A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing one or more patterns onto a substrate, the method including: determining values of one or more processing parameters under which the one or more patterns are processed; and determining or predicting, using the values of the one or more processing parameters, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, and/or a combination selected from the foregoing, of a defect resulting from production of the one or more patterns with the device manufacturing process.

A generation method of generating, by a computer, data of a pattern of a mask used for an exposure apparatus including a projection optical system. The method includes dividing an effective light source formed on a pupil plane of the projection optical system into a plurality of point sources; generating a plurality of shifted pupil functions by shifting a pupil function corresponding to each of the plurality of point sources by a shift amount in accordance with a position of each point source; defining a matrix by arranging each of the plurality of shifted pupil functions in each row or each column of the matrix; calculating an eigenvalue and an eigenfunction by performing singular value decomposition of the matrix; calculating a map representing, when elements of a target pattern are inserted on an object plane of the projection optical system, an influence the elements inflict on each other.

A method comprises determining at least one property of a first marker feature corresponding to a marker of a lithographic patterning device installed in a lithographic apparatus, wherein the first marker feature comprises a projected image of the marker obtained by projection of radiation through the lithographic patterning device by the lithographic apparatus, the determining of at least one property of the projected image of the marker comprises using an image sensor to sense radiation of the projected image prior to formation of at least one desired lithographic feature on the substrate, and the method further comprises determining at least one property of a second marker feature arising from the same marker, after formation of said at least one desired lithographic feature on the substrate.

A reflective sample, such as a mask, is imaged in an optics system. A radiation source emits a light beam with relatively low coherence. A first focusing element focuses the beam before a mirror reflects the focused beam towards the sample at an incidence angle of between 2 and 25? A pinhole aperture plate upstream of the sample has a first aperture to focus and cut-off the beam diameter to form a more monochromatic beam. The sample is displaced by a mechanism in a direction perpendicular to the normal vector of the sample surface while it reflects the light beam. The reflected beam passes a second aperture in the pinhole aperture plate next to the first aperture on its way to a pixel detector. The second aperture limits the diameter of the reflected beam, thereby adjusting the diameter of the light beam before it reaches the pixel detector.

Measurement apparatus for the inspection of photomasks, comprising an EUV radiation source, an illumination system, a projection lens and an EUV image sensor. EUV radiation emitted by the EUV radiation source is guided via the illumination system to a photomask. EUV radiation reflected at the photomask is guided via the projection lens to the EUV image sensor such that the photomask is imaged on the EUV image sensor. A pellicle is arranged between the EUV radiation source and the illumination system, with the result that the EUV radiation passes through the pellicle between the EUV radiation source and the illumination system. The invention also relates to a method for inspecting photomasks.

A partial section of an aerial image measuring unit is arranged at a wafer stage and part of the remaining section is arranged at a measurement stage, and the aerial image measuring unit measures an aerial image of a mark formed by a projection optical system. Therefore, for example, when the aerial image measuring unit measures a best focus position of the projection optical system, the measurement can be performed using the position of the wafer stage, at which a partial section of the aerial image measuring unit is arranged, in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system as a datum for the best focus position. Accordingly, when exposing an object with illumination light, the position of the wafer stage in the direction parallel to the optical axis is adjusted with high accuracy based on the measurement result of the best focus position.

A lithographic apparatus includes a substrate table capable of holding a substrate, a projection system that projects a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate held by the substrate table, and a sensor table that is not capable of holding a substrate but that includes a sensor capable of sensing a property of the patterned beam of radiation. In addition, a first positioning system is connected to the substrate table and displaces the substrate table into and out of a path of the patterned beam of radiation, and a second positioning system is capable of positioning the sensor table into the path of the patterned beam of radiation when the substrate table is displaced out of the path of the patterned beam of radiation.

The present invention provides an evaluation method of evaluating optical characteristics of a projection optical system by obtaining, by a prediction formula, a predicted value for a fluctuation amount of the optical characteristics relative to an exposure period of a substrate via the projection optical system, the method comprising determining the prediction formula by using a dedicated pattern in which a plurality of marks are arranged in a matrix on an object plane of the projection optical system, wherein the determining includes selecting, from the plurality of marks, at least two marks located in an illuminated region to be formed on the object plane when exposing the substrate, and obtaining the prediction formula based on positions of images of the at least two marks formed on an image plane of the projection optical system.

Position information of a movable body within an XY plane is measured with high accuracy by an encoder system whose measurement values have favorable short-term stability, without being affected by air fluctuations, and also position information of the movable body in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to the XY plane is measured with high accuracy by a surface position measuring system, without being affected by air fluctuations. In this case, since both of the encoder system and the surface position measuring system directly measure the upper surface of the movable body, simple and direct position control of the movable body can be performed.

When simulating illumination and imaging properties of an optical production system when illuminating and imaging an object by use of an optical measurement system of a metrology system, the optical measurement system having an illumination optical unit for illuminating the object and a pupil stop, in particular a displaceable pupil stop, and having an imaging optical unit for imaging the object into an image plane is initially provided. When simulating the properties of the optical production system with the optical measurement system, a plurality of pupil stops are initially provided. Measurement aerial images are then recorded by use of the plurality of pupil stops. A complex mask transfer function is reconstructed from the recorded measurement aerial images and a 3-D aerial image is determined from this function and the illumination setting of the optical production system. This yields an improved simulation method.