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Patent

Surface position detecting method and apparatus including detection and correction of errors, such as surface position errors or tilt, in exposure regions

TLDR
In this paper, a registration method is proposed for projecting first and second patterns of a first object simultaneously upon a second object having a surface step, where the first pattern has a smaller depth of focus than that of the second pattern.
Abstract
A registration method is usable with projection optical system for projecting first and second patterns of a first object simultaneously upon a second object having a surface step, for measuring at different locations the surface position of the second object with respect to the direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system prior to the pattern projection to bring the surface of the second object into coincidence with an image plane of the projection optical system on the basis of the measurement, wherein the first pattern has a smaller depth of focus than that of the second pattern. The method includes bringing the surface position of the second object, at the location whereat the first pattern is to be projected, into coincidence with the image plane of the projection optical system; and correcting any tilt of the surface of the second object with respect to the image plane of the projection optical system.

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Citations
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Patent

Exposure method and apparatus

TL;DR: In this paper, an apparatus for exposing a pattern, formed on a mask, on each of a plurality of partitioned areas on a photosensitive substrate by a step-and-repeat scheme includes a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the mask on the substrate, a substrate stage for holding the substrate and two-dimensionally moving the substrate within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection system.
Patent

Multiple beam inspection apparatus and method

TL;DR: In this paper, an optical inspection system for inspecting the surface of a substrate is described, which includes a light source for emitting an incident light beam along an optical axis and a first set of optical elements arranged for separating the incident lightbeam into a plurality of light beams, directing the plurality of lights to intersect with the substrate surface, and focusing the light beams to a plurality scanning spots on the substrate.
Patent

Massively parallel inspection and imaging system

TL;DR: In this paper, a massively parallel inspection and imaging system is provided which employs multiple focused beams to illuminate a specimen, and the stage speed in the cross direction is set at the ratio of the distance between the first and last lines divided by the period of the scanner.
Patent

Lithographic apparatus and method

TL;DR: In this paper, a slip of a patterning device relative to a support, the support constructed to support the patterning devices, is provided by measuring a position of the support relative to the first structure of the lithographic apparatus; determining a correlation between the position of patterned objects and the position on the support.
Patent

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method with feed-forward focus control

TL;DR: In this paper, a servo unit is used to position the substrate holder in order to obtain a set-point signal from the surface of the substrate relative to a reference plane.
References
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Patent

Horizontal position detecting device

TL;DR: In this paper, a horizontal position detecting device for maintaining the surface of a body to be inspected vertically to the optical axis of a main objective lens is presented, which includes an illumination optical system and a condenser lens system.
Patent

Imaging apparatus comprising a focus-error and/or tilt detection device

TL;DR: In this paper, an imaging apparatus is described which comprises an imaging system (PL) and a focus detection device for determining a deviation between the image plane of the imaging system and a second plane (WS) on which imaging is to take place.
Patent

Method and apparatus for precisely detecting surface position of a patterned wafer

TL;DR: In this article, a surface position detection method was proposed, including the steps of: detecting a surface shape of a first wafer having a pattern formed thereon or a surface of a second wafer with a pattern which is substantially of the same structure as that of the pattern of the first Wafer.
Patent

Focusing device for projection exposure apparatus

TL;DR: In this paper, a projection exposure apparatus for projecting the image of an object on a first plane onto a second plane through a projection optical system, comprising: reference mark device provided in the vicinity of said second plane, illumination device for illuminating said reference mark devices from a side opposite to said projection system with respect to said second planes, separation device for separating an illuminating light beam, transmitted by said reference beam device and forming the image, formed by two light beams respectively passing through mutually different two areas in the pupil of the projection system, detection device comprising at least a pair of light receiving
Patent

Projection optical apparatus for mask to substrate alignment

TL;DR: In this paper, a projection optical apparatus includes light-emitting means which are disposed on a stage movable along the image plane in the projection optical system and define a lightemitting plane having a predetermined shape.