Computer implemented methods and computer program products have instructions for generating transfer functions that relate segments on lithography photomasks to features produced by photolithography and etching using such segments. Such methods may be characterized by the following elements: (a) receiving after development inspection metrology results produced from one or more first test substrates on which resist was applied and patterned using a set of design layout segments; (b) receiving after etch inspection metrology results produced from one or more second test substrates which were etched after resist was applied and patterned using said set of design layout segments; and (c) generating the transfer function using the set of design layout segments together with corresponding after development inspection metrology results and corresponding after etch inspection metrology results.

A diagnostic apparatus monitors a lithographic manufacturing system. First measurement data representing local deviations of some characteristic across a substrate is obtained using sensors within a lithographic apparatus, and/or a separate metrology tool. Other inspection tools perform substrate backside inspection to produce second measurement data. A high-resolution backside defect image is processed into a form in which it can be compared with lower resolution information from the first measurement data. Cross-correlation is performed to identify which of the observed defects are correlated spatially with the deviations represented in the first measurement data. A correlation map is used to identify potentially relevant clusters of defects in the more detailed original defect map. The responsible apparatus can be identified by pattern recognition as part of an automated root cause analysis. Alternatively, reticle inspection data may be used as second measurement data.

A method for categorizing a substrate subject to a semiconductor manufacturing process including multiple operations, the method including: obtaining values of functional indicators derived from data generated during one or more of the multiple operations on the substrate, the functional indicators characterizing at least one operation; applying a decision model including one or more threshold values to the values of the functional indicators to obtain one or more categorical indicators; and assigning a category to the substrate based on the one or more categorical indicators.

Disclosed herein is a computer-implemented method for determining an overlapping process window (OPW) of an area of interest on a portion of a design layout for a device manufacturing process for imaging the portion onto a substrate, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of features in the area of interest; obtaining a plurality of values of one or more processing parameters of the device manufacturing process; determining existence of defects, probability of the existence of defects, or both in imaging the plurality of features by the device manufacturing process under each of the plurality of values; and determining the OPW of the area of interest from the existence of defects, the probability of the existence of defects, or both.

An apparatus and method of diagnosing an unobserved operational parameter of a machine or apparatus. The method including obtaining a plurality of causal relationships between pairs of parameters of the machine or apparatus, wherein each pair includes a cause parameter and an effect parameter. For at least some of the parameters, a decomposition of the parameters into a plurality of information components is determined, based on the determined causal relationships between the parameters. The decomposition includes a synergistic information component including information obtained from a combination of at least two causal relationships having the parameter as effect parameter. A parameter is determined to include a negative synergistic information component. Based on the existence of the negative synergistic information component, it is diagnosed that an unobserved operational parameter provides a cause for the parameter including the negative synergistic information component.

A system and method are presented for controlling measurements of various sample's parameters. The system comprises a control unit configured as a computer system comprising data input and output utilities, memory, and a data processor, and being configured to communicate with a measured data provider to receive measured data indicative of measurements on the sample. The data processor is configured to perform model-based processing of the measured data utilizing at least one predetermined model, and determine, for each of one or more measurements of one or more parameters of interest of the sample, an estimated upper bound on an error value for the measurement individually, and generate output data indicative thereof.

A method of topography determination, the method including: obtaining a first focus value derived from a computational lithography model modeling patterning of an unpatterned substrate or derived from measurements of a patterned layer on an unpatterned substrate; obtaining a second focus value derived from measurement of a substrate having a topography; and determining a value of the topography from the first and second focus values.

A method of determining a correction for a process parameter related to a lithographic process, wherein the lithographic process includes a plurality of runs during each one of which a pattern is applied to one or more substrates. The method of determining includes obtaining pre-exposure metrology data describing a property of a substrate; obtaining post-exposure metrology data comprising one or more measurements of the process parameter having been performed on one or more previously exposed substrates; assigning, based on the pre-exposure metrology data, a group membership status from one or more groups to the substrate; and determining the correction for the process parameter based on the group membership status and the post-exposure metrology data.

A full-chip cell critical dimension (CD) correction method and a method of manufacturing a mask by using the same are provided. The full-chip cell CD correction method includes receiving a database (DB) about a full-shot; analyzing a hierarchy of the DB; generating a density map of a full-chip by using the DB and converting the density map into a retarget rule table, the converting including mapping the density map by using a density rule; reconfiguring cell blocks of the full-chip into an optical proximity correction (OPC) target cell layout for OPC; applying a first bias to the OPC target cell layout, based on the retarget rule table; and generating an optical proximity corrected (OPC'ed) layout for the full-chip by performing hierarchical OPC.

A method for sample scheme generation includes obtaining measurement data associated with a set of locations; analyzing the measurement data to determine statistically different groups of the locations; and configuring a sample scheme generation algorithm based on the statistically different groups. A method includes obtaining a constraint and/or a plurality of key performance indicators associated with a sample scheme across one or more substrates; and using the constraint and/or plurality of key performance indicators in a sample scheme generation algorithm including a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The locations may define one or more regions spanning a plurality of fields across one or more substrates and the analyzing the measurement data may include stacking across the spanned plurality of fields using different respective sub-sampling.