A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In lithographic processes, it is desirable frequently to make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification. Driven by the growing demand of manufacturing modern integrated circuits with ever shrinking sizes, lithographic technologies that can offer higher resolution and better reliability are under a fast-paced and extensive development. One of such advancing lithographic technologies is the extreme ultra-violet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL), which allows for sub-10 nanometre (nm) scale resolution. In parallel with the advancement of lithographic technologies, inspection and metrology technologies are making efforts to keep up with the scaling pace of semiconductor ICs. Inevitably, the development of these cutting edge technologies will need to overcome numerous technical challenges. One of the technical challenges is to significantly reduce human interaction during wafer production so as to improve wafer yield.
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