ALIGNMENT SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT EQUIPPED WITH THE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alignment system for improving, when using an alignment marker which may be deformed, the quality of an alignment by using a radiation source having only a specific wavelength (or a narrow-band wavelength range). SOLUTION: A marker structure on a substrate includes a line element and a trench element which have a length of a first direction and are alternately arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The alternating arrangement has a sequence length, the marker structure has at least one pitch value, and the line element and the trench element are varied in width between the minimum line width and the maximum line width over the sequence length of the marker structure. The duty cycle of the pair of the line element and the trench element adjacent to the line element is almost constant over the sequence length of the marker structure, and the pitch value is varied, from the minimum pitch value to the maximum pitch value, extending over the sequence length. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI