IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,718,604
Granted Patent B2
US 10,718,604 · App. 16/507,297 · Granted Jul 21, 2020

Metrology method, target and substrate

Inventors: Kaustuve Bhattacharyya (Veldhoven, NL); Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel ('s-Hertogenbosch, NL); Christophe David Fouquet (Retie, BE); Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde (Veldhoven, NL); Maurits Van Der Schaar (Eindhoven, NL); Arie Jeffrey Den Boef (Waalre, NL); Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren (Waalre, NL); Xing Lan Liu (Veldhoven, NL); Johannes Marcus Maria Beltman (Knegsel, NL); Andreas Fuchs (Meerbusch, DE); Omer Abubaker Omer Adam (Eindhoven, NL); Michael Kubis (Meerbusch, DE); Martin Jacobus Johan Jak ('s-Hertogenbosch, NL)
Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
G01B11/14G03F7/70633G03F7/70683
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,718,604
App. No.
16/507,297
Filed
Jul 10, 2019
Granted
Jul 21, 2020
Kind
B2
Examiner
PHAM, HOA Q
Art Unit
2886
USPC
356/620
Abstract

A diffraction measurement target that has at least a first sub-target and at least a second sub-target, and wherein (1) the first and second sub-targets each include a pair of periodic structures and the first sub-target has a different design than the second sub-target, the different design including the first sub-target periodic structures having a different pitch, feature width, space width, and/or segmentation than the second sub-target periodic structure or (2) the first and second sub-targets respectively include a first and second periodic structure in a first layer, and a third periodic structure is located at least partly underneath the first periodic structure in a second layer under the first layer and there being no periodic structure underneath the second periodic structure in the second layer, and a fourth periodic structure is located at least partly underneath the second periodic structure in a third layer under the second layer.

Claims (38)

1. A method comprising:

illuminating a measurement target on a substrate with radiation, wherein:

the measurement target comprises at least a first sub-target and a second sub-target,

each of the first sub-target and the second sub-target has a first periodic structure having features extending in a first direction and a second periodic structure having features extending in a second different direction,

the first sub-target at least partly overlays a third sub-target and the second sub-target at least partly overlays a fourth sub-target, and

the first sub-target has a different design than the third sub-target and/or the second sub-target has a different design than the fourth sub-target; and

detecting radiation scattered by at least the first and second sub-targets to obtain for the measurement target a measurement representing a parameter of a lithographic process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-target has a different pitch, feature width, or space width than the third sub-target and/or the second sub-target has a different pitch, feature width, or space width than the fourth sub-target.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-target has a different design than the second sub-target.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first sub-target has a different pitch, feature width, or space width than the second sub-target.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third sub-target has a different design than the fourth sub-target.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the third sub-target has a different pitch, feature width, or space width than the fourth sub-target.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second periodic structures of the second sub-target meet at a center of the measurement target and the first and second periodic structures of the first sub-target are arranged around a periphery of the first and second periodic structures of the second sub-target.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a length and width of each of the first and second periodic structures of the first sub-target is substantially the same as a length and width of each of the first and second periodic structures of the second sub-target.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first direction and the second different direction are substantially perpendicular.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter of the lithographic process is overlay.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a bias difference is provided between the first sub-target and the second sub-target.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the illuminating comprising illuminating a measurement spot on the measurement target that covers at one time at least part of each of the first and second periodic structures of the first sub-target and the first and second periodic structures of the second sub-target.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third and fourth sub-targets each comprise periodic structures.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting radiation scattered by at least the first, second, third and fourth sub-targets to obtain for the measurement target a measurement representing the parameter of the lithographic process.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting radiation comprises forming a dark field image of at least the first and second sub-targets.

16. A non-transitory computer program product comprising machine-readable instructions therein, the instructions, upon execution by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to at least cause performance of the method of claim 1 .

17. A non-transitory computer program product comprising machine-readable instructions therein, the instructions, upon execution by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to at least:

obtain a result from detection of radiation scattered by a measurement target on a substrate, wherein:

the measurement target comprises at least a first sub-target and a second sub-target,

each of the first sub-target and the second sub-target has a first periodic structure having features extending in a first direction and a second periodic structure having features extending in a second different direction,

the first sub-target at least partly overlays a third sub-target and the second sub-target at least partly overlays a fourth sub-target, and

the first sub-target has a different design than the third sub-target and/or the second sub-target has a different design than the fourth sub-target; and

determine, from the result and for the measurement target, a measurement representing a parameter of a lithographic process.

18. A measurement target for determination of a parameter of a lithographic process, the target comprising:

at least a first sub-target and a second sub-target, wherein:

each of the first sub-target and the second sub-target has a first periodic structure having features extending in a first direction and a second periodic structure having features extending in a second different direction,

the first sub-target at least partly overlays a third sub-target and the second sub-target at least partly overlays a fourth sub-target, and

the first sub-target has a different design than the third sub-target and/or the second sub-target has a different design than the fourth sub-target.

19. The target of claim 18 , wherein the first sub-target and/or second sub-target has a different pitch, feature width, or space width than the third sub-target and/or fourth sub-target.

20. The target of claim 18 , wherein the first sub-target has a different design than the second sub-target.

21. The target of claim 18 , wherein the target is a dark-field image-based target.

22. A substrate comprising the target of claim 18 .

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2019
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; FUCHS, ANDREAS; KUBIS, MICHAEL; ADAM, OMER ABUBAKER OMER; JAK, MARTIN JACOBUS JOHAN
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 049714/0081 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2019
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; FUCHS, ANDREAS; ADAM, OMER ABUBAKER OMER; KUBIS, MICHAEL; JAK, MARTIN JACOBUS JOHAN; VAN BUEL, HENRICUS WILHELMUS MARIA; BELTMAN, JOHANNES MARCUS MARIA; VAN HAREN, RICHARD JOHANNES FRANCISCUS; SMILDE, HENDRIK JAN HIDDE; LIU, XING LAN
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 049714/0097 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2019
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; FUCHS, ANDREAS; ADAM, OMER ABUBAKER OMER; KUBIS, MICHAEL; JAK, MARTIN JACOBUS JOHAN; VAN BUEL, HENRICUS WILHELMUS MARIA; BELTMAN, JOHANNES MARCUS MARIA; VAN HAREN, RICHARD JOHANNES FRANCISCUS; SMILDE, HENDRIK JAN HIDDE; LIU, XING LAN
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 049714/0165 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 14182962 · Aug 29, 2014 · regional
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14835504 · Aug 25, 2015
Provisional Application 62170008 · Jun 2, 2015
Provisional Application 62090801 · Dec 11, 2014
Related Publication 20190346256A1 · Nov 14, 2019
Cited By (2)
US 12,220,819 US 12,429,328