US 12,141,507 B2
Process window optimizer
Stefan Hunsche, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Venugopal Vellanki, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Jan. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/586,856.
Application 17/586,856 is a continuation of application No. 15/996,899, filed on Jun. 4, 2018, granted, now 11,238,189.
Application 15/996,899 is a continuation of application No. 14/616,905, filed on Feb. 9, 2015, granted, now 9,990,451.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/943,834, filed on Feb. 24, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/939,071, filed on Feb. 12, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2022/0147665 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 30/20 (2020.01); G03F 7/00 (2006.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 30/20 (2020.01) [G03F 7/705 (2013.01); G03F 7/70525 (2013.01); H01L 22/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A defect determination or prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing a pattern onto a substrate, the method comprising:
obtaining a spatial distribution, across the substrate, of process variability data under which a processing window limiting pattern of the pattern is processed, the spatial distribution of process variability obtained before, or during, a processing of the pattern onto or into the substrate; and
by a hardware computer, determining or predicting, using a computer model that takes an input to determine a value or computer simulation of at least part of the device manufacturing process and using the spatial distribution of process variability of the substrate, or one or more values derived therefrom, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination selected therefrom, of a defect produced from the processing window limiting pattern with the device manufacturing process.