Patent ID: 8368890

Claim:
A polarization monitoring reticle for lithographic scanners comprising: a transparent planar substrate having a front side and a back side, both the back side and front side having an opaque layer thereon; and an X-Y row and column array of pin hole-cluster combinations on the substrate; wherein each cluster comprising an X-Y array of a plurality of polarimeter sets in the opaque layer on the front side of the substrate, with each cluster located adjacent a corresponding pin hole in the opaque layer on the back side of the substrate; each set of polarimeters comprising an X-Y array of a plurality of polargraphic monitors within each set, each monitor within each polarimeter set being a defined distance from the center of the polarimeter set and each set of polarimeters having indicia identifying the cluster row, cluster column, X position of the center of the polarimeter set relative to the cluster center and Y position of the center of the polarimeter set relative to the cluster center; and the monitors creating at an image plane a measurable output signal dependent on polarization of illumination when illumination from a light source is passed through the reticle.