JP2011129881A - Template treatment method, program, computer storage medium, template treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the throughput of a template treatment while suitably forming films of a release agent on surfaces of templates. <P>SOLUTION: In the template treatment of forming films of a release agent on surfaces of templates, surfaces of a plurality of templates are first cleaned by dipping the templates in a cleaning solution reserved in a cleaning solution tank (process A2). Thereafter, the plurality of templates are dipped in a release agent reserved in a release agent tank to apply the release agent to the surfaces of the templates (process A3). The release agent on the templates is then dried (process A4). Then, the plurality of templates are dipped in alcohol reserved in an alcohol tank to bring the release agent into contact with the surfaces of the templates, and an unreacted portion of the release agent is removed (process A5). Thereafter, the alcohol on the templates is dried and removed (process A6). In this manner, films of the release agent are formed in a predetermined film thickness on the surfaces of the templates. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a template processing method, a program, a computer storage medium, and a template processing apparatus for forming a release agent on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed.

  For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a photolithography process is performed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) to form a predetermined resist pattern on the wafer.

  When the resist pattern described above is formed, the resist pattern is required to be miniaturized in order to achieve higher integration of the semiconductor device. In general, the limit of miniaturization in the photolithography process is about the wavelength of light used for the exposure process. For this reason, it has been advancing to shorten the wavelength of exposure light. However, there are technical and cost limitations to shortening the wavelength of the exposure light source, and it is difficult to form a fine resist pattern on the order of several nanometers, for example, only by the method of advancing the wavelength of light. is there.

  Therefore, in recent years, it has been proposed to form a fine resist pattern on a wafer by using a so-called imprint method instead of performing a photolithography process on the wafer. In this method, a template (sometimes called a mold or a mold) having a fine pattern on the surface is pressure-bonded to the resist surface formed on the wafer, then peeled off, and the pattern is directly transferred to the resist surface. (Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-43998 A

  On the surface of the template used in the above-described imprinting method, a release agent having liquid repellency with respect to the resist is usually formed in order to make the template easy to peel from the resist.

  When forming a release agent on the surface of the template, first, after cleaning the surface of the template, the release agent is applied to the surface of the template. At this time, the contact angle of the release agent on the template is, for example, 77 degrees to 80 degrees. Next, the release agent is adhered to the surface of the template so that the release agent to be formed has a predetermined contact angle, for example, about 110 degrees and can exhibit a liquid repellent function with respect to the resist. Specifically, by chemically reacting the mold release agent and the template surface, among the components contained in the mold release agent, a component having liquid repellency to the resist, such as a fluoride component, is adsorbed on the template surface. Let Thereafter, the unreacted portion of the release agent is removed, and a release agent having a predetermined film thickness is formed on the surface of the template. The unreacted part of the release agent means a part other than the part where the release agent is chemically reacted with the surface of the template.

  However, when the release agent is formed as described above, it takes time to bring the release agent on the template into close contact with the surface of the template. For example, when the template is left in a room temperature atmosphere, it takes about 24 hours to bring the release agent into close contact with the template.

  Therefore, the inventors have attempted to heat and bake the release agent on the template in order to promote the chemical reaction between the release agent and the surface of the template. In this case, the time for bringing the release agent into close contact with the template could be shortened. For example, when the mold release agent is heated to 60 ° C., the time required to make the mold release agent adhere to the template is about 1 hour. When the mold release agent is heated to 200 ° C., the mold release agent is used as the template. The time required for adhesion was about 3 minutes.

  However, in this case, it takes time to cool the template once heated. Therefore, the throughput of template processing has not been improved. In addition, when the release agent is heated, the release agent expands thermally, so that the release agent cannot be formed on the surface of the template with a predetermined film thickness. When the imprint process is performed using the template on which the release agent is formed in this way, it is difficult to form a fine resist pattern on the order of several nanometers on the wafer.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to improve the throughput of template processing while appropriately forming a release agent on the surface of the template.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a template processing method for forming a release agent on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed, and a plurality of release agents stored in a release agent tank. A mold release agent treatment step in which the template is immersed and a mold release agent is attached to the surface of the template, and then the plurality of templates are immersed in a liquid alcohol stored in an alcohol tank, or in a gaseous state. Or it has the alcohol processing process which exposes the said several template in mist-like alcohol, and improves the adhesiveness of the surface of the said template and the said mold release agent, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  As a result of investigations by the inventors, when a template with a release agent attached is immersed in a liquid alcohol, or a template with a release agent attached is exposed to a gaseous or mist-like alcohol, the template is formed by the alcohol. It was found that the chemical reaction between the surface of the mold and the release agent was promoted, and the adhesion between the template surface and the release agent was improved. That is, the release agent can be brought into close contact with the template surface with alcohol in a short time, and the release angle of the release agent formed on the template is set to a predetermined angle. It can be demonstrated. Thus, the release agent can be brought into close contact with the surface of the template in a short time, so that the throughput of the entire template processing can be improved. In addition, in this case, since it is not necessary to heat the release agent as in the prior art, the release agent does not thermally expand. Therefore, the release agent can be appropriately formed on the surface of the template with a predetermined film thickness. Further, according to the present invention, since a plurality of templates are processed at a time, the throughput of the template processing described above can be further improved.

  In the alcohol treatment step, after improving the adhesion between the surface of the template and the release agent with the liquid alcohol, gaseous alcohol or mist alcohol, the liquid alcohol, gaseous alcohol You may remove the unreacted part of the mold release agent on the said template with alcohol or mist-like alcohol. The unreacted part of the release agent means a part other than the part where the release agent is chemically reacted with the surface of the template.

  In the release agent treatment step, after immersing the plurality of templates in the release agent in the release agent tank, gas is blown to the plurality of templates to dry the release agent on the template. In the alcohol treatment step, after immersing the plurality of templates in liquid alcohol in the alcohol tank, gas is blown onto the plurality of templates to remove the liquid alcohol on the template. Also good.

  The template processing method includes a rinsing step of immersing the plurality of templates in a rinsing liquid stored in a rinsing liquid tank and removing an unreacted portion of the release agent on the template after the alcohol treatment step. It may be.

  The template processing method may include a cleaning step of immersing the plurality of templates in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning liquid tank and cleaning the surface of the template before the releasing agent processing step.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that operates on a computer of a control unit that controls the template processing apparatus in order to cause the template processing apparatus to execute the template processing method.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a readable computer storage medium storing the program is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a template processing apparatus for depositing a release agent on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed, the transfer arm holding and transferring a plurality of templates, and storing the release agent. A mold release agent tank that immerses the plurality of templates in the mold release agent and attaches the mold release agent to the surface of the template; and a liquid alcohol provided downstream of the mold release agent tank. Storing, provided in a downstream of the release tank, an alcohol tank that improves the adhesion between the surface of the template and the release agent by immersing the plurality of templates in the liquid alcohol, A gaseous or mist-like alcohol is supplied, and the plurality of templates are exposed to the gaseous or mist-like alcohol so that the surface of the template and the mold release agent are tightly sealed. It is characterized by having, an alcohol processing unit with an alcohol supply unit to improve sexual.

  A gas nozzle for blowing gas to the plurality of templates may be provided above the release agent tank, and a gas nozzle for blowing gas to the plurality of templates may be provided above the alcohol tank.

  A rinsing liquid tank is provided on the downstream side of the alcohol treatment unit, stores a rinsing liquid, and immerses the plurality of templates in the rinsing liquid to remove unreacted portions of the release agent on the template. You may do it.

  The template processing apparatus may include a cleaning liquid tank that is provided upstream of the release agent tank, stores a cleaning liquid, and immerses the plurality of templates in the cleaning liquid to clean the surface of the template. Good.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the throughput of template processing can be improved, forming a mold release agent into the surface of a template appropriately.

It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the template processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of a structure of the template processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a template. It is a side view which shows the outline of a structure of a conveyance unit. It is a side view which shows the outline of a structure of a conveyance unit. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a washing | cleaning unit. It is the flowchart which showed each process of the template process. It is explanatory drawing which showed typically the state of the template in each process of a template process, (a) shows a mode that the surface of the template was wash | cleaned, (b) mode that the template was immersed in the mold release agent (C) shows a state in which a template having a release agent attached to the surface is immersed in alcohol, and (d) shows a state in which the release agent is formed on the template. It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the template processing apparatus concerning other embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of the alcohol processing unit concerning other embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the template processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of the template processing apparatus 1.

  In the template processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a template T having a rectangular parallelepiped shape and having a predetermined transfer pattern P formed on the surface is processed as shown in FIG. For the template T, a transparent material that can transmit visible light, near ultraviolet light, ultraviolet light, or the like, such as glass, is used.

  The template processing apparatus 1 is configured to consistently perform batch loading of the template T, template T processing, and template T unloading. As shown in FIG. 1, the template processing apparatus 1 carries a plurality of, for example, five templates T from the outside into the template processing apparatus 1 in units of carriers, and takes in a template T before processing from a carrier C, A processing station 3 including a plurality of processing units for performing predetermined processing on the template T, and a template unloading for storing the processed template T in the carrier C and unloading the template T from the template processing apparatus 1 to the outside in units of carriers. The station 4 is integrally connected. Note that the carry-in station 2 and the carry-out station 4 may be integrated to provide a carry-in / out station that performs both loading and unloading of the template T.

  The loading station 2 includes a carrier mounting table 10 on which the carrier C is mounted, a loader 11 that takes out the template T before processing from the carrier C, and a transfer unit 12 that transfers the carrier C from the carrier mounting table 10 to the loader 11. Is provided. The loader 11 is disposed on the downstream side of the carrier mounting table 10, that is, on the Y direction positive direction side (the right direction side in FIG. 1). Moreover, the transfer unit 12 is arrange | positioned at the X direction positive direction side (upward side in FIG. 1) of the carrier mounting base 10 and the loader 11.

  An opening 13 is formed on the upper surface of the carrier mounting table 10 so as to extend in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The lower surface periphery of the carrier C is placed on the periphery of the opening 13, and a plurality of carriers C are placed at predetermined positions on the carrier placement table 10. A carrier transport unit (not shown) is provided inside the carrier mounting table 10. The carrier C can move along the opening 13 by the carrier transport unit. The carrier C can be rotated around the vertical direction (θ direction) by the carrier transport unit and can be raised and lowered. In the carrier C on the carrier mounting table 10, a plurality of, for example, five templates T are stored in parallel in a vertical posture in a standing state. The carry-in station 2 may be provided with another carrier mounting table that rotates the carrier C by 90 degrees, for example, and converts the posture of the template T in the carrier C from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture.

  The loader 11 is provided with a holding unit 14 that takes out and holds a plurality of templates T in the carrier C. The holding part 14 is configured to be movable up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown) provided therebelow. The holding portion 14 is formed with holding grooves 15 for inserting and holding the template T at, for example, five locations at predetermined intervals. The interval between the holding grooves 15 is the same as the interval between holding grooves 53 of the transfer arm 50 described later. Accordingly, the holding unit 14 can align the plurality of templates T in a vertical posture so that the transfer arm 50 can appropriately hold the plurality of templates T.

  The transfer unit 12 has a transfer arm 16 having a pair of arms configured to be close, separable and extendable. The transfer arm 16 can hold and transfer the carrier C with a pair of arms. The transfer arm 16 is movable along a rail 17 extending in the Y direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1), and is configured to be movable up and down.

  Further, the carry-out station 4 has the same configuration as the carry-in station 2. That is, the unloading station 4 includes a carrier mounting table 20 for mounting the carrier C, an unloader 21 for storing the processed template T in the carrier C, and a transfer unit for transferring the carrier C from the unloader 21 to the carrier mounting table 20. 22 are provided. The unloader 21 is arranged on the upstream side of the carrier mounting table 20, that is, on the Y direction negative direction side. Moreover, the transfer unit 22 is arrange | positioned at the X direction positive direction side of the unloader 20 and a carrier mounting base. Note that the configurations of the carrier mounting table 20, the unloader 21, and the transfer unit 22 are the same as the configurations of the carrier mounting table 10, the loader 11, and the transfer unit 12 of the loading station 2, respectively, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The processing station 3 includes cleaning units 30 and 31 for cleaning the surface of the template T in order from the upstream side, that is, in order from the loading station 2 side, a release agent processing unit 32 for processing the surface of the template T, and a template. Alcohol treatment units 33 for treating the surface of T with alcohol are arranged in a row. In accordance with a general cleaning process, the cleaning unit 30 performs acid cleaning, and the cleaning unit 31 performs rinse cleaning.

  Further, a transport unit 34 that holds and transports the plurality of templates T is provided on the negative side in the X direction of the cleaning units 30 and 31, the release agent processing unit 32, and the alcohol processing unit 33. The transport unit 34 can move between the load 11 and the unload 21 along a rail 35 extending in the Y direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. That is, the transport unit 34 can transport a plurality of templates T to the load 11, the processing units 30 to 33, and the unload 21. In the illustrated example, the rail 35 is provided on the side surface of the load 11, the processing units 30 to 33, and the unload 21, but may be provided on the bottom surface of the template processing apparatus 1, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a shutter 40 that can be freely opened and closed is provided between the loader 11 and the cleaning unit 30. Similarly, between the cleaning units 30 and 31, between the cleaning unit 31 and the release agent processing unit 32, between the release agent processing unit 32 and the alcohol processing unit 33, and between the alcohol processing unit 33 and the unloader 21, respectively. A shutter 40 is provided. The shutter 40 can block the atmosphere in the processing units 30 to 33.

  Next, the configuration of the transport unit 34 will be described. The transport unit 34 includes a transport arm 50 that holds the template T as shown in FIGS. The transfer arm 50 includes a pair of arms 51 and 51 that are configured to be able to approach, separate, and extend, and a support member 52 that supports the arms 51 and 51. The support member 52 is bent and supports the arms 51 and 51 at its lower end. A holding groove 53 for inserting and holding the template T is formed in the arm 51. The holding grooves 51 are formed at predetermined intervals, for example, at five locations, and the transfer arm 50 can hold a plurality of, for example, five templates T in a vertical posture. The predetermined interval between the holding grooves 51 is the same as the interval between the holding grooves 15 formed in the holding portions 14 of the load 11 and the unload 21 as described above.

  A support portion 54 that supports the transfer arm 50 is provided at the base end of the transfer arm 50. A moving mechanism 56 is provided below the support portion 54 via a shaft 55. The transfer mechanism 50 can be moved up and down by the moving mechanism 56. In addition, the moving mechanism 56 is attached to the rail 35, and the transport unit 34 can move along the rail 35.

  Next, the configuration of each processing unit 30 to 31 of the processing station 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning unit 30 has a cleaning liquid tank 60 for storing the cleaning liquid therein. The cleaning liquid tank 60 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an upper surface opened and a size sufficient to accommodate the template T. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid tank 60 immerses a plurality of templates T held on the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34 in the cleaning liquid to remove impurities such as organic contaminants and particles on the surface of the template T, and the template T The surface can be cleaned. For example, sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide is used as the cleaning liquid.

  A liquid supply pipe 61 for supplying the cleaning liquid into the cleaning liquid tank 60 is connected to the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60. The liquid supply pipe 61 communicates with a cleaning liquid supply source 62 that supplies the cleaning liquid. The supply pipe 61 is provided with a supply device group 63 including a valve for controlling the flow of the cleaning liquid, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like. Further, a drain pipe 65 for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is connected to the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60 through a valve 64. The valve 64 can adjust the amount of the cleaning liquid discharged from the drain pipe 65.

  Above the cleaning liquid tank 60, a gas nozzle 70 is provided that blows an inert gas such as nitrogen or a gas such as dry air onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held in the transfer arm 50. The surface of the template T cleaned in the cleaning liquid tank 60 can be dried by the gas blown from the gas nozzle 70. An air supply pipe 72 that communicates with a gas supply source 71 is connected to the gas nozzle 70. The supply pipe 72 is provided with a supply device group 73 including a valve for controlling the flow of the resist solution, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

  An exhaust pipe 74 that exhausts the indoor atmosphere in the cleaning unit 30 formed by closing the shutter 40 is connected to the side surface of the cleaning unit 30. The exhaust pipe 74 is provided with a valve 75 for adjusting the exhaust amount. The exhaust pipe 74 may be provided on the side surface of the cleaning unit 30 facing the transfer arm 50 or may be provided on the shutter 40.

  The other processing units 31 to 33 have the same configuration as the cleaning unit 30 described above. The cleaning unit 31 has a pure water tank 80 for storing pure water therein as shown in FIG. 1 instead of the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the cleaning unit 30. The pure water tank 80 can rinse and clean the surface of the template T by immersing a plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34 in pure water. In addition, since the structure of the pure water tank 80 is the same as the structure of the washing tank 60 mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the other configuration of the cleaning unit 31 is the same as the configuration of the cleaning unit 30 described above. For example, a gas nozzle 70 that blows gas onto the surfaces of a plurality of templates T held in the transfer arm 50 is also provided above the pure water tank 80.

  The release agent processing unit 32 has a release agent tank 81 for storing a liquid release agent inside instead of the cleaning tank 60 in the cleaning unit 30. The release agent tank 81 can immerse a plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34 in the release agent to attach the release agent to the surface of the template T. In addition, since the structure of the mold release agent tank 81 is the same as that of the washing | cleaning tank 60 mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the other configuration of the release agent processing unit 32 is the same as the configuration of the cleaning unit 30 described above. For example, a gas nozzle 70 for blowing gas onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held in the transfer arm 50 is also provided above the release agent tank 81. As a material for the release agent, for example, a material that is formed on a wafer and has a liquid repellency with respect to a resist film to which the transfer pattern P of the template T is transferred, for example, a fluorine-carbon compound is used.

  The alcohol processing unit 33 has, in place of the cleaning tank 60 in the cleaning unit 30, an alcohol tank 82 that stores alcohol that is liquid at room temperature, for example, ethanol. The alcohol tank 82 can improve the adhesion between the surface of the template T and the release agent by immersing a plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34 in liquid alcohol. The configuration of the alcohol tank 82 is the same as that of the above-described cleaning tank 60, and thus the description thereof is omitted. The other configuration of the alcohol processing unit 33 is the same as the configuration of the cleaning unit 30 described above. For example, a gas nozzle 70 that blows gas onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held in the transfer arm 50 is also provided above the alcohol tank 82. In addition, alcohol should just be alcohols and you may use alcohol other than ethanol. For example, methanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, heptanol may be used, or a mixture of these alcohols may be used. The concentration of alcohol is not particularly limited, but is preferably 100%. Furthermore, although normal temperature alcohol is used in the present embodiment, alcohol heated to, for example, 70 ° C. or less may be used in order to suppress the condensation of alcohol.

  The template processing apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit 100 as shown in FIG. The control unit 100 is, for example, a computer and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit controls the transport of the template T between the loading station 2 and the processing station 3, the transport of the template T between the processing station 3 and the unloading station 4, and the operation of the drive system in the processing station 3. A program for executing template processing (to be described later) in the template processing apparatus 1 is stored. This program is recorded in a computer-readable storage medium such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnetic optical desk (MO), memory card, or the like. Or installed in the control unit 100 from the storage medium.

  The template processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, template processing performed in the template processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the main processing flow of this template processing, and FIG. 8 shows the state of the template T in each step.

  First, a plurality of carriers C containing, for example, five templates T are carried into the template processing apparatus 1 (step A1 in FIG. 7). The carried carrier C is placed at a predetermined position on the carrier placing table 10. Then, the carrier C is moved along the opening 13 toward the transfer unit 12 by the carrier transport unit provided inside the carrier mounting table 10. Thereafter, the carrier C is held by the transfer arm 16 of the transfer unit 12 and transferred from the carrier mounting table 10 to the loader 11. In the loader 11, a plurality of templates T are taken out from the carrier C and held in the holding unit 14. At this time, each template T is inserted and held in a holding groove 15 formed in the holding portion 14. Thereafter, the plurality of templates T aligned and held in the holding unit 14 are transferred to and held by the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34.

  Thereafter, the plurality of templates T held on the transfer arm 50 are transferred to the cleaning unit 30 by the transfer unit 34. When the plurality of templates T are conveyed above the cleaning liquid tank 60, the shutters 40 on both sides of the cleaning unit 30 are closed. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is lowered, and the plurality of templates T are immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. By this cleaning liquid, impurities such as organic contaminants and particles on the surface of each template T are removed, and the surface of the template T is cleaned as shown in FIG. 8A (step A2 in FIG. 7). Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is raised above the cleaning liquid tank 60. Subsequently, gas is blown from the gas nozzle 70 onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 to dry the surfaces of the templates T.

  Thereafter, the shutter 40 is opened, and the plurality of templates T held on the transport arm 50 are transported to the cleaning unit 31. When the plurality of templates T are conveyed to above the pure water tank 80, the shutters 40 on both sides of the cleaning unit 31 are closed. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is lowered, and the plurality of templates T are immersed in pure water stored in the pure water tank 80. The surface of each template T is rinsed with this pure water. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is raised above the pure water tank 80. Subsequently, gas is blown from the gas nozzle 70 onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 to dry the surfaces of the templates T.

  Thereafter, the shutter 40 is opened, and the plurality of templates T held on the transport arm 50 are transported to the release agent processing unit 32. When the plurality of templates T are conveyed above the release agent tank 81, the shutters 40 on both sides of the release agent processing unit 32 are closed. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is lowered, and the plurality of templates T are immersed in the release agent stored in the release agent tank 81 for 10 seconds, for example (step A3 in FIG. 7). As a result, the release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is raised above the release agent tank 81. Subsequently, a gas is sprayed from the gas nozzle 70 onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held on the transfer arm 50 for 20 seconds, for example, to dry the release agent S on each template T (step A4 in FIG. 7).

  Thereafter, the shutter 40 is opened, and the plurality of templates T held on the transport arm 50 are transported to the alcohol processing unit 33. When the plurality of templates T are conveyed to above the alcohol tank 82, the shutters 40 on both sides of the alcohol processing unit 33 are closed. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is lowered, and the plurality of templates T are immersed in the liquid alcohol stored in the alcohol tank 82 for 10 seconds, for example (step A5 in FIG. 7). With this alcohol, as shown in FIG. 8C, the release agent S chemically reacts with the surface of the template T firmly and closely, and the release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T. Further, after the release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T in this way, only the unreacted portion of the release agent S, that is, the release agent S chemically reacts with the surface of the template T by the alcohol in the alcohol tank 82. As a result, only the portion other than the portion in close contact with the surface is removed. At this time, since the release agent S is in close contact with the surface of the template T, the release agent S at a predetermined distance from the surface of the template T is not peeled off. In addition, the contact angle of the release agent S on the template T is a predetermined angle, for example, 108 degrees, and the release agent S has sufficient liquid repellency with respect to the resist film, and has a release function. It can be demonstrated. In this way, as shown in FIG. 8D, the release agent S along the transfer pattern P is formed on the template T with a predetermined film thickness. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is raised above the alcohol tank 82. Subsequently, gas is sprayed from the gas nozzle 70 onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held on the transfer arm 50 for 20 seconds, for example, and the alcohol on each template T is dried and removed (step A6 in FIG. 7).

  Thereafter, the shutter 40 is opened, and the plurality of templates T held by the transport arm 50 are transported to the unloader 21. In the unloader 21, the plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50 are delivered to the holding unit 14. At this time, each template T is inserted and held in a holding groove 15 formed in the holding portion 14. Subsequently, a plurality of templates T are stored in the carrier C prepared in advance in the unloader 21. Thereafter, the carrier C is held by the transfer arm 16 of the transfer unit 22 and transferred from the unloader 21 to the carrier mounting table 20. When the carrier C is placed at a predetermined position on the carrier placement table 20, the carrier C is moved along the opening 13 on the side opposite to the transfer unit 22 by the carrier transport unit provided inside the carrier placement table 20. Move to. Thereafter, the carrier C is carried out of the template processing apparatus 1 (step A7 in FIG. 7). In this way, a series of template processing in the template processing apparatus 1 is completed, and the release agent S along the shape of the transfer pattern P is formed on the surface of the template T with a predetermined film thickness.

  In addition, after completion | finish of a series of template processes, the template T in which the mold release agent S was formed into a film is conveyed from the template processing apparatus 1 to an imprint unit (not shown), for example. Then, the transfer pattern P of the template T is transferred to the resist film on the wafer in the imprint unit. At this time, the resist on the wafer does not adhere to the surface of the template T due to the release agent S. Therefore, a predetermined pattern can be appropriately formed on the resist film on the wafer.

  According to the above embodiment, since the template T to which the release agent S adheres in step A5 is immersed in liquid alcohol, the chemical reaction between the surface of the template T and the release agent S is promoted. The adhesion between the surface of the template T and the release agent S is improved. That is, the release agent S can be brought into close contact with the surface of the template T in a short time. Thereby, the throughput of the template process of process A1-process A7 can be improved.

  In Step A5, after the release agent S is brought into close contact with the surface of the template T with alcohol, only the unreacted portion of the release agent S is further removed with this alcohol. As described above, since the adhesion between the surface of the template T and the release agent S and the removal of the unreacted portion of the release agent S are performed in the same step, the throughput of the template processing can be further improved.

  Further, since predetermined processes are collectively performed on the plurality of templates T in the processes A2 to A6, the throughput of the template process can be further improved.

  Moreover, since the release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T in step A5, the contact angle of the release agent S on the template T can be set to a predetermined angle. Thereby, the release agent S has sufficient liquid repellency with respect to the resist film, and can exhibit its release function.

  Further, when the surface of the template T and the release agent S are brought into close contact with each other in the step A5, the release agent S is not thermally expanded because the release agent is not heated as in the prior art. Therefore, the mold release agent S can be appropriately formed on the surface of the template T with a predetermined film thickness.

  Further, since the surface of the template T is cleaned in the step A2, the mold release agent S can be applied to the surface of the template T with a predetermined film thickness in the subsequent step S3. Note that this step A2 may be omitted when the surface of the template T is sufficiently cleaned in advance.

  Further, since the cleaning unit 30 has the gas nozzle 70, the surface of the template T can be dried by the gas blown from the gas nozzle 70 after the surface of the template T is cleaned in step A2. For this reason, the cleaning liquid of the cleaning unit 30 is not mixed with the pure water in the subsequent pure water tank 80. Similarly, since the cleaning unit 31 and the release agent processing unit 32 also have the gas nozzle 70, the pure water of the cleaning unit 31 is not mixed with the release agent in the subsequent release agent tank 81, and is released. The mold release agent of the mold treatment unit 32 is not mixed with the alcohol in the subsequent alcohol tank 82. Further, since the alcohol processing unit 33 also has the gas nozzle 70, the alcohol of the alcohol processing unit 33 does not adhere to the subsequent unloader 21.

  The template processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment may further include a rinsing unit that removes an unreacted portion of the release agent S on the template T with a rinsing liquid. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 9, the rinsing unit 110 is disposed downstream of the alcohol processing unit 33 in the processing station 3, that is, between the alcohol processing unit 33 and the unloader 21. In addition, openable and closable shutters 40 are provided on both sides of the rinse unit 110.

  The rinsing unit 110 has the same configuration as the cleaning unit 30 shown in FIG. 6, and has a rinsing liquid tank 111 for storing a rinsing liquid therein instead of the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the cleaning unit 30. The rinse liquid tank 111 can remove the unreacted portion of the release agent S on the template T by immersing the plurality of templates T held by the transport arm 50 of the transport unit 34 in the rinse liquid. In addition, since the structure of the rinse tank 111 is the same as that of the washing tank 60 mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the other configuration of the rinse unit 31 is the same as the configuration of the cleaning unit 30 described above. For example, a gas nozzle 70 for blowing gas onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held in the transfer arm 50 is also provided above the rinse liquid tank 111. In addition, the solvent of the mold release agent S is used for the rinse liquid, for example.

  In such a case, after the liquid alcohol on the template T is dried and removed in step A6, the shutter 40 is opened, and the plurality of templates T held on the transport arm 50 are transported to the rinse unit 110. When the plurality of templates T are conveyed to above the rinse liquid tank 111, the shutters 40 on both sides of the rinse unit 110 are closed. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is lowered, and the plurality of templates T are immersed in the rinse liquid stored in the rinse liquid tank 111. Only the unreacted part of the release agent S on each template T is peeled off by this rinse liquid. Thereafter, the transfer arm 50 is raised above the rinse liquid tank 111. Subsequently, gas is blown from the gas nozzle 70 onto the surfaces of the plurality of templates T held by the transfer arm 50, and the rinse liquid on each template T is dried and removed. When the processing in the rinse unit 111 is thus completed, in step A7, the plurality of templates T are stored in the carrier C by the unloader 21, and the carrier C transferred to the carrier mounting table 20 is carried out of the template processing apparatus 1. The Since steps A1 to A7 are the same as those in the above embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the above embodiment, even when the unreacted portion of the release agent S cannot be completely removed by alcohol in step A5, the unreacted portion of the release agent S can be reliably removed by the rinse liquid. . Therefore, the release agent S on the template T can be more reliably deposited with a predetermined film thickness.

  The alcohol processing unit 33 according to the above embodiment has the alcohol tank 82 for storing liquid alcohol, but instead of the alcohol tank 82, for example, gaseous alcohol is supplied as shown in FIG. You may have the alcohol nozzle 120 as an alcohol supply part. The alcohol nozzle 120 supplies gaseous alcohol into the chamber of the alcohol processing unit 33 formed by closing the shutter 40. In addition, since the kind of gaseous alcohol concerning this Embodiment is the same as the kind of liquid alcohol stored in the alcohol tank 82 of the said embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A supply pipe 122 communicating with the alcohol supply source 121 is connected to the alcohol nozzle 120. Inside the alcohol supply source 121, gaseous alcohol, for example, alcohol vapor is stored. The supply pipe 122 is provided with a supply device group 123 including a valve for controlling the flow of alcohol vapor, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

  An exhaust pipe 124 that exhausts the indoor atmosphere of the alcohol processing unit 33 is connected to the side surface of the alcohol processing unit 33. The exhaust pipe 124 is provided with a valve 125 for adjusting the exhaust amount. The exhaust pipe 124 may be provided on the side surface of the alcohol processing unit 33 facing the transport arm 50 or may be provided on the shutter 40.

  In such a case, alcohol vapor is supplied from the alcohol nozzle 120 into the alcohol processing unit 33 in step A5, and the inside of the alcohol processing unit 33 is maintained in an alcohol atmosphere. When the plurality of templates T held on the transfer arm 50 are transferred into the alcohol processing unit 33, the plurality of templates T are exposed to the alcohol atmosphere. With this alcohol, the mold release agent S chemically and tightly reacts with the surface of the template T, and the mold release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T. In addition, after the release agent S adheres to the surface of the template T in this way, only the unreacted portion of the release agent S by the alcohol in the alcohol treatment unit 33, that is, the release agent S is chemically bonded to the surface of the template T. Only the part that reacts and adheres to the surface is removed. Thus, the release agent S along the transfer pattern P is formed on the template T with a predetermined film thickness.

  In this Embodiment, since the template T is exposed in gaseous alcohol, the adhesiveness of the surface of the template T and the mold release agent S can be improved. At this time, when liquid alcohol is used, there is a risk that the release agent S on the template T may be slightly washed away by the liquid alcohol, but when gaseous alcohol is used as in this embodiment, The release agent S on the template T is not flowed. Therefore, the contact angle of the release agent S on the template T can be further increased. Therefore, the release agent S can be more appropriately formed on the template T.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, since gaseous alcohol is used, it is not necessary to dry the template T by which alcohol processing was carried out. For this reason, in the alcohol processing unit 33 of the present embodiment, the gas nozzle 70 provided in the processing unit 33 of the above embodiment can be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the alcohol nozzle 120 is used as the alcohol supply unit, but various other mechanisms can be used as long as the mechanism can supply gaseous alcohol into the alcohol processing unit 33. In the present embodiment, gaseous alcohol is supplied from the alcohol nozzle 120, but mist-like alcohol may be supplied from the alcohol nozzle 120 instead of gaseous alcohol. Even in such a case, since the template T is exposed to the mist-like alcohol, the adhesion between the surface of the template T and the release agent S can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaning units 30 and 31 are provided separately, but a so-called one-bus cleaning unit may be used. In such a case, a cleaning liquid supply source that supplies a cleaning liquid and a pure water supply source that supplies pure water are connected to the cleaning tank of the cleaning unit. In this cleaning unit, first, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning tank. Subsequently, the plurality of templates T are immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the surface of each template T is cleaned. Thereafter, after the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning tank, pure water is supplied to the cleaning tank. Subsequently, the plurality of templates T are immersed in pure water, and the surface of each template T is rinse-cleaned. According to the present embodiment, since the two cleaning units 30 and 31 can be replaced with one cleaning unit, the template processing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size.

  In each of the processing units 30 to 33 and 110 of the above embodiment, the surface of the template T is dried by the gas from the gas nozzle 70, and the processing liquid of each of the processing units 30 to 33 and 110 affects the subsequent processing. However, a separate washing tank may be provided. For example, pure water is stored in the cleaning tank. In such a case, since a plurality of templates T processed by the processing units 30 to 33 and 110 can be washed with pure water, the processing liquid of the processing units 30 to 33 and 110 affects subsequent processing. Can be reliably prevented.

  In the template processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, a cleaning tank for cleaning the transfer arm 50 of the transfer unit 34 may be further provided in the processing station 3. Thus, even if a processing solution such as a release agent or alcohol adheres to the transfer arm 50, it is possible to prevent the subsequent processing from being affected.

  Each of the processing units 30 to 33 and 110 in the above embodiments may further include a holding mechanism that holds the plurality of templates T and can be moved up and down. In such a case, in each of the processing units 30 to 33 and 110, a plurality of templates T are delivered from the transfer arm 50 to the holding mechanism. Then, a predetermined process is performed on the plurality of templates T held by the holding mechanism. As a result, while a plurality of templates T are being processed by one processing unit, another plurality of templates T can be transferred to another processing unit by the transfer arm 50. Therefore, the throughput of template processing can be further improved.

  In the template processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, one transport unit 34 is provided, but two or more transport units 34 may be provided. Thereby, the conveyance efficiency of the template T can be improved, and the throughput of the template processing can be further improved.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood. The present invention is not limited to this example and can take various forms.

  The present invention is useful when a release agent is formed on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Template processing apparatus 30, 31 Cleaning unit 32 Release agent processing unit 33 Alcohol processing unit 34 Transfer unit 50 Transfer arm 60 Cleaning liquid tank 70 Gas nozzle 80 Pure water tank 81 Release agent tank 82 Alcohol tank 100 Control part 110 Rinse unit 111 Rinse liquid Tank 120 Alcohol nozzle P Transfer pattern S Release agent T Template

Claims (11)

A template processing method for forming a release agent on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed,
A mold release agent treatment step of immersing a plurality of templates in the mold release agent stored in the mold release agent tank, and attaching the mold release agent to the surface of the template;
Thereafter, the plurality of templates are immersed in liquid alcohol stored in an alcohol tank, or the plurality of templates are exposed in gaseous or mist-like alcohol, and the surface of the template and the release agent And an alcohol treatment step for improving the adhesion of the template. In the alcohol treatment step, after improving the adhesion between the surface of the template and the release agent with the liquid alcohol, gaseous alcohol or mist alcohol, the liquid alcohol, gaseous alcohol The template processing method according to claim 1, wherein an unreacted portion of the release agent on the template is removed with alcohol or mist-like alcohol. In the release agent treatment step, after immersing the plurality of templates in the release agent in the release agent tank, gas is blown to the plurality of templates to dry the release agent on the template. ,
In the alcohol treatment step, after the plurality of templates are immersed in liquid alcohol in the alcohol tank, gas is blown onto the plurality of templates to remove liquid alcohol on the templates. The template processing method according to claim 1, wherein the template processing method is characterized. After the alcohol treatment step, it has a rinsing step of immersing the plurality of templates in a rinsing liquid stored in a rinsing liquid tank and removing an unreacted portion of the release agent on the template. Item 4. The template processing method according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning step of immersing the plurality of templates in a cleaning solution stored in a cleaning solution tank and cleaning a surface of the template before the releasing agent treatment step. The template processing method of crab. A program that operates on a computer of a control unit that controls the template processing apparatus in order to cause the template processing apparatus to execute the template processing method according to claim 1. A readable computer storage medium storing the program according to claim 6. A template processing apparatus for forming a release agent on a template on which a transfer pattern is formed,
A transfer arm for holding and transferring a plurality of templates;
A mold release agent tank for storing a mold release agent, immersing the plurality of templates in the mold release agent, and attaching the mold release agent to the surface of the template;
Provided on the downstream side of the release agent tank, storing liquid alcohol, and immersing the plurality of templates in the liquid alcohol to improve the adhesion between the template surface and the release agent An alcohol tank, or a downstream of the mold release agent tank, supplying gaseous or mist-like alcohol, and exposing the plurality of templates to the gaseous or mist-like alcohol to the surface of the template A template processing apparatus comprising: an alcohol processing unit including an alcohol supply unit that improves adhesion to the mold release agent. A gas nozzle for blowing gas to the plurality of templates is provided above the release agent tank,
The template processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a gas nozzle that blows gas to the plurality of templates is provided above the alcohol tank. A rinsing liquid tank is provided on the downstream side of the alcohol treatment unit, stores a rinsing liquid, and immerses the plurality of templates in the rinsing liquid to remove an unreacted portion of the release agent on the template. The template processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by the above. It has a cleaning liquid tank which is provided in the upper stream side of the mold release agent tank, stores cleaning liquid, and immerses the plurality of templates in the cleaning liquid to clean the surface of the template. The template processing apparatus according to any one of 10.

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