Online calibration of laser performance as a function of the repetition rate at which the laser is operated is disclosed. The calibration can be periodic and carried out during a scheduled during a non-exposure period. Various criteria can be used to automatically select the repetition rates that result in reliable in-spec performance. The reliable values of repetition rates are then made available to the scanner as allowed values and the laser/scanner system is then permitted to use those allowed repetition rates.

A method including: obtaining a resist process dose sensitivity value for a patterning process; applying the resist process dose sensitivity value to a stochastic model providing values of a stochastic variable as a function of resist process dose sensitivity to obtain a value of the stochastic variable; and designing or modifying a parameter of the patterning process based on the stochastic variable value.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a light radiator configured to radiate a light for processing into an irradiation area which is smaller than a processing target area of a surface of a substrate; a driver configured to move the irradiation area in two directions that cross each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate; and a controller configured to control the driver to move an irradiation position in two directions according to a movement pattern which has been set to radiate the light to an entire area of the processing target area.

Direct metal nano patterning is provided by constructing a carbon-based sheet that include self-assembled molecular monolayers (SAMs) of metals; and applying an electron beam to the carbon-based sheet to impart a pattern of metallic nano-particles in the carbon-based sheet.

A process of characterizing a process window of a patterning process, the process including: obtaining a set of inspection locations for a pattern, the pattern defining features to be applied to a substrate with a patterning process, the set of inspection locations corresponding to a set of the features, the set of features being selected from among the features according to sensitivity of the respective features to variation in one or more process characteristics of the patterning process; patterning one or more substrates under varying process characteristics of the patterning process; and determining, for each of the variations in the process characteristics, whether at least some of the set of features yielded unacceptable patterned structures on the one or more substrates at corresponding inspection locations.

The embodiments described herein relate to a software application platform, which enhances image patterns resolution on a substrate. The application platform method includes running an algorithm to provide different target polygons for forming a pattern on a target. A minimum feature size which may be formed by a DMD is determined. For each target polygons smaller than the minimum feature size determining to line bias or shot bias the one or more target polygons to achieve an acceptable exposure contrast at the target polygon boundary. The one or more target polygons smaller than the minimum feature size are biased to form a digitized pattern on the substrate. Electromagnetic radiation is delivered to reflect off of a first mirror of the DMD when the centroid for the first mirror is within the one or more target polygons.

An exposure apparatus comprises a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of a mask, a substrate stage for holding a substrate, and a measurement device installed on the substrate stage, including a plate on which a substrate-side mark is formed, and a sensor for detecting light transmitted through a mask-side mark, the projection optical system, and the substrate-side mark, and configured to measure an amount of the light detected by the sensor. The substrate-side mark includes a central mark arranged in a center of a sensitive region of the sensor, and a peripheral mark arranged in a periphery of the central mark. The central mark is used in measurement of the light amount, including driving the substrate stage in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system.

Embodiments described herein provide a system, a software application, and a method of a lithography process, to write full tone portions and grey tone portions in a single pass. One embodiment includes a controller configured to provide mask pattern data to a lithography system. The controller is configured to divide a plurality of spatial light modulator pixels spatially by at least a grey tone group and a full tone group of spatial light modulator pixels. When divided by the controller, the grey tone group of spatial light modulator pixels is operable to project a first number of the multiplicity of shots to the plurality of full tone exposure polygons and the plurality of grey tone exposure polygons, and the full tone group of spatial light modulator pixels is operable to project a second number of the multiplicity of shots to the plurality of full tone exposure polygons.

A method of controlling a feedback system with a data matching module of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation source is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a slit integrated energy (SLIE) sensor data and diffractive optical elements (DOE) data. The method performs a data match, by the data matching module, of a time difference of the SLIE sensor data and the DOE data to identify a mismatched set of the SLIE sensor data and the DOE data. The method also determines whether the time difference of the SLIE sensor data and the DOE data of the mismatched set is within an acceptable range. Based on the determination, the method automatically validates a configurable data of the mismatched set such that the SLIE sensor data of the mismatched set is valid for a reflectivity calculation.

Photoresist layers are exposed to an exposure beam by using an exposure tool assembly, wherein the photoresist layers coat semiconductor substrates and wherein for each exposure a current exposure parameter set is used that includes at least a defocus value and an exposure dose. The exposed photoresist layers are developed, wherein resist patterns are formed from the photoresist layers. Feature characteristics in the resist patterns and/or in substrate patterns derived from the resist patterns are measured. The current exposure parameter set is updated in response to deviations of the measured feature characteristics from target feature characteristics. De-corrected feature characteristics of hypothetical resist patterns are estimated, which would be formed without updating the exposure parameter set. In response to information obtained from the de-corrected feature characteristics the measurement strategy for the feature characteristics may be changed or the current exposure parameter set may be updated.