Improved autofocusing (“AF”) methods and devices for
lithography are provided. Some embodiments of the invention provide an AF
system that includes one or more interferometers for measuring a distance to a
wafer surface or a
reticle surface. The invention includes methods and devices for calibrating the interferometer(s) according to known distances to a target. According to some embodiments of the invention, a
spatial filter reduces the amount of undesired
signal coming from the
wafer or
reticle surface. In some such embodiments, higher orders of diffracted light from the
wafer or
reticle multilayer surfaces are eliminated with a pinhole filter oriented to reject light that is not vertically directed. Other embodiments include a spatial filtering
system that passes a selected
diffraction order, e.g., the first order of diffracted light, from the target. These spatial filters reduce variations in the
signal and make further
signal processing easier. By including a
beam expander, the interferometer beam can sample a larger or smaller area on the wafer. In another embodiment a
polarizer will help attenuate scattered or diffracted light received by the interferometer. In some embodiments, the
wavelength of the light used by the AF
system is selected to maximize the absorption or reflection of this light by part of the target, e.g., by the reticle multilayer or the absorber layer.