A display device including: a substrate having display area and a non-display area; and an alignment mark disposed in the non-display area of the substrate. The alignment mark includes a quadrangular-shaped center portion and a plurality of measurement portions that surround the center portion, the plurality of measurement portions including four or more measurement portions, and each of the measurement portions including sides that are parallel with two sides of the quadrangular-shaped center portion.

A tunable amorphous silicon layer for use with multilayer patterning stacks can be used to maximize transparency and minimize reflections so as to improve overlay metrology contrast. By increasing the hydrogen content in the amorphous silicon layer, the extinction coefficient (k) value and the refractive index (n) value can be decreased to desired values. Methods for improving overlay metrology contrast with the tunable amorphous silicon layer are disclosed.

Disclosed is a metrology sensor apparatus and associated method. The metrology sensor apparatus comprises an illumination system operable to illuminate a metrology mark on a substrate with illumination radiation having a first polarization state and an optical collection system configured to collect scattered radiation, following scattering of the illumination radiation by the metrology mark. The metrology mark comprises a main structure and changes, relative to the first polarization state, at least one of a polarization state of a first portion of the scattered radiation predominately resultant from scattering by the main structure and a polarization state of a second portion of radiation predominately resultant from scattering by one or more features other than the main structure, such that the polarization state of the first portion of the scattered radiation is different to the polarization state of the second portion of the scattered radiation. The metrology sensor apparatus further comprises an optical filtering system which filters out the second portion of the scattered radiation based on its polarization state.

In a beam irradiation apparatus in which a movable body holds an object, a mark detection system detects a first mark on the movable body while moving the movable body in a first direction and changing an irradiation position of a measurement beam in the first direction, the mark detection system detects a second mark while moving the movable body in the first direction and changing the irradiation position of the measurement beam in the first direction, a controller controls a position of the movable body in a second direction intersecting the first direction during a time period between the detection of the first mark and the detection of the second mark, and the controller controls the movement of the movable body to adjust a positional relation between the object on the movable body and a processing beam, based on results of the detection of the first and second marks.

According to one embodiment, in a position measuring method, alignment measurement in a light exposure process is executed by irradiating a first mark with light having a wavelength of 1, with respect to a processing object that includes a first layer and a second layer stacked above a substrate and a resist applied on the second layer. The first mark is provided in the first layer and includes a plurality of segments arranged at a pitch smaller than a resolution limit given by light having the wavelength of 1. Then, overlay measurement is executed by irradiating the first mark and a second mark with light having a wavelength of 2 shorter than the wavelength of 1. The second mark has been formed by performing a light exposure and development process to the resist, and includes a plurality of segments arranged at the pitch.

Methods of fabricating and using an overlay mark are provided. In some embodiments, the overlay mark includes an upper layer and a lower layer disposed below the upper layer. The lower layer includes a first plurality of compound gratings extending in a first direction and disposed in a first region of the overlay mark, each of the first plurality of compound gratings including one first element and at least two second elements disposed on one side of the first element, and a second plurality of compound gratings extending the first direction and disposed in a second region of the overlay mark, each of the second plurality of compound gratings including one third element and at least two fourth elements on one side of the third element. The first plurality of compound gratings is a mirror image of the second plurality of compound gratings.

A multi-column metrology tool may include two or more measurement columns distributed along a column direction, where the two or more measurement columns simultaneously probe two or more measurement regions on a sample including metrology targets. A measurement column may include an illumination sub-system to direct illumination to the sample, a collection sub-system including a collection lens to collect measurement signals from the sample and direct it to one or more detectors, and a column-positioning sub-system to adjust a position of the collection lens. A measurement region of a measurement column may be defined by a field of view of the collection lens and a range of the positioning system in the lateral plane. The tool may further include a sample-positioning sub-system to scan the sample along a scan path different than the column direction to position metrology targets within the measurement regions of the measurement columns for measurements.

According to one embodiment, in a position measuring method, alignment measurement in a light exposure process is executed by irradiating a first mark with light having a wavelength of 1, with respect to a processing object that includes a first layer and a second layer stacked above a substrate and a resist applied on the second layer. The first mark is provided in the first layer and includes a plurality of segments arranged at a pitch smaller than a resolution limit given by light having the wavelength of 1. Then, overlay measurement is executed by irradiating the first mark and a second mark with light having a wavelength of 2 shorter than the wavelength of 1. The second mark has been formed by performing a light exposure and development process to the resist, and includes a plurality of segments arranged at the pitch.

A lithographic apparatus having a substrate table, a projection system, an encoder system, a measurement frame and a measurement system. The substrate table has a holding surface for holding a substrate. The projection system is for projecting an image on the substrate. The encoder system is for providing a signal representative of a position of the substrate table. The measurement system is for measuring a property of the lithographic apparatus. The holding surface is along a plane. The projection system is at a first side of the plane. The measurement frame is arranged to support at least part of the encoder system and at least part of the measurement system at a second side of the plane different from the first side.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first photoresist film over a substrate, exposing a first pattern including an alignment pattern in a first region, forming, on the substrate, an alignment mark corresponding to the exposed alignment pattern, forming a second photoresist film over the substrate on which the alignment mark is formed, dividing a second pattern into a plurality of regions and exposing the divided regions separately in a second region while performing positioning with respect to the alignment mark, and developing the second photoresist film and forming the second photoresist film having the second pattern, wherein at least a part of the second region is located outside an effective exposure region of an exposure apparatus in exposure of the first pattern.