Patent ID: 8260449

Claim:
A method for correcting overlay errors in a photolithography system, the method comprising: measuring a plurality of first overlay errors individually corresponding to a microelectronic substrate in a first batch of microelectronic substrates; determining a relationship between the first overlay errors and a first sequence of the microelectronic substrates in the first batch; and correcting a second overlay error of individual microelectronic substrates in a second batch based on a second sequence of the microelectronic substrates in the second batch corresponding to the first sequence of the microelectronic substrates in the first batch such that the correction of the second overlay error of the individual microelectronic substrates in the second batch are based on the measurement of a corresponding microelectronic substrate in the first batch, and the determined relationship between the first overlay errors and the first sequence of the microelectronic substrates in the first batch.