to each other, d) determining the extreme value of the optimization function and determining the optimum value of the shift based on the extreme value, and e) determining the position of the first structure relative to the second structure on the basis of the optimum shift value.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining the relative overlay shift of stacked layers, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a reference image including a reference pattern that comprises first and second pattern elements; b) providing a measurement image of a measurement pattern, which comprises a first pattern element formed by a first one of the layers and a second pattern element formed by a second one of the layers; c) weighting the reference or measurement image such that a weighted first image is generated, in which the first pattern element is emphasized relative to the second pattern element; d) determining the relative shift of the first pattern element on the basis of the weighted first image and of the measurement or reference image not weighted in step c); e) weighting the reference or measurement image such that a weighted second image is generated, in which the second pattern element is emphasized relative to the first pattern element; f) determining the relative shift of the second pat

Abstract: A method of measuring scattered light on an optical system includes: providing a first measuring field and a second measuring field, both measuring fields respectively being either of a first light manipulation type or a second light manipulation type, which first light manipulation type is configured to cause incoming light to enter the optical system and which second light manipulation type is configured to prevent incoming light from entering the optical system, and both measuring fields respectively having a second light manipulation type reference structure and a respective measuring structure, which measuring structures are of the second light manipulation type in the case where the measuring fields are of the first light manipulation type, and are first light manipulation type regions of the measuring fields in the case where the measuring fields are of the second light manipulation type, wherein the measuring structures of the respective measuring fields are offset in different directions in relation

Abstract: A method is provided for determining the position of a first structure (8a) relative to a second structure (8b) or a part thereof, said method having the steps of: a) providing a first picture (F1) having a multiplicity of pixels and which contains the first structure, b) providing a second picture (F2) having a multiplicity of pixels and which contains the second structure, c) forming an optimization function with the displacement of the two pictures relative to one another as parameter, the optimization function overlying the two pictures and masking the overlay such that in a determination of an extreme value of the optimization function a contribution is made only by the region of the overlay that corresponds to the second structure or the part thereof, d) ascertaining the extreme value of the optimization function and determining the optimal value of the displacement based on the extreme value of the optimization function, and e) determining the position of the first structure relative to the second stru

Abstract: A method for determining a registration error of a feature on a mask, including providing a first aerial image that was captured by means of a position measuring device and includes at least the feature, simulating, from pattern specifications of the mask, a second aerial image that includes at least the feature, taking into account at least one effect that causes distortion of the first aerial image, and determining the registration error of the feature as the distance of the position of the feature in the first aerial image from the position of the feature in the second aerial image. Also provided is a method for simulating an aerial image from pattern specifications of a mask and a position measuring device for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A method for measuring the relative local position error of one of the sections of an object that is exposed section by section, in particular of a lithography mask or of a wafer, is provided, each exposed section having a plurality of measurement marks, wherein a) a region of the object which is larger than the one section is imaged in magnified fashion and is detected as an image, b) position errors of the measurement marks contained in the detected image are determined on the basis of the detected image, c) corrected position errors are derived by position error components which are caused by the magnified imaging and detection being extracted from the determined position errors of the measurement marks, d) the relative local position error of the one section is derived on the basis of the corrected position errors of the measurement marks.

Abstract: An autofocus device for an imaging device is provided, which has an imaging optic having a first focal plane and an object table for moving an object to be imaged relative to the first focal plane, wherein said autofocus device comprises a) an image recording module having a second focal plane, the location thereof relative to the first focal plane being known, b) a lighting module (BM) for imaging a focusing image along a lighting beam path in a focusing image plane such that, if the object is positioned in a target position at a predetermined distance to the second focal plane, the lighting beam path is folded because of reflection on the object and the focusing image, which lies in the focusing image plane, intersects the second focal plane or lies therein, and c) a control module, which activates the object table to focus the imaging device so that the object is positioned in the target position, from a signal of the image recording module, which the image recording module generates on the basis of the re

Abstract: The position of an edge of a marker structure in an image of the marker structure is determined with subpixel accuracy. A discrete intensity profile of the edge, having profile pixels, is derived from the image pixels, and a continuous profile function of the edge is determined based on the profile pixels. Profile pixels whose intensity values are near an intensity threshold value are selected as evaluation pixels. Based on the evaluation pixels, a curve of continuous intensity is calculated. A position coordinate at which the intensity value of the continuous intensity curve matches the threshold value is selected as a first position coordinate, and the distance is determined between the first position coordinate and the position coordinate of the evaluation pixel that, from among the evaluation pixels previously selected, has the closest intensity value to the threshold value.

Abstract: A method for calibrating a specimen stage of a metrology system is provided, in which a specimen that has multiple marks is positioned successively in different calibration positions, each mark is positioned in the photography range of an optical system by means of the specimen stage in each calibration position of the specimen, and the mark position is measured using the optical system. A model is set up that describes positioning errors of the specimen stage using a system of functions having calibration parameters to be determined. The model takes into consideration at least one systematic measurement error that occurs during the measurement of the mark positions. The values of the calibration parameters are determined based on the model with consideration of the measured mark positions.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining the relative overlay shift of stacked layers, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a reference image including a reference pattern that comprises first and second pattern elements; b) providing a measurement image of a measurement pattern, which comprises a first pattern element formed by a first one of the layers and a second pattern element formed by a second one of the layers; c) weighting the reference or measurement image such that a weighted first image is generated, in which the first pattern element is emphasized relative to the second pattern element; d) determining the relative shift of the first pattern element on the basis of the weighted first image and of the measurement or reference image not weighted in step c); e) weighting the reference or measurement image such that a weighted second image is generated, in which the second pattern element is emphasized relative to the first pattern element; f) determining the relative shift of the second pat

Abstract: A method of measuring scattered light on an optical system includes: providing a first measuring field and a second measuring field, both measuring fields respectively being either of a first light manipulation type or a second light manipulation type, which first light manipulation type is configured to cause incoming light to enter the optical system and which second light manipulation type is configured to prevent incoming light from entering the optical system, and both measuring fields respectively having a second light manipulation type reference structure and a respective measuring structure, which measuring structures are of the second light manipulation type in the case where the measuring fields are of the first light manipulation type, and are first light manipulation type regions of the measuring fields in the case where the measuring fields are of the second light manipulation type, wherein the measuring structures of the respective measuring fields are offset in different directions in relation

Abstract: A scattered light measurement device includes an illumination mask providing measuring radiation on an entrance side (1a) of a test component (1) and a detection part (3-6) for detection of light scattered by the test component and disposed on an exit side (1b) of the test component. The illumination mask includes at least one scattered light measurement structure, wherein the scattered light measurement structure has a scattered light marker zone and wherein the scattered light marker zone has a rotationally non-symmetric shape.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the positions of marks on a mask is provided, said apparatus comprising a mask holder for holding the mask, a recording unit for recording the marks of the mask held by the mask holder, an actuating module for moving the mask holder and the recording unit relative to each other, and an evaluating module, which numerically calculates the gravity-induced sagging of the mask in the mask holder and determines the positions of the marks on the mask, based on the calculated sagging, the recordings made by the recording unit and the relative movement between the mask holder and the recording unit, wherein, prior to calculating said sagging, the present position of the mask in the mask holder is determined and is taken into consideration in said numerical calculation, and/or the geometrical dimensions of the mask are taken into consideration in said numerical calculation of sagging.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining the position of a structure on a carrier, relative to a reference point of the carrier, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an image including a reference structure; b) recording an image of the structure on the carrier by means of a recording device, with a known recording position relative to the reference points; c) superimposing the two images to form one superimposed image; d) determining the image distance of the two structures in the superimposed image; e) shifting the two structures in the superimposed image relative to one another, depending on the determined image distance; f) checking whether the determined image distance is below a predetermined maximum value; wherein, if the image distance is below the maximum value, the method is continued in step g), and, if the image distance is not below the maximum value, steps d)-f) are repeated, taking into account the determined image distance/distances: g) determining the position of the structure relati

Abstract: An illumination mask (10a) for a device for the range-resolved determination of scattered light, having one or more scattered-light measuring structures (11a) which respectively include an inner dark-field zone which defines a minimum scattering range, to an associated image-field mask and a corresponding device is provided. Also provided is an associated operating method and a microlithography projection-exposure system having such a device. The scattered-lighter measuring structure in the illumination mask has a scattered-light marker zone (20a) in the form of a bright-field zone, which on the one hand borders the inner dark-field zone and on the other hand borders an outer dark-field zone, which defines a maximum scattering range. The device may optionally be designed for the multi-channel measuring of scattered light by using a suitable image-field mask and also for multi-channel wavefront measurement, and the detection part may contain an immersion medium.

Abstract: An illumination mask (10a) for a device for the range-resolved determination of scattered light, having one or more scattered-light measuring structures (11a) which respectively include an inner dark-field zone which defines a minimum scattering range, to an associated image-field mask and a corresponding device is provided. Also provided is an associated operating method and a microlithography projection-exposure system having such a device. The scattered-lighter measuring structure in the illumination mask has a scattered-light marker zone (20a) in the form of a bright-field zone, which on the one hand borders the inner dark-field zone and on the other hand borders an outer dark-field zone, which defines a maximum scattering range. The device may optionally be designed for the multi-channel measuring of scattered light by using a suitable image-field mask and also for multi-channel wavefront measurement, and the detection part may contain an immersion medium.

Abstract: An illumination mask (10a) for a device for the range-resolved determination of scattered light, having one or more scattered-light measuring structures (11a) which respectively include an inner dark-field zone which defines a minimum scattering range, to an associated image-field mask and a corresponding device is provided. Also provided is an associated operating method and a microlithography projection-exposure system having such a device. The scattered-lighter measuring structure in the illumination mask has a scattered-light marker zone (20a) in the form of a bright-field zone, which on the one hand borders the inner dark-field zone and on the other hand borders an outer dark-field zone, which defines a maximum scattering range. The device may optionally be designed for the multi-channel measuring of scattered light by using a suitable image-field mask and also for multi-channel wavefront measurement, and the detection part may contain an immersion medium.

Abstract: In a moiré method for measuring the distortion of an optical imaging system in which and object grid having a two-dimensional object pattern is arranged in an object plane of the imaging system and an image grid having a two-dimensional image pattern is arranged in an image plane of the imaging system, these patterns are configured in the form of, for example cross-hatched patterns or checker board patterns, are adapted to suit one another such that a two-dimensional moiré fringe pattern that may be detected by a two-dimensional, spatially resolving, detection device is created when the object grid is imaged onto the image grid using the imaging system. Distortion components of the imaging system may be simultaneously determined along two differently oriented, in particular, two mutually orthogonal, image directions from a two-dimensional moiré fringe pattern.