Method of determining a mark measurement sequence, stage apparatus and lithographic apparatus

A non-transitory computer program product comprising instructions therein, the instructions configured to, when run on a computer system, cause the computer system to at least:

• receive location data for a plurality of marks of an object that are to be measured;
• obtain a boundary model of a positioning device used for performing a mark measurement sequence;
• obtain thermal state information of the positioning device, the thermal state information representing a thermal state of the positioning device prior to an execution of the mark measurement sequence and/or after an execution of the mark measurement sequence;
• and
• determine the mark measurement sequence for the object based on the location data, the thermal state information and the boundary model.

A method of determining a mark measurement sequence for an object comprising a plurality of marks, the mark measurement sequence to be performed by a stage apparatus holding the object, the method comprising:

• receiving location data for the plurality of marks that are to be measured;
• determining a mark measurement sequence based on the location data;
• determining a dissipation profile for one or more positioning devices of the stage apparatus that are involved in performing the mark measurement sequence, based on the determined mark measurement sequence;
• determining a temperature profile for the one or more positioning devices based on the determined dissipation profile;
• and
• adjusting a performance parameter of the one or more positioning devices responsive to a temperature of the one or more positioning devices exceeding a temperature limit, based on the temperature profile.