JP2005116978A - Nano imprint equipment and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nano imprint equipment in which a position detection can be carried out even if in a state when two objects to be positioned contact with each other without keeping an optical device away. <P>SOLUTION: A first holding table holds a to-be-transferred substrate on which a first mark is formed. a second holding table holds a mold on which a second mark and a roughness pattern are formed, facing its side on which the roughness pattern is formed against the to-be-transferred substrate. A displacement mechanism displaces at least one of the first table or the second table. An elevating mechanism moves at least one of the first holding table or the second table until the to-be-transferred substrate and the mold contact with each other. A light receiving device, which includes an objective lens whose optical axis is inclined to the surface of the to-be-transferred substrate, obtains both images of the first and second marks by scattered light from those marks. A control device obtains a relative position between the first and second marks based on an observation result and carries out a positioning between the first and second marks by controlling the displacement mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a nanoimprint apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a nanoimprint apparatus and method for transferring a mold to a transfer substrate by aligning the transfer substrate and the mold.

  In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the nanoimprint method has attracted attention as a technique for achieving both formation of a fine pattern of 100 nm or less and mass productivity. The nanoimprint method is a method of transferring a pattern to a resist layer by pressing a mold (mold) on which a pattern to be transferred is pressed against a resist layer applied on a substrate and curing the resist layer. Thermal imprinting using a thermoplastic resist (for example, US Pat. No. 5,772,905, SYChou et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 67, p. 3314 (1995), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-2003 77807) and a photoimprint method using a photocurable resist (for example, XiaY. Et al., Adv. Mate., Vol.9 p.147, JP 2001-68411 A, JP 2000-194142 A). Publication) is known. In addition, there is known a laser-assisted imprint method in which a die is transferred by irradiating a laser pulse through the die while the die is pressed against the substrate to be processed, thereby melting the surface layer portion of the substrate.

  When transferring the mold, it is necessary to align the mold and the substrate. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for aligning a mold and a substrate.

  With reference to FIG. 6, the alignment method described in Patent Document 1 will be described. An alignment mark 103 is formed on the surface of the wafer 100. The surface of the wafer 100 is covered with a resist film 105. The mold 101 is arranged on the wafer 100 at a certain interval. An alignment mark 104 is formed on the surface of the mold 101 facing the wafer 100.

  The position of the mark can be confirmed by irradiating the vicinity of the wafer alignment mark 103 and the mold alignment mark 104 with laser light, detecting the reflected signal by the light receiving device 102, and observing the intensity change.

  An alignment method employed in the molecular imprints, Inc. nanoimprint apparatus will be described. The basic arrangement of the wafer and the mold is the same as that shown in FIG. The gap between the wafer 100 and the mold 101 is filled with a low viscosity liquid. Two alignment marks 103 and 104 are observed from above the mold 101 along the optical axis perpendicular to the wafer surface. Based on the observation result, the wafer 100 and the mold 101 are aligned.

  With reference to FIG. 7, the nanoimprint of SUSS MicroTecInc. And the positioning method employed in the apparatus will be described. The wafer 110 and the mold 111 are arranged to face each other with a gap therebetween. Two CCD cameras 112 and 113 are inserted between them. One CCD camera 112 detects the alignment mark 114 formed on the wafer 110, and the other CCD camera 113 detects the alignment mark 115 formed on the mold 111. In this state, after the wafer 110 and the mold 111 are aligned, the two are brought close to each other while maintaining the relative position in the in-plane direction.

JP 2000-323461 A

  In the alignment apparatus as shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving device 102 is arranged immediately above the alignment mark 104 of the mold 101 at the time of alignment. When irradiating light on the surface of the wafer 100 from above the mold 101 or heating the wafer 100 from above the mold 101, the light receiving device 102 needs to be retracted from above the mold 101 to the side. In the alignment apparatus shown in FIG. 7, when the mold 111 is pressed against the wafer 110, the CCD cameras 114 and 115 must be retracted from the space between the wafer 110 and the mold 111. Thus, since it is necessary to retract the light receiving device and the CCD camera, the throughput is reduced.

  If the light receiving device or the CCD camera is retracted, the position of the alignment mark cannot be detected. For this reason, it is impossible to measure the displacement of the alignment mark in a state where the mold is actually in contact with the wafer.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a nanoimprint apparatus capable of performing position detection without retracting an optical apparatus and in a state where two objects to be aligned are in contact with each other.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first holding table for holding a transfer substrate on which a first alignment mark for scattering light is formed, a second alignment mark for scattering light, and an uneven pattern. A second holding table for holding the formed mold so that the surface on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed is opposed to a transfer target substrate held by the first holding table; the first holding table; Until a displacement mechanism for displacing at least one of the second holding tables with respect to the other, a transfer substrate held by the first holding table, and a mold held by the second holding table come into contact with each other An elevating mechanism that moves at least one of the first holding table and the second holding table so that the two approach each other, and an optical axis with respect to the surface of the transfer target substrate held by the first holding table. Including a tilted objective lens, the first holding Images of the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark by scattered light from the first alignment mark of the substrate to be transferred and the second alignment mark of the mold held on the second holding table. And obtaining a relative position between the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark based on an observation result of the light receiving device, controlling the displacement mechanism, and There is provided a nanoimprint apparatus including a control device that performs alignment with a second alignment mark.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, (a) a transfer substrate on which a first alignment mark is formed on a surface, and a mold on which a second alignment mark and an uneven pattern are formed on the surface, A step of arranging a surface with a concavo-convex pattern facing the substrate to be transferred and disposing it at a certain interval; and (b) an objective lens having an optical axis oblique to the surface of the substrate to be transferred. A step of observing the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark with a light receiving device; (c) a step of aligning the transferred substrate with a mold based on the observation result; Gradually transferring the substrate to be transferred and the mold, pressing the mold against the substrate to be transferred, and transferring the unevenness of the mold to the surface of the substrate to be transferred; and (e) transferring the mold to the substrate to be transferred. Having a step of separating from the nanoimpedance Cement method is provided.

  Since the optical axis of the light receiving device is inclined with respect to the surface of the transferred substrate, the light receiving device can be disposed beside the space above the transferred substrate. For this reason, it is possible to easily irradiate the transfer substrate with light or heat the transfer substrate without retracting the light receiving device. Since it is not necessary to retract the light receiving device, the alignment mark can be detected even when the mold is pressed against the transfer substrate.

  The displacement mechanism displaces one of the first holding table and the second holding table with respect to the other in a direction parallel to the surface of the transfer substrate, thereby aligning the transfer substrate and the mold. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a nanoimprint apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The nanoimprint apparatus includes a holding unit 10 housed in the vacuum chamber 1, oblique light bearing light devices 21 a, 21 b, 21 c, a light irradiation device 35, and a control device 30.

  The holding unit 10 includes a wafer holding table 15, a mold holding table 16, and drive mechanisms 17 and 18. At the time of alignment, the wafer 11 is held on the upper surface of the wafer holding table 15, and the mold 12 is held on the lower surface of the mold holding table 16. The wafer 11 and the mold 12 are arranged substantially in parallel so that a certain gap is formed between the transfer surface of the wafer 11 and the transfer surface of the mold 12 on which the concave / convex pattern is formed. A wafer alignment mark is formed on the transfer surface of the wafer 11, and a mold alignment mark is formed on the transfer surface of the mold 12.

  Consider an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is the X axis and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the Y axis. The direction from left to right is the positive direction of the X axis, and the direction from the front side to the back side of the paper is the positive direction of the Y axis. The transfer surface of the wafer 11 and the transfer surface of the mold 12 are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The drive mechanism 17 adjusts the relative positions of the wafer 11 and the mold 12 with respect to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the rotation direction (θz direction) about axes parallel to the Z-axis. The relative positions of the axial direction, the rotational direction about the axis parallel to the X axis (θx direction), and the rotational direction about the axis parallel to the Y axis (θy direction) are adjusted.

  The oblique light bearing light devices 21a, 21b, and 21c irradiate the alignment marks formed on the wafer 11 and the mold 12 with illumination light, and obtain images of scattered light scattered by these marks. At least a part of the mold 12 is made of a transparent material, and the illumination light reaches the wafer 11 through the transparent part. Images of alignment marks connected to the light receiving surfaces of the oblique light bearing light devices 21 a, 21 b and 21 c are converted into image signals and input to the control device 30.

  The optical axes of the objective lenses of the oblique light bearing optical devices 21a and 21b are inclined in the positive direction and negative direction of the X axis from the normal direction of the transfer surface of the wafer 11, respectively. The optical axis of the objective lens of the oblique light bearing optical device 21c is inclined from the normal direction of the transfer surface of the wafer 11 in the positive direction of the Y axis. The three oblique light bearing optical devices 21a to 21c can detect the position in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θz direction, the distance between the wafer 11 and the mold 12, and the parallelism between the two. These detection principles will be described later.

  The light irradiation device 35 is disposed above the mold holding table 16 and irradiates the wafer 11 with light for curing the photo-curable resist through the window 2 and the mold 12 attached to the vacuum chamber 1. .

  The control device 30 processes the image signals input from the oblique light bearing light devices 21 a to 21 c and detects the positions of the alignment marks formed on the wafer 11 and the alignment marks formed on the mold 12. Further, based on the position detection information, a control signal is sent to the drive mechanisms 17 and 18 so that the wafer 11 and the mold 12 have a predetermined relative positional relationship. The drive mechanism 17 displaces the wafer holding table 15 in the X axis, Y axis, and θz directions based on this control signal. Based on this control signal, the drive mechanism 18 displaces the wafer holding table 15 in the Z-axis direction, the θx direction, and the θy direction.

  FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an example of the relative positional relationship between the alignment wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B formed on the wafer 11 of FIG. 1 and the mold alignment mark 14 formed on the mold 12. FIG. . The alignment mark shown in FIG. 2A is observed with the oblique bearing optical device 21a of FIG. Alignment marks observed by the other two oblique light bearing optical devices 21b and 21c are also formed at other positions.

  The wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B are configured by arranging three rectangular patterns in the Y-axis direction and 14 in the X-axis direction in a matrix. One type alignment mark 14 is configured by arranging three similar rectangular patterns in the Y-axis direction and five in the X-axis direction in a matrix. In the state in which the alignment is completed, the mold alignment mark 14 is disposed substantially at the center between the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B in the Y-axis direction.

  The long side of each rectangular pattern of the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B and the mold alignment mark 14 is parallel to the X axis, and the short side is parallel to the Y axis. The long side length of each rectangular pattern is 2 μm, for example, and the short side length is 1 μm, for example, and the arrangement pitch of the rectangular pattern in each mark in the X-axis and Y-axis directions is 4 μm. The distance between the centers of the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B is 56 μm.

  2B is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line B2-B2 in FIG. The wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B are formed, for example, by patterning a SiN film, a polysilicon film, or the like formed on the transfer surface. A resist is applied to the transfer surface of the wafer 15. Although FIG. 2B shows a convex wafer alignment mark, the wafer alignment mark may be formed of a concave pattern stamped on the surface of the wafer. The mold alignment mark 14 is constituted by irregularities formed on a transfer surface of a substrate made of a transparent material such as quartz glass.

  FIG. 2C illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along one-dot chain line C2-C2 in FIG. The illumination light incident on the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B and the mold alignment mark 14 is scattered at the edge on the short side of each rectangular pattern in FIG. The light applied to the region other than the edge is regularly reflected and does not enter the oblique light bearing optical device 21a of FIG. Therefore, only the scattered light from the alignment mark can be detected by the oblique light bearing light device 21a.

  Scattered light from a plurality of points on one plane perpendicular to the optical axis 25 in the object space of the objective lens of the oblique light axis optical device 21a of FIG. 1 forms an image simultaneously on the light receiving surface of the oblique light bearing light device 21a. A plane in which object points in the object space imaged on the light receiving surface are collected is referred to as an “object surface”.

  In FIG. 2C, scattered light from an edge on the object surface 27 among the edges of the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B and the mold alignment mark 14 is focused on the light receiving surface but not on the object surface. The scattered light from the edge is not focused, and as the edge moves away from the object surface, the image is defocused by the scattered light from the edge. Therefore, the image by the scattered light from the edge closest to the object surface among the edges of each mark becomes the clearest, and the image by the scattered light from the edge away from the object surface is blurred.

  FIG. 3 is a sketch of images on the light receiving surface due to scattered light from the edges of the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B and the mold alignment mark 14. As shown in FIG. The u-axis in FIG. 3 corresponds to the direction of intersection between the object surface 27 and the XZ plane in FIG. 2C, and the v-axis corresponds to the Y-axis in FIG. Images 40A and 40B due to scattered light from the wafer alignment marks 13A and 13B appear apart in the v-axis direction, and an image 41 due to scattered light from the mold alignment mark 14 appears therebetween.

Since scattered light from the front edge and the rear edge of each rectangular pattern is observed, two dot images appear for one rectangular pattern. In each image, an image due to scattered light from an edge in the vicinity of the object surface 27 in FIG. 2C appears clearly, and then becomes a blurred image as the distance in the u-axis direction increases. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, since the observation optical axis 25 is inclined with respect to the exposure surface, the most focused position u ₀ of the images 40A and 40B due to the scattered light from the wafer alignment mark. The position u _{1 at} which the image 41 is most focused by the scattered light from the mold alignment mark does not coincide with the u-axis direction.

  By moving the wafer holder 15 in FIG. 1 so that the image 41 due to the scattered light from the mold alignment mark is located at the center of the images 40A and 40B with respect to the v-axis direction, The wafer 11 and the mold 12 can be aligned with respect to the direction of the line of intersection with the transfer surface.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of an image signal obtained by the oblique light bearing optical device 21a. The horizontal axis corresponds to the v-axis in FIG. 3, and the vertical axis represents the light intensity. This image signal is the most in-focus position of the image 41 and the scanning line at the position where the images 40A and 40B are in focus among the image signals obtained by scanning the light receiving surface shown in FIG. This is a composite of image signals corresponding to a scanning line at a position. Three peaks corresponding to the mold alignment mark appear at approximately the center, and three peaks corresponding to the wafer alignment mark appear on both sides thereof.

  Hereinafter, an example of a method for detecting the relative position between the mold alignment mark and the wafer alignment mark from the waveform shown in FIG. 4 will be briefly described. First, the correlation coefficient with the peak waveform corresponding to each of the two wafer alignment marks is calculated while shifting the peak waveform corresponding to the mold alignment mark in the v-axis direction. The shift amount that gives the maximum correlation coefficient corresponds to the center-to-center distance between the wafer alignment mark and the mold alignment mark.

  By moving the wafer and the mold so that the intervals between the peak waveform corresponding to the mold alignment mark and the peak waveform corresponding to each of the wafer alignment marks on both sides thereof are equal, alignment is performed with respect to the Y-axis direction in FIG. It can be performed.

  Similarly, alignment in the X-axis direction can be performed using the oblique light bearing optical device 21c. Further, alignment in the θz direction can be performed from the detection result of the alignment mark by the oblique light bearing optical devices 21a and 21b.

  The two-dimensional image signal shown in FIG. 3 is translated in the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction, and similarity pattern matching between the image of the mold alignment mark and the image of the wafer alignment mark is performed, so that the wafer and the mold are matched. The relative position may be obtained. By performing pattern matching of a two-dimensional image, the distance between images in the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction can be obtained.

  Next, a method for measuring the distance δ between the wafer 11 and the mold 12 shown in FIG.

From the two-dimensional image of FIG. 3, the image 40A of the wafer alignment mark, the position u ₀ that matches most Pinto 40B, about the u-axis direction between the position u ₁ that matches the most focused image 41 of the mold alignment mark Find the distance. This distance corresponds to the distance w between the intersection line between the object surface 27 and the transfer surface of the wafer 11 and the intersection line between the object surface 27 and the transfer surface of the mold 12 in FIG. When the angle between the optical axis 25 and the normal of the transfer surface is θ, the distance δ between the wafer 11 and the mold 12 is expressed as δ = w × sin θ. Further, the relative inclination between the wafer 11 and the mold 12 can be known by obtaining the interval δ using the oblique bearing optical devices 21a to 21c.

  Next, an optical nanoimprint method using the nanoimprint apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the wafer 11 and the mold 12 are held on the wafer holding table 15 and the mold holding table 16 shown in FIG. 1, respectively, and the transfer surface of the wafer 11 and the transfer surface of the mold 12 are Are arranged at a certain interval so as to face each other. On the transfer surface of the wafer 11, wafer alignment marks 13a and 13b for the oblique light bearing optical devices 21a and 21b are formed. The wafer alignment mark observed by the oblique light bearing optical device 21c does not appear in the cross section of FIG. One wafer alignment mark 13a is composed of a pair of marks 13A and 13B as shown in FIG. The configuration of the other wafer alignment marks is the same as that of the wafer alignment mark 13a. A photo-curing resist is applied on the transfer surface of the wafer 11 to form a resist layer 11A.

  An uneven pattern to be transferred is formed on the transfer surface of the mold 12. Further, mold alignment marks 14a and 14b for the oblique bearing optical devices 21a and 21b are formed. The mold alignment mark observed by the oblique light bearing optical device 21c does not appear in the cross section of FIG. One mold alignment mark 14a has the same configuration as the mold alignment mark 14 shown in FIG. The configuration of the other mold alignment marks is the same as that of the mold alignment mark 14a.

  After holding the wafer 11 and the mold 12, the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum.

  The oblique light bearing light devices 21a to 21c generate image signals of alignment marks and send them to the control device 30 shown in FIG. The control device 30 performs image processing and obtains a relative positional deviation amount of each alignment mark. The drive mechanisms 17 and 18 are operated based on the amount of displacement.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the operations of the driving devices 17 and 18 are completed, the transfer surface of the wafer 11 and the transfer surface of the mold 12 become parallel, and the alignment is within the XY plane. Is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the wafer 11 is brought close to the mold 12 and the mold 12 is pressed against the wafer 11 while maintaining the parallelism between the wafer 11 and the mold 12 and the relative position of both in the XY plane direction. . Even while the wafer 11 is close to the mold 12, the alignment marks are observed by the oblique bearing optical devices 21a to 21c, and the relative positional relationship of the alignment marks is detected. When the positional deviation is detected, the drive mechanisms 17 and 18 are driven to correct the positional deviation. Note that it is not essential to correct the positional deviation, and only the relative positional relationship may be detected.

  In a state where the mold 12 is pressed against the mask 11, the light irradiation device 35 irradiates the transfer surface of the wafer 11 with light. As a result, the resist layer 11A is cured, and the transfer pattern of the mold 12 is transferred to the resist layer 11A. Even when the wafer 11 and the mold 12 are in contact with each other, the alignment mark is observed by the oblique light bearing optical devices 21a to 21c. As a result, the quality of the transfer result can be determined based on the presence or absence of positional deviation during pattern transfer.

  As shown in FIG. 5D, the wafer 11 and the mold 12 are separated. Even during the period in which both are moved away, the relative positions of the wafer 11 and the mold 12 in the XY plane direction and the tilt direction can be maintained by observing the alignment marks with the oblique light bearing optical devices 21a to 21c. Thereby, the reproducibility of mold release can be improved, which is beneficial for improving the mold release property.

  In the above embodiment, the oblique bearing optical devices 21a to 21c are used for detecting the position of the alignment mark. Since the oblique light bearing light devices 21 a to 21 c are arranged beside the space above the mold 12, there is no need to retract when the wafer 11 is irradiated with light for resist curing. Further, since the position can be detected even when the mold 12 is in close contact with the wafer 11, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the alignment state of the actually transferred pattern is good.

  In the above embodiment, the nanoimprint technique using a photo-curable resist has been described. However, the alignment technique can also be applied to a thermal nanoimprint technique using a thermoplastic resist. In this case, a heating device is disposed above the mold 12 instead of the light irradiation device 35 shown in FIG. The resist layer can be cured by heating the wafer 11 through the mold 12 with this heating device.

  In the above embodiment, the pattern is transferred to the entire surface of the wafer by a single transfer process. However, the pattern transfer is also performed once by using the step-and-repeat method on the transfer surface of the large-area wafer. The alignment method according to the above embodiment can be applied for each transfer step. Even when a large-area wafer is warped, alignment accuracy and yield can be improved by adjusting the parallelism for each transfer step. Further, since it is not necessary to retract the oblique light bearing light device when performing position detection, a decrease in throughput can be suppressed. Further, by detecting the position of the alignment mark even when the mold is in contact with the wafer, it is possible to easily identify the misaligned chip in the wafer.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the alignment and pressing are performed by fixing the mold and moving the wafer has been described, but conversely, the wafer may be fixed and the mold may be moved. Further, the wafer may be moved in the XY plane, and the mold may be moved in the Z direction. In this way, at least one may be moved relative to the other.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made.

It is the schematic of the alignment apparatus by an Example. It is a top view of the alignment mark formed in the wafer and the type | mold. It is sectional drawing of the alignment mark formed in the wafer and the type | mold. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the method to measure the space | interval of a wafer and a type | mold. It is the figure which sketched the image by the scattered light from an alignment mark. It is a graph which shows an image signal. It is FIG. (1) for demonstrating the imprint method to which the alignment method by an Example is applied. FIG. 6 is a second diagram for explaining an imprint method to which the alignment method according to the embodiment is applied. FIG. 6 is a third diagram illustrating an imprint method to which the alignment method according to the embodiment is applied. FIG. 14 is a diagram (No. 4) for describing the imprint method to which the alignment method according to the embodiment is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the position alignment method used for the conventional imprint method. It is a figure for demonstrating the position alignment method used for the conventional imprint method.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum chamber 2 Window 10 Holding part 11 Wafer 11A Resist layer 12 Type | mold 13A, 13B Wafer alignment mark 14 Type | mold alignment mark 15 Wafer holding stand 16 Mold holding stand 17, 18 Drive mechanism 21a, 21b, 21c Oblique light bearing optical device 25 Optical axis 27 Object Surface 30 Control Device 35 Light Irradiation Device 40A, 40B Wafer Alignment Mark Image 41 Type Alignment Mark Image

Claims (7)

A first holding table for holding a transfer substrate on which a first alignment mark for scattering light is formed;
A second holding a mold on which a second alignment mark that scatters light and a concavo-convex pattern is formed, such that a surface on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed faces a transfer substrate held on the first holding stand. A holding stand,
A displacement mechanism for displacing at least one of the first holding table and the second holding table with respect to the other;
The first holding table and the second holding table so that the transfer target substrate held on the first holding table and the mold held on the second holding table come close to each other until they come into contact with each other. Elevating mechanism for moving at least one of
An objective lens having an optical axis inclined with respect to the surface of the substrate to be transferred held by the first holding table, the first alignment mark of the substrate to be transferred held by the first holding table, and the first A light receiving device that obtains an image of the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark by scattered light from the second alignment mark of the type held on the holding base of 2;
Based on the observation result of the light receiving device, the relative position between the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark is obtained, the displacement mechanism is controlled, and the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark are A nanoimprint apparatus having a control apparatus for performing alignment of The control device obtains a distance between the transferred substrate held on the first holding table and the mold held on the second holding table based on the observation result of the light receiving device. The nanoimprint apparatus according to claim 1. The nanoimprint apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit that irradiates light on a surface of the transfer target substrate held on the first holding table or heats the transfer target substrate. (A) a transfer substrate having a first alignment mark formed on the surface and a mold having a second alignment mark and a concavo-convex pattern formed on the surface; A step of facing the substrate to be transferred and disposing it at a certain interval;
(B) observing the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark with a light receiving device including an objective lens having an optical axis oblique to the surface of the transfer substrate;
(C) a step of aligning the transferred substrate and the mold based on the observation result;
(D) gradually bringing the transferred substrate and the mold closer together, pressing the mold against the transferred substrate, and transferring irregularities of the mold onto the surface of the transferred substrate;
(E) A nanoimprint method including a step of separating the mold from the transfer substrate. The step (d) observes the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark with the light receiving device during the step of bringing the substrate to be transferred and the mold closer, and based on the observation result, The nanoimprint method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of detecting a positional deviation between the transfer substrate and the mold. While the step (e) is a step of gradually moving the transfer substrate and the mold away from each other, the light receiving device observes the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark while the transfer substrate is being transferred. The nanoimprint method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of detecting a misalignment between the mold and the mold. The step (d) includes a step of observing the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark with the light receiving device in a state where the mold is pressed against the transfer substrate,
Further, after the step (e), the result of transferring the concavo-convex pattern based on the positional information of the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark observed in a state where the mold is pressed against the transfer substrate. The nanoimprint method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a step of determining whether the quality is good.

Images