IP Library Granted Patent US 12693604
Granted Patent B2
US 12693604 · App. 18/581,896 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Method of obtaining array of plurality of regions on substrate, exposure method, exposure apparatus, method of manufacturing article, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and information processing apparatus

Inventors: Mitsuru Inose (Ibaraki, JP); Ryota Makino (Tochigi, JP)
Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G03F7/706841G03F7/70616G03F7/70716G03F9/7088
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12693604
App. No.
18/581,896
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of obtaining an array of a plurality of regions on a substrate, including obtaining position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to each sample region among the plurality of regions on the substrate, and estimating a position of each non-measurement region excluding the sample region among the plurality of regions by using a regression model used to estimate the array from the position measurement data, wherein the regression model is a nonparametric regression model.

Claims (55)

1 . A method of obtaining an array of a plurality of regions on a substrate, comprising:

obtaining position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to each sample region among the plurality of regions on the substrate; and

estimating a position of each non-measurement region excluding the sample region among the plurality of regions by using a regression model used to estimate the array from the position measurement data, wherein the regression model is a nonparametric regression model;

determining, for each non-measurement region, a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model; and

if the standard deviation for a non-measurement region exceeds a threshold, obtaining position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to the non-measurement region, and obtaining the array from (i) the position measurement data of the sample region, and (ii) the position measurement data obtained for the non-measurement region for which the standard deviation exceeds the threshold.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the array from the position measurement data and the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein

the nonparametric regression model includes a Gaussian process regression model.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein

a kernel function and a hyper parameter in the Gaussian process regression model are decided by machine learning.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein

the machine learning includes one of a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method and a gradient method.

6 . An exposure method of exposing a substrate via an original, comprising:

obtaining an array of a plurality of regions on a substrate by using a method defined in claim 1 ; and

transferring a pattern of the original to each of the plurality of regions while positioning the substrate based on the array obtained in the obtaining.

7 . A method of manufacturing an article, comprising:

exposing a substrate using an exposure method defined in claim 6 ;

developing the exposed substrate; and

manufacturing the article from the developed substrate.

8 . An information processing apparatus executing a method defined in claim 1 .

9 . An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate via an original, comprising:

a processing unit configured to obtain an array of a plurality of regions on a substrate; and

a stage configured to position the substrate based on the array obtained by the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit

obtains position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to each sample region among the plurality of regions on the substrate, and

estimates a position of each non-measurement region excluding the sample region among the plurality of regions by using a regression model used to estimate the array from the position measurement data, and

determines, for each non-measurement region, a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model, and

if the standard deviation for a non-measurement region exceeds a threshold, obtains position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to the non-measurement region, and obtaining the array from (i) the position measurement data of the sample region, and (ii) the position measurement data obtained for the non-measurement region for which the standard deviation exceeds the threshold, and

the regression model is a nonparametric regression model.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

the processing unit provides a user interface configured to display information regarding the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the nonparametric regression model includes a Gaussian process regression model, and

the information includes information indicating the position of the non-measurement region, and information indicating a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

the processing unit identifiably displays, in the user interface, a non-measurement region having the standard deviation exceeding a threshold among the non-measurement regions.

13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program configured to cause a computer to execute a method of obtaining an array of a plurality of regions on a substrate, the program causing the computer to execute

obtaining position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to each sample region among the plurality of regions on the substrate, and

estimating a position of each non-measurement region excluding the sample region among the plurality of regions by using a regression model used to estimate the array from the position measurement data,

wherein the regression model is a nonparametric regression model

determining, for each non-measurement region, a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model; and

if the standard deviation for a non-measurement region exceeds a threshold, obtaining position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to the non-measurement region, and obtaining the array from (i) the position measurement data of the sample region, and (ii) the position measurement data obtained for the non-measurement region for which the standard deviation exceeds the threshold.

14 . An information processing apparatus, wherein

the apparatus is configured to

obtain position measurement data obtained by measuring a mark assigned to a sample region among a plurality of regions on a substrate,

estimate a position of a non-measurement region excluding the sample region among the plurality of regions by using a regression model used to estimate an array of the plurality of regions from the position measurement data,

determines, for each non-measurement region, a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model, and

if the standard deviation for a non-measurement region exceeds a threshold, obtains position measurement data by measuring a mark assigned to the non-measurement region, and obtaining the array from (i) the position measurement data of the sample region, and (ii) the position measurement data obtained for the non-measurement region for which the standard deviation exceeds the threshold, and

provide a user interface configured to display information regarding the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model, and

the regression model is a nonparametric regression model.

15 . The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

the nonparametric regression model includes a Gaussian process regression model, and

the information includes information indicating the position of the non-measurement region, and information indicating a standard deviation of a distribution of the position of the non-measurement region estimated from the regression model.

16 . The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein

a non-measurement region having the standard deviation exceeding a threshold among the non-measurement regions is identifiably displayed in the user interface.