REDUCTION OF HOTSPOTS OF DENSE FEATURES

A computer-implemented method to adjust line-width roughness (LWR) in a lithographic apparatus, the method including receiving a value of LWR and/or image log slope (ILS) for each feature of a plurality of different features of a pattern to be imaged, using a patterning device, onto a substrate in a lithographic process, and evaluating a cost function comprising a lithographic parameter and the values of LWR and/or ILS to determine a value of the lithographic parameter that (i) reduces a bias between the LWR and/or ILS of the different features, or (ii) reduces a difference in the LWR and/or ILS of the different features between different lithographic apparatuses, or (iii) reduces a difference in the LWR and/or ILS of the different features between different patterning devices, or (iv) any combination selected from (i)-(iii). 本发明公开了种用于调整光刻设备中的线宽粗糙度(LWR)的计算机实施的方法，所述方法包括：接收对于在光刻过程中通过使用图案形成装置将被成像到衬底上的图案的多个不同特征中的每个特征的LWR和/或图像对数斜率(ILS)的值；和评价包括光刻参数和LWR和/或ILS的值的成本函数以确定光刻参数的值，该光刻参数的值(i)减小不同特征的LWR和/或ILS之间的偏置，或(ii)减小不同