A method for calibrating a process model of a patterning process. The method includes identifying a portion of the substrate that has values within a tolerance band of one or more parameters (e.g., CD, EPE, etc.) of the patterning process, obtaining, via a metrology tool, metrology data corresponding to the portion of the substrate, processing the metrology data, and calibrating a process model based on the processed metrology data.

A method for determining a wavefront parameter of a patterning process. The method includes obtaining a reference performance (e.g., a contour, EPE, CD) of a reference apparatus (e.g., a scanner), a lens model for a patterning apparatus configured to convert a wavefront parameter of a wavefront to actuator movement, and a lens fingerprint of a tuning apparatus (e.g., a to-be-matched scanner). Further, the method involves determining the wavefront parameter (e.g., a wavefront parameter such as tilt, offset, etc.) based on the lens fingerprint of the tuning apparatus, the lens model, and a cost function, wherein the cost function is a difference between the reference performance and a tuning apparatus performance.

An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire process information about a substrate process, the process information including process data and a process condition, and a display control unit configured to control a display on a display apparatus based on the process information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the display control unit selectively displays, on the display apparatus, a first screen that displays the process data of a lot including a plurality of substrates on a lot-by-lot basis and a second screen that displays the process data of a first lot on a substrate-by-substrate basis, the first lot being a lot designated by a user from the lot displayed on the first screen.

Disclosed is a method of determining a process window within a process space comprising obtaining contour data relating to features to be provided to a substrate across a plurality of layers, for each of a plurality of process conditions associated with providing the features across said plurality of layers and failure mode data describing constraints on the contour data across the plurality of layers. The failure mode data is applied to the contour data to determine a failure count for each process condition; and the process window is determined by associating each process condition to its corresponding failure count. Also disclosed is a method of determining an actuation constrained subspace of the process window based on actuation constraints imposed by the plurality of actuators.

An apparatus for reducing hydrogen permeation of a mask is provided when generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. The apparatus includes a mask stage configured to hold the mask, a hydrogen dispensing nozzle configured to eject hydrogen below the mask, and a trajectory correcting assembly. The trajectory correcting assembly includes a correcting nozzle and a gas flow detector. The correcting nozzle is configured to dispense at least one flow adjusting gas to adjust a trajectory of the hydrogen away from the mask to reduce hydrogen permeation at an edge of the mask. The gas flow detector is configured to measure a variation of an airflow of the hydrogen adjusted by the at least one flow adjusting gas.

A writing apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention is a writing apparatus that irradiates a predetermined position on an irradiation target with multiple charged particle beams to write a predetermined pattern on the irradiation target, the apparatus comprising: a beam generation mechanism configured to generate multiple charged particle beams; a blanking aperture mechanism configured to perform blanking control of the generated multiple charged particle beams; a stage configured to have the irradiation target mounted thereon and to be movable; and a controller configured to control the writing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the blanking aperture mechanism and the stage to move the stage in an in-plane direction of a surface of the irradiation target during a blanking period in preparatory phase for writing.

In a method executed in an exposure apparatus, a focus control effective region and a focus control exclusion region are set based on an exposure map and a chip area layout within an exposure area. Focus-leveling data are measured over a wafer. A photo resist layer on the wafer is exposed with an exposure light. When a chip area of a plurality of chip areas of the exposure area is located within an effective region of a wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control effective region, and when a part of or all of a chip area of the plurality of chip areas is located on or outside a periphery of the effective region of the wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control exclusion region In the exposing, a focus-leveling is controlled by using the focus-leveling data measured at the focus control effective region.

A method including: determining a sequence of states of an object, the states determined based on processing information associated with the object, wherein the sequence of states includes one or more future states of the object; determining, based on at least one of the states within the sequence of states and the one or more future states, a process metric associated with the object, the process metric including an indication of whether processing requirements for the object are satisfied for individual states in the sequence of states; and initiating an adjustment to processing based on (1) at least one of the states and the one or more future states and (2) the process metric, the adjustment configured to enhance the process metric for the individual states in the sequence of states such that final processing requirements for the object are satisfied.

A method for controlling a process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, the method including: obtaining a first control grid associated with a first lithographic apparatus used for a first patterning process for patterning a first substrate; obtaining a second control grid associated with a second lithographic apparatus used for a second patterning process for patterning a second substrate; based on the first control grid and second control grid, determining a common control grid definition for a bonding step for bonding the first substrate and second substrate to obtain a bonded substrate; obtaining bonded substrate metrology data including data relating to metrology performed on the bonded substrate; and determining a correction for performance of the bonding step based on the bonded substrate metrology data, the determining a correction including determining a co-optimized correction for the bonding step and for the first patterning process and/or second patterning process.

A management apparatus includes a learning device. The learning device is configured to, in a case where a reward obtained from a control result of a controlled object by a controller configured to control the controlled object using a neural network, for which a parameter value is decided by reinforcement learning, does not satisfy a predetermined criterion, redecide the parameter value by reinforcement learning.