Mark to be projected on an object during a lithographic process and method for designing a mark

A method for designing a mark to be fabricated on a substrate, the mark designed to have different overlay configurations for assessing a lithographic process, the method comprising:

• determining an overlay step which represents a difference between different overlay distances of the different overlay configurations for a design of the mark, wherein:
• the mark comprises a first layer mark having a plurality of first layer components and a second layer mark having a plurality of second layer components,
• the first layer mark and the second layer mark are to be projected onto each other during the lithographic process,
• the first layer components and the second layer components are arranged according to the different overlay configurations,
• each overlay configuration of the different overlay configurations comprises a number of the plurality of the first layer components and a number of the plurality of the second layer components, and
• each overlay configuration of the different overlay configurations has a different overlay distance at which each first layer component is arranged in a first direction of an associated second layer component of the second layer components;
• determining a largest overlay distance of the different overlay distances;
• and
• determining the number of first layer components and/or the number of associated second layer components in each overlay configuration of the different overlay configurations.

A mark for assessing a quality of a lithographic process, comprising:

• overlapping layers comprising:
• a first layer mark having a plurality of first layer components;
• and
• a second layer mark having a plurality second layer components,
• wherein:
• the first layer components and the second layer components are arranged according to different overlay configurations having different overlay distances,
• each overlay configuration of the different overlay configurations comprises a number of the plurality of the first layer components and a number of the plurality of the second layer components,
• each overlay configuration of the different overlay configurations has a different overlay distance at which each first layer component is arranged in a first direction of an associated second layer component of the second layer components,
• the different overlay distances are between a smallest overlay distance and a largest overlay distance, and
• the different overlay distances differ between the different overlay configurations by an overlay step.