Alignment Mark, Substrate, Set of Patterning Devices, and Device Manufacturing Method

A set of patterning devices for use in a lithographic process, comprising:

• a first patterning device having a first alignment pattern to be projected on a substrate during a first exposure as part of an alignment mark, and a second patterning device having a second alignment pattern to be projected on the substrate during a further exposure as part of the same alignment mark,
• wherein the first alignment pattern at least partially defines a first sub-mark of the alignment mark, and wherein the second alignment pattern at least partially defines a second sub-mark of the alignment mark, wherein relative positions of the first and second sub-marks on the substrate are suitable to determine alignment of the first and further exposures on macro level, and
• wherein the first alignment pattern and the second alignment pattern in combination define at least one sub-mark which is at least partially defined by image lines of the first alignment pattern and second alignment pattern,
• wherein a part of the image lines is projected during the first exposure and a part of the image lines is projected during the further exposure, and wherein relative positions of image lines of the first alignment pattern and the second alignment pattern of the at least one sub-mark on the substrate are suitable to determine alignment of the first and further exposures on micro level.

A device manufacturing method comprising:

• transferring during a first exposure a pattern from a first patterning device onto a substrate, transferring during a further exposure a pattern from a second patterning device onto the substrate,
• wherein the first patterning device comprises a first alignment pattern projected during the first exposure as part of an alignment mark on the substrate, and wherein the second patterning device comprises a second alignment pattern projected during the further exposure as part of the same alignment mark,
• wherein the first alignment pattern at least partially defines a first sub-mark of the alignment mark, and wherein the second alignment pattern at least partially defines a second sub-mark of the alignment mark, and wherein the first alignment pattern and the second alignment pattern in combination define at least one sub-mark,
• determining alignment of the first and further exposures on macro level by comparison of relative positions of the first and second sub-marks on the substrate, and
• determining alignment of the first and further exposures on micro level by comparison of relative positions of image lines of the first alignment pattern and the second alignment pattern within the at least one sub-mark on the substrate.