Granted Patent B2

US 12,287,591 · App. 18/269,191 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Inventors: Arjan Johannes Anton Beukman (Son en Breugel, NL); Sebastianus Adrianus Goorden (Eindhoven, NL); Stephen Roux (New Fairfield, CT); Sergei Sokolov (Eindhoven, NL); Filippo Alpeggiani (Eindhoven, NL)

Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V. & ASML Holding N.V.

G03F9/7065G03F7/70625G03F9/7046

Abstract

Claims (65)

1. A method comprising:

irradiating a target structure with sequential illumination shots, wherein an integration time for each illumination shot of the sequential illumination shots is selected so to reduce a low frequency error;

directing scattered beams from the target structure towards an imaging detector;

generating a detection signal using the imaging detector; and

determining a property of the target structure based on at least the detection signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiating the target structure with sequential illumination shots comprises temporally alternating between radiation at a first wavelength and/or a first polarization and radiation at a second wavelength and/or a second polarization.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiating the target structure with sequential illumination shots comprises:

splitting the integration time of radiation at a first wavelength into two or more integration times;

irradiating the target structure with illumination shots at the first wavelength for the two or more integration times; and

irradiating the target structure with one or more illumination shots having another wavelength between the illumination shots at the first wavelength.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

each illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots has an integration time greater than the integration time associated with the illumination shots at the first wavelength; and

each illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots has a wavelength different from another illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiating the target structure with sequential illumination shots comprises:

splitting the integration time of radiation at a first wavelength into three or more integration times; and

irradiating the target structure with a first illumination shot, a second illumination shot, and a third illumination shot at the first wavelength,

wherein a time period between the first illumination shot and the second illumination shot is different than the time period between the second illumination shot and the third illumination shot.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sequential illumination shots are at a first wavelength and the method further comprises:

irradiating the target structure with radiation at a second wavelength;

directing second scattered beams from the target structure towards the imaging detector;

generating a second detection signal using the imaging detector; and

adjusting the second detection signal based on the detection signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising;

adjusting an intensity of each illumination shot of the sequential illumination shots so that the intensity of the sequential illumination shots are apodized with an envelope.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the adjusting is performed by an illumination system configured to generate the sequential illumination shots.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the adjusting is performed by a processor acting on the detection signal.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sequential illumination shots comprise at least a set of illumination shots, wherein the set includes illumination shots at different wavelengths; and

wherein the at least a set is repeated one or more times in the sequential illumination shots.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

irradiating the target structure with a second set of sequential illumination shots;

directing the scattered beams associated with the second set of the sequential illumination shots from the target structure towards another imaging detector;

generating another detection signal using the another imaging detector; and

determining the property of the target structure based on at least the detection signal and the another detection signal.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiating the target structure with sequential illumination shots comprises:

illuminating the target structure with a sequence of illumination shots at a plurality of wavelengths; and

repeating the illuminating for a duration of a measurement.

13. A system comprising:

an illumination system configured to irradiate a target structure with sequential illumination shots, wherein an integration time for each illumination shot of the sequential illumination shots is selected so to reduce a low frequency error;

a detection system configured to direct scattered beams from the target structure towards an imaging detector;

the imaging detector configured to generate a detection signal; and

processing circuitry configured to determine a property of the target structure based on at least the detection signal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the illumination system is configured to temporally alternate between radiation at a first wavelength and/or a first polarization and radiation at a second wavelength and/or a second polarization.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the illumination system is configured to:

split the integration time of radiation at a first wavelength into two or more integration times;

irradiate the target structure with illumination shots at the first wavelength for two or more integration times; and

irradiate the target structure with one or more illumination shots having another wavelength between the illumination shots at the first wavelength.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein:

each illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots has an integration time larger than the integration time associated with the illumination shots at the first wavelength; and each illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots has a wavelength different from another illumination shot of the one or more illumination shots.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein:

the sequential illumination shots are at first wavelength;

the illumination system is further configured to irradiate the target structure with radiation at a second wavelength;

the detection system is further configured to direct second scattered beams from the target structure towards the imaging detector;

the imaging detector is further configured to generate a second detection signal; and

the processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the second detection signal based on the detection signal.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the detection signal so that weights of intensities of the sequential illumination shots are apodized with an envelope.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the sequential illumination shots comprise at least a set of illumination shots, wherein the set includes illumination shots at different wavelengths; and

wherein the at least a set is repeated one or more times in the sequential illumination shots.

20. A lithography apparatus comprising:

an illumination apparatus configured to illuminate a pattern of a patterning device;

a projection system configured to project an image of the pattern onto a substrate; and

a metrology system comprising:

an illumination system configured to irradiate a target structure with sequential illumination shots, wherein an integration time for each shot of the sequential illumination shots is selected so to reduce a low frequency error,

a detection system configured to direct scattered beams from the target structure towards an imaging detector,

the imaging detector configured to generate a detection signal, and

processing circuitry configured to determine a property of the target structure based on at least the detection signal.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (20)