IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,366,811
Granted Patent B2
US 12,366,811 · App. 18/650,790 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Metrology system and method for determining a characteristic of one or more structures on a substrate

Inventors: Patricius Aloysius Jacobus Tinnemans (Hapert, NL); Arie Jeffrey Den Boef (Waalre, NL); Armand Eugene Albert Koolen (Nuth, NL); Nitesh Pandey (Eindhoven, NL); Vasco Tomas Tenner (Amsterdam, NL); Willem Marie Julia Marcel Coene (Geldrop, NL); Patrick Warnaar (Tilburg, NL)
Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
G03F7/7085G01B11/02G01B11/0625G01N21/4788G01N21/9501G03F7/70158G03F7/705G03F7/70625G03F7/70633G03F9/7088G01B2210/56
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,366,811
App. No.
18/650,790
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Described is a metrology system for determining a characteristic of interest relating to at least one structure on a substrate, and associated method. The metrology system comprises a processor being configured to computationally determine phase and amplitude information from a detected characteristic of scattered radiation having been reflected or scattered by the at least one structure as a result of illumination of said at least one structure with illumination radiation in a measurement acquisition, and use the determined phase and amplitude to determine the characteristic of interest.

Claims (31)

1. An apparatus for determining a characteristic of interest relating to at least one structure on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:

an illumination branch comprising a radiation source and configured to direct illumination radiation at the substrate;

a detection branch comprising a detector and configured to detect scattered radiation from the at least one structure on the substrate; and

a processor configured to:

computationally determine phase and amplitude information from an electric field of the scattered radiation in a measurement acquisition, and

computationally re-image the measurement acquisition of the at least one structure to obtain at least one computationally re-imaged image,

wherein computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the measurement acquisition, and

wherein the digitally altering the apodization is based on a characteristic corresponding to the at least one structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises digitally altering an apodization in the detection branch.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the scattered radiation for the measurement acquisition.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer, wherein the non-physical apodizer is digitally modeled in or near a pupil plane of the detection branch.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises digitally altering an apodization in the illumination branch.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the illumination radiation for the measurement acquisition.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer, wherein the non-physical apodizer is digitally modeled in or near a pupil plane of the illumination branch.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises dynamically tuning the apodization.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically tuning the apodization is based on the characteristic of interest.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically tuning the apodization is based on a point spread function of the apparatus.

11. A method of determining a characteristic of interest relating to at least one structure on a substrate, the method comprising:

computationally determining phase and amplitude information from an electric field of scattered radiation in a measurement acquisition; and

computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition of the at least one structure to obtain at least one computationally re-imaged image,

wherein the computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the measurement acquisition, and

wherein the digitally altering the apodization is based on a characteristic corresponding to the at least one structure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises digitally altering an apodization in a detection branch configured to detect the scattered radiation.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the scattered radiation for the measurement acquisition.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer, wherein the non-physical apodizer is digitally modeled in or near a pupil plane of the detection branch.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises digitally altering an apodization in an illumination branch configured to direct illumination radiation at the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the illumination radiation for the measurement acquisition.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer, wherein the non-physical apodizer is digitally modeled in or near a pupil plane of the illumination branch.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the digitally altering the apodization comprises dynamically tuning the apodization.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the dynamically tuning the apodization is based on the characteristic of interest.

20. A non-transitory computer program product comprising machine-readable instructions for causing a processor to cause performance of the method of claim 11 .

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2024
From: TINNEMANS, PATRICIUS ALOYSIUS JACOBUS; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; KOOLEN, ARMAND EUGENE ALBERT; PANDEY, NITESH; COENE, WILLEM MARIE JULIA MARCEL; WARNAAR, PATRICK
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 067899/0051 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2024
From: STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 067899/0078 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2024
From: STICHTING VU; TENNER, VASCO TOMAS
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 067899/0081 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2024
From: UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 067899/0096 →
Priority Claims (3)
EP 17194905 · Oct 5, 2017 · regional
EP 17199764 · Nov 2, 2017 · regional
EP 17206967 · Dec 13, 2017 · regional
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17856213 · Jul 1, 2022
Continuation 17022910 · Sep 16, 2020
Continuation 16150879 · Oct 3, 2018
Related Publication 20240319620A1 · Sep 26, 2024
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