A lithographic apparatus and associated method of controlling a lithographic process. The lithographic apparatus has a controller configured to define a control grid associated with positioning of a substrate within the lithographic apparatus. The control grid is based on a device layout, associated with a patterning device, defining a device pattern which is to be, and/or has been, applied to the substrate in a lithographic process.

A method for the exposure of image points of a photosensitive layer comprising a photosensitive material on a substrate by means of an optical system. The method including continuously moving the image points with respect to the optical system; and controlling a plurality of secondary beams by means of the optical system individually for individual exposures of each image point, whereby the secondary beams are put either into an ON state or into an OFF state, wherein a) secondary beams in the ON state produce an individual exposure of the image point assigned to the respective secondary beam and b) secondary beams in the OFF state do not produce any individual exposure of the image point assigned to the respective secondary beam; wherein, for the generation of image points with grey tones n>1, individual exposures are carried out by different secondary beams with individual doses D.

This application provides a method for generating an exposure compensation table, a method for photoresist exposure compensation, and an exposure machine. The method for generating an exposure compensation table includes: recording preset exposure parameters and a critical dimension value of a photoresist pattern; and exposing and developing until all preset exposure parameters have been tested.

A laser system's laser light energy control and resulting dose control is improved by creating and using a set of gain estimators, one for each of a set or range of laser light pulse repetition rates. When a new repetition rate is used, its corresponding gain estimator is retrieved, used to compute the voltage to fire the laser source, and updated. The resulting generated laser light thereby avoids the convergence delay inherent in prior laser systems and, further, can repeatedly do so with subsequent specified repetition rates.

A method including obtaining (i) measurements of a parameter of the feature, (ii) data related to a process variable of a patterning process, (iii) a functional behavior of the parameter defined as a function of the process variable based on the measurements of the parameter and the data related to the process variable, (iv) measurements of a failure rate of the feature, and (v) a probability density function of the process variable for a setting of the process variable, converting the probability density function of the process variable to a probability density function of the parameter based on a conversion function, where the conversion function is determined based on the function of the process variable, and determining a parameter limit of the parameter based on the probability density function of the parameter and the measurements of the failure rate.

Methods and apparatuses for aligning and diagnosing the laser beam traversing an optical train in a highly space-efficient, lower cost and/or retrofit-friendly manner are disclosed. The optical components of the optical train are mounted such that one or more optical components can direct their exit laser beam to partially or wholly scan across one or more downstream sensors. Correlation data between physical disposition of optical components and the points of impact data and/or beam quality data are employed to, among others, align and/or diagnose the laser beam and/or localize failure sites and/or optimize maintenance schedule.

Position shifts caused by charging phenomena can be corrected with high accuracy. A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an exposure-amount distribution calculator calculating an exposure amount distribution of a charged particle beam using a pattern density distribution and a dose distribution, a fogging charged particle amount distribution calculator calculating a plurality of fogging charged particle amount distributions by convoluting each of a plurality of distribution functions for fogging charged particles with the exposure amount distribution, a charge-amount distribution calculator calculating a charge amount distribution due to direct charge using the pattern density distribution, the dose distribution, and the exposure amount distribution, and calculating a plurality of charge amount distributions due to fogging charge using the plurality of fogging charged particle amount distributions, a position shift amount calculator calculating a position shift amount of a writing position based on the charge amount distribution due to direct charge and the plurality of charge amount distributions due to fogging charge, a corrector correcting an exposure position using the position shift amount, and a writer exposing the corrected exposure position to a charged particle beam.

A metrology system may include a controller coupled to a scanning metrology tool that images a sample in motion along a scan direction. The controller may receive an image of a metrology target on the sample from the scanning metrology tool, where the metrology target comprises a first measurement group including cells distributed along a transverse direction orthogonal to the scan direction, and a second measurement group separated from the first measurement group along the scan direction including cells distributed along the transverse direction. The controller may further generate at least a first metrology measurement based on at least one of the cells in the first measurement group, and generate at least a second metrology measurement based on at least one of the cells in the second measurement group.

The invention relates to a device for determining the exposure energy during the exposure of an element in an optical system, in particular for microlithography, comprising an optical element, a diffractive structure which has a locally varying grating period, and an intensity sensor arrangement, wherein electromagnetic radiation diffracted at the diffractive structure during operation of the optical system, in at least one order of diffraction, is directed to the intensity sensor arrangement by way of total internal reflection effected in the optical element.

A method for optimization to increase lithographic apparatus throughput for a patterning process is described. The method includes providing a baseline dose for an EUV illumination and an initial pupil configuration, associated with a lithographic apparatus. The baseline dose and the initial pupil configuration are configured for use with a dose anchor mask pattern and a corresponding dose anchor target pattern for setting an illumination dose for corresponding device patterns of interest. The method includes biasing the dose anchor mask pattern relative to the dose anchor target pattern; determining an acceptable lower dose for the biased dose anchor mask pattern and the initial pupil configuration; unbiasing the dose anchor mask pattern relative to the dose anchor target pattern; and determining a changed pupil configuration and a mask bias for the device patterns of interest based on the acceptable lower dose and the unbiased dose anchor mask pattern.