Disclosed is an adaptive groove focusing and leveling device for measuring the height and the inclination of the surface of a measured object (400). The measured object (400) is provided with cyclic grooves (401) in the surface and supported by a moving table; the focusing and leveling device sequentially comprises an illumination unit, a projection unit, a detection unit and a detector (212); the measured object (400) is positioned between the projection unit and the detection unit along the light path, the projection unit comprises a projection slit (203) and is used for forming a plurality of measuring points (501) on the measured object (400), and each measuring point (501) comprises at least three measuring child light spots (502), wherein the at least three measuring child light spots (502) are arranged at unequal intervals, so that when the plurality of measuring points (501) are projected to the surface of the measured object (400), at least two of the at least three measuring child light spots (502) of each measuring point (501) can be positioned outside the grooves (401), and then the height and the inclination of the surface of the measured object (400) are measured.

Disclosed are an amplitude monitoring system, a focusing and leveling apparatus and a defocus detection method. The defocus detection method comprises the steps of: adjusting amplitude of a scanning mirror (201) to a theoretical amplitude value and recording corresponding theoretical output voltage values of a photodetector (309) (S1); adjusting the amplitude of the scanning mirror (201) and sampling real-time amplitude values θi of the scanning mirror (201) and real-time output voltage values of the photodetector (309) to calculate compensated real-time demodulation results Si, and recording real-time defocus amounts Hi of a wafer table (305) (S2); subsequent to stepwise displacement of the wafer table (305), establishing a database based on the compensated real-time demodulation results Si and the real-time defocus amounts Hi of the wafer table (305) (S3); and in an actual measurement, sampling in real time an actual amplitude value θk of the scanning mirror (201) and actual output voltage values of the photodetector (309) to calculate a compensated real-time demodulation result Sk, and finding an actual defocus amount Hk of the wafer table (305) by searching the database using a linear interpolation method (S4). Such a focusing and leveling apparatus and defocus detection method avoid degraded stability of the scanning mirror due to long-time operation, which may lead to low wafer surface defocus measurement accuracy of the focusing and leveling apparatus.

An alignment method and an alignment system are provided. The alignment method includes: providing a wafer including an exposed surface, wherein an alignment mark and a reference point with a reference distance are provided on the exposed surface; placing the wafer on a reference plane; performing an alignment measurement on the exposed surface to obtain a projection distance, configured as a measurement distance, between the alignment mark and the reference point on the reference plane; performing a levelling measurement between the exposed surface and the reference plane to obtain levelling data of the exposed surface; obtaining a distance, configured as an expansion reference value, between the alignment mark and the reference point in the exposed surface; obtaining an expansion compensation value based on a difference between the expansion reference value and the reference distance; and adjusting parameters of a photolithography process based on the expansion compensation value for an alignment.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure. The method includes forming a photo-sensitive layer on a first surface of a semiconductor substrate. The photo-sensitive layer has a top surface. The method also includes obtaining a first profile of the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, and obtaining a second profile of the top surface of the photo-sensitive layer. The method also includes calculating a vertical displacement profile of the semiconductor substrate according to the first profile and the second profile. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor structure is also disclosed.

A method for determining a center of a radiation spot irradiated on a surface by a sensor, the sensor including a radiation source and a detector. The method includes: emitting, with the radiation source, a first emitted radiation beam onto the surface to create the radiation spot on the surface, wherein at least a part of a target arranged at the surface is irradiated by the radiation spot; receiving, with the detector, a first reflected radiation beam at least including radiation from the radiation spot reflected by the target; detecting the presence of the target based on the first reflected radiation beam; determining a first measured position of the target based on the first reflected radiation beam; and determining a center of the radiation spot as projected on the surface in at least a first direction based on the first measured position of the target.

A stage assembly for positioning a device along a first axis, the stage assembly comprising: a base; a stage that retains the device and moves above the base; a mover assembly that moves the stage along the first axis relative to the base; a first sensor system that monitors the movement of the stage along the first axis, the first sensor system generating a first signal, the first sensor system having a first sensor accuracy; a second sensor system that monitors the movement of the stage along the first axis, the second sensor system having a second sensor accuracy that is different from the first sensor accuracy of the first sensor system, the second sensor generating a second signal; and a control system that controls the mover assembly using at least one of the first sensor and the second signal.

In an exposure apparatus and a method for defocus and tilt error compensation, each of alignment sensors (500a, 500b, 500c, 500d, 500e, 500f) corresponds to and has the same coordinate in the first direction as a respective one of focusing sensors (600a, 600b, 600c, 600d, 600e, 600f), so that each of the alignment sensors (500a, 500b, 500c, 500d, 500e, 500f) is arranged on the same straight line as a respective one of the focusing sensors (600a, 600b, 600c, 600d, 600e, 600f). As such, alignment marks can be characterized with both focusing information and alignment information. This enables the correction of errors in the alignment information and thus achieves defocus and tilt error compensation, resulting in significant improvements in alignment accuracy and the production yield.

In a method for fabricating a resist pattern, a substrate coated with a photo resist is loaded on a stage of an exposure apparatus. Underlying patterns are fabricated on the substrate. A surface slope of an exposure area on the substrate is measured. An alignment measurement is performed by detecting an alignment pattern formed in the underlying patterns. An alignment measurement result is corrected based on the measured surface slope. The substrate is aligned to a photo mask by using the corrected alignment measurement result. The photo resist is exposed to radiation passing through the photo mask to form patterns.

A system comprises a topography measurement system configured to determine a respective height for each of a plurality of locations on a substrate; and a processor configured to: determine a height map for the substrate based on the determined heights for the plurality of locations; and determine at least one alignment parameter for the substrate by comparing the height map and a reference height map, wherein the reference height map comprises or represents heights for a plurality of locations on a reference substrate portion.

In order to improve the throughput performance and/or economy of a measurement apparatus, the present disclosure provides a metrology apparatus including: a first measuring apparatus; a second measuring apparatus; a first substrate stage configured to hold a first substrate and/or a second substrate; a second substrate stage configured to hold the first substrate and/or the second substrate; a first substrate handler configured to handle the first substrate and/or the second substrate; and a second substrate handler configured to handle the first substrate and/or the second substrate, wherein the first substrate is loaded from a first, second or third FOUP, wherein the second substrate is loaded from the first, second or third FOUP, wherein the first measuring apparatus is an alignment measuring apparatus, and wherein the second measuring apparatus is a level sensor, a film thickness measuring apparatus or a spectral reflectance measuring apparatus.