	US 12,117,730 B2
	Method and apparatus for photolithographic imaging
Joern-Holger Franke, Ukkel (BE); Eric Henri Jan Hendrickx, Lubbeek (BE); and Guido Constant Simon Schiffelers, Reusel (NL)
Assigned to ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 17/606,647
Filed by ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Apr. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/059826 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 26, 2021, PCT Pub. No. WO2020/221556, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 5, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19171770 (EP), filed on Apr. 30, 2019; and application No. 20164386 (EP), filed on Mar. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0236645 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01)

CPC G03F 7/70125 (2013.01) [G03F 7/70116 (2013.01); G03F 7/70516 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying points within an illumination plane of a photolithography system that are associated with pattern shifts resulting from diffraction of radiation off a patterning device due to asymmetric phase effects among diffraction orders;

determining shifts, associated with the identified points, of a pattern for imaging a feature onto a substrate using the photolithography system; and

modifying the illumination to reduce the determined pattern shifts.