# US 12,007,700 B2 · Metrology system and method for determining a characteristic of one or more structures on a substrate

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- Number: US 12,007,700 B2
- Document ID: US12007700B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/856,213
- Filed: 2022-07-01
- Published: 2023-03-02
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2017-10-05
- Assignees: ASML Netherlands B.V.
- Applicants: ASML Netherlands B.V.
- Inventors: Patricius Aloysius Jacobus Tinnemans; Arie Jeffrey Den Boef; Armand Eugene Albert Koolen; Nitesh Pandey; Vasco Tomas Tenner; Willem Marie Julia Marcel Coene; Patrick Warnaar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007700B2

## CPC

- G03F 7/7085: {Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load}
- G01B 11/02: for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence)
- G01B 11/0625: {with measurement of absorption or reflection}
- G01N 21/4788: {Diffraction (for sizing particles G01N15/0205)}
- G01N 21/9501: {Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20)}
- G03F 7/70158: {Diffractive optical elements}
- G03F 7/705: {Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions}
- G03F 7/70625: {Dimensions, e.g. line width, critical dimension [CD], profile, sidewall angle or edge roughness}
- G03F 7/70633: {Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching}
- G03F 9/7088: {Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection}
- G01B 2210/56: Measuring geometric parameters of semiconductor structures, e.g. profile, critical dimensions or trench depth
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## 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

### Claim 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 subsequent to a measurement to obtain at least one computationally re-imaged image,
wherein computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the illumination radiation for the measurement acquisition, and
wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on the at least one structure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on the substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on a coherence of the illumination radiation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on a fully incoherent illumination radiation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

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

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein dynamically tuning the apodization reduces reflections and losses in a beam path of the illumination radiation.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a digital apodization algorithm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

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

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the scattered radiation for the measurement acquisition.

### Claim 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 subsequent to a measurement to obtain at least one computationally re-imaged image,
wherein computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of an illumination radiation for the measurement acquisition, and
wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on the at least one structure.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on the substrate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on a coherence of the illumination radiation.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein digitally altering the apodization is based on a fully incoherent illumination radiation.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

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

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein dynamically tuning the apodization reduces reflections and losses in a beam path of the illumination radiation.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a digital apodization algorithm.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein digitally altering the apodization comprises applying a non-physical apodizer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein computationally re-imaging the measurement acquisition comprises digitally altering an apodization of the scattered radiation for the measurement acquisition.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

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