CN111208708A

CN111208708A - Apparatus and method for fabricating replica mold for imprint lithography

Info

Publication number: CN111208708A
Application number: CN201911008058.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 具滋鹏; 金泰完; 权相民; 郑熙锡
Original assignee: GigaLane Co Ltd
Current assignee: GigaLane Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-21
Filing date: 2019-10-22
Publication date: 2020-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-22
Also published as: CN111208708B; KR101990122B1

Abstract

The invention discloses a device and a method for manufacturing a replica mold for imprint lithography. An imprint lithography replica mold manufacturing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a roller transfer portion that transfers a die to a lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side in a roll-in manner; a resin film supply unit that intermittently unwinds the resin film to be transferred to the mold to the roller transfer unit and supplies the resin film to the roller transfer unit; and a mold recovery unit that intermittently takes up the mold attached to the mold at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film by the roller transfer unit.

Description

Apparatus and method for fabricating replica mold for imprint lithography

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a Replica mold for imprint lithography, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a Replica mold for imprint lithography, in which a Transfer mold on a master is transferred onto one surface of a resin film intermittently supplied by a press roller that rotates and moves forward and backward along a predetermined section.

Background

In a Nano Imprint (Nano Imprint) process for forming a pattern of nanometer size (1 to 100nm) by imprinting (Imprint) using a Mold (Mold), a pattern may be directly formed on a substrate using a Master (Master) sheet, but a Replica (Replica) Mold may be prepared from the Master sheet, and the pattern may be formed using the prepared Replica Mold.

Such nanoimprint engineering can form a pattern by a relatively simple engineering as compared with the conventional photo-lithography (photo-lithography) engineering, can easily form a 3-dimensional pattern when a 3-dimensional mode mold is used, and has an advantage that a pattern having a fine line width that cannot be realized by the photo-lithography (photo-lithography) engineering can be formed even when a mold having a fine line width of 30nm or less is used.

Therefore, in semiconductor engineering or flat panel display manufacturing engineering, there is a trend toward the widespread use of nanoimprint engineering to replace the existing photo-lithography (photo-lithography) engineering.

When patterning is performed using the nanoimprint process, there is a method of directly forming a pattern on a substrate using a Master sheet, as described above. However, this method has a disadvantage that the pattern of the Master (Master) sheet is easily damaged due to fatigue accumulation caused by repeated operations, and the economical efficiency is deteriorated because the replacement cycle of the expensive Master (Master) sheet is short.

Therefore, recently, a method of forming a Replica (Replica) mold from a master and molding a pattern using the Replica mold is mainly used. In the nanoimprinting process in which a Replica (Replica) mold is prepared from a master and a pattern is formed using the prepared Replica mold, it is necessary to prepare a Replica mold having a pattern of a desired form.

Conventionally, when a Transfer (Replica) mold is produced from a master, as shown in fig. 1, a resin 200 is generally applied to a master 100 on which a fine pattern having a desired shape is formed in a predetermined thickness, and the master is pressed by a pressing device 300 from a vertical direction to Transfer (Transfer) the resin Transfer (Replica) mold 200-1 to a resin film 400.

However, as shown in fig. 1, since the pattern is very fine in the method of transferring the resin film by pressing the resin-coated master from above in the vertical direction, the pressing force for pressing the substrate cannot be uniformly transmitted to the entire substrate. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the pattern of the substrate, i.e., the master, cannot be accurately and uniformly transferred to the transfer mold.

Further, the pressing method shown in fig. 1 has a disadvantage that the releasability of the mold from the master after transferring the pattern is not good, the accuracy and precision of the entire pattern are deteriorated such that a part of the pattern is damaged during the releasing process, and the pressing area for pressing the transfer (replay) mold is increased as the size of the transfer (replay) mold is larger, so that there is a limitation in manufacturing a large-area transfer (replay) mold.

Further, since the process of coating the resin on the substrate is performed in a separate place and facility, there are disadvantages in that efficiency of space and continuity of the process are lowered, and a long time is required for the work, and efficiency and mass productivity of the entire production process are lowered.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: korean laid-open patent No. 10-2010-0043541 (04/29 2010).

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present invention is directed to provide a device and a method for fabricating a replica mold for imprint lithography, which can ensure space efficiency and process continuity, shorten operation time, and improve efficiency and mass productivity of the entire production process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography and a manufacturing method thereof, which have good mold release properties and can improve the accuracy and precision of a pattern.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography and a manufacturing method thereof, which can be reused continuously because the master is less likely to be damaged.

Technical scheme

In order to solve the problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography, including: a roller transfer portion that transfers a die to a lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side in a roll-in manner; a resin film supply unit that intermittently unwinds the resin film to be transferred to the mold to the roller transfer unit and supplies the resin film to the roller transfer unit; and a mold recovery unit that intermittently takes up the mold attached to the mold at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film by the roller transfer unit.

The roller transfer section applied to the replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to the present invention may include: a master carrier for receiving a master W having a pattern shape on which a mold is formed; a punching roller for pressing the die surface of the master mounted on the master carrier and the lower surface of the resin film against each other to transfer the die to the lower surface of the resin film; a base frame rotatably provided with the press roller; and a base frame driving unit which drives the base frame to move from a standby position on one side of the stage to the other side and return from the other side to the standby position on one side.

Here, as an example, the master carrier may include vacuum suction holes for suction-fixing the masters.

As another example, the master carrier may be an electrostatic chuck that holds the master by electrostatic force.

Further, the roller transfer unit includes a stage on which the master carrier is mounted.

The roller transfer section may further include an alignment cylinder configured to drive the master carrier to be lifted and lowered so that an upper surface of the die on the master is at the same height as an upper surface of the stage or is higher than the upper surface of the stage by a predetermined distance.

The roller transfer section may further include a curing mechanism including a UV light source for curing the mold transferred to the resin film.

Preferably, the resin film may be positioned between the curing means and the mold, and the UV generated by the curing means may be transmitted through the resin film to cure the mold in a portion close to the resin film side, so that the mold can be smoothly separated from the master.

Further, the resin film supply section applicable to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include: a driven roller that rotates to intermittently unwind the resin film; a first protective film take-up roller that removes the resin film from the resin film and takes up the front protective film attached to one surface of the resin film unwound from the driven roller; a second protective film take-up roller that removes the resin film from the rear surface of the rear surface protective film and takes up the rear surface protective film attached to the other surface of the resin film unwound from the driven roller; and a plurality of guide rollers disposed between the driven roller and the first protective film take-up roller and between the driven roller and the second protective film take-up roller, and guiding movement of the resin film and the protective film.

The resin film supply part may further include an encoder roller that rotates when the resin film moves to detect a moving distance of the resin film intermittently supplied to the roller transfer part.

Here, it is preferable that the encoder roller is configured to be positioned between a driven roller constituting a resin film supply section and the roller transfer section.

Further, the mold recovery part applicable to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include: a driving roller intermittently driven to rotate for winding the mold film supplied from the resin film supply section and subjected to a transfer process at a roller transfer section; a backup film roller that supplies a backup film in a manner interposed between the die films wound up to the driving roller; a plurality of guide rollers disposed between the drive roller and the roller transfer section to guide movement of the mold film; and a tension roller for applying tension for keeping the die film moving to the driving roller side tight.

In this case, the tension roller may be moved in a direction in which the tension spring is stretched or restored based on a moving position of the chassis constituting the roller transfer unit, and the tension applied to the film may be changed according to the stretching or restoring of the tension spring based on the movement of the chassis.

Preferably, at least one guide roller may be disposed in front of the tension roller with respect to a moving direction of the die in the guide roller, so that a die release angle of the die by the movement of the base frame may be limited to a predetermined angle.

According to the present invention, it may further include: and a marker which is provided between the resin film supply section and the roller transfer section and which makes a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film intermittently moving to the roller transfer section side.

Further, the master may be taken out from the master storage section by a loading/unloading robot and supplied to a spin coater, and the master coated with resin on the surface thereof at a uniform thickness may be sequentially transferred to the aligning unit and the roller transfer section by the loading/unloading robot.

In order to solve the problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography. The apparatus for manufacturing a replica mold for imprint lithography includes: a roller transfer portion that transfers a die to a lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side in a roll-in manner; a resin film supply unit that intermittently unwinds the resin film to be transferred to the mold to the roller transfer unit and supplies the resin film to the roller transfer unit; a marker provided between the resin film supply section and the roller transfer section, and making a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film intermittently moving to the roller transfer section side; a mold recovery unit that intermittently takes up the mold to which the mold is attached at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film by the roller transfer unit; an encoder roller that detects a moving distance of the resin film intermittently supplied to the roller transfer portion by the resin film supply portion; and a control section that performs a series of controls for starting the marker, the roller transfer section, and the die recovery section.

Here, the control portion may perform the following control:

(A) outputting a start command to the marker to perform the position confirmation marking;

(B) after the marking is finished, applying a roller driving signal to a driving roller of the film recovery part to move the resin film, and controlling the rotation of the driving roller based on an output signal of an encoder roller in a mode of moving the resin film only by a set distance;

(C) outputting a stop command to the driving roller to stop the driving roller if the resin film moves a set distance; and

(D) after the driving roller is stopped, a transfer command for moving a press roller of the roller transfer unit from one standby position to the other is output to the roller transfer unit.

The control section may further perform the following control:

(E) outputting a UV light source start command to a curing mechanism for curing the mold M transferred to the resin film RF while or after moving the pressing roller to the other side; and

(F) outputting a return command for returning the press roller to the standby position after the curing is completed,

thereafter, a series of repetitive controls may be executed in such a manner that the controls of (a) to (F) are sequentially repeated.

Here, the encoder roller may be configured to rotate based on the movement of the resin film, generate an output signal corresponding to the number of rotations, and transmit the output signal to the control unit, and the control unit may be configured to determine a movement distance of the resin film based on the encoder roller signal, and output a stop command to the drive roller to perform control to stop the drive roller if it is determined that the resin film has moved by a predetermined distance.

In order to solve the problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a replica mold for imprint lithography. The method for manufacturing the replica mold for imprint lithography comprises the following steps: a transfer step (S50) of loading the master sheet on the roller transfer part and transferring the die of the master sheet to the lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side of the roller transfer part in a rolling manner; and an unloading step (S60) in which the unloading die is transferred to the resin film side to remove the mother sheet and transfer the mother sheet to a mother sheet storage part.

Preferably, the step (S50) may include:

a master loading step (S52) of loading the master on which the mold is formed on a master carrier at the center of a stage constituting the roller transfer section;

a roller laminating step (S54) in which a punching roller constituting the roller transfer section transfers a die to the resin film while moving from a standby position on one side to the other side;

a curing step (S56) of applying UV to the mold transferred to the resin film while the press roller is moving to the other side or after moving, and curing the mold; and

and a releasing step (S58) in which the punching roller returns to the standby position and the die film with the die attached to the resin film is separated from the master sheet by a tension roller.

Before or after the step (S52), the method may further include: a marking step (S51) of making a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film to be supplied to the roller transfer portion.

The replica mold manufacturing method for imprint lithography according to still another aspect of the present invention may further include:

a master supplying step (S10) of taking out and loading the masters, which are stored in the master storage part and have patterns on the surface, one by one on the spin coater;

a coating step (S20) of coating the surface of the master loaded on the spin coater with a uniform thickness by a spin coating method to form a die having a pattern corresponding to the pattern;

a master alignment step (S30) for aligning the master in such a manner that the master on which the dies are formed is rotated in the horizontal direction and the position reference points are positioned in a predetermined direction; and

and a transfer step (S40) for transferring the master sheet on which the dies having been aligned are formed to the roller transfer portion.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a roll press method is employed in which a Transfer (Transfer) mold of a master is transferred to one surface of a resin film intermittently supplied by a press roll rotating and moving forward and backward along a predetermined section, so that a series of processes such as resin coating, master alignment, and Transfer work on the master can be continuously performed in a predetermined space.

This can ensure space efficiency and process continuity, and can significantly reduce the operation time required for a series of processes such as resin coating, master alignment, and transfer. That is, by effective space utilization and continuous processing, it is expected that the efficiency of the entire production process can be improved and the mass productivity of the product can be greatly improved.

Further, the present invention adopts a method of releasing a pattern-formed mold from a base material (master) by a tension of a resin film maintained constant (an operation of separating the pattern-transferred mold from the base material), so that the release shape is very good, thereby remarkably reducing pattern damage during the release process, and improving the accuracy and precision of the pattern. As a result, the product defective rate can be greatly reduced.

In addition, the present invention adopts a method of forming a pattern on the surface of a master sheet, forming a mold with a resin thereon, and then transferring the pattern to a resin film by a roll press method, rather than a method of transferring a pattern by vertically moving up and down a mold functioning as a stamper, and thus has an advantage that the master sheet is significantly less likely to be damaged than in the conventional press method, and can be reused continuously.

Further, according to the present invention, since the moving distance of the resin film intermittently moving from one side (the resin film supply portion) to the other side (the resin film collecting portion) is detected in real time from the rotation amount of the encoder roller and the rotation of the driving roller is controlled by the detection information, the position of the resin film transferred to the roller transfer portion is always constant, and thus the problem of engineering due to the change in the position of the resin film can be solved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a conventional press-type copy (replay) mold making process.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an entire equipment structure of a replica molding apparatus for imprint lithography according to an aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view schematically illustrating the overall structure of the replica molding apparatus illustrated in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the roller transfer section schematically illustrated in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of the roller transfer section shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the stage illustrated in fig. 5.

Fig. 7a to 7d are diagrams illustrating in order the activation state of each section in a series of die transfer processes performed by a marker, a roller transfer section, and a die film recovery section.

Fig. 8 is an engineering sequence diagram schematically illustrating a series of molding processes performed by the replica molding apparatus of an aspect of the present invention.

Description of the symbols

1: master container, 2: spin coater, 3: column unit, 4: roller transfer section, 5: resin film supply section, 6: marker, 7: mold recovery unit, 8: control unit, 40: stage, 41: master carrier, 42: press roller, 44: chassis, 46: chassis drive unit, 47: lift pin, 48: height alignment cylinder, 49: curing mechanism, 50: driven roller, 52: first protective film take-up roller, 54: second protective film take-up roll, 58: guide roller, 58E: encoder roller, 70: drive roller, 72: pad roll, 77: tension roller, 78: guide roll, 78-1: guide roller, 410: vacuum adsorption hole, 770: tension spring, RF: resin film, M: mode, MF: moulding film, PF 1: front protective film, PF 2: rear surface protective film, SF: pad film, W: a master slice.

Detailed Description

The following is a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention.

The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, singular references include plural references.

In the present specification, terms such as "including" or "having" are to be understood as being used for the presence of the features, numerals, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Moreover, the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. In addition, terms such as "… … section", "… … unit", "… … module" and the like described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or action, and may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

In the description with reference to the drawings, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a specific description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The following is a brief description of the main terms used in describing embodiments of the present invention.

The transfer section, which is a term mainly used in describing the embodiments of the present invention, is used to mean an apparatus that moves and attaches a mold on a mother sheet formed with a pattern to the lower surface of a resin film.

Further, the marker means an apparatus that marks a position confirmation mark (ink mark or laser mark) for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film intermittently supplied toward the roller transfer portion.

In addition, the Encoder Roller is a compound word of an Encoder (Encoder) that converts a physical change amount of a motion element into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal and a Roller (Roller) that performs a rotational motion, and means in the present invention an electronic apparatus that rotates based on the movement of the resin film, converts a physical displacement (moving distance) of the resin film intermittently supplied to the transfer portion into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to a control element (in the present invention, named as a control portion).

The tension Roller is a composite word of a tension (tension) of a physical tension and a Roller (Roller) that performs a rotational motion, and in the present invention, it is preferably understood as a term of a rotational element that performs a rotational motion based on a unidirectional movement of the resin film and functions to maintain the tension of the mold film moving toward the driving Roller side.

The Guide Roller is a compound word of a Guide (Guide) having a meaning of guiding and a Roller (Roller) performing a rotational motion, and in the present invention, it is preferably understood as a term indicating a rotational element which performs a rotational motion based on a unidirectional movement of the resin film to Guide the movement of the resin film moving to the resin film collecting section through the Roller transfer section at the resin film supplying section.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an overall equipment structure of a replica molding apparatus for imprint lithography according to an aspect of the present invention, and fig. 3 is a schematic view schematically illustrating an overall structure of the replica molding apparatus illustrated in fig. 2. The entire equipment structure will be described below with reference to these drawings.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the replica mold manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a roll transfer section 4, a resin film supply section 5, and a mold film recovery section 7. Further, the apparatus includes a master storage unit 1 for storing a master W, a spin coater 2 for coating a surface of the master (hereinafter referred to as "W") with a resin in a predetermined thickness, and an alignment unit 3 for aligning a rotational position of the master W to be supplied to the roller transfer unit 4.

The master storage section 1 may be configured to store a plurality of masters W in a stacked manner. The master W accommodated in the master accommodating section 1 in a stacked manner may be made of metal, silicon, sapphire, or the like, and a pattern having a desired form is formed on the surface thereof by positive etching (or negative etching). Such a master W is taken out from the master storage unit 1 by a loading/unloading robot not shown, and transferred to the transfer coater 2.

The spin coater 2 applies resin to the surface of the master W supplied from the master container 1 by a loading/unloading robot in a uniform thickness by a spin coating method (a method in which the master is placed on a plate body which performs a rotational motion, liquid flowable resin is dropped on the surface of the master, and a coating layer is formed on the surface of the master in a uniform thickness by a centrifugal force).

The resin for forming a coating layer with a predetermined thickness on the surface of the master W may be any known photocurable resin having a property of being cured by reaction with UV. For example, an acrylic-based curable resin, which is a typical photo-curable resin, may be used, but is not meant to be limited to such a resin.

The master W having completed the spin coating process by the spin coater 2 is again supplied to the arraying unit 3 by the loading/unloading robot. The aligning unit 3 is configured to rotate the resin-coated master W in the horizontal direction so that the position reference point of the master W is located in a predetermined direction before supplying the resin-coated master W to the roller transfer section 4, thereby aligning the master W.

The alignment unit 3 includes, for example, a light irradiation unit and a light receiving unit that receives laser light, and may be configured to recognize laser light that reaches the light receiving unit through a hole (or groove) formed in one corner portion of the master W that gradually rotates on the rotating body, and to stop the rotating body so that the hole (or groove) that becomes the position reference point is aligned in a predetermined direction.

The resin film supply section 5 intermittently unwinds and supplies the resin film RF to the roller transfer section 4. More specifically, the resin film supply section 5 intermittently unwinds the resin film RF to be transferred (Transfer) with the resin (hereinafter referred to as "mold M") having the engraved (or engraved) pattern corresponding to the engraved (or engraved) pattern of the engraved (or engraved) pattern by applying and curing the resin film RF to the surface of the master W formed with the engraved (or engraved) pattern, and supplies the resin film to the roll Transfer section 4.

The resin film supply section 5 preferably includes a driven roller 50 that rotates to intermittently unwind the resin film RF, and a first protective film take-up roller 52 and a second protective film take-up roller 54 that remove and take up the resin film RF from the first protective film PF1 and the second protective film PF2 attached to one surface and the other surface of the resin film RF unwound from the driven roller 50, respectively.

A plurality of guide rollers 58 for guiding the movement of the resin film RF and the protective film are disposed between the driven roller 50 and the first protective film take-up roller 52, and between the driven roller 50 and the second protective film take-up roller 54. Further, an encoder roller 58E that rotates based on the movement of the resin film RF and detects the movement distance of the resin film RF intermittently supplied to the roller transfer portion 4 is provided between the driven roller 50 and the roller transfer portion 4.

The apparatus for producing a replica mold for imprint lithography according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a marker 6, and the marker 6 is provided between the resin film supply section 5 and the roller transfer section 4 and is activated by control of a control section 8 to be described later. The marker 6 receives the control signal output from the control section 8, and makes a position confirmation mark (ink mark or laser mark) for confirming the transfer start position on the resin film RF intermittently supplied to the roller transfer section 4 side.

The mold film recovery section 7 recovers a mold film MF (a film having the mold M attached thereto at a predetermined pitch on one side) which is subjected to a transfer operation by the roller transfer section 4. More specifically, the film recovery section 7 intermittently takes up the film MF attached (transferred) to the mold M at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film RF by roll transfer to be performed by the roll transfer section 4 to be described later.

The film recovering section 7 preferably includes: a driving roller 70 connected to a servo motor that is intermittently driven to rotate under the control of a control unit 8, which will be described later, to wind up the mold film MF supplied from the resin film supply unit 5 and subjected to the transfer process in the roller transfer unit 4; and a backup film roll 72 that supplies the backup film SF so as to be interposed between the film MF wound up to the driving roll 70.

The backup film roll 72 interposes the backup film SF between the mold films MF wound up to the driving roll 70. Thus, when the molding films MF are continuously wound around one driving roller 70 and arranged in multiple layers, the direct contact between the molding films MF located at the inner and outer sides is blocked by the cushion film SF, so that the molding film MF transferred to the molding film MF can be prevented from being deformed or damaged.

The mold recovery unit 7 further includes: a plurality of guide rollers 78 disposed between the driving roller 70 and the transfer section 4, for guiding the intermittent movement of the mold film MF from the roller transfer section 4 to the driving roller 70 (although shown by two guide rollers, it is not limited to two guide rollers); and a tension roller 77 for applying tension to keep the film MF moving toward the driving roller 70 taut.

The tension roller 77 is connected to a tension spring 770 to perform an elastic operation. The tension roller 77 is preferably moved in a direction to stretch or restore the tension spring 770 based on a movement position of a base frame 44 to be described later constituting the roller transfer unit 4. That is, the tension spring 770 caused by the movement of the base frame 44 is stretched or restored, and as a result, the tension applied to the mold film MF is changed, and the mold film MF is always kept in a tense state.

If the mold MF moving toward the driving roller 70 cannot be maintained in a tight state, the pattern may not be normally formed on the lower surface of the mold M when the mold M on the master W is pressed via the press roller 42 for the resin film RF in the subsequent roll type transfer process to be performed by the roll transfer part 4, or the pattern may be damaged when the mold MF is separated from the master W.

Preferably, at least one guide roller 78-1 of the plurality of guide rollers 78 may be disposed in front of the tension roller 77 with respect to the moving direction of the mold MF, and thus, the guide rollers may be configured to function as stoppers for limiting the release angle of the mold MF to be released to a predetermined angle when the mold MF subjected to the transfer operation is released from the master sheet W of the roll transfer unit 4 to be described later.

On the other hand, the roller Transfer section 4 is disposed between the resin film supply section 5 and the die film recovery section 7, and transfers (transfers) the die M on the master W to the lower surface of the resin film RF intermittently moved by a predetermined distance from the resin film supply section 5 to the die film recovery section 7 side by intermittent rotation of the driving roller 70 of the die film recovery section 7 in a roll-in manner.

A preferred embodiment of a roller transfer section applied to a replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to an aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 3 to 5.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the roller transfer part schematically illustrated in fig. 3, and fig. 5 is a side sectional view of the roller transfer part illustrated in fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of the stage shown in fig. 5.

Referring to fig. 4 to 6, the roller transfer section 4 applied to the embodiment of the present invention includes a stage 40 on which the master W having completed the alignment work is loaded. A mold M for forming an intaglio (or intaglio) pattern corresponding to the intaglio (or intaglio) pattern is formed on the master W supplied to the stage 40 with a uniform thickness. Further, a master carrier 41 for loading the master W is provided at the center of the stage 40.

The master carrier 41 at the center of the stage 40 on which the master W is mounted is provided to be able to move up and down. More specifically, the master carrier 41 may be configured to be movable in the up-down (up-down) direction with respect to the stage 40 by a height aligning cylinder 48, and the height aligning cylinder 48 may be configured to align the upper surface of the mold M of the master W to be the same as the upper surface of the stage 40 or to be higher than the upper surface of the stage 40 by a predetermined distance.

For example, when a molding is formed by applying a resin to a mother sheet W having a thickness of 2mm and a thickness of 1mm, the height-aligning cylinder 48 for lifting and lowering the mother sheet carrier 41 may be driven to lower the mother sheet carrier 41 by 3mm with respect to the upper surface of the stage 40 so that the height of the upper surface of the mold M on the mother sheet W becomes the same as the upper surface of the stage 40.

In some cases, the height of the master carrier 41 may be adjusted by the height alignment cylinder 48 so that the upper surface of the die M on the master W is higher than the upper surface of the stage 40 by a minute distance. That is, the surface of the mold M on the master W may be controlled to be the same height as the upper surface of the stage 40, or the mold M may be controlled to be slightly higher than the upper surface of the stage 40.

If the upper surface of the stage 40 is higher than the upper surface of the mold M due to the improper control of the elevation height of the master carrier 41 by the height aligning cylinder 48, a space is generated between the press roller 42 and the mold M even if the press roller 42 performs pressurization in the subsequent transfer process, and the transfer cannot be performed normally, so that an accurate pattern may not be formed.

For reference, the thickness of the master W and the thickness of the mold M formed on the master W may be varied according to design changes of the master including the form, size, depth, and the like of the pattern, and thus, the thickness is not limited to the illustrated thickness, and when the thickness of the master W and the thickness of the mold M formed on the master W are varied, the thickness variation may be coped with by setting the elevation value or the depression value of the elevation cylinder according to the thickness.

A plurality of vacuum suction holes 410 are formed in the master carrier 41. Each vacuum suction hole 410 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), and thus a suction force is applied, whereby the master W having the mold M formed in a uniform thickness is firmly fixed by vacuum suction in a state of being loaded on a loading surface (symbol is omitted) of the master carrier 41, and random detachment in the transfer work can be prevented.

Of course, the method of fixing the master W to the loading surface of the master carrier 41 is not limited to the vacuum suction method described above. This is merely an example for illustrating the present invention, and although not specifically shown, an electrostatic chuck method of fixing the master W by electrostatic force may be applied, and thus, it should be noted that this method may also fall within the scope of the present invention.

The loading/unloading of the master W with respect to the master carrier 41 is achieved by the lift pins 47. The lift pins 47 are provided so as to be vertically movable through the master carrier 41, and the lift pins 47 load the master W transferred to the stage 40 by the loading/unloading robot at a predetermined position (loading surface) of the master carrier 41, or lift the master W from the master carrier 41 to be separated and unloaded.

The roller transfer section 4 may further include a press roller 42 and a base frame 44(Gantry) rotatably provided with the press roller 42. The press roller 42 is rotated and pressed while being in close contact with the surface of the die M of the master W on the master carrier 41, so that the die M on the master W is transferred to the resin film RF, and the chassis 44 linearly moves the press roller 42 in a predetermined section.

The base frame 44 is linearly moved by the base frame driving unit 46 from the standby position on one side of the stage 40 to the standby position on the other side of the opposite side, and is returned from the other side to the standby position on one side. That is, the chassis driving unit 46 is driven to move the chassis 44, and a known linear motor method including a stator and a linear guide may be used, but is not limited thereto.

As described above, the mold M formed on the master sheet W in a predetermined thickness and transferred to the RF side of the resin film may be a coating material having a property of being cured by reaction with UV, and may be a resin composed of, for example, an Oligomer (Oligomer), a Monomer (Monomer), a photoinitiator (Photo-initiator), and the like mixed in a specific ratio. Therefore, the roller transfer section 4 may include a curing mechanism 49 (refer to fig. 3) that cures the mold M transferred to the resin film RF.

The resin film RF of the transfer mold M may be positioned between the curing mechanism 49 and the mold M, and the UV-transmissive resin film RF generated by the curing mechanism 49 may be configured to cure the mold M transferred to the side of the resin film RF by the roll pressure of the roll transfer section 4 and closely attached, so that the mold M can be smoothly separated from the master W.

Here, the curing mechanism 49 applicable to the embodiment of the present invention may basically include: a UV light source that generates light for curing the coating material by decomposing a photoinitiator in the UV coating material, a mirror that condenses the light from the UV light source and reflects the condensed light toward the object to be treated, a cooler for cooling the UV light source, and an exhaust device for exhausting heat generated by the light source to the outside.

Referring to these drawings, the marker 6, the roller transfer section 4, and the foregoing film recovery section 7 are sequentially activated by a series of controls performed by the control section 8. Specifically, the control unit 8 outputs a start command to the marker 6 before the master W is loaded on the stage 40 or after the master W is loaded on the stage 40. Thereby, the marker 6 is activated, and the marker 6 performs the operation of making the position confirmation mark on the resin film RF.

After the marking operation is completed, the control section 8 applies a roller drive signal to the drive roller 70 of the film collecting section 7 to move the resin film RF. At this time, the moving distance of the resin film RF is detected in real time based on the rotation amount of the encoder roller 58E, and when the resin film RF moves by the set distance, a control command for stopping the driving roller 70 is output based on a signal output by the encoder roller 58E.

If the drive roller 70 is stopped after being rotated by a predetermined amount without the start control of the drive roller 70 based on the output signal of the encoder roller 58E, the thickness of the resin film wound around the drive roller 70 increases with the lapse of time, and the moving distance of the resin film intermittently moving (the moving distance of the resin film when the drive roller performs one operation) gradually increases, so that it is impossible to confirm an accurate moving distance.

Therefore, the position of the position confirmation mark is changed by the marker 6, and the position confirmation mark cannot be printed on the exact position of the resin film moving to the roller transfer section 4. As a result, the position of the film transferred by the roller transfer section 4 changes, and thus a process failure may occur. In contrast, if the rotation of the drive roller 70 is controlled by the output signal of the encoder roller 58E, such a problem can be solved assuredly.

On the other hand, the set distance may preferably be a distance corresponding to a linear distance from the marker 6 to the rear of the master carrier 41 of the roller transfer section 4 with reference to the moving direction of the resin film RF as viewed in fig. 3. When the output value of the encoder roller 58E reaches a set value due to the rotation of the encoder roller 58E caused by the movement of the resin film RF, the control section 8 recognizes that the resin film RF has moved by the set distance, and stops the drive roller 70 by a control command of the control section 8 output at that point in time.

The resin film RF and the mold film MF (a film in a state where the mold M is attached to one surface of the resin film RF while passing through the roller transfer section 4) are intermittently moved by a linear displacement corresponding to the rotation amount toward the mold film collecting section 7 based on the rotation of the driving roller 70 (fig. 7a), and the control section 8 continuously controls the start of the transfer section 4 when the driving roller 70 is stopped by the control of the control section 8 based on the output signal of the encoder roller 58E.

Specifically, the control section 8 applies a drive signal to the chassis drive unit 46 at a point of time when the rotation of the drive roller 70 is finished to move the press roller 42 constituting the roller transfer section 4 from one standby position to the other. In this process, as shown in fig. 7b, the resin film RF is pressed against the master W, and the mold M is transferred to the resin film RF.

Further, during or after the press roller 42 moves to the other side, as shown in fig. 7c, the control section 8 activates the curing mechanism 49 including the UV light source for curing the mold M transferred to the resin film RF, and thereafter, applies a return signal to the chassis driving unit 46 so that the mold film MF can be released from the master W of the roller transfer section 4.

By driving the base frame driving unit 46 based on the return signal applied to the base frame driving unit 46, the base frame 44 and the press roller 42 rotatably provided on the base frame 44 are returned to the original standby position on the side of the stage 40, as shown in fig. 7 d. In this process, the mold film MF is gradually lifted from one side by the tension of the tension roller 77, and is released from the master W.

Then, the control section 8 executes a series of repetitive controls so that the marker control for the marking operation → the rotation control of the driving roller based on the output signal of the encoder roller → the movement control of the press roller → the curing mechanism control → the press roller return control are sequentially repeated.

A series of replica mold making processes performed by the replica mold making apparatus for imprint lithography of the aforementioned configuration, that is, a process of transferring a mold to a resin film (a replica mold making method for imprint lithography according to another aspect of the present invention) will be described below with reference to the aforementioned fig. 7a to 7d, which sequentially illustrate the start-up of the main configuration of the aforementioned replica mold making apparatus, fig. 8, which shows a process sequence diagram, and fig. 3, which schematically illustrates the overall configuration of the equipment.

Referring to the related drawings, a replication film manufacturing method of another aspect of the present invention using the aforementioned replication film manufacturing apparatus generally includes a master supplying step (S10), a coating step (S20), a master arraying step (S30), a transferring step (S40), a transferring step (S50), and an unloading step (S60). The transferring step (S50) may further include a master loading step (S52), a roller laminating step (S54), a Curing (Curing) step (S56), and a demolding step (S58).

The master supply step (S10) is a step of taking out the masters W stored in the master storage unit 1 and having a pattern formed on the surface one by the loading/unloading robot and loading the master W on the spin coater 2. A plurality of master sheets W can be stacked and stored in the master sheet storage section 1, and a pattern having a desired shape can be formed on the surface of the master sheet W stored in the master sheet storage section 1 by etching (or engraving).

In the coating step (S20), the fluid liquid resin is applied to the surface of the master W loaded on the spin coater 2 in a uniform thickness by a spin coating method (a method of forming a coating layer on the surface of the master using a spin centrifugal force) to form a mold M having an intaglio (or male) pattern that accurately corresponds to the male (or female) pattern of the surface of the master W.

The master W on which the coating step (S20) is completed, specifically, the master W on which the dies M are formed on the surface with a predetermined thickness is supplied to the aligning unit 3 by the loading/unloading robot, and the aligning unit 3 is subjected to a master aligning step (S30) of aligning the master W on which the dies M are formed in such a manner that the position reference points formed on the master W are positioned in a predetermined direction by rotating the master W in the horizontal direction.

As described above, the aligning unit 3 used in the master alignment step (S30) may be configured to include, for example, a laser irradiation unit and a light receiving unit for receiving laser light, and to stop the rotating body by recognizing laser light that has reached the light receiving unit through holes (or grooves) formed in one corner of the master W that gradually rotates on the rotating body.

The master W formed with the mold M, which completed up to the alignment process, is newly supplied to the roller transfer portion 4 through the transfer step of loading/unloading (S40). Further, the die of the mother sheet W loaded on the roller Transfer section 4 is transferred to the lower surface of the resin film RF supplied from the side of the roller Transfer section 4 by the roll pressure type Transfer (Transfer) performed by the roller Transfer section 4 in the Transfer step (S50).

Preferably, the transferring step (S50) includes a master loading step (S52), as previously described. The master loading step (S52) is a step of loading the master W on which the mold M is formed on the master carrier 41 at the center of the stage 40 constituting the roller transfer unit 4, and is performed such that the lift pins 47 are lowered and the master W placed on the lift pins 47 is placed on the master carrier 41.

Thereafter, the pressing roller 42 constituting the roller Transfer section 4 is moved from one standby position to the other to perform the roller lamination for transferring (Transfer) the mold M to the resin film RF.

In the roller laminating step (S54), the stamp M may be transferred to the resin film RF side by moving the press roller 42 from the standby position to the other side to press the resin film RF against the master W side.

While or after the press roller 42 is moving to the other side, a Curing (Curing) step (S56) of applying UV to the mold M transferred to the resin film RF to cure the mold M is performed, and thereafter, the press roller 42 is returned to the standby position, and a mold releasing step (S58) of separating the mold MF having the mold M attached to the resin film RF from the mother sheet W of the roller transfer section 4 by the tension roller 77 is performed.

The release of the mold MF in the release step (S58) is achieved as follows: by driving the chassis driving unit 46 based on the return signal applied to the chassis driving unit 46, the die film MF starts to be gradually lifted from one side and separated from the mother sheet W by the tension of the tension roller 77 while the chassis 44 and the press roller 42 are returned to the original standby position on the side of the stage 40.

On the other hand, the master W whose mold is released by transferring the mold M to the resin film RF side is finally unloaded by the loading/unloading robot in the unloading step (S60), specifically, in a state of being lifted from the master carrier 41 to the stage 40 by the lift pins 47, and is transferred again to the master storage section 1 which originally stores the master W, and is in a standby state for the coating process.

On the other hand, although not described in the above replica mold making process, the replica mold making method according to another aspect of the present invention may further include, before the step (S52) or after the step (S52): a step (S51) of making a position confirmation mark (ink mark or laser mark) for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film RF to be supplied to the aforementioned roller transfer portion 4 by the marker 6 based on the control of the control portion 8.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, a roll press method is employed in which a resin mold on a mother sheet is transferred (Transfer) to one surface of a resin film intermittently supplied by a press roll which rotates and advances and retreats along a predetermined section, so that a series of processes such as resin coating on the mother sheet, mother sheet alignment, and Transfer work can be continuously performed in a predetermined space.

In the foregoing detailed description of the invention only specific embodiments thereof have been described. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the particular forms set forth in the detailed description, but rather, should be understood to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography, comprising:

a roller transfer portion that transfers a die to a lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side in a roll-in manner;

a resin film supply unit that intermittently unwinds the resin film to be transferred to the mold to the roller transfer unit and supplies the resin film to the roller transfer unit; and

and a mold film collecting section that intermittently takes up the mold film attached to the mold at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film by the roller transfer section.

2. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 1,

the roller transfer section includes:

a master carrier for receiving a master having a pattern shape on which a mold is formed;

a punching roller for pressing the die surface of the master mounted on the master carrier and the lower surface of the resin film against each other to transfer the die to the lower surface of the resin film;

a base frame rotatably provided with the press roller; and

and a base frame driving unit which drives the base frame to move from a standby position on one side of the stage to the other side and return from the other side to the standby position on one side.

3. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 2,

the master carrier comprises:

and the vacuum adsorption hole is used for adsorbing and fixing the master slice.

4. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 2,

the master carrier is an electrostatic chuck that uses electrostatic force to hold the master in place.

5. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 2,

the roller transfer unit includes a stage on which the master carrier is mounted.

6. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 5,

the roller transfer section further includes:

and an alignment cylinder configured to drive the master carrier to be lifted and lowered so that an upper surface of the die on the master is at the same height as an upper surface of the stage or is higher than the upper surface of the stage by a predetermined distance.

7. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 2,

the roller transfer section further includes:

and a curing mechanism including a UV light source for curing the mold transferred to the resin film.

8. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 7,

the resin film is positioned between the curing mechanism and the die, and the UV generated by the curing mechanism transmits the resin film to cure the die in the portion close to the resin film side, so that the die can be smoothly separated from the master.

9. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 1,

the resin film supply section includes:

a driven roller that rotates to intermittently unwind the resin film;

a first protective film take-up roller that removes the resin film from the resin film and takes up the front protective film attached to one surface of the resin film unwound from the driven roller;

a second protective film take-up roller that removes the resin film from the rear surface of the rear surface protective film and takes up the rear surface protective film attached to the other surface of the resin film unwound from the driven roller; and

and a plurality of guide rollers disposed between the driven roller and the first protective film take-up roller and between the driven roller and the second protective film take-up roller, and guiding movement of the resin film and the protective film.

10. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 1,

the resin film supply section includes:

an encoder roller that rotates when the resin film moves to detect a moving distance of the resin film intermittently supplied to the roller transfer portion.

11. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 10,

the resin film supply section includes a driven roller that rotates to intermittently unwind the resin film,

the encoder roller is located between the driven roller and the roller transfer section.

12. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 1,

the molded film recovery unit includes:

a driving roller intermittently driven to rotate for winding the mold film supplied from the resin film supply section and subjected to a transfer process at a roller transfer section;

a backup film roller that supplies a backup film in a manner interposed between the die films wound up to the driving roller;

a plurality of guide rollers disposed between the drive roller and the roller transfer section to guide movement of the mold film; and

and a tension roller for applying tension to maintain the die moving toward the driving roller in a tight state.

13. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 12,

the roller transfer section includes:

a punching roller for making the surface of the master sheet and the lower surface of the resin film closely contact with each other to transfer the master to the lower surface of the resin film;

a base frame rotatably provided with the press roller; and

a base frame driving unit which drives the base frame to move from a standby position on one side of the stage to the other side and return from the other side to the standby position on one side,

the tension roller moves in a direction in which the tension spring is stretched or restored based on the movement position of the chassis, and the tension applied to the die changes according to the stretching or restoring of the tension spring based on the movement of the chassis.

14. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 13,

at least one guide roller is disposed in front of the tension roller with respect to a moving direction of the die film in the guide roller, and a die release angle of the die film by the movement of the base frame is limited to a predetermined angle.

15. The replica mold making device for imprint lithography according to claim 1, further comprising:

and a marker provided between the resin film supply section and the roller transfer section, and configured to make a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film intermittently moving to the roller transfer section side.

16. The replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography according to claim 2,

the master is taken out from the master storage section by a loading/unloading robot and supplied to a spin coater, where the master coated with resin at a uniform thickness on the surface is sequentially transferred to an alignment unit and the roller transfer section by the loading/unloading robot.

17. A replica mold manufacturing apparatus for imprint lithography, comprising:

a resin film supply unit that intermittently unwinds the resin film to be transferred to the mold to the roller transfer unit and supplies the resin film to the roller transfer unit;

a marker provided between the resin film supply section and the roller transfer section, and making a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film intermittently moving to the roller transfer section side;

a mold recovery unit that intermittently takes up the mold to which the mold is attached at a predetermined pitch on one surface of the resin film by the roller transfer unit;

an encoder roller that detects a moving distance of the resin film intermittently supplied to the roller transfer portion by the resin film supply portion; and

a control section that performs a series of controls for starting the marker, the roller transfer section, and the die recovery section.

18. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 17,

the molded film recovery unit includes:

a driving roller intermittently rotationally driven for winding the mold film supplied from the resin film supply section and subjected to a transfer process at the roller transfer section,

the roller transfer section includes:

a press roller for transferring the mold to the lower surface of the resin film by bringing the mold surface of the master sheet and the lower surface of the resin film into close contact with each other,

the control section performs the following control:

19. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 18,

the control section performs the following control:

(E) outputting a UV light source start command to a curing mechanism for curing the mold transferred to the resin film while or after moving the pressing roller to the other side; and

(F) after the curing is completed, a return command for returning the press roller to the standby position is output.

20. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 19,

the control unit executes a series of repetitive controls such that the controls (a) to (F) are sequentially repeated.

21. The replica mold manufacturing device for imprint lithography according to claim 18,

the encoder roller generates an output signal corresponding to the number of rotations while rotating based on the movement of the resin film, and transmits the output signal to a control section.

22. A method of fabricating a replica mold for imprint lithography, comprising:

a transfer step (S50) of loading the master sheet on the roller transfer part and transferring the die of the master sheet to the lower surface of the resin film supplied from one side of the roller transfer part in a rolling manner; and

and an unloading step (S60) in which the unloading die is transferred to the resin film side to remove the mother sheet from the mold and transferred to a mother sheet storage part.

23. The replica mold manufacturing method for imprint lithography according to claim 22,

the step (S50) includes:

24. The method of fabricating a replica mold for imprint lithography according to claim 23,

before the step (S52) or after the step (S52), further comprising:

a marking step (S51) of making a position confirmation mark for confirming a transfer start position on the resin film to be supplied to the roller transfer portion.

25. The method of fabricating a replica mold for imprint lithography according to claim 22, further comprising: