The invention provides an inspection apparatus for inspecting an object, the apparatus comprising: a measurement system configured to measure: a first parameter of the object across an area of interest of the object, and a second parameter, different from the first parameter, of the object at a plurality of locations on the object; a stage apparatus configured to position the object relative to the measurement system during a measurement of the first parameter, wherein the measurement system is configured to measure the second parameter at the plurality of different locations during the measurement of the first parameter and wherein the stage apparatus is configured to position the object relative to the measurement system based on a compliance characteristic of the stage apparatus.

In a focus control method of a spectroscopic measuring apparatus, the spectroscopic measuring apparatus having a first objective lens and a second objective lens equipped with a microsphere is provided. A sample is placed on a stage. A spectrum is obtained while moving the second objective lens vertically downward. A light intensity function that changes with a distance from a sample surface is obtained from the spectrum. A focal position of the second objective lens is determined from a threshold value of the light intensity function.

A pattern-exposure-apparatus includes illumination-unit that irradiates illumination-light to spatial-light-modulating-element including a plurality of micro-mirrors that are driven to switch between ON-state and OFF-state based on drawing-data, and projection-unit that allows incidence of reflected light from the micro-mirrors of the spatial-light-modulating-element in the ON-state as image-forming-light-flux and that projects image of pattern corresponding to the drawing-data to a substrate. The pattern-exposure-apparatus includes a controller that stores information, which is related to an angular-variation of the image-forming-light-flux generated according to a distribution density of the micro-mirrors of spatial-light-modulating-element which are in the ON-state, together with the drawing-data as recipe-information, and an adjustment-mechanism that adjusts (i) a position or an angle of at least one optical-member in the illumination-unit or the projection-unit or (ii) an angle of the spatial-light-modulating-element, according to the information related to the angular-variation when a pattern is exposed on the substrate by driving the spatial-light-modulating-element based on the recipe-information.

A device and method for expediting spectral measurement in metrological activities during semiconductor device fabrication through interferometric spectroscopy of white light illumination during calibration, overlay, and recipe creation.

The present disclosure relates to a method of optimizing an overlay measurement device by adjusting locations and aperture shapes of a plurality of diaphragms provided in an optical path of the overlay measurement device. The method may include measuring initial performance indicators that are performance indicators of the overlay measurement device using an initial parameter combination based on the locations and the aperture shapes of the plurality of diaphragms, with respect to at least one location on a semiconductor wafer on which an overlay mark to be measured is formed; automatically obtaining, on the basis of the initial performance indicators, an optimal parameter combination based on the locations and the aperture shapes of the plurality of diaphragms; and changing the locations and the aperture shapes of the plurality of diaphragms according to the optimal parameter combination.

A multi-column metrology tool may include two or more measurement columns distributed along a column direction, where the two or more measurement columns simultaneously probe two or more measurement regions on a sample including metrology targets. A measurement column may include an illumination sub-system to direct illumination to the sample, a collection sub-system including a collection lens to collect measurement signals from the sample and direct it to one or more detectors, and a column-positioning sub-system to adjust a position of the collection lens. A measurement region of a measurement column may be defined by a field of view of the collection lens and a range of the positioning system in the lateral plane. The tool may further include a sample-positioning sub-system to scan the sample along a scan path different than the column direction to position metrology targets within the measurement regions of the measurement columns for measurements.

A method for detecting and/or quantifying manufacturing inaccuracies made by a lithographic process includes: providing at least one design for fabrication of structures on a substrate using a set of lithographic processes. The structures define an array of metrology sensors, each sensor producing one of a known and finite set of possible distinct physical events upon application of a physical process. The produced physical event is unknown before application of the physical process, dependent on manufacturing inaccuracies generated by at least one of the set of lithographic processes, and is a displaced state of the fabricated structure, or has one or more physical entities associated with the fabricated structures present that were absent before the application of the physical process. The method includes applying the set of lithographical processes; applying the physical process; and reading out the produced physical events of all sensors. A metrology system is also provided.

Disclosed is an imaging method comprising obtaining a set of primary deconvolution kernels or a set of impulse responses relating to an optical system used to capture said image; obtaining said image signal, said image signal being subject to one or more imaging effects including at least one or more non-isoplanatic imaging effects; performing a low-rank approximation on said set of primary deconvolution kernels or impulse responses to determine respectively a set of deconvolution modes or a set of impulse response modes, each deconvolution mode comprising a modal secondary deconvolution kernel and a modal weight function and each impulse response mode comprising a modal impulse response and a modal inverse weight function; obtaining at least approximated imaging effect-free object information related to said object by applying said modal secondary deconvolution kernels and modal weight functions or said modal impulse responses and modal inverse weight functions to said image signal.

An inspection system includes a radiation source, first and second optical structures, and a detection system. The radiation source generates beams of radiation. An image formed by the beams includes radiation spots corresponding to the beams. Diameters of the radiation spots is less than a dimension of a target and the radiation spots are non-overlapping. The first optical structure routes the beams toward the target so as to project the radiation spots on the target and generate scattered radiation from the target. The second optical structure collects the scattered radiation from the target. The detection system receives the scattered radiation collected by the second optical structure and generates measurement signals. Each of the measurement signals corresponds to each of the radiation spots.

An alignment or overlay target that has an optically opaque layer disposed between the top and bottom target structure is measured using opto-acoustic metrology. A classifier library is generated for classifying whether an opto-acoustic metrology signal is on or off the bottom structure. A target may be measured by acquiring opto-acoustic measurement data for the bottom structure of the target and determining a location of the bottom structure using opto-acoustic metrology data acquired from the different locations over the bottom structure and the classifier library. Locations for acquisition of the data may be based on classification results of each measurement and a search pattern. The top structure of the target may be optically imaged. The relative position of the top structure with respect to the bottom structure is determined using the opto-acoustically determined location of the bottom structure and the image of the top structure.