Multi-function overlay marks for reducing noise and extracting focus and critical dimension information

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first overlay mark that includes:

a first component located in a first region of the first overlay mark, wherein the first component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a first direction;

a second component located in a second region of the first overlay mark, wherein the second component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction;

a third component located in a third region of the first overlay mark, wherein the third component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a fourth component located in a fourth region of the first overlay mark, wherein the fourth component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction;

wherein:

the first region is aligned with the second region; and

the third region is aligned with the fourth region.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first component, the second component, the third component, and the fourth component each include an upper layer in which a first subset of the gratings are located and a lower layer in which a second subset of the gratings are located.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

for the first component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the second direction;

for the second component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the second direction;

for the third component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the first direction; and

for the fourth component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the first direction.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region correspond to four corner regions of a square.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first overlay mark is located adjacent to an edge of an integrated circuit chip or an edge of a test line.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a pattern that includes at least a portion of an integrated circuit chip, wherein the first overlay mark is disposed adjacent to a border of the pattern; and

a second overlay mark that is disposed adjacent to a corner of the pattern, wherein the second overlay mark is configured differently from the first overlay mark.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second overlay mark includes:

a first component located in a first region of the second overlay mark, wherein the first component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction;

a second component located in a second region of the second overlay mark, wherein the second component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction, and wherein the first region and the second region are diagonally disposed with respect to one another;

a third component and a fourth component collectively located in a third region of the second overlay mark and share a border that extends in the first direction, wherein the third component and the fourth component each include a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction; and

a fifth component and a sixth component collectively located in a fourth region of the second overlay mark and share a border that extends diagonally in both the first direction and the first direction, wherein the third region and the fourth region are diagonally disposed with respect to one another, and wherein the fifth component and the sixth component each include a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:

the third component, the fourth component, the fifth component, and the sixth component each include an upper layer in which a first subset of the gratings are located and a lower layer in which a second subset of the gratings are located;

for the third component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the first direction;

for the fourth component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the first direction;

for the fifth component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the first direction; and

for the sixth component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the first direction.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of first gratings disposed in a first layer of an overlay mark;

a plurality of second gratings disposed in a second layer of the overlay mark, wherein one of the first layer and the second layer includes an upper layer, and another one of the first layer and the second layer includes a lower layer disposed below the upper layer; and

a plurality of sub-patterns disposed in the first layer, but not in the second layer, wherein a size of each of the first gratings is at least an order of magnitude larger than each of the sub-patterns.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:

the first gratings and the second gratings each extend in a first direction; and

the first gratings are shifted with respect to the second gratings in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:

the first gratings, the second gratings, and the sub-patterns are located in a first region of the overlay mark; and

the overlay mark includes a second region that is symmetrical to the first region.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:

the overlay mark includes a first component and a second component;

the first region and the second region are included in both the first component and the second component;

the first region in the first component is oriented perpendicularly to the first region in the second component; and

the second region in the first component is oriented perpendicularly to the second region in the second component.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:

the first component is configured to measure an X-direction overlay between a first layer and a second layer of a semiconductor device; and

the second component is configured to measure a Y-direction overlay between the first layer and a third layer of the semiconductor device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the sub-patterns in the first component are configured differently from the sub-patterns in the second component.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first gratings in the first component and the first gratings in the second component have different widths.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the sub-patterns are arranged into a row or a column that extends in a same direction as each of the first gratings.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:

the sub-patterns include at least a first subset of sub-patterns and a second subset of sub-patterns; and

the sub-patterns in the first subset have different top view profiles than the sub-patterns in the second subset.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a pattern that includes at least a portion of an integrated circuit chip, wherein the pattern includes a corner and a border;

a first overlay mark disposed adjacent to the border of the pattern, wherein the first overlay mark includes:

a first component located in a first region of the first overlay mark, wherein the first component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a first direction;

a second component located in a second region of the first overlay mark, wherein the second region is aligned with the first region, wherein the second component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction;

a third component located in a third region of the first overlay mark, wherein the third component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a fourth component located in a fourth region of the first overlay mark, wherein the fourth region is aligned with the third region, wherein the fourth component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction; and

a second overlay mark that is disposed adjacent to a corner of the pattern, wherein the second overlay mark includes:

a fifth component located in a first region of the second overlay mark, wherein the fifth component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction;

a sixth component located in a second region of the second overlay mark, wherein the sixth component includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction, and wherein the first region and the second region are diagonally disposed with respect to one another;

a seventh component and an eighth component collectively located in a third region of the second overlay mark and share a first interface that extends in the first direction, wherein the seventh component and the eighth component each include a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction; and

a ninth component and a tenth component collectively located in a fourth region of the second overlay mark and share a second interface that extends diagonally in both the first direction and the second direction, wherein the third region and the fourth region are diagonally disposed with respect to one another, and wherein the ninth component and the tenth component each include a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein:

the first component, the second component, the third component, the fourth component each include an upper layer in which a first subset of the gratings are located and a lower layer in which a second subset of the gratings are located;

for the first component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the second direction;

for the second component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the second direction;

for the third component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance −d in the first direction; and

for the fourth component, the first subset of the gratings are shifted with respect to the second subset of the gratings by a distance +d in the first direction.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region correspond to four corner regions of a square.