A lithography stepper alignment and control method, comprising: providing a test template having a plurality of field sizes, and deriving a set of overlay values for each field size (S1); calculating a set of compensation amounts for the overlay value of each field size (S2); and, comparing a set of estimated alignment compensation values for a product with each compensation amount for each field size, selecting as the product alignment compensation values the set of compensation amounts of a field size closest to the set of estimated alignment compensation values, and, using the product alignment compensation values to perform alignment compensation on said product (S3).

An apparatus (AS) measures positions of marks (202) on a lithographic substrate (W). An illumination arrangement (940, 962, 964) provides off-axis radiation from at least first and second regions. The first and second source regions are diametrically opposite one another with respect to an optical axis (O) and are limited in angular extent. The regions may be small spots selected according to a direction of periodicity of a mark being measured, or larger segments. Radiation at a selected pair of source regions can be generated by supplying radiation at a single source feed position to a self-referencing interferometer. A modified half wave plate is positioned downstream of the interferometer, which can be used in the position measuring apparatus. The modified half wave plate has its fast axis in one part arranged at 45 to the fast axis in another part diametrically opposite.

A lithographic apparatus includes a sensor, such as an alignment sensor including a self-referencing interferometer, configured to determine the position of an alignment target including a periodic structure. An illumination optical system focuses radiation of different colors and polarizations into a spot which scans the structure. Multiple position-dependent signals are detected and processed to obtain multiple candidate position measurements. Asymmetry of the structure is calculated by comparing the multiple position-dependent signals. The asymmetry measurement is used to improve accuracy of the position read by the sensor. Additional information on asymmetry may be obtained by an asymmetry sensor receiving a share of positive and negative orders of radiation diffracted by the periodic structure to produce a measurement of asymmetry in the periodic structure.

An offset alignment method for a micro-lithographic printing device comprises placing (S10) of an alignment target substrate. A target pattern presents areas of at least two different light reflectivities is defined relative an origin point. The alignment target substrate is illuminated (S20). Reflected light is measured (S30). A reflection image of the target pattern is created (S40) by the measured light. The illumination is made according to a test pattern of light, having areas with and without illumination. The test pattern is defined relative an origin point. A measured target pattern origin point is determined (S50) from target pattern associated features in the reflection image and a measured test pattern origin point is determined from test patterns associated features in the reflection image. An offset between a measured position and a written position is calculated (S60) from the measured target pattern origin point and the measured test pattern origin point.

According to one embodiment, a measurement method includes generating mark position information, determining at least one of a first arrangement pattern or a second arrangement pattern, and calculating displacement between a first member and a second member. The mark position information is generated after the second member is formed on the first member, and indicates a relative positional relationship between a first alignment mark formed on the first member and including bright portions and dark portions, and a second alignment mark formed on the second member and including the bright portions and the dark portions. The first arrangement pattern indicates an arrangement pattern of bright portions and dark portions of the first alignment mark. The second arrangement pattern indicates an arrangement pattern of the bright portions and the dark portions of the second alignment mark. The first arrangement pattern is determined on the basis of captured data of a reference mark formed in a region different from the region where the first alignment mark is formed and the region where the second alignment mark is formed. The displacement is calculated on the basis of the mark position information and at least one of the first arrangement pattern or the second arrangement pattern.

An overlay alignment detection apparatus for a display device and an exposure process system are provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, the overlay alignment detection apparatus including a bearing frame for bearing the display device, a control device, a detection device and an analysis device. The control device is configured to send control commands to the detection device depending on pre-stored coordinate information of a reference point within an overlay area of the display device when the bearing frame is at an idle time among processes; the detection device is configured to be moved to the overlay area of the display device on the bearing frame according to the control commands sent by the control device, to acquire images of the overlay area, and to send the acquired images to the analysis device; and the analysis device is configured to analyze and process an overlay alignment condition of the display device, with the images sent by the detection device. The overlay alignment detection apparatus provided by the present disclosure may determine the overlay alignment condition of the display device without measuring critical dimensions of the display device; therefore, detection efficiency may be enhanced, such that a comprehensive detection may be implemented on all display devices to be detected and product quality thereof may also be improved.

Apparatus, systems, and methods are used for detecting the alignment of a feature on a substrate using a polarization independent interferometer. The apparatus, system, and methods include optical elements that receive light that has diffracted or scattered from a mark on a substrate. The optical elements may split the diffracted light into multiple subbeams of light which are detected by one or more detectors. The diffracted light may be combined optically or during processing after detection. The system may determine alignment and/or overlay based on the received diffracted light having any polarization angle or state.

An imprint apparatus which includes a plurality of stations in which an imprint material supplied to an imprint region on a substrate is formed using a mold and a pattern is formed in the imprint region. The imprint apparatus includes: a holder provided in each of the plurality of stations and configured to hold the substrate and to adjust a temperature of the substrate; and a controller configured to output a target value used to adjust the temperature to the holder in a station in which a pattern is formed in a substrate among the plurality of stations on the basis of a size of the imprint region and a temperature of the substrate.

An alignment sensor for a lithographic apparatus is arranged and constructed to measure an alignment of a movable part of the lithographic apparatus in respect of a stationary part of the lithographic apparatus. The alignment sensor comprises a light source configured to generate a pulse train at a optical wavelength and a pulse repetition frequency, a non-linear optical element, arranged in an optical propagation path of the pulse train, the non-linear optical element configured to transform the pulse train at the optical wavelength into a transformed pulse train in an optical wavelength range, an optical imaging system configured to project the transformed pulse train onto an alignment mark comprising a diffraction grating; a detector to detect a diffraction pattern as diffracted by the diffraction grating, and a data processing device configured to derive alignment data from the detected diffraction pattern as detected by the detector.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a mask alignment mark disposed on a photomask irradiated by an illumination optical system with illumination light from a direction inclined with respect to an optical axis and used to form a latent image on a substrate through a projection optical system. The mask alignment mark including a plurality of patterns arranged in a predetermined direction at a pitch of substantially P=/{2(1)(LNA)}, where is a ratio of a numerical aperture INA of illumination light incident on the photomask from the illumination optical system to a numerical aperture LNA of an object side of the projection optical system (INA)/(LNA), and is a wavelength of light.