US 12,322,660 B2
Method and apparatus to determine a patterning process parameter
Adriaan Johan Van Leest, Eindhoven (NL); Anagnostis Tsiatmas, Eindhoven (NL); Paul Christiaan Hinnen, Veldhoven (NL); Elliott Gerard McNamara, Eindhoven (NL); Alok Verma, Eindhoven (NL); Thomas Theeuwes, Veldhoven (NL); and Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Aug. 3, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/230,115.
Application 16/572,751 is a division of application No. 15/445,522, filed on Feb. 28, 2017, granted, now 10,453,758.
Application 18/230,115 is a continuation of application No. 17/371,380, filed on Jul. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,728,224.
Application 17/371,380 is a continuation of application No. 16/572,751, filed on Sep. 17, 2019, granted, now 11,101,184.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/458,932, filed on Feb. 14, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/435,649, filed on Dec. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/435,630, filed on Dec. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/435,662, filed on Dec. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/435,670, filed on Dec. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/301,880, filed on Mar. 1, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2024/0014078 A1, Jan. 11, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 21/95 (2006.01); G03F 7/00 (2006.01); G03F 7/20 (2006.01); G03F 9/00 (2006.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 22/12 (2013.01) [G01N 21/9501 (2013.01); G03F 7/70633 (2013.01); G03F 7/70683 (2013.01); G03F 9/7003 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of determining a parameter of a patterning process, the method comprising:
obtaining signals representing primarily zeroth order radiation detected by an optical measurement apparatus from illumination radiation redirected by one or more physical instances of a unit cell of a substrate, the substrate illuminated with a beam of illumination radiation such that a beam spot on the substrate is filled with the one or more physical instances of the unit cell, the unit cell having geometric symmetry at a nominal value of the parameter; and
transforming, by a hardware computer system, the signals into a non-nominal value of the parameter of the unit cell from values of an optical characteristic of the detected radiation, the transforming comprising assigning a different weighting to optical characteristic values from pixels of the detected radiation associated with greater sensitivity to the parameter than to optical characteristic values from other pixels of the detected radiation associated with lower sensitivity to the parameter.