An alignment method and an alignment system are provided. The alignment method includes: providing a wafer including an exposed surface, wherein an alignment mark and a reference point with a reference distance are provided on the exposed surface; placing the wafer on a reference plane; performing an alignment measurement on the exposed surface to obtain a projection distance, configured as a measurement distance, between the alignment mark and the reference point on the reference plane; performing a levelling measurement between the exposed surface and the reference plane to obtain levelling data of the exposed surface; obtaining a distance, configured as an expansion reference value, between the alignment mark and the reference point in the exposed surface; obtaining an expansion compensation value based on a difference between the expansion reference value and the reference distance; and adjusting parameters of a photolithography process based on the expansion compensation value for an alignment.

A lithographic apparatus is described, the apparatus comprising: an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate, wherein the apparatus further comprises an alignment system configured to perform, for one or more alignment marks that are present on the substrate: a plurality of alignment mark position measurements for the alignment mark by applying a respective plurality of different alignment measurement parameters, thereby obtaining a plurality of measured alignment mark positions for the alignment mark; the apparatus further comprising a processing unit, the processing unit being configured to: determine, for each of the plurality of alignment mark position measurements, a positional deviation as a difference between an expected alignment mark position and a measured alignment mark position, the measured alignment mark position being determined based on the respective alignment mark position measurement; define a set of functions as possible causes for the positional deviations, the set of functions including a substrate deformation function representing a deformation of the substrate, and at least one mark deformation function representing a deformation of the one or more alignment marks; generating a matrix equation PD=M*F whereby a vector PD comprising the positional deviations is set equal to a weighted combination, represented by a weight coefficient matrix M, of a vector F comprising the substrate deformation function and the at least one mark deformation function, whereby weight coefficients associated with the at least one mark deformation function vary depending on applied alignment measurement; determining a value for the weight coefficients of the matrix M; determining an inverse or pseudo-inverse matrix of the matrix M, thereby obtaining a value for the substrate deformation function as a weighted combination of the positional deviations. applying the value of the substrate deformation function to perform an alignment of the target portion with the patterned radiation beam.

A temperature conditioning system for a lithographic apparatus. Temperature variations in an object cause object deformation which prevents the object being accurately positioned. Temperature condition systems use conduit systems, provided with fluid, in or on the object to control the temperature of the object to reduce object deformation. In this way, parts of the object can be more accurately positioned. However, acceleration of the object and the temperature conditioning system induces variation in pressure within the fluid inside the conduit system on or in the object, which may also cause object deformation. To provide an improved conduit system, the lithographic apparatus further includes a control system which is used to control the movement of the object based on measurements indicating pressure variation in the conduit.

One embodiment of the instant disclosure provides a semiconductor structure that comprises: a first device layer including a first active layer disposed over a substrate and a first gate layer disposed on the active layer, where at least one of the first active layer and the first gate layer includes a first layer alignment structure; a first bounding layer disposed over the first device layer, the first bounding layer including an opening arranged to detectably expose the first layer alignment structure; and a second device layer disposed over the bounding layer including a second layer alignment structure, where the second layer alignment structure is substantially aligned to the first layer alignment structure through the opening.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which transfers a pattern onto a substrate by using a mold including a first surface with a pattern region where an unevenness pattern is formed, and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the mold including a first pattern group formed between the second surface and a surface of a convex portion in the unevenness pattern, or on the second surface, the apparatus comprising a second pattern group, a detection unit configured to detect a mark group formed by light having passed through the first pattern group and the second pattern group, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a position deviation between the first pattern group and the second pattern group from the mark group detected by the detection unit.

One embodiment of the instant disclosure provides a semiconductor structure that comprises: a first device layer including a first active layer disposed over a substrate and a first gate layer disposed on the active layer, where at least one of the first active layer and the first gate layer includes a first layer alignment structure; a first bounding layer disposed over the first device layer, the first bounding layer including an opening arranged to detectably expose the first layer alignment structure; and a second device layer disposed over the bounding layer including a second layer alignment structure, where the second layer alignment structure is substantially aligned to the first layer alignment structure through the opening.

A reticle transfer apparatus includes a reticle, a reticle stage (4) and a robot (2). The robot (2) is configured to support, transport and transfer the reticle onto the reticle stage (4). The apparatus further includes: a first set of marks (52) and a second set of marks (53), both provided on the reticle; a pre-alignment unit (3), disposed on one side of the reticle stage (4) and configured to perform a first pre-alignment process by detecting the first set of marks (52) and perform a second pre-alignment process by detecting the second set of marks (53) during the transfer of the reticle; and a control unit, configured to adjust the position of the reticle relative to the reticle stage (4) based on the results of the first pre-alignment process such that the reticle is prevented from colliding with the reticle stage (4) and to adjust the position of the reticle relative to the reticle stage (4) based on the results of the second pre-alignment process such that the reticle is positioned in a predetermined range relative to the reticle stage (4). A reticle transfer method is also disclosed.

A universal substrate for assembling ball grid array (BGA) type integrated circuit packages has a non-conducting matrix, an array of conducting vias extending between top and bottom surfaces of the matrix, and one or more instances of each of two or more different types of fiducial pairs on the top surface of the matrix. Each instance of each different fiducial pair indicates a location of a different via sub-array of the substrate for a different BGA package of a particular package size. The same substrate can be used to assemble BGA packages of different size, thereby avoiding having to design a different substrate for each different BGA package size.

An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold includes a plurality of alignment scopes and a control unit. The control unit controls aligning of a shot region of the substrate and the mold based on outputs from the plurality of alignment scopes. Each of the plurality of alignment scopes outputs information indicating a relative position of a first mark selected from a plurality of first marks in the shot region and a second mark selected from a plurality of second marks on the mold. The control unit controls aligning of the shot region and the mold based on information excluding incorrect information from a plurality of pieces of information output from the plurality of alignment scopes.

A method including determining a position of a first pattern in each of a plurality of target portions on a substrate, based on a fitted mathematical model, wherein the first pattern includes at least one alignment mark, wherein the mathematical model is fitted to a plurality of alignment mark displacements (dx, dy) for the alignment marks in the target portions, and wherein the alignment mark displacements are a difference between a respective nominal position of the alignment mark and measured position of the alignment mark; and transferring a second pattern onto each of the target portions, using the determined position of the first pattern in each of the plurality of target portions, wherein the mathematical model includes polynomials Z1 and Z2: Z1=r.sup.2 cos(2) and Z2=r.sup.2 sin(2) in polar coordinates (r, ) or Z1=x.sup.2y.sup.2 and Z2=xy in Cartesian coordinates (x, y).