公开(公告)号：US11940740B2

公开(公告)日：2024-03-26

申请号：US17836099

申请日：2022-06-09

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  Jasper Menger ,  David Deckers ,  David Han ,  Adrianus Cornelis Matheus Koopman ,  Irina Lyulina ,  Scott Anderson Middlebrooks ,  Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren ,  Jochem Sebastiaan Wildenberg

IPC: G03F7/00 ,  G06F16/26 ,  G03F9/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/706837 ,  G03F7/70525 ,  G03F7/70616 ,  G03F9/7092 ,  G06F16/26

Abstract: In a lithographic process, product units such as semiconductor wafers are subjected to lithographic patterning operations and chemical and physical processing operations. Alignment data or other measurements are made at stages during the performance of the process to obtain object data representing positional deviation or other parameters measured at points spatially distributed across each unit. This object data is used to obtain diagnostic information by performing a multivariate analysis to decompose a set of vectors representing the units in the multidimensional space into one or more component vectors. Diagnostic information about the industrial process is extracted using the component vectors. The performance of the industrial process for subsequent product units can be controlled based on the extracted diagnostic information.

公开(公告)号：US11740560B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-29

申请号：US17910454

申请日：2021-03-01

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Eleftherios Koulierakis ,  Carlo Lancia ,  Juan Manuel Gonzalez Huesca ,  Alexander Ypma ,  Dimitra Gkorou ,  Reza Sahraeian

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70525

Abstract: A method for determining an inspection strategy for at least one substrate, the method including: quantifying, using a prediction model, a compliance metric value for a compliance metric relating to a prediction of compliance with a quality requirement based on one or both of pre-processing data associated with the substrate and any available post-processing data associated with the at least one substrate; and deciding on an inspection strategy for the at least one substrate, based on the compliance metric value, an expected cost associated with the inspection strategy and at least one objective value describing an expected value of the inspection strategy in terms of at least one objective relating to the prediction model.

公开(公告)号：US11150562B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-19

申请号：US16486859

申请日：2018-02-22

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Jelle Nije ,  Alexander Ypma ,  Dimitra Gkorou ,  Georgios Tsirogiannis ,  Robert Jan Van Wijk ,  Tzu-Chao Chen ,  Frans Reinier Spiering ,  Sarathi Roy ,  Cédric Désiré Grouwstra

IPC: G03F7/20

Abstract: A method of optimizing an apparatus for multi-stage processing of product units such as wafers, the method includes: receiving object data representing one or more parameters measured across the product units and associated with different stages of processing of the product units; and determining fingerprints of variation of the object data across the product units, the fingerprints being associated with different respective stages of processing of the product units. The fingerprints may be determined by decomposing the object data into components using principal component analysis for each different respective stage; analyzing commonality of the fingerprints through the different stages to produce commonality results; and optimizing an apparatus for processing product units based on the commonality results.

公开(公告)号：US11086229B2

公开(公告)日：2021-08-10

申请号：US16497826

申请日：2018-03-29

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  Cyrus Emil Tabery ,  Simon Hendrik Celine Van Gorp ,  Chenxi Lin ,  Dag Sonntag ,  Hakki Ergün Cekli ,  Ruben Alvarez Sanchez ,  Shih-Chin Liu ,  Simon Philip Spencer Hastings ,  Boris Menchtchikov ,  Christiaan Theodoor De Ruiter ,  Peter Ten Berge ,  Michael James Lercel ,  Wei Duan ,  Pierre-Yves Jerome Yvan Guittet

IPC: G03F7/20

Abstract: A method and associated computer program for predicting an electrical characteristic of a substrate subject to a process. The method includes determining a sensitivity of the electrical characteristic to a process characteristic, based on analysis of electrical metrology data including electrical characteristic measurements from previously processed substrates and of process metrology data including measurements of at least one parameter related to the process characteristic measured from the previously processed substrates; obtaining process metrology data related to the substrate describing the at least one parameter; and predicting the electrical characteristic of the substrate based on the sensitivity and the process metrology data.

公开(公告)号：US20160246185A1

公开(公告)日：2016-08-25

申请号：US15025856

申请日：2014-09-05

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  Jasper Menger ,  David Deckers ,  David Han ,  Adrianus Cornelis Matheus Koopman ,  Irina Lyulina ,  Scott Anderson Middlebrooks ,  Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren ,  Jochem Sebastiaan Wildenberg

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06F17/30

CPC classification number: G03F7/70616 ,  G03F7/70508 ,  G03F7/70525 ,  G03F7/70625 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70641 ,  G03F9/7092 ,  G06F17/30572

Abstract: In a lithographic process, product units such as semiconductor wafers are subjected to lithographic patterning operations and chemical and physical processing operations. Alignment data or other measurements are made at stages during the performance of the process to obtain object data representing positional deviation or other parameters measured at points spatially distributed across each unit. This object data is used to obtain diagnostic information by performing a multivariate analysis to decompose a set of vectors representing the units in said multidimensional space into one or more component vectors. Diagnostic information about the industrial process is extracted using the component vectors. The performance of the industrial process for subsequent product units can be controlled based on the extracted diagnostic information.

Abstract translation: 在光刻工艺中，诸如半导体晶片的产品单元经受光刻图案化操作和化学和物理处理操作。 在执行过程期间分阶段进行对准数据或其他测量，以获得表示在空间上分布在每个单元上的点处测量的位置偏差或其他参数的对象数据。 该对象数据用于通过执行多变量分析来获取诊断信息，以将表示所述多维空间中的单位的向量集合分解为一个或多个分量向量。 使用分量向量提取关于工业过程的诊断信息。 可以基于提取的诊断信息来控制后续产品单元的工业过程的性能。

公开(公告)号：US12044981B2

公开(公告)日：2024-07-23

申请号：US17381817

申请日：2021-07-21

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Marc Hauptmann ,  Everhardus Cornelis Mos ,  Weitian Kou ,  Alexander Ypma ,  Michiel Kupers ,  Hyunwoo Yu ,  Min-Sub Han

IPC: G03F7/00 ,  G03F9/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70525 ,  G03F7/7085 ,  G03F9/7003

Abstract: A lithographic process is performed on a set of semiconductor substrates consisting of a plurality of substrates. As part of the process, the set of substrates is partitioned into a number of subsets. The partitioning may be based on a set of characteristics associated with a first layer on the substrates. A fingerprint of a performance parameter is then determined for at least one substrate of the set of substrates. Under some circumstances, the fingerprint is determined for one substrate of each subset of substrates. The fingerprint is associated with at least the first layer. A correction for the performance parameter associated with an application of a subsequent layer is then derived, the derivation being based on the determined fingerprint and the partitioning of the set of substrates.

公开(公告)号：US11714357B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-01

申请号：US17363057

申请日：2021-06-30

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  Cyrus Emil Tabery ,  Simon Hendrik Celine Van Gorp ,  Chenxi Lin ,  Dag Sonntag ,  Hakki Ergün Cekli ,  Ruben Alvarez Sanchez ,  Shih-Chin Liu ,  Simon Philip Spencer Hastings ,  Boris Menchtchikov ,  Christiaan Theodoor De Ruiter ,  Peter Ten Berge ,  Michael James Lercel ,  Wei Duan ,  Pierre-Yves Jerome Yvan Guittet

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70491 ,  G03F7/705 ,  G03F7/70658

Abstract: A method and associated computer program for predicting an electrical characteristic of a substrate subject to a process. The method includes determining a sensitivity of the electrical characteristic to a process characteristic, based on analysis of electrical metrology data including electrical characteristic measurements from previously processed substrates and of process metrology data including measurements of at least one parameter related to the process characteristic measured from the previously processed substrates; obtaining process metrology data related to the substrate describing the at least one parameter; and predicting the electrical characteristic of the substrate based on the sensitivity and the process metrology data.

公开(公告)号：US11385550B2

公开(公告)日：2022-07-12

申请号：US16864456

申请日：2020-05-01

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  Jasper Menger ,  David Deckers ,  David Han ,  Adrianus Cornelis Matheus Koopman ,  Irina Lyulina ,  Scott Anderson Middlebrooks ,  Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren ,  Jochem Sebastiaan Wildenberg

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06F16/26 ,  G03F9/00

Abstract: In a lithographic process, product units such as semiconductor wafers are subjected to lithographic patterning operations and chemical and physical processing operations. Alignment data or other measurements are made at stages during the performance of the process to obtain object data representing positional deviation or other parameters measured at points spatially distributed across each unit. This object data is used to obtain diagnostic information by performing a multivariate analysis to decompose a set of vectors representing the units in the multidimensional space into one or more component vectors. Diagnostic information about the industrial process is extracted using the component vectors. The performance of the industrial process for subsequent product units can be controlled based on the extracted diagnostic information.

公开(公告)号：US11054813B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-06

申请号：US15763834

申请日：2016-09-21

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Alexander Ypma ,  David Frans Simon Deckers ,  Franciscus Godefridus Casper Bijnen ,  Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren ,  Weitian Kou

IPC: G05B19/418 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G03F9/00

Abstract: In a lithographic process in which a series of substrates are processed in different contexts, object data (such as performance data representing overlay measured on a set of substrates that have been processed previously) is received. Context data represents one or more parameters of the lithographic process that vary between substrates within the set. By principal component analysis or other statistical analysis of the performance data, the set of substrates are partitioned into two or more subsets. The first partitioning of the substrates and the context data are used to identify one or more relevant context parameters, being parameters of the lithographic process that are observed to correlate most strongly with the first partitioning. The lithographic apparatus is controlled for new substrates by reference to the identified relevant context parameters. Embodiments with feedback control and feedforward control are described.

公开(公告)号：US09507279B2

公开(公告)日：2016-11-29

申请号：US14069287

申请日：2013-10-31

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver ,  Paul Frank Luehrmann ,  Eduardus Johannes Gerardus Boon ,  Daan Maurits Slotboom ,  Jean-Philippe Xavier Van Damme ,  Wolfgang Henke ,  Alexander Ypma ,  Marc Jurian Kea

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F9/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70908 ,  G03F7/707 ,  G03F7/7085 ,  G03F7/70916 ,  G03F9/70

Abstract: A reticle is loaded into a lithographic apparatus. The apparatus performs measurements on the reticle, so as to calculate alignment parameters for transferring the pattern accurately to substrates. Tests are performed to detect possible contamination of the reticle or its support. Either operation proceeds with a warning, or the patterning of substrates is stopped. The test uses may use parameters of the alignment model itself, or different parameters. The integrity parameters may be compared against reference values reflecting historic measurements, so that sudden changes in a parameter are indicative of contamination. Integrity parameters may be calculated from residuals of the alignment model. In an example, height residuals are used to calculate parameters of residual wedge (Rx′) and residual roll (Ryy′). From these, integrity parameters expressed as height deviations are calculated and compared against thresholds.

Abstract translation: 将掩模版加载到光刻设备中。 该装置对掩模版进行测量，以便计算用于将图案精确地转印到基底上的对准参数。 执行测试以检测掩模版或其支撑体的可能污染。 任一操作都进行警告，或者停止基板的图案化。 测试使用可以使用对齐模型本身的参数或不同的参数。 可以将完整性参数与反映历史测量的参考值进行比较，使得参数中的突然变化指示污染。 可以从对齐模型的残差计算完整性参数。 在一个例子中，高度残差用于计算残余楔（Rx'）和残余辊（Ryy'）的参数。 从这些，计算表示为高度偏差的完整性参数，并将其与阈值进行比较。