IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,429,328
Granted Patent B2
US 12,429,328 · App. 17/873,406 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

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 12,429,328
App. No.
17/873,406
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
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 (27)

1. A method comprising:

illuminating with radiation a diffraction measurement target on a substrate, the measurement target comprising at least a first sub-target, a second sub-target, a third sub-target and a fourth sub-target, wherein the first, second, third and fourth sub-targets are different in design with at least one sub-target of the first to fourth sub-targets being at least partly on a different layer than the other of the first to fourth sub-targets and at least two sub-targets of the first to fourth sub-targets being at least partly on a same layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the different design comprises one of the first to fourth sub-targets having a different pitch, feature width, space width, and/or segmentation than another of the first to fourth sub-targets.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-target at least partly overlays a first periodic structure, the second sub-target at least partly overlays a second periodic structure, and the third sub-target at least partly overlays a third periodic structure, wherein the first periodic structure is at a different layer on the substrate than the second and third periodic structures and the second periodic structure is at a different layer on the substrate than the first and third periodic structures.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the illuminating comprises illuminating a measurement spot on the diffraction measurement target that covers at one time at least part of each of a periodic structure of the first to fourth sub-targets.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least part of a periodic structure of each of the first to fourth sub-targets is within a contiguous area of less than or equal to 400 μm 2 on the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first to fourth sub-targets is designed for a different process stack for the substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first to fourth sub-targets is designed for a different layer-pair for multiple layer overlay measurement.

8. A diffraction metrology target comprising at least a first sub-target, a second sub-target, a third sub-target and a fourth sub-target, wherein the first, second, third and fourth sub-targets are different in design with at least one sub-target of the first to fourth sub-targets being at least partly on a different layer than the other of the first to fourth sub-targets and at least two sub-targets of the first to fourth sub-targets being at least partly on a same layer.

9. The target of claim 8 , wherein the different design comprises one of the first to fourth sub-targets having a different pitch, feature width, space width, and/or segmentation than another of the first to fourth sub-targets.

10. The target of claim 8 , wherein at least part of a periodic structure of each of the first to fourth sub-targets is within a contiguous area of less than or equal to 400 μm 2 .

11. The target of claim 8 , wherein each of the first to fourth sub-targets is designed for a different process stack for a substrate.

12. The target of claim 8 , wherein each of the first to fourth sub-targets is designed for a different layer-pair for multiple layer overlay measurement.

13. A method comprising:

illuminating a first sub-target of a measurement target on a substrate with radiation having a first wavelength, and illuminating a second sub-target of the measurement target on the substrate with radiation having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, wherein the first wavelength is selected for the first sub-target and the second wavelength is selected for the second sub-target; and

detecting at least some of the radiation coming from the first sub-target and at least some of the radiation coming from the second sub-target to obtain for the measurement target a measurement representing a parameter of a lithographic process,

wherein a value of the parameter is obtained from the first sub-target using the first wavelength without using the second wavelength and from the second sub-target using the second wavelength without using the first wavelength.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second sub-targets are different in design.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein first and second periodic structures of the second sub-target meet at a central portion of the measurement target and 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.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the illuminating comprises illuminating the first sub-target with radiation having a first polarization and illuminating the second sub-target of the measurement target on the substrate with radiation having a second polarization, wherein the first polarization is different from the second polarization.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least part of the first sub-target is located on a different layer than at least part of the second sub-target.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the measurement target has an area of less than or equal to 1000 μm 2 on the substrate.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the parameter of the lithographic process is overlay.

20. 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 illumination of a first sub-target of a measurement target on a substrate with radiation having a first wavelength, and illumination of a second sub-target of the measurement target on the substrate with radiation having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, wherein the first wavelength is selected for the first sub-target and the second wavelength is selected for the second sub-target; and

cause detection of at least some of the radiation coming from the first sub-target and at least some of the radiation coming from the second sub-target to obtain for the measurement target a measurement representing a parameter of a lithographic process,

wherein a value of the parameter is obtained from the first sub-target using the first wavelength without using the second wavelength and from the second sub-target using the second wavelength without using the first wavelength.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 2, 2022
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; FUCHS, ANDREAS; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; ADAM, OMER ABUBAKER OMER; KUBIS, MICHAEL; JAK, MARTIN JACOBUS JOHAN; VAN BUEL, HENRICUS WILHELMUS MARIA; SMILDE, HENDRIK JAN HIDDE; LIU, XING LAN; VAN HAREN, RICHARD JOHANNES FRANCISCUS; BELTMAN, JOHANNES MARCUS MARIA
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 060699/0861 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 2, 2022
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; FUCHS, ANDREAS; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; KUBIS, MICHAEL; ADAM, OMER ABUBAKER OMER; JAK, MARTIN JACOBUS JOHAN
To: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 060700/0050 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 2, 2022
From: BHATTACHARYYA, KAUSTUVE; FOUQUET, CHRISTOPHE DAVID; DEN BOEF, ARIE JEFFREY; FUCHS, ANDREAS; VAN DER SCHAAR, MAURITS; 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 060700/0196 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 14182962 · Aug 29, 2014 · regional
Continuity (7)
Continuation 17519641 · Nov 5, 2021
Continuation 16931832 · Jul 17, 2020
Continuation 16507297 · Jul 10, 2019
Continuation 14835504 · Aug 25, 2015
Provisional Application 62170008 · Jun 2, 2015
Provisional Application 62090801 · Dec 11, 2014
Related Publication 20230016664A1 · Jan 19, 2023
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