Method and apparatus for obtaining diagnostic information relating to a lithographic manufacturing process, lithographic processing system including diagnostic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10241418-B2
Application number	US-201515527645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A diagnostic apparatus monitors a lithographic manufacturing system. First measurement data representing local deviations of some characteristic across a substrate is obtained using sensors within a lithographic apparatus, and/or a separate metrology tool. Other inspection tools perform substrate backside inspection to produce second measurement data. A high-resolution backside defect image is processed into a form in which it can be compared with lower resolution information from the first measurement data. Cross-correlation is performed to identify which of the observed defects are correlated spatially with the deviations represented in the first measurement data. A correlation map is used to identify potentially relevant clusters of defects in the more detailed original defect map. The responsible apparatus can be identified by pattern recognition as part of an automated root cause analysis. Alternatively, reticle inspection data may be used as second measurement data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A diagnostic apparatus for use in relation to a lithographic process, the diagnostic apparatus comprising a data processing apparatus programmed to automatically:
receive first measurement data representing a distribution of local deviations of a characteristic associated with an interaction of one or more substrates with a substrate support;
receive second measurement data, the second measurement data representing a distribution of defects observed either on one or more substrates subjected to the same lithographic process or on a patterning device from which a pattern is transferred to one or more substrates in a patterning step of the lithographic process, the second measurement data being of a different data type than the first measurement data;
identify a correlation between the distribution of defects represented in the second measurement data and the distribution of local deviations represented in the first measurement data; and
generate diagnostic information relating to the lithographic process based on the identified correlation.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the distribution of the first measurement data represents a distribution of local deviations with a first spatial resolution and the second measurement data represents a distribution of defects with a second spatial resolution, the second spatial resolution being higher than the first spatial resolution.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first measurement data is based on height map data representing local deviations of surface height as the characteristic of the one or more substrates.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first measurement data is based on height map data measured by a patterning apparatus while the one or more substrates are on, or loaded onto, a substrate support in the patterning apparatus for a patterning step of the lithographic process.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first measurement data is based on at least first height map data and second height map data, the first and second height map data being measured with the one or more substrates subjected to different clamping conditions on the substrate support.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first measurement data is obtained by comparing height map data measured from a first substrate with reference height map data.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the reference height map data is data measured previously from one or more reference substrates.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first measurement data is obtained by comparing: (i) first height map data measured from a first substrate with the first substrate subjected to first clamping conditions on a substrate support of the patterning apparatus; (ii) first reference height map data representing a substrate free of defects subjected to the same first clamping conditions; (iii) second height map data measured from the first substrate with the first substrate subjected to second clamping conditions different from the first clamping conditions; and (iv) second reference height map data representing a substrate free of defects subjected to the same second clamping conditions.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first measurement data includes data measured by a patterning apparatus from a substrate support after the one or more substrates have been removed from the substrate support after a patterning step.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first measurement data represents local deviations of electrostatic charging across the substrate support.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second measurement data represents defects observed by an inspection tool directly inspecting a reverse side of the one or more substrates.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the performance parameter is an overlay error, being a positional deviation between features applied in two or more distinct patterning steps of the lithographic process.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first measurement data represents local deviations in one or more performance parameters of patterns applied to the one or more substrates in a patterning step of the lithographic process.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data processing apparatus is further provided with a database of defect fingerprints, each defect fingerprint representing a spatial distribution of defects associated with one or more specific handling operations in the lithographic process, and wherein the generation of diagnostic information includes using the identified correlation to recognize which, if any, of the defect fingerprints matches a spatial distribution of defects observed in relevant portions of the second measurement data.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the data processing apparatus is arranged to recognize the fingerprints by reference to spatial frequencies in the distribution of distances between the defects.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , adapted for use where the lithographic process includes performing one or more of the processing steps by different individual processing apparatuses on different individual substrates, and wherein the data processing apparatus is arranged to use context data identifying which of the individual processing apparatuses has been used for a given processing step on the one or more substrates.

17. A lithographic processing system comprising one or more lithographic patterning apparatuses and one or more other processing apparatuses with one or more associated substrate handling apparatuses, the lithographic processing system further comprising the diagnostic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .

18. The lithographic processing system as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising a substrate backside inspection apparatus and/or a patterning device backside inspection apparatus, as a source of the second measurement data.

19. The lithographic processing system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the diagnostic apparatus is arranged to communicate with a control system of the lithographic processing system such that maintenance actions are controlled at least partly on the basis of the diagnostic information.

20. A non-transitory computer program product having stored there on software that when run on a computer causes the computer at least:
receive first measurement data representing a distribution of local deviations of a characteristic associated with an interaction of one or more substrates with a substrate support;
receive second measurement data, the second measurement data representing a distribution of defects observed either on one or more substrates subjected to the same lithographic process or on a patterning device from which a pattern is transferred to one or more substrates in a patterning step of the lithographic process, the second measurement data being of a different data type than the first measurement data;
identify a correlation between the distribution of defects represented in the second measurement data and the distribution of local deviations represented in the first measurement data; and
generate diagnostic information relating to the lithographic process based on the identified correlation.

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Hauptmann Marc
• Davies Dylan John David
• Janssen Paul
• Tsugama Naoko
• Bruls Richard Joseph
• Hoekerd Kornelis Tijmen
• Janssen Edwin Johannes Maria
• Van Den Oever Petrus Johannes
• Van Der Wilk Ronald
• Van Schijndel Antonius Hubertus
• Vieyra Salas Jorge Alberto

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10P74/23

  characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes · CPC title

• G03F7/70783

  Handling stress or warp of chucks, masks or workpieces, e.g. to compensate for imaging errors or considerations related to warpage of masks or workpieces due to their own weight · CPC title

• G03F7/70616 Primary

  Monitoring the printed patterns · CPC title

• G03F7/70508

  Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus · CPC title