A method includes exposing number of fields on a substrate, obtaining data about a field and correcting exposure of the field in subsequent exposures. The method includes defining one or more sub-fields of the field based on the obtained data. Data relating to each sub-field is processed to produce sub-field correction information. A subsequent exposure of the one or more sub-fields is corrected using the sub-field correction information. By controlling a lithographic apparatus by reference to data of a particular sub-field within a field, overlay error can be reduced or minimized for a critical feature, rather than being averaged over the whole field. By controlling a lithographic apparatus with reference to a sub-field rather than only the whole field, a residual error can be reduced in each sub-field.

According to one embodiment, a scanning light measuring apparatus includes a support table, a light-emission control circuit, a light-receiving element, a moving mechanism, and a measurement control circuit. An optical unit is placed on the support table. The optical unit has a synchronous detection sensor that forms scanning light and detects the scanning light. The light-emission control circuit controls the light-emission time of the scanning light. The light-receiving element receives the scanning light. The moving mechanism supports the light-receiving element so as to be movable in a main scanning direction and a rotation direction around an axis orthogonal to the main scanning direction and an optical axis direction of the scanning light. The measurement control circuit moves the light-receiving element in the main scanning direction by the moving mechanism, scans the light-receiving element with the scanning light, acquires an output of the light-receiving element, and measures a scanning light diameter.

Techniques are disclosed for optical distortion reduction in projection systems for scanning projection and/or lithography. A projection system includes an illumination system configured to generate illumination radiation for generating an image of an object to be projected onto an image plane of the projection system. The illumination system includes a field omitting illumination condenser configured to receive the illumination radiation from a radiation source and provide a patterned illumination radiation beam to generate the image of the object, wherein the patterned illumination radiation beam comprises an omitted illumination portion corresponding to a ridge line of a roof prism disposed within an optical path of the projection system.

A photomask including a photomask body having a surface on which a mask pattern is formed and to be scanned and subjected to pattern transfer to a resist through a lens assembly including a connecting portion and a non-connecting portion. The mask pattern has a first region subjected to the pattern transfer at the connecting portion of the lens assembly and a second region subjected to the pattern transfer at the non-connecting portion. The mask pattern has, in at least one of the first and second regions, a corrected line width which is adjusted by calculation such that the resist is to have a target line width as designed. The corrected line width has a stepwise change in at least one of a scanning direction and a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. The stepwise change is made by including a correction component based on a random number.

An exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes an illumination optical system including a first optical modulation unit having a plurality of optical modulation elements, a second optical modulation unit having a plurality of optical modulation elements, and an imaging optical system forming optical images on a predetermined plane by using lights from the first optical modulation unit and the second optical modulation unit, and a projection optical system projecting the optical image formed on the predetermined plane onto a substrate.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing system, including a storage unit, a specifying unit, a determination unit and an adjustment unit. The storage unit stores device information indicating a relationship between image formation performance of an exposure device used for manufacturing a semiconductor device and mechanical operation accuracy. The specifying unit specifies a constraint of the mechanical operation accuracy according to the device information and the required image formation performance. The determination unit determines whether or not a correction parameter of an exposure condition satisfies the constraint. The adjustment unit adjusts the correction parameter according to a determination result of the determination unit.

In a method of manufacturing a photo mask for lithography, circuit pattern data are acquired. A pattern density, which is a total pattern area per predetermined area, is calculated from the circuit pattern data. Dummy pattern data for areas having pattern density less than a threshold density are generated. Mask drawing data is generated from the circuit pattern data and the dummy pattern data. By using an electron beam from an electron beam lithography apparatus, patterns are drawn according to the mask drawing data on a resist layer formed on a mask blank substrate. The drawn resist layer is developed using a developing solution. Dummy patterns included in the dummy pattern data are not printed as a photo mask pattern when the resist layer is exposed with the electron beam and is developed.

A method and a device determine the heating state of an optical element in an optical system, for example in a microlithographic projection exposure system. Electromagnetic radiation hits an incidence surface of the optical element during operation of the optical system. Using a calibration parameter, an average temperature at the incidence surface is estimated on the basis of a temperature measurement carried out via at least one temperature sensor located a distance from the incidence surface. The calibration parameter is selected differently in accordance with the illumination setting which is set in the optical system.

A semiconductor substrate stage for carrying a substrate is provided. The semiconductor substrate stage includes a base layer, a magnetic shielding layer disposed on the base layer, a carrier layer disposed on the magnetic shielding layer, and a receiver disposed on the carrier layer. The receiver is configured to receive a microwave signal from a signal source electrically isolated from the receiver, and the microwave signal is used for controlling the movement of the semiconductor substrate stage.

A projection exposure apparatus (10) includes a mask mark illumination light source (21) capable of irradiating a mask mark (MM) with exposure light itself or a first alignment light (L1) having substantially the same wavelength as the exposure light, and an alignment unit (30) having a work mark illumination light source (31) capable of irradiating a work mark (WM) with second alignment light (L2) having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the exposure light, an imaging device (32), and an imaging optical system (40). The imaging optical system (40) includes a first dichroic prism (41) for synthesizing the first alignment light (L1) and the light from the work mark (WM) and emitting the synthesized light toward the imaging device (32), and an optical path length changing optical system (42) for splitting and merging the first alignment light (L1), in which the optical positional relationships of the work mark (WM) and the image (MMI) of the mask mark (MM) with respect to the imaging device (32) are equivalent. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a projection exposure apparatus and a projection exposure method that allow high-precision alignment even in a small-sized exposure area.