A method involving obtaining a simulation of a contour of a pattern to be formed on a substrate using a patterning process, determining a location of an evaluation point on the simulated contour of the pattern, the location spatially associated with a location of a corresponding evaluation point on a design layout for the pattern, and producing electronic information corresponding to a spatial bearing between the location of the evaluation point on the simulated contour and the location of the corresponding evaluation point on the design layout, wherein the information corresponding to the spatial bearing is configured for determining a location of an evaluation point on a measured image of at least part of the pattern, the evaluation point on the measured image spatially associated with the corresponding evaluation point on the design layout.

In a method of manufacturing a chemical fluid for manufacturing an electronic material, a method of reducing particulate metal in the chemical fluid is selected according to a concentration of particulate metal including an iron atom, a concentration of particulate metal including a copper atom, and a concentration of particulate metal including a zinc atom which are measured by SP ICP-MS in the chemical fluid, and at least one of the concentration of particulate metal including an iron atom, the concentration of particulate metal including a copper atom, or the concentration of particulate metal including a zinc atom is reduced by using the selected reducing method.

In a method of manufacturing a chemical fluid for manufacturing an electronic material, a method of reducing particulate metal in the chemical fluid is selected according to a concentration of particulate metal including an iron atom, a concentration of particulate metal including a copper atom, and a concentration of particulate metal including a zinc atom which are measured by SP ICP-MS in the chemical fluid, and at least one of the concentration of particulate metal including an iron atom, the concentration of particulate metal including a copper atom, or the concentration of particulate metal including a zinc atom is reduced by using the selected reducing method.

The present invention aims to provide a reflective mask blank and a reflective mask which have a highly smooth multilayer reflective film as well as a low number of defects, and methods of manufacturing the same, and aims to prevent charge-up during a mask defect inspection using electron beams.

The present invention provides a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography in which a conductive underlying film, a multilayer reflective film that reflects exposure light, and an absorber film that absorbs exposure light are layered on a substrate, wherein the conductive underlying film is a single-layer film made of a tantalum-based material or a ruthenium-based material with a film thickness of greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm that is formed adjacent to the multilayer reflective film, or the conductive underlying film is a multilayer film including a layer of a tantalum-based material with a film thickness of greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm that is formed adjacent to the multilayer reflective film and a layer of a conductive material that is formed between the layer of the tantalum-based material and the substrate. The present invention also provides a reflective mask manufactured using the reflective mask blank. Furthermore, a semiconductor device is manufactured using the reflective mask.

Systems and methods for optimal electron beam metrology guidance are disclosed. According to certain embodiments, the method may include receiving an acquired image of a sample, determining a set of image parameters based on an analysis of the acquired image, determining a set of model parameters based on the set of image parameters, generating a set of simulated images based on the set of model parameters. The method may further comprise performing measurement of critical dimensions on the set of simulated images and comparing critical dimension measurements with the set of model parameters to provide a set of guidance parameters based on comparison of information from the set of simulated images and the set of model parameters. The method may further comprise receiving auxiliary information associated with target parameters including critical dimension uniformity.

The present invention refers to a method and an apparatus for determining positions of a plurality of pixels to be introduced into a substrate of a photolithographic mask by use of a laser system, wherein the pixels serve to at least partly correct one or more errors of the photolithographic mask. The method comprises the steps: (a) obtaining error data associated with the one or more errors; (b) obtaining first parameters of an illumination system, the first parameters determining an illumination of the photolithographic mask of the illumination system when processing a wafer by illuminating with the illumination system using the photolithographic mask; and (c) determining the positions of the plurality of pixels based on the error data and the first parameters.

The present invention refers to a method and an apparatus for determining positions of a plurality of pixels to be introduced into a substrate of a photolithographic mask by use of a laser system, wherein the pixels serve to at least partly correct one or more errors of the photolithographic mask. The method comprises the steps: (a) obtaining error data associated with the one or more errors; (b) obtaining first parameters of an illumination system, the first parameters determining an illumination of the photolithographic mask of the illumination system when processing a wafer by illuminating with the illumination system using the photolithographic mask; and (c) determining the positions of the plurality of pixels based on the error data and the first parameters.

Mask inspection apparatuses and/or mask inspection methods are provided that enable quick and accurate inspection of a registration of a pattern on a mask while a defect of the mask and the registration of the pattern are inspected simultaneously. The mask inspection apparatus may include a stage configured to receive a mask for inspection; an e-beam array including a plurality of e-beam irradiators configured to irradiate e-beams to the mask and detectors configured to detect electrons emitted from the mask; and a processor configured to process signals from the detectors. A defect of the mask may be detected through processing of the signal and registrations of patterns on the mask may be inspected based on positional information regarding the e-beam irradiators.

The present application relates to a method and an apparatus for determining a wavefront of a massive particle beam, including the steps of: (a) recording two or more images of a reference structure using the massive particle beam under different recording conditions; (b) generating point spread functions for the two or more recorded images with a modified reference image of the reference structure; and (c) performing a phase reconstruction of the massive particle beam on the basis of the generated point spread functions and the different recording conditions, for the purposes of determining the wavefront.

Disclosed is a method of, and associated apparatus for, determining an edge position relating to an edge of a feature comprised within an image, such as a scanning electron microscope image, which comprises noise. The method comprises determining a reference signal from said image; and determining said edge position with respect to said reference signal. The reference signal may be determined from the image by applying a 1-dimensional low-pass filter to the image in a direction parallel to an initial contour estimating the edge position.