US 8,947,641 B2Granted

Lithographic apparatus and method

AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.

InventorsJohannes Onvlee, Erik Roelof Loopstra

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Abstract

In a lithographic apparatus, a slip of a patterning device relative to a support, the support constructed to support the patterning device, may be provided by measuring a position of the support relative to a first structure of the lithographic apparatus; measuring a position of the patterning device relative to a second structure of the lithographic apparatus; determining a correlation between the position of the patterning device and the position of the support from the measured position of the support, the measured position of the patterning device, and the mutual positions of the first and second structures; and deriving from the correlation a slip of the patterning device relative to the support. The structure may include a projection system to project a radiation beam patterned by the patterning device. The projection system may be connected to a frame, such as a metrology frame of the lithographic apparatus.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A lithographic apparatus comprising:

an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam;
a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;
a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate;
a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate;
a support position sensor to measure a position of the support relative to a first structure of the lithographic apparatus;
a patterning device position sensor located at a second structure of the lithographic apparatus to measure a position of the patterning device relative to the second structure, wherein the second structure is not connected to the first structure;
and
a control device configured to determine a correlation between a first component of the position of the patterning device and a second component of the position of the support from the position measured by the support position sensor, the position measured by the patterning device position sensor, and mutual positions of the first and second structures, wherein the first and second components are taken along a coordinate axis fixed relative to the first and second structures.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/730,191Filed 29 Mar 2007 · continuation in part
Priority: 30 Oct 2006
Published: US 2008/0100818 A11 May 2008
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G03F 7/70775
Handling of masks or workpieces: position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position
G03F 1/42
Masks having auxiliary features, e.g. special coatings or marks for alignment or testing; Preparation thereof: alignment or registration features,…
G03F 1/44
Masks having auxiliary features, e.g. special coatings or marks for alignment or testing; Preparation thereof: testing or measuring features, e.g.…
G03F 7/707
Handling of masks or workpieces: chucks, e.g. chucking or un-chucking operations or structural details

Family

Application11/589,300Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Oct 2006
US 2008/0100818 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 May 2008
US 7,714,981 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 May 2010
US 2008/0100819 A1Published application
US 8,947,641 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.