A method including: obtaining an image of at least part of a substrate, wherein the image includes at least one feature of a device being manufactured in a layer on the substrate; obtaining a layout of features associated with a previous layer adjacent to the layer on the substrate; calculating one or more image-related metrics in dependence on: 1) a contour determined from the image including the at least one feature and 2) the layout; and determining one or more control parameters of a lithographic apparatus and/or one or more further processes in a manufacturing process of the device in dependence on the one or more image-related metrics, wherein at least one of the control parameters is determined to modify the geometry of the contour in order to improve the one or more image-related metrics.

An assembly comprises an exposure chamber configured to receive a structure and identify at least one portion of the structure for further processing. The exposure chamber is further configured to expose the at least one portion of the structure to radiation such that a high cure state and a low residual stress are achieved for the structure. A dosage level of the radiation is determined based, at least in part, on the composition of the structure.

A method and a device for characterizing a mask for microlithography in a characterization process carried out using an optical system, wherein the optical system includes an illumination optical unit and an imaging optical unit and wherein in the characterization process structures of the mask are illuminated by the illumination optical unit, the mask is imaged onto a detector unit by the imaging optical unit and image data recorded by the detector unit are evaluated in an evaluation unit. A method includes the following steps: determining a temporal variation of at least one variable that is characteristic of the thermal state of the optical system, and modifying the characterization process depending on the temporal variation determined.

In accordance with some embodiments, a method of controlling an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation in lithography system is provided. The method includes generating a plurality of target droplets. The method also includes generating a pre-pulse and a main pulse from an excitation laser module to generate EUV light and reflecting the EUV light by a collector mirror. The method further includes measuring a separation between a pre-pulse and a main pulse. Moreover, the method includes determining whether the separation between the pre-pulse and the main pulse in the y-axis is changed, if not adjusting a configurable parameter of the excitation laser module to set the variation in the energy of the EUV light within an acceptable range.

A method for determining a control parameter for an apparatus used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the method including: obtaining performance data associated with a substrate subject to the semiconductor manufacturing process; obtaining die specification data including values of an expected yield of one or more dies on the substrate based on the performance data and/or a specification for the performance data; and determining the control parameter in dependence on the performance data and the die specification data. Advantageously, the efficiency and/or accuracy of processes is improved by determining how to perform the processes in dependence on dies within specification.

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.

An assembly comprises an exposure chamber configured to receive a structure and identify at least one portion of the structure for further processing. The exposure chamber is further configured to expose the at least one portion of the structure to radiation such that a high cure state and a low residual stress are achieved for the structure. A dosage level of the radiation is determined based, at least in part, on the composition of the structure.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing system, including a storage unit, a specifying unit, a determination unit and an adjustment unit. The storage unit stores device information indicating a relationship between image formation performance of an exposure device used for manufacturing a semiconductor device and mechanical operation accuracy. The specifying unit specifies a constraint of the mechanical operation accuracy according to the device information and the required image formation performance. The determination unit determines whether or not a correction parameter of an exposure condition satisfies the constraint. The adjustment unit adjusts the correction parameter according to a determination result of the determination unit.

A gamma ray generator includes a plate, a plurality of holes and a plurality of gamma ray sources. The plate is configured to rotate along a rotational axis. The holes are disposed in the plate, and the holes are arranged in a matrix. The gamma ray sources are respectively placed in the holes.

A lithography apparatus includes an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) scanner, an EUV source coupled to the EUV scanner, a quartz crystal microbalance and a feedback controller. The quartz crystal microbalance is disposed on an internal surface of at least one of the EUV source and the EUV scanner. The feedback controller is coupled to the quartz crystal microbalance and one or more of a radiation source, a droplet generator, and optical guide elements controlling the trajectory of the radiation source associated with the EUV source.