Computational metrology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12189302-B2
Application number	US-202217738093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2022
Priority date	Feb 22, 2017
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

A method, involving determining a first distribution of a first parameter associated with an error or residual in performing a device manufacturing process; determining a second distribution of a second parameter associated with an error or residual in performing the device manufacturing process; and determining a distribution of a parameter of interest associated with the device manufacturing process using a function operating on the first and second distributions. The function may include a correlation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining an underlying contribution of a lithographic apparatus to overlay as part of a patterning process; and
combining, by a hardware computer, the underlying contribution with a further contribution to overlay of a substrate to obtain an estimate of overlay for the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further contribution comprises a contribution of a substrate surface height of the substrate to overlay.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further contribution comprises a contribution of a substrate servo error of the substrate to overlay.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further contribution comprises a contribution of an alignment and/or projection system model residual.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising combining, with the underlying contribution and the contribution of the substrate surface height, a contribution of an etch process to overlay of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the etch process contribution is specific to the patterning process but not specific to any particular substrate processed using the patterning process.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underlying contribution is specific to a particular patterning process but not specific to any particular substrate processed using the patterning process.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the underlying contribution further comprises obtaining measured overlay data and removing therefrom a contribution of a particular component of the lithographic apparatus to overlay.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the contribution of the particular component comprises one or more selected from: a contribution of a servo error, a contribution of alignment model residual, a contribution of a projection system aberration, a contribution of a projection system model residual, and/or a contribution of a substrate surface height.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contribution comprises a spatial substrate fingerprint.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the estimate to perform any one or more selected from: predict a defect for the substrate, control the patterning process, monitor the patterning process, design an aspect of the patterning process, and/or calibrate a mathematical model.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions therein, the instructions, when executed by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to perform the method of claim 1 .

13. A method comprising:
obtaining an alignment data distribution across at least part of a substrate processed using a patterning process, based on measured alignment data; and
combining, by a hardware computer, the alignment data distribution with an alignment fingerprint attributable to a processing parameter other than measured alignment to obtain an estimate of alignment data for the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint comprises a contribution of a substrate height or unflatness of the substrate to alignment.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint comprises a contribution of a process effect, due to a part of the patterning process other than a lithography pattern transfer, of the substrate to alignment.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint comprises a contribution of heating of the substrate to alignment.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint is specific to the patterning process but not specific to any particular substrate processed using the patterning process.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint is specific to a particular substrate processed using the patterning process but not generic to other substrates processed using the patterning process.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint is derived from a measurement of the processing parameter.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alignment fingerprint comprises a spatial substrate fingerprint.

21. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the estimate to perform any one or more selected from: predict a defect for the substrate, control the patterning process, monitor the patterning process, design an aspect of the patterning process, and/or calibrate a mathematical model.

22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions therein, the instructions, when executed by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to perform the method of claim 13 .

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Tel Wim Tjibbo
• Segers Bart Peter Bert
• Mos Everhardus Cornelis
• Schmitt-Weaver Emil Peter
• Zhang Yichen
• Van Rhee Petrus Gerardus
• Liu xing lan
• Kilitziraki Maria
• Jungblut Reiner Maria
• Yu Hyunwoo

Classifications

• G06F2119/22

  Yield analysis or yield optimisation · CPC title

• G06F2119/18

  Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06N3/02

  Neural networks · CPC title

• G03F7/70683

  Mark designs · CPC title