公开(公告)号：US11112700B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-07

申请号：US16087338

申请日：2017-03-14

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Wim Tjibbo Tel ,  Laurent Michel Marcel Depre ,  Jorge Humberto Salvador Entradas

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06F30/398

Abstract: A method to improve a lithographic process of imaging a portion of a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic apparatus, the method including computing a multi-variable cost function. The multi-variable cost function represents an interlayer characteristic, the interlayer characteristic being a function of a plurality of design variables that represent one or more characteristics of the lithographic process. The method further includes reconfiguring one or more of the characteristics of the lithographic process by adjusting one or more of the design variables and computing the multi-variable cost function with the adjusted one or more design variables, until a certain termination condition is satisfied.

公开(公告)号：US10725372B2

公开(公告)日：2020-07-28

申请号：US15546583

申请日：2016-01-20

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Wim Tjibbo Tel ,  Marinus Jochemsen ,  Frank Staals ,  Christopher Prentice ,  Laurent Michel Marcel Depre ,  Johannes Marcus Maria Beltman ,  Roy Werkman ,  Jochem Sebastiaan Wildenberg ,  Everhardus Cornelis Mos

IPC: G06F17/50 ,  G03F1/70 ,  G03F1/36 ,  G03F1/22 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06F30/398 ,  G06F119/18 ,  G06F30/20 ,  G06F30/367

Abstract: A method includes determining topographic information of a substrate for use in a lithographic imaging system, determining or estimating, based on the topographic information, imaging error information for a plurality of points in an image field of the lithographic imaging system, adapting a design for a patterning device based on the imaging error information. In an embodiment, a plurality of locations for metrology targets is optimized based on imaging error information for a plurality of points in an image field of a lithographic imaging system, wherein the optimizing involves minimizing a cost function that describes the imaging error information. In an embodiment, locations are weighted based on differences in imaging requirements across the image field.