A maskless exposure device includes an exposure head including a digital micro-mirror device, the digital micro-mirror device being configured to scan an exposure beam to a substrate by reflecting a source beam from an exposure source; and a system control part configured to control the digital micro-mirror device by utilizing a graphic data system file. The graphic data system file includes data for a source electrode, a drain electrode and a channel portion between the source electrode and the drain electrode in a plan view. The channel portion includes a first portion extending in a direction perpendicular to a scan direction of the exposure head. A width of the first portion of the channel portion is defined to be a multiple of a pulse event generation of the exposure beam.

The invention relates to an optical arrangement comprising: at least one optical element comprising an optical surface and a substrate, wherein the substrate is formed from a material whose temperature-dependent coefficient of thermal expansion at a zero crossing temperature T.sub.ZC=T.sub.ZCT.sub.ref related to a reference temperature T.sub.ref is equal to zero, wherein the optical surface has, during the operation of the optical arrangement, a location-dependent temperature distribution T(x, y) that is dependent on a local irradiance (5a), is related to the reference temperature T.sub.ref and has an average temperature T.sub.av, a minimum temperature T.sub.min and a maximum temperature T.sub.max, wherein the average temperature T.sub.av is less than the average value 1/2 (T.sub.max+T.sub.min) formed from the minimum temperature T.sub.min and the maximum temperature T.sub.max, and wherein the zero crossing temperature T.sub.ZC is greater than the average temperature T.sub.av.

A method involving obtaining first calibration vibration data relating to vibrations of the lithographic apparatus from a sensor that is part of the lithographic apparatus and obtaining second calibration vibration data, the second calibration vibration data being a component of first parameter data of the lithographic apparatus. A filter is calculated from the first and second calibration vibration data, the filter being such that when applied to the first calibration vibration data, its output correlates closer with the second calibration vibration data. The filter can then be applied to vibration data obtained using the first sensor to obtain an estimate of a vibration component of the first parameter data during the lithographic process.

Methods and systems for determining a source shape, a mask shape and a target shape for a lithography process are disclosed. One such method includes receiving source, mask and target constraints and formulating an optimization problem that is based on the source, mask and target constraints and incorporates contour-based assessments for the target shape that are based on physical design quality of a circuit. Further, the optimization problem is solved by integrating over process condition variations to simultaneously determine the source shape, the mask shape and the target shape. In addition, the determined source shape and mask shape are output.

The invention relates to a method for locally deforming an optical element for photolithography in accordance with a predefined deformation form comprising: (a) generating at least one laser pulse having at least one laser beam parameter; and (b) directing the at least one laser pulse onto the optical element, wherein the at least one laser beam parameter of the laser pulse is selected to yield the predefined deformation form.

A method for calibrating an encoder scale having an array of marks in a first direction, includes moving the encoder scale in the first direction relative to a first encoder-type sensor, a second encoder-type sensor and a third encoder-type sensor, wherein the first encoder-type sensor and the second encoder-type sensor are fixedly spaced in the first direction at a first distance relative to each other, wherein the second encoder-type sensor and the third encoder-type sensor are fixedly spaced in the first direction at a second distance relative to each other.

Methodology of measuring a position of a wafer with an encoder directing measurement beam(s) of light towards a wafer area that is being contemporaneously patterned in an exposure apparatus. The Abbe error of such measurement is minimized or even negated by combining the data from first and second measurement signals, one of which is defined as complementary, Abbe-error correcting measurement signal for which the induced Abbe error is either opposite to or at least different from the Abbe error corresponding to another, main measurement signal. The combination of the main and Abbe-error correcting signals is performed with a heterodyne interferometer employing a two-dimensional diffraction grating diffracting each of the measurement beams twice.

An illumination system of a micro-lithographic projection exposure apparatus is provided, which is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane. The system includes a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics that illuminate a beam deflecting component. For determining a property of the beam deflecting component, an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system is determined. Then the property of the beam deflecting component is determined such that the intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined before. At least one of the following aberrations are taken into account in this determination: (i) an aberration produced by the illuminator optics; (ii) an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; (iii) an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane.

Provided is a method of characterizing photolithography lens quality. The method includes selecting an overlay pattern having a first feature with a first pitch and a second feature with a second pitch different than the first pitch, performing a photolithography simulation to determine a sensitivity coefficient associated with the overlay pattern, and providing a photomask having the overlay pattern thereon. The method also includes exposing, with a photolithography tool, a wafer with the photomask to form the overlay pattern on the wafer, measuring a relative pattern placement error of the overlay pattern formed on the wafer, and calculating a quality indicator for a lens in the photolithography tool using the relative pattern placement error and the sensitivity coefficient.

A method of determining focus of a lithographic apparatus has the following steps. Using the lithographic process to produce first and second structures on the substrate, the first structure has features which have a profile that has an asymmetry that depends on the focus and an exposure perturbation, such as dose or aberration. The second structure has features which have a profile that is differently sensitive to focus than the first structure and which is differently sensitive to exposure perturbation than the first structure. Scatterometer signals are used to determine a focus value used to produce the first structure. This may be done using the second scatterometer signal, and/or recorded exposure perturbation settings used in the lithographic process, to select a calibration curve for use in determining the focus value using the first scatterometer signal or by using a model with parameters related to the first and second scatterometer signals.