Lithographic method and arrangement

A lithographic arrangement for implementing a lithographic process, the lithographic arrangement comprising:

• an illumination system configured to provide a beam of radiation;
• a support structure configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device serving to impart the beam of radiation with a pattern in its cross-section;
• a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;
• a projection system configured to project the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of the substrate;
• one or more controllers configured to control at least a part of the lithographic arrangement to form a pattern feature on the target portion of the substrate such that the patterned beam of radiation has one or both of a first property that varies in a first direction along a surface of the substrate, and a second property that varies in a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
• a measurement arrangement configured to measure a property of the pattern feature;
• and
• a computational arrangement configured to use the measured property of the pattern feature and at least one of the first property of the patterned beam of radiation and the second property of the patterned beam of radiation to obtain information for use in a model of the lithographic process.

A lithographic processing method, comprising:

• forming a pattern feature on a target portion of a substrate by projecting a beam of radiation onto the target portion of the substrate, for that target portion the beam of radiation having one or both of a first property that varies in a first direction along a surface of the substrate, and a second property that varies in a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
• and
• measuring a property of the pattern feature, wherein
• the measured property of the pattern feature and at least one of the first property of the beam of radiation and the second property of the beam of radiation are used in a model.