The present invention provides an imprint apparatus comprising a deforming unit configured to deform a pattern surface by applying a force to a mold, a measuring unit configured to measure a deformation amount of the pattern surface, a control unit configured to control the measuring unit to measure the deformation amount in each of a plurality of states in which a plurality of the forces are applied to the mold, a calculation unit configured to calculate a rate of change in the deformation amount as a function of a change in the force applied to the mold, and a calibration unit configured to calibrate a control profile describing a time in the imprint process, and the force applied to the mold, based on the rate of change in the deformation amount.

A patterning device pre-alignment sensor system is disclosed. The system comprises at least one illumination source configured to provide an incident beam along a normal direction towards a patterning device. The system further comprises an object lens group channel along the normal direction configured to receive a 0th order refracted beam from the patterning device. The system further comprises a first light reflector configured to redirect the 0th order refracted beam to form a first retroreflected beam. The system further comprises a first image lens group channel configured to transmit the first retroreflected beam to a first light sensor. The first light sensor is configured to detect the first retroreflected beam to determine a location feature of the patterning device.

A method for calibrating the alignment of a wafer is provided. A plurality of alignment position deviation (APD) simulation results are obtained form a plurality of mark profiles. An alignment analysis is performed on a mark region of the wafer with a light beam. A measured APD of the mark region of the wafer is obtained in response to the light beam. The measured APD is compared with the APD simulation results to obtain alignment calibration data. An exposure process is performed on the wafer with a mask according to the alignment calibration data.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus that forms an imprint material pattern on a substrate by using a mold, comprising: a discharge unit on which a plurality of discharge outlets configured to discharge an imprint material are arranged; a measurement unit configured to measure a relative tilt between the discharge unit and the substrate; and a control unit configured to control a process of causing the discharge unit to discharge the imprint material while relatively moving the discharge unit and the substrate to each other, wherein the control unit is configured to change a relative movement direction of the discharge unit and the substrate in the process in accordance with the relative tilt measured by the measurement unit so as to reduce an arrangement error of the imprint material, discharged from the plurality of discharge outlets, on the substrate.

In a method executed in an exposure apparatus, a focus control effective region and a focus control exclusion region are set based on an exposure map and a chip area layout within an exposure area. Focus-leveling data are measured over a wafer. A photo resist layer on the wafer is exposed with an exposure light. When a chip area of a plurality of chip areas of the exposure area is located within an effective region of a wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control effective region, and when a part of or all of a chip area of the plurality of chip areas is located on or outside a periphery of the effective region of the wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control exclusion region In the exposing, a focus-leveling is controlled by using the focus-leveling data measured at the focus control effective region.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus that forms an imprint material pattern on a substrate by using a mold, comprising: a discharge unit on which a plurality of discharge outlets configured to discharge an imprint material are arranged; a measurement unit configured to measure a relative tilt between the discharge unit and the substrate; and a control unit configured to control a process of causing the discharge unit to discharge the imprint material while relatively moving the discharge unit and the substrate to each other, wherein the control unit is configured to change a relative movement direction of the discharge unit and the substrate in the process in accordance with the relative tilt measured by the measurement unit so as to reduce an arrangement error of the imprint material, discharged from the plurality of discharge outlets, on the substrate.

An apparatus for measuring a height of a substrate for processing in a lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a first sensor for sensing a height of the substrate over a first area. The apparatus also comprises a second sensor for sensing a height of the substrate over a second area. The apparatus further comprises a processor adapted to normalize first data corresponding to a signal from the first sensor with a second sensor footprint to produce a first normalized height data, and to normalize second data corresponding to a signal from the second sensor with a first sensor footprint to produce a second normalized height data. The processor is adapted to determine a correction to a measured height of the substrate based on a difference between the first and second normalized height data.

In a method executed in an exposure apparatus, a focus control effective region and a focus control exclusion region are set based on an exposure map and a chip area layout within an exposure area. Focus-leveling data are measured over a wafer. A photo resist layer on the wafer is exposed with an exposure light. When a chip area of a plurality of chip areas of the exposure area is located within an effective region of a wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control effective region, and when a part of or all of a chip area of the plurality of chip areas is located on or outside a periphery of the effective region of the wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control exclusion region In the exposing, a focus-leveling is controlled by using the focus-leveling data measured at the focus control effective region.

Methods and systems for configuring a metrology tool are described. A processor can receive a height map of a sample from an apparatus configured to generate wafer height maps. The received height map can indicate height information of a plurality of features on a surface of the sample. The plurality of features can be located on a plurality of focal planes. The processor can generate settings for the metrology tool based on the height map of the sample.

A method for aligning and bringing a first substrate into contact with a second substrate as well as a corresponding device with at least four detection units wherein: at least two first detection units can move at least in the X-direction and in the Y-direction, and at least two second detection units can move exclusively in the Z-direction.