Device manufacturing method, orientation determination method and lithographic apparatus
First Claim
1. A device manufacturing method comprising:
- patterning a beam of radiation using a patterning device;
determining an orientation of a substrate;
aligning the substrate and the patterning device according to the orientation of the substrate; and
projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a layer of radiation-sensitive material disposed on the substrate;
wherein determining the orientation of the substrate includes determining a rotation of the substrate by;
determining a distance vector in a measurement coordinate system between at least two structures disposed on said substrate, said at least two structures having corresponding features and of which relative positions are known in relation to a pattern coordinate system;
decomposing the distance vector into a first distance along a first axis of the measurement coordinate system and a second distance along a second axis of the measurement coordinate system; and
calculating a rotation of the pattern coordinate system in relation to the measurement coordinate system using the first and the second distance.
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Abstract
A method to determine a rotation of a substrate with respect to the patterning device without using a reference mark on the substrate is presented. At least two structures having corresponding features and present on the substrate, e.g. previously projected patterns, are imaged with a known position with respect to a measurement coordinate system. A distance vector between the at least two structures is determined. From the distance vector, a rotation angle is calculated. In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method to estimate a position of the substrate from the acquired image(s). A position is measured and used as a reference position for subsequent substrates of which the rotation angle is to be determined.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A device manufacturing method comprising:
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patterning a beam of radiation using a patterning device;
determining an orientation of a substrate;
aligning the substrate and the patterning device according to the orientation of the substrate; and
projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a layer of radiation-sensitive material disposed on the substrate;
wherein determining the orientation of the substrate includes determining a rotation of the substrate by;
determining a distance vector in a measurement coordinate system between at least two structures disposed on said substrate, said at least two structures having corresponding features and of which relative positions are known in relation to a pattern coordinate system;
decomposing the distance vector into a first distance along a first axis of the measurement coordinate system and a second distance along a second axis of the measurement coordinate system; and
calculating a rotation of the pattern coordinate system in relation to the measurement coordinate system using the first and the second distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for determining a rotation of an object comprising:
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determining a distance vector in a measurement coordinate system between at least two structures having corresponding features and of which relative positions are known in relation to a pattern coordinate system;
decomposing the distance vector into a first distance along a first axis of the measurement coordinate system and a second distance along a second axis of the measurement coordinate system; and
calculating a rotation of the pattern coordinate system in relation to the measurement coordinate system using the first and the second distance.
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12. A lithographic apparatus comprising:
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an illumination system configured to condition a beam of radiation;
a support structure configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device serving to pattern the beam of radiation according to a desired pattern;
a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;
a projection system configured to project the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of the substrate;
and an alignment system configured to (a) determine a distance vector in a measurement coordinate system between at least two structures disposed on said substrate, said at least two structures having corresponding features and of which relative positions are known in relation to a pattern coordinate system, (b) decompose the distance vector into a first distance along a first axis of the measurement coordinate system and a second distance along a second axis of the measurement coordinate system; and
(c) calculate a rotation of the pattern coordinate system in relation to the measurement coordinate system using the first and the second distance to align said substrate and said patterning device.
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13. A method for aligning a substrate in a lithographic apparatus comprising:
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acquiring images of a first and a second corresponding structure to determine a first distance vector between the first and the second corresponding structure in a measurement coordinate system of the lithographic apparatus, the first and second corresponding structure being located on two adjacent target portions of the substrate;
determining a second distance vector between the first and second corresponding structure in a pattern coordinate system; and
determining a rotation angle of the pattern coordinate system relative to the measurement coordinate system using the first and the second distance vector. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification