Method for determining a focus actuation profile for one or more actuators of a lithographic exposure apparatus
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsSimon Hendrik Celine Van Gorp, Stephan Van Reenen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for determining a focus actuation profile for one or more actuators of a lithographic exposure apparatus in control of a lithographic exposure process for exposure of an exposure area including at least two topographical levels. The method includes determining a continuous single focus actuation profile for the at least two topographical levels from an objective function including a per-level component operable to optimize a focus metric per topographical level for each of the at least two topographical levels.
Claims20
A method for determining a focus actuation profile for one or more actuators of a lithographic exposure apparatus in control of a lithographic exposure process for exposure of an area comprising at least two topographical levels, the method comprising:
- obtaining topographical data related to a substrate;
- and
- determining, based on the topographical data and by a processor, a continuous single focus actuation profile for the at least two topographical levels from an objective function comprising at least a per-topographical-level function component operable to optimize a focus metric per topographical level for each of the at least two topographical levels.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions therein configured to, upon execution by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to at least:
- obtain topographical data related to a substrate;
- and
- determine, based on the topographical data, a continuous single focus actuation profile for one or more actuators of a lithographic exposure apparatus in control of a lithographic exposure process for exposure of an area comprising at least two topographical levels, the determination including determination of the continuous single focus actuation profile for the at least two topographical levels from an objective function comprising at least a per-topographical-level function component operable to optimize a focus metric per topographical level for each of the at least two topographical levels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.