The present document describes a lithographic patterning method for creating features on a surface of a substrate. The patterning method includes the steps of applying a resist material to the substrate surface for providing a resist material layer, selectively exposing, dependent on a location and based on patterning data, the resist material layer to a surface treatment step for chemically modifying the resist material of the resist material layer, and developing, based on the chemical modification of the resist material, the resist material layer such as to selectively remove the resist material. In particular, prior to the step of developing, the method comprises a step of scanning at least a part of the surface using an acoustic scanning probe microscopy method for determining a local contact stiffness of the substrate surface at a plurality of locations, for measuring one or more critical dimensions of the features to be formed on the surface.

A method including computing, in accordance with one or more parameters of a substrate measurement recipe, measurement with a latent image of a target and measurement with a post- development image corresponding to the latent image, to evaluate a characteristic determined from the computed measurement with the latent image of the target and determined from the computed measurement with the post-development image corresponding to the latent image; and adjusting the one or more parameters of the substrate measurement recipe and re-performing the computing, until a certain termination condition is satisfied with respect to the characteristic,

A projection exposure tool for microlithography for imaging mask structures of an image-providing substrate onto a substrate to be structured includes a measuring apparatus configured to determine a relative position of measurement structures disposed on a surface of one of the substrates in relation to one another in at least one lateral direction with respect to the substrate surface and to thereby simultaneously measure a number of measurement structures disposed laterally offset in relation to one another.

Methods for training a process model and determining ranking of simulated patterns (e.g., corresponding to hot spots). A method involves obtaining a training data set including: (i) a simulated pattern associated with a mask pattern to be printed on a substrate, (ii) inspection data of a printed pattern imaged on the substrate using the mask pattern, and (iii) measured values of a parameter of the patterning process applied during imaging of the mask pattern on the substrate; and training a machine learning model for the patterning process based on the training data set to predict a difference in a characteristic of the simulated pattern and the printed pattern. The trained machine learning model can be used for determining a ranking of hot spots. In another method a model is trained based on measurement data to predict ranking of the hot spots.

A controller of an exposure apparatus is coupled to an alignment system, an aerial image measurement device and an encoder system, to control a drive system based on correction information and measurement information of the encoder system, the correction information compensating a measurement error of the encoder system that occurs due to a plurality of scale members. In an exposure operation of a substrate, a detection operation of a mark of the substrate and a fiducial mark, and a detection operation of an aerial image, the positional information of the stage is measured with the encoder system. In the exposure operation, the substrate is placed facing a lower surface of a nozzle member by a stage, and alignment between a pattern image and the substrate is performed based on detection information of the alignment system and the aerial image measurement device.

A controller of an exposure apparatus (1) controls a second drive system so that scanning exposure is performed via a projection optical system and liquid of a liquid immersion area, from an area located on one side in a first direction, of a plurality of areas of a substrate held by a second stage that is placed facing the projection optical system and (ii) controls the second drive system so that a third stage comes close to the second stage from the other side in the first direction, and the second and the third stages that have come close together move from the other side to the one side in the first direction in order to place the third stage to face the projection optical system instead of the second stage while substantially maintaining the liquid immersion area under the lens.

A controller of an exposure apparatus is coupled to an alignment system, an aerial image measurement device and an encoder system, to control a drive system based on correction information and measurement information of the encoder system, the correction information compensating a measurement error of the encoder system that occurs due to a plurality of scale members. In an exposure operation of a substrate, a detection operation of a mark of the substrate and a fiducial mark, and a detection operation of an aerial image, the positional information of the stage is measured with the encoder system. In the exposure operation, the substrate is placed facing a lower surface of a nozzle member by a stage, and alignment between a pattern image and the substrate is performed based on detection information of the alignment system and the aerial image measurement device.

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 method for determining a target feature in a model of a patterning process based on local electric fields estimated for the patterning process. The method includes obtaining a mask stack region of interest. The mask stack region of interest has one or more characteristics associated with propagation of electromagnetic waves through the mask stack region of interest. The mask stack region of interest includes the target feature. The method includes estimating a local electric field based on the one or more characteristics associated with the propagation of electromagnetic waves through the mask stack region of interest. The local electric field is estimated for a portion of the mask stack region of interest in proximity to the target feature. The method includes determining the target feature based on the estimated local electric field.

A projection exposure tool for microlithography for imaging mask structures of an image-providing substrate onto a substrate to be structured includes a measuring apparatus configured to determine a relative position of measurement structures disposed on a surface of one of the substrates in relation to one another in at least one lateral direction with respect to the substrate surface and to thereby simultaneously measure a number of measurement structures disposed laterally offset in relation to one another.