Method and system for automated process correction using model parameters, and lithographic apparatus using such method and system

A lithographic apparatus comprising:

• (a) a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate, the substrate comprising a plurality of alignment marks that have been defined by a second lithographic apparatus and are arranged to define a substrate grid to form a coordinate system on the substrate, said coordinate system having a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
• (b) an alignment system configured to align the substrate with the substrate grid, and
• (c) a computer system configured to:
• (i) measure a location and an orientation of the plurality of alignment marks to obtain alignment mark data;
• (ii) determine the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a first substrate grid model with a first set of parameters;
• (iii) determine the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a second substrate grid model with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters comprising an ortho-scaling parameter in addition to the first set of parameters, and
• (iv) correcting machine-to-machine differences between the lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus with automated process control data based on the ortho-scaling parameter.

A computer system of a lithographic apparatus, the lithographic apparatus being arranged to align a substrate on a substrate table;

• the substrate comprising a plurality of alignment marks that have been defined by a second lithographic apparatus and are arranged to define a substrate grid to form a coordinate system, coordinate system including a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction, said the computer system comprising:
• a processing unit and memory, the memory being connected to the processing unit,
• wherein said computer system is configured to:
• (a) measure a location and an orientation of the plurality of alignment marks to obtain alignment mark data;
• (b) determine the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a first substrate grid model with a first set of parameters;
• (c) determine the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a second substrate grid model with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters comprising an ortho-scaling parameter in addition to the first set of parameters, and
• (d) correcting machine-to-machine differences between the lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus with automated process control data based on the ortho-scaling parameter.

A computer program to be loaded by a computer system of a first lithographic apparatus, the computer system comprising a processing unit, a memory, the processing unit being connected to the memory;

• the computer system being configured to align a substrate on a substrate table of the first lithographic apparatus;
• the substrate comprising a plurality of alignment marks that have been defined by a second lithographic apparatus and are arranged to provide a substrate grid to form a coordinate system, the coordinate system including a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction, said computer program including machine executable instructions executable by said computer system to perform the alignment of said substrate according to a method comprising:
• measuring a location and an orientation of the plurality of alignment marks to obtain alignment mark data;
• determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a first substrate grid model with a first set of parameters;
• determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a second substrate grid model with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters comprising an ortho-scaling parameter in addition to the first set of parameters, and
• correcting machine-to-machine differences between the first lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus with automated process control data based on the ortho-scaling parameter.

A device manufacturing method comprising:

• (a) transferring a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate disposed on a substrate table of first lithographic apparatus, and
• (b) aligning the substrate on the substrate table of the first lithographic apparatus, the substrate comprising a plurality of alignment marks that have been defined by a second lithographic apparatus and are defined to provide a substrate grid as a coordinate system, the coordinate system including a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
• said aligning comprising:
• (i) measuring a location and an orientation of the plurality of alignment marks to obtain alignment mark data;
• (ii) determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a first substrate grid model with a first set of parameters;
• (iii) determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a second substrate grid model with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters comprising an ortho-scaling parameter in addition to the first set of parameters, and
• (iv) correcting machine-to-machine differences between the first lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus with automated process control data based on the ortho-scaling parameter.

An automated process control system comprising:

• a server comprising a fab host computer system, and
• a first lithographic apparatus and a second lithographic apparatus, each of the first lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus comprising a computer system,
• wherein each of the computer system of the first lithographic apparatus, the computer system of the second lithographic apparatus and the fab host computer system comprise a processing unit and a memory, the memory being connected to the processing unit;
• wherein the fab host computer system is connected to the computer system of the first lithographic apparatus and to the computer system of the second lithographic apparatus, and
• wherein the automated process control system is configured to align a substrate on a substrate table in the first lithographic apparatus in accordance with a method comprising
• measuring a location and an orientation of a plurality of alignment marks located on said substrate to obtain alignment mark data, said plurality of alignment marks being generated by the second lithographic apparatus and defining a substrate grid as a coordinate system, the coordinate system including a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
• determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a first substrate grid model with a first set of parameters;
• determining the substrate grid of the substrate from the alignment mark data by using a second substrate grid model with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters comprising an ortho-scaling parameter in addition to the first set of parameters, and
• correcting machine-to-machine differences between the first lithographic apparatus and the second lithographic apparatus with automated process control data based on the ortho-scaling parameter.