Method of applying a pattern to a substrate, device manufacturing method and lithographic apparatus for use in such methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291916-B2
Application number	US-201514613687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Sep 28, 2011
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A substrate is loaded onto a substrate support of a lithographic apparatus, after which the apparatus measures locations of substrate alignment marks. These measurements define first correction information allowing the apparatus to apply a pattern at one or more desired locations on the substrate. Additional second correction information is used to enhance accuracy of pattern positioning, in particular to correct higher order distortions of a nominal alignment grid. The second correction information may be based on measurements of locations of alignment marks made when applying a previous pattern to the same substrate. The second correction information may alternatively or in addition be based on measurements made on similar substrates that have been patterned prior to the current substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of transferring a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, the method comprising:
loading a substrate on a substrate support within a lithographic apparatus;
measuring locations of a first set of alignment marks on the substrate;
generating a first correction information based on the locations of the first set of alignment marks measured after loading the substrate on the substrate support;
retrieving from a data storage device a second correction information based on locations of a second set of alignment marks that is measured prior to loading the substrate on the substrate support;
positioning the pattern at a desired location on the substrate based on the first and second correction information; and
operating the lithographic apparatus to apply the pattern at the desired location on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a first alignment model based on the measurements of the first set of alignment marks; and
generating a second alignment model based on the measurements of the second set of alignment marks, the second alignment model being different from the first alignment model.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first correction information defines a first set of positional corrections and the second correction information defines a second set of positional corrections; and
further comprising applying the first and second sets of positional corrections in combination to position the pattern at the desired location.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating a set of positional corrections based on the first and second correction information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second correction information comprises one of a polynomial alignment model, a zone-alignment model, and a radial basis function model.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the second correction information based at least partially on measurements of the locations of the second set of alignment marks made while applying a previous pattern to the substrate during a previous lithographic step; and
storing the second correction information in the data storage device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the second correction information based at least partially on measurements of locations of the second set of alignment marks on another substrate to which the pattern has been applied during a previous lithographic step; and
storing the second correction information in the data storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing measurements made after the substrate is loaded with measurements made in a previous lithographic step.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically generating and retrieving the second correction information by a computerized controller of the lithographic apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using at least two substrate supports of the lithographic apparatus;
patterning on another substrate using one of the at least two substrate supports; and
concurrently measuring the locations of the first set of alignment marks on the substrate using the other of the at least two substrate supports.

11. A device manufacturing method comprising:
transferring a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, the transferring comprising:
loading the substrate on a substrate support within a lithographic apparatus;
measuring locations of a first set of alignment marks on the substrate:
generating a first correction information based on the locations of the first set of alignment marks measured after loading the substrate on the substrate support;
retrieving from a data storage device a second correction information based on the locations of the second set of alignment marks that is measured prior to loading the substrate on the substrate support;
positioning the pattern at a desired location on the substrate based on the first and second correction information;
operating the lithographic apparatus to apply the pattern at the desired location on the substrate; and

processing the substrate to create product features in accordance with the applied pattern.

12. A computer program product containing one or more sequences of machine-readable instructions configured to control a lithographic apparatus, the instructions being adapted to control the lithographic apparatus to perform operations comprising:
loading a substrate on a substrate support within the lithographic apparatus;
measuring locations of a first set of alignment marks on the substrate;
generating a first correction information based on the locations of the first set of alignment marks measured after loading the substrate on the substrate support;
retrieving from a data storage device a second correction information based on the locations of the second set of alignment marks that is measured prior to loading the substrate on the substrate support;
positioning the pattern at a desired location on the substrate based on the first and second correction information; and
operating the lithographic apparatus to apply the pattern at the desired location on the substrate.

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Van Der Sanden Stefan Cornelis Theodorus
• Van Haren Richard Johannes Franciscus
• Simons Hubertus Johannes Gertrudus
• Edart Remi Daniel Marie
• Wei Xiuhong
• Lyulina Irina
• Kubis Michael

Classifications

• G03F7/70616 Primary

  Monitoring the printed patterns · CPC title

• G03F7/70633

  Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching · CPC title

• G03F9/7003

  Alignment type or strategy, e.g. leveling, global alignment · CPC title

• G03F9/7088

  Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection · CPC title

• G03F7/70141 Primary

  Illumination system adjustment, e.g. adjustments during exposure or alignment during assembly of illumination system · CPC title