JP2012099789A - Imprint device and manufacturing method of article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imprint device advantageous in restricting a bending amount of a mold at releasing a mold.SOLUTION: An imprint device 1, in which an uncured resin 56 on a substrate 5 is molded and cured with a mold 3 and a pattern of the cured resin 56 is formed on the substrate 5, includes a holding part 24 to attract and hold the mold 3, and a reinforcement member 51 to reinforce the mold 3 by contacting with the mold 3 in an inner area of an area which is attracted by the holding part 24 concurrently when the mold is released.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus and an article manufacturing method using the same.

  The demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices has advanced, and in addition to conventional photolithography technology, the mold (mold) and the uncured resin on the substrate are pressed against each other, and the resin pattern corresponding to the fine uneven pattern formed on the mold There is a microfabrication technique for forming a substrate on a substrate. This technique is also called an imprint technique, and can form a fine structure on the order of several nanometers on a substrate. For example, as one of imprint techniques, there is a photocuring method. In this photocuring method, first, an ultraviolet curable resin (imprint resin, photocurable resin) is applied to a shot region (imprint region) on a substrate. Next, this resin (uncured resin) and the mold are pressed against each other. Then, the resin pattern is formed on the substrate by irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the resin and then releasing the mold.

  In the conventional imprint apparatus employing the above technique, when the mold is pressed against the resin on the substrate, bubbles may be mixed into the resin pattern forming portion. When the resin is cured in a state where the bubbles are mixed, a defect is generated in the formed pattern. In order to avoid this pattern defect, Patent Document 1 once bent the mold toward the substrate in a convex shape, pressed the resin on the substrate in that state, and then returned the mold to a flat surface. Disclosed is a method for releasing gas from between a substrate and a mold that is pressed against a resin. According to this method, since the gas existing between the mold and the resin can be pushed out, bubbles mixed in the resin can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the conventional imprint apparatus, when the mold is released, if the mold is peeled off simultaneously from the cured resin at the press location, a large peeling stress is instantaneously generated at the interface (contact portion) between the mold and the cured resin. Be loaded. This stress can cause distortion of the pattern being formed and can result in pattern defects. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, when the mold is released, the mold is once deformed and the mold is gradually peeled off from the periphery of the pattern forming portion of the cured resin, as described above. Avoid occurrence.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of lowering the atmospheric pressure by exhausting the gas existing between the mold and the substrate by a hole provided in the mold or an exhaust means provided separately when the mold is pressed against the resin. is doing. According to this method, the speed at which the resin diffuses between the mold and the substrate increases, and the time required for the step of molding the resin with the mold can be shortened.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0114686 Special table 2009-532245 specification

  However, when the mold is deformed and released from the periphery of the resin pattern as in the apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, the resin pattern is pushed by the concave / convex pattern of the mold and tilted, and stress is applied to the root portion thereof. appear. If this stress is greater than the plastic stress of the resin, the resin pattern will not return to its original shape while being tilted. Furthermore, in the mold of Patent Document 1, the portion including the concavo-convex pattern is thinned so as to be easily bent. In this case, since the deformation of the mold becomes large at the time of mold release, the defect that the resin pattern is inclined as described above tends to occur. Further, as in the apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, when the mold is bent convexly toward the substrate and pressed against the resin on the substrate, if the range of the uneven pattern of the mold is pressed to a position protruding from the end of the substrate, A portion deformed into a convex shape may protrude from the edge of the substrate. In this case, since the mold comes into contact with the end portion of the substrate or the structure of the imprint apparatus outside the substrate, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of contamination of the mold or the substrate.

  Further, as in the apparatus shown in Patent Document 2, when the gas between the mold and the substrate is exhausted and the mold is pressed against the resin, the exhaust means needs to be provided at an outer position avoiding the uneven pattern of the mold. is there. As a result, the air pressure between the mold and the substrate is lower outside the center of the mold, the outer portion of the mold is pulled toward the substrate, and the center of the mold is deformed away from the substrate. When the mold and the substrate are pressed in this state, bubbles may remain in the center of the mold, resulting in pattern defects.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous for limiting the amount of bending of a mold in mold release.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an imprint apparatus for forming a cured resin pattern on a substrate by molding and curing an uncured resin on the substrate with a mold, and attracting and holding the mold And a reinforcing member that reinforces the mold by contacting the mold in parallel with the mold release in an area inside the area attracted by the holding section.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous for limiting the amount of bending of a mold in mold release.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the mold holding apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the mold holding | maintenance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the other modification of the mold holding apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the mold holding apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the mold holding apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the mode at the time of mold release operation | movement in the conventional imprint apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the mode at the time of the stamping operation | movement in the conventional imprint apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, the imprint apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus. The imprint apparatus in this embodiment is a processing apparatus that transfers a pattern of a mold onto a wafer (on a substrate), which is a substrate to be processed, used in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. It is a device that adopts the law. In each of the following drawings, the Z axis is taken in parallel to the ultraviolet irradiation axis for the mold, the X axis is taken in the direction in which the wafer moves relative to the mold base, which will be described later, in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, and A description will be given by taking the Y axis in a direction perpendicular to the X axis. The imprint apparatus 1 of the present invention first includes an illumination system unit 2, a mold holding device 4, a wafer stage 6, a coating device 7, and a control device 8.

  The illumination system unit 2 is illumination means for irradiating the mold 3 with ultraviolet rays during the imprint process. The illumination system unit 2 includes a light source 20 and an illumination optical system 21 for adjusting ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 20 to light suitable for imprinting. For example, a halogen lamp that generates ultraviolet light can be used as the light source 20. The illumination optical system 21 includes an optical element such as a lens, an aperture (aperture), and a shutter that switches between irradiation and light shielding.

  The mold 3 is a mold having a mesa portion 22 in which an outer peripheral portion is rectangular and a predetermined pattern (for example, an uneven pattern such as a circuit pattern) is formed in a three-dimensional shape. In particular, in the mold 3 according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the region where the mesa portion 22 is installed is set to be thinner than other peripheral portions. Details of the shape of the mold 3 will be described later. The surface of the concavo-convex pattern is processed with high flatness in order to maintain adhesion with the surface of the wafer 5. The material of the mold 3 is a material that can transmit ultraviolet rays, such as quartz glass.

  The mold holding device 4 is a holding means for holding the mold 3. The mold holding device 4 includes a shape correction mechanism (magnification correction mechanism) 23, a mold base (holding portion) 24 that attracts and holds the mold 3 by suction force or electrostatic force, and a base (not shown) that drives the mold base 24. A drive mechanism. The shape correction mechanism 23 is a device that corrects the pattern formed on the mold 3 to a desired shape by applying a compressive force to the mold 3 so as to face the region on the side surface of the outer peripheral portion of the mold 3. It consists of a plurality of installed drive mechanisms. The configuration of the shape correction mechanism 23 is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a tensile force is applied to the mold 3 may be used, or the mold 3 and the mold base 24 may be driven by driving the mold base 24 itself. It is good also as a structure which gives a shearing force to the contact surface. The base drive mechanism is a drive system that drives the mold base 24 in the Z-axis direction in order to press the mold 3 against the ultraviolet curable resin applied on the wafer 5. The actuator employed in this drive mechanism is not particularly limited, and a linear motor, an air cylinder, or the like can be employed. In the imprint apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the mold 3 is pressed against the ultraviolet curable resin on the fixed wafer 5. On the contrary, the wafer 5 is pressed against the fixed mold 3. There may be a configuration in which the upper UV curable resin is pressed.

  Furthermore, the mold holding device 4 of this embodiment includes a mold deformation mechanism 50 that deforms the shape of the mold 3 in addition to the above-described configuration. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the mold deformation mechanism 50. 2A and the subsequent drawings, the same components as those of the imprint apparatus 1 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, in particular, the shape of the mold 3 is a box shape having a wall portion 3a on the outer periphery, and the concave / convex pattern is formed on the central portion 3b of the mold surface of the mold 3 as described above. . In this case, the mold base 24 of the mold holding device 4 has a central portion (inner side) as a space through which ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 20 of the illumination system unit 2 pass, and the wall 3 a that is the outer peripheral portion of the mold 3. The mold 3 is held by adsorbing the vertical surface 3c.

  The mold deformation mechanism 50 of this embodiment includes a reinforcing member 51 installed in a space region A formed by a space existing inside the mold base 24 and an internal space surrounded by the wall portion 3a of the mold 3. Prepare. Further, the mold deformation mechanism 50 includes a sealing member 52 that uses the space region A that houses the reinforcing member 51 as a sealed space, and a space region A that is installed outside the mold holding device 4 and becomes a sealed space by the sealing member 52. A pressure adjusting device (actuator) 53 is provided. The reinforcing member 51 is formed of a light transmissive member such as quartz glass, and a plurality of through holes 51a are formed in the vertical direction (light transmission direction) as shown in FIG. Further, the reinforcing member 51 includes a leaf spring-like elastic member 54 that connects the side surface portion 51 b and the central side surface 24 a of the mold base 24. The elastic member 54 is a guide member that guides the vertical movement of the reinforcing member 51 in the space region A. The sealing member 52 is formed of a light-transmitting flat plate member such as quartz glass, and includes a connection port 52 a of a pipe 55 connected to the pressure adjustment device 53 in part. With the configuration of the sealing member 52 and the elastic member 54, when the pressure adjusting device 53 performs pressure increase / decrease in the space region A, the gas in the space region A is only the through hole 51 a formed in the reinforcing member 51. Will pass.

  The wafer 5 is a substrate to be processed made of, for example, single crystal silicon, and an ultraviolet curable resin (hereinafter simply referred to as “resin”) serving as a molding portion is applied to the surface to be processed. The wafer stage 6 is a substrate holding means that holds the wafer 5 by vacuum suction and can freely move in the XY plane. The wafer stage 6 includes an auxiliary member (chuck) 25 that directly holds the wafer 5 and an actuator for driving the auxiliary member 25. The wafer stage 6 has not only a precise positioning for pattern superposition, but also a mechanism (not shown) that adjusts the posture of the surface of the wafer 5.

  The coating device (dispenser) 7 is a coating unit that coats an uncured resin on the wafer 5. The coating device 7 includes a storage unit 26 that stores an uncured resin, and a supply port 27 that communicates with the storage unit 26 and applies the uncured resin supplied from the storage unit 26 onto the wafer 5. The resin is a photo-curing resin having a property of being cured by receiving ultraviolet rays, and is appropriately selected depending on the type of semiconductor device to be manufactured.

  The control device 8 is a control unit that controls operations, adjustments, and the like of each component of the imprint apparatus 1. Although not shown, the control device 8 is configured by a computer having a storage unit such as a magnetic storage medium connected to each component of the imprint apparatus 1 by a line, a sequencer, or the like. Perform component control. The control device 8 may be configured integrally with the imprint device 1 or may be installed at a location different from the imprint device 1 and controlled remotely.

  In addition, the imprint apparatus 1 includes gas supply devices 35 a to 35 c that supply gas to the gap between the mold 3 and the wafer 5 during the pressing operation. In general, if bubbles remain between the concave / convex pattern 22 formed on the mold 3 and the resin on the wafer 5 during the pressing operation, the pattern formed on the resin may be distorted and defects may occur. Therefore, the gas supply devices 35a to 35c suppress the generation of bubbles by supplying a purge gas such as helium or carbon dioxide that is highly soluble in the resin. The gas supply devices 35 a to 35 c include first to third gas supply ports 28 a to 28 c arranged around the mold 3, and purge gas around the mold 3 is ejected at least immediately before the pressing operation. Increase the concentration as much as possible.

  Further, the imprint apparatus 1 includes an interference measurement length device for measuring the position of the wafer stage 6 and an alignment scope 29 for measuring the position of the alignment mark formed on the wafer 5. The interference measurement length device includes a mirror 30 and an interferometer 31 installed at the end of the wafer stage 6. The control device 8 drives the wafer stage 6 to the target position based on the measurement result by the interference measurement length device. Further, the control device 8 positions the wafer stage 6 based on the position of the alignment mark on the wafer 5 measured by the alignment scope 29. The imprint apparatus 1 includes a surface plate 32, a frame 33, and a vibration isolation device 34. The surface plate 32 supports the entire imprint apparatus 1 and forms a reference plane for the movement of the wafer stage 6. The frame 33 supports various components positioned above the wafer 5. The vibration isolator 34 has a function of reducing transmission of vibration from the floor surface and supports the frame 33.

  Next, imprint processing by the imprint apparatus 1 will be described. First, the control device 8 places the wafer 5 on the wafer stage 6 by a wafer transfer system (not shown), and then places the wafer 5 on the auxiliary member 25 by a vacuum suction means (not shown) configured on the wafer stage 6. To hold. Next, the control device 8 drives the wafer stage 6 as appropriate, and simultaneously acquires the position information of the wafer 5 by sequentially measuring the alignment marks on the wafer 5 by the alignment scope 29. The control device 8 calculates each transfer coordinate from the acquired position information, and uses it as a reference for sequential transfer (pressing operation) performed for each predetermined shot (transfer target region) or resin coating operation. Next, the control device 8 moves the wafer stage 6 and positions the target shot on the wafer 5 so as to be positioned directly below the resin supply port 27. Thereafter, the coating device 7 applies an appropriate amount of resin (uncured resin) to the target shot from the supply port 27. Next, the control device 8 aligns the mold surface of the mold 3 with the coating surface on the wafer 5 and corrects the shape of the mold 3 by the shape correction mechanism 23, and then drives the base drive mechanism to drive the wafer 5. The mold 3 is pressed into the upper resin. Completion of the pressing operation is determined by the control device 8 based on the measurement value of the load sensor installed in the mold holding device 4. During this pressing operation, the resin flows along the uneven pattern formed on the mold 3. In this state, the illumination system unit 2 irradiates ultraviolet rays from the upper surface of the mold 3, and the resin is cured by the ultraviolet rays transmitted through the mold 3. Then, after the resin is cured, the control device 8 re-drives the base drive mechanism and separates the mold 3 from the wafer 5 (mold release operation). As a result, a three-dimensional resin layer that follows the pattern of the mold 3 is formed on the surface of the shot on the wafer 5.

  Next, the operation of the mold holding device 4 which is a feature of this embodiment will be described. First, a release operation in a conventional imprint apparatus will be described for comparison. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a mold release operation in a conventional imprint apparatus. In particular, FIG. 7A shows an operation in the middle of peeling the mold 102 (uneven pattern 103) from the resin layer 101 formed on the wafer 100 during the releasing operation. Normally, when the mold 102 is pulled away from the wafer 100, the mold 102 receives a force in a direction away from the wafer 100, that is, in the Z-axis upward direction. At the same time, in the region where the concavo-convex pattern 103 and the resin layer 101 are fixed, the mold 102 receives a peeling stress in the direction toward the wafer 100, that is, the lower direction of the Z axis. Therefore, in the conventional imprint apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7A, the uneven pattern 103 is gradually formed from the periphery of the resin layer 101 by deforming the mold 102 into a bowl shape that protrudes in the direction toward the wafer 100. To avoid the sudden generation of peeling stress.

  Moreover, FIG.7 (b) is an enlarged view which shows the vicinity of the pattern formation part in Fig.7 (a). As shown in FIG. 7B, when the concavo-convex pattern 103 is gradually peeled off from the periphery of the resin layer 101, the peeled portion of the concavo-convex pattern 103 is in the Z direction (release direction) as the mold 102 is deformed. It tilts diagonally. Due to the inclination of the peeled portion, the pattern forming portion 101a of the resin layer 101 adjacent to the peeled portion is similarly pushed and tilted, and stress is generated at the base portion. If this stress is greater than the plastic stress of the resin, the pattern forming portion 101a will not return to its original position while being tilted.

On the other hand, in the mold holding device 4 of the present embodiment, by adopting the mold deformation mechanism 50, the bubbles mixed in the resin 56 are reduced, and the collapse of the pattern forming portion of the resin 56 is also reduced. . FIG. 2B is a schematic view showing a state of the mold deformation mechanism 50 during the pressing operation. First, at the time of the pressing operation, the mold deformation mechanism 50 causes the pressure adjusting device 53 to separate (separate) the surface of the reinforcing member 51 from the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 (opposite the central portion 3b of the pressing surface). The gas is supplied into the space region A while remaining. At this time, the supplied gas passes through the through hole 51a from the second space A ₂ of the mold base 24 side, pressurize the inner surface of the first space A ₁ of the mold 3 of the mold 3 side. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2B, the surface of the central portion of the mold 3 is thin relative to the thickness of the wall portion 3 a, so that it is deformed into a convex shape toward the wafer 5. Next, as the mold holding device 4 causes the mold 3 and the resin (uncured resin) 56 applied on the wafer 5 to come into relative contact with each other, the mold deformation mechanism 50 causes the pressure adjusting device 53 to move the space region A. The pressure inside is lowered, and the central portion of the mold 3 is gradually returned to a planar shape. Thereby, since the imprint apparatus 1 pushes out the gas existing between the mold 3 and the resin 56 to the outside, it is possible to carry out the pressing operation while reducing bubbles mixed in the resin 56. Thereafter, as described above, the imprint apparatus 1 performs the curing operation of the resin 56 by irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

On the other hand, FIG. 2C is a schematic view showing a state of the mold deformation mechanism 50 during the mold release operation. First, in parallel with the mold release operation, the mold deformation mechanism 50 exhausts the gas in the space region A by the pressure adjustment device 53. Here, the gas in the first space A ₁ which is shielded by the reinforcing member 51 and the elastic member 54 in the spatial domain A is depressurized is evacuated through the through hole 51a. Accordingly, the elastic member 54 is deformed, and the reinforcing member 51 is integrally adsorbed (coupled) to the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 as shown in FIG. Next, the mold holding device 4 relatively retracts the mold 3 and the resin (cured resin) 56. At this time, since the mold 3 and the reinforcing member 51 are in a coupled state, the strength of the mold 3 during the releasing operation is increased. Therefore, during the mold release operation, the deformation of the mold 3 is suppressed, and the collapse of the pattern forming portion of the resin 56 due to the deformation is reduced.

  As described above, according to the imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, by adopting the mold deformation mechanism 50 in the mold holding apparatus 4, it is possible to reduce the mixing of bubbles into the resin during the stamping operation and to release the mold. It is possible to reduce the collapse of the resin pattern forming portion during the mold operation.

  Here, a modified example of the mold deformation mechanism 50 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state during a pressing operation in a conventional imprint apparatus. In FIG. 8, the same components as those shown in FIG. First, FIG. 8A is a plan view of the wafer 100 as viewed from the mold side. In the drawing, the range 104 of the uneven pattern provided in the mold is indicated by a rectangle. In the imprint apparatus, as shown in the figure, there is a case where the range 104 of the concave / convex pattern of the mold is a position that protrudes from the edge of the wafer 100 during the pressing operation. In this case, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the imprint apparatus in which the mold is bent convexly toward the wafer and pressed against the resin on the wafer, as shown in FIG. A portion deformed into a convex shape may protrude from the edge of the wafer 100. When the mold 102 is pressed against the resin layer 101 in this state, the convex portion of the mold 102 comes into contact with the edge of the wafer 100 or the auxiliary member 25 that holds the wafer 100, from the viewpoint of contamination of the mold 102 or the wafer 100. It is not preferable.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a modification of the mold deformation mechanism 50 according to the present embodiment. 3A is a view of the reinforcing member 80 obtained by deforming the reinforcing member 51 as viewed from the wafer 5 side (along the Z axis), and FIG. 3B is a side view of the imprint apparatus ( It is the figure seen along the Y-axis. In the figure, a through hole 80 a formed in the reinforcing member 80 has one end penetrating to the surface on the side in contact with the mold 3. Further, the through holes 80a form a set in which the surface of the reinforcing member 51 on the side in contact with the mold 3 is divided into four parts, and the same set of through holes 80a are connected by the holes in the reinforcing member 80. The end penetrates to the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcing member 80. The through holes 80a penetrating to the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcing member 80 are connected to separate pressure adjusting devices 53a to 53d for each group. In the imprint apparatus configured as described above, when all the pressure adjusting devices 53a to 53d are pressurized during the pressing operation, or when all the pressure adjusting devices 53a to 53d are depressurized during the releasing operation. The operation is the same as that of the configuration example of the embodiment described above.

  8A, when the mold concavo-convex pattern is pushed into the area 104 protruding from the edge of the wafer 100, in the imprint apparatus of this configuration, first, the three pressure adjusting devices 53a, 53b, and 53c are applied. To reduce pressure. At this time, the pressure adjusting device 53d may be stopped or may be depressurized. Thereby, the reinforcing member 80 holds the upper surface of the mold 3 by suction. Next, pressure is applied by the pressure adjusting device 53d while maintaining the pressure reducing operation of the pressure adjusting devices 53a, 53b, and 53c. At this time, only the lower surface of the mold 3 in a range where there is a set of the through holes 80a pressurized by the pressure adjusting device 53d is deformed downwardly convex (downward, ie, convex toward the uncured resin), and the other range Since it is coupled with the reinforcing member 80, it does not deform downward. When the mold 3 is pressed against the resin 56 on the wafer 5 in this state, the convex portion of the mold 3 does not protrude from the end of the wafer 5, so that the mold 3 is connected to the end of the wafer 5 or the structure outside thereof. Do not touch. Therefore, the above-mentioned undesirable situation (contamination etc.) is less likely to occur. In the configuration of this modification, the number of sets of through holes 80a is four, but the number of sets other than this may be used. In addition, although the separate pressure adjusting devices 53a to 53d are assigned to each set of the through holes 80a, the pressure adjusting device 53 is shared with respect to the plurality of sets of the through holes 80a by using an appropriate pipe switching device or the like. May be.

  On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the mold operation is performed by exhausting the gas between the mold and the wafer, the exhaust means is located outside the uneven pattern range so as not to interfere with the uneven pattern forming portion. Need to be placed in. When partial evacuation is performed with such a configuration, the air pressure between the mold and the wafer becomes lower outside the center of the mold, and the outer part of the mold is pulled toward the wafer. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the vicinity of the outside of the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 102 is pulled in the direction of the wafer 100, and a W-shaped deformation is generated such that a portion outside the center of the mold 102 approaches the wafer 100. . In such a state, when the mold 102 is pressed against the resin layer 101, the outer portion of the mold 102 comes into contact with the resin layer 101 first, and the center portion is separated, so the center portion of the mold 102 is filled with resin. Instead, an event that bubbles remain may occur.

  On the other hand, FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another modification of the mold deformation mechanism 50 according to the present embodiment. In particular, FIG. 4A is obtained by adding exhaust means between the mold 3 and the wafer 5 to the imprint apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the figure, a through-hole 57 penetrates the mold 3 and the mold base 24 and is arranged outside the range of the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 3. In addition, the gas between the mold 3 and the wafer 5 can be discharged through the through hole 57 by an exhaust device (not shown) connected to the through hole 57.

FIG. 4B is a view of the reinforcing member 51 of the imprint apparatus shown in FIG. 4A as viewed from the Z-axis direction, and shows an example of the arrangement of the through holes 51a. The through holes 51a are arranged densely in the central part of the reinforcing member 51 and sparsely in the outer part outside. This arrangement is effective for an imprint apparatus that evacuates the mold and the wafer and presses the mold against the resin. The through hole 51a of the first embodiment, a configuration was arranged as shown in FIG. 4 (b), in the mold-pressing operation, the second space A ₂ gas in the mold base 24 side as described above, the through hole 51a through to pressurize the inner surface of the first space a ₁ of the mold 3 of the mold 3 side. In this case, arrangement of the through holes 51a are dense in the central portion, since a sparse outside portion, the flow rate of the gas that flows from the second space A ₂ to the first space A _1, the central portion than the outer portion Will be more. As a result, a first pressure space A ₁ of the mold 3 is made higher in the central portion than the outer portion, so that the central portion of the inner surface of the mold 3 is pushed to the strongly wafer 5 direction than the outer portion. As a result, a force acts to suppress or reduce the W-shaped deformation of the mold 3 that occurs when the mold 3 and the wafer 5 are evacuated through the through-holes 57. An effect of reducing the occurrence of an event that the ink is not filled is obtained. In addition, although the example which arrange | positions the through-hole 51a of the same diameter densely in the center part here and sparsely in the outer part was shown here, even if the diameter of the through-hole 51a of a center part is made larger than that of an outer part, the same effective. In short, what is necessary is just to comprise so that the density (area density) of the opening of the through-hole 51a may become larger in a center part than an outer side part.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a mold holding device 60 which is a characteristic part of the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same components as those of the mold holding device 4 shown in FIG. The mold holding device 60 is characterized by a mold deformation having a reinforcing member 61 in which at least one groove portion 61a is formed on the surface facing the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 instead of the mold deformation mechanism 50 of the first embodiment. The mechanism 62 is provided. In this case, in addition to the reinforcing member 61 installed in the space region A, the mold deformation mechanism 62 includes an elastic member (guide member) 63 that allows the reinforcing member 61 to move in the vertical direction with the space region A as a sealed space, And a stopper 64 that restricts the movement of the reinforcing member 61 in the vertical direction. Further, the mold deformation mechanism 62 includes a pressure adjusting device 65 that is installed outside the mold holding device 60 and adjusts the pressure in the space region A that becomes a sealed space by the elastic member 63. The reinforcing member 61 is formed of a light transmissive member, like the reinforcing member 51 of the first embodiment. Moreover, the shape of the groove part 61a will not be specifically limited if it can adsorb | suck to the center part inner surface 3d of the mold 3 suitably by the pressure change inside the groove part 61a so that it may mention later. The elastic member 63 is installed so as to connect the side surface portion 61b of the reinforcing member 61 and the central portion side surface 24a of the mold base 24 as in the first embodiment. The stopper 64 is installed on the central side surface 24 a of the mold base 24 so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the reinforcing member 61 (on the illumination system unit side) at the upper limit position of the reinforcing member 61. Furthermore, the pressure adjusting device 65 is connected through a pipe 66 penetrating into the space region A from the side of the mold base 24.

  The mold deformation mechanism 62 first pressurizes the space region A by supplying a gas by the pressure adjusting device 65 during the pressing operation. At this time, the reinforcing member 61 tries to move away from the mold 3 by pressurization in the space region A, but the movement is suppressed by the action of the stopper 64. At the same time, the surface of the central portion of the mold 3 is deformed into a convex shape toward the wafer 5 by the pressurization in the space region A. On the other hand, the mold deformation mechanism 50 exhausts the gas into the space region A by the pressure adjusting device 65 and depressurizes it during the mold release operation. Along with this, the elastic member 63 is deformed, so that the reinforcing member 61 is integrally adsorbed to the inner surface 3 d of the center portion of the mold 3. Other operations by the mold deformation mechanism 62 are the same as those of the mold deformation mechanism 50 of the first embodiment. Thus, according to the imprint apparatus provided with the mold holding device 60 of the present embodiment, the same effects as the imprint apparatus of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a mold holding device 70 which is a characteristic part of the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those of the mold holding device 4 shown in FIG. A feature of the mold holding device 70 is that, instead of the mold deformation mechanism 50 of the first embodiment, a magnetic body member 71 installed on the inner surface 3d of the center portion of the mold 3 and an electromagnet 72 facing the magnetic body member 71 are installed. The mold deformation mechanism 74 having the reinforcing member 73 is provided. In this case, in addition to the reinforcing member 73 installed in the space region A, the mold deformation mechanism 74 includes a sealing member 75 that makes the space region A a sealed space, and an elastic member that allows the reinforcing member 73 to move in the vertical direction ( Guide member) 76. In this case, the elastic member 76 does not have a sealing function, and the internal gas can pass through as appropriate. Further, the mold deformation mechanism 74 includes a pressure adjusting device 77 that is installed outside the mold holding device 70 and adjusts the pressure in the space region A that becomes a sealed space by the sealing member 75. The magnetic member 71 is formed of a magnetic material such as iron, and is coupled to the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 by adhesion or the like. The electromagnet 72 is connected to a power control device (actuator) 78 installed outside the mold holding device 70, and generates a magnetic force between the electromagnet 72 and the magnetic member 71 by controlling the internal current by the power control device 78. The reinforcing member 73 is formed of a light-transmitting member as in the above embodiment, but the ultraviolet light from the illumination system unit 2 passes through the magnetic member 71 and the electromagnet 72 so that the ultraviolet light from the illumination system unit 2 passes. Each one shall be placed at a position that avoids the optical path.

  First, the mold deformation mechanism 74 supplies and pressurizes gas into the space region A by the pressure adjusting device 77 in a separated state where the magnetic force of the electromagnet 72 is not generated by the power supply control device 78 during the pressing operation. Thereby, like the first embodiment, the surface of the central portion of the mold 3 is deformed into a convex shape toward the wafer 5. On the other hand, the mold deformation mechanism 74 generates a magnetic force in the electromagnet 72 under the control of the power supply control device 78 in a state where the gas in the space region A is not exhausted by the pressure adjusting device 77 during the mold release operation. Accordingly, the elastic member 76 is deformed, and the reinforcing member 73 is magnetically attracted (coupled) integrally with the magnetic member 71 installed on the inner surface 3d of the center portion of the mold 3. Other operations by the mold deformation mechanism 74 are the same as those of the mold deformation mechanism 50 of the first embodiment. As described above, according to the imprint apparatus of the present embodiment, the same effects as the imprint apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the reinforcing member 73 and the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 are brought into contact with each other by magnetic force. On the other hand, for example, there is a configuration in which at least one set of electrodes is installed on the reinforcing member 73 and the potential applied to the electrodes is controlled so that the reinforcing member 73 and the inner surface 3d of the central portion of the mold 3 are brought into contact with each other by electrostatic force. obtain.

(Product manufacturing method)
A method for manufacturing a device (semiconductor integrated circuit element, liquid crystal display element, etc.) as an article includes a step of forming a pattern on a substrate (wafer, glass plate, film-like substrate) using the above-described imprint apparatus. Furthermore, the manufacturing method may include a step of etching the substrate on which the pattern is formed. In the case of manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) and optical elements, the manufacturing method may include other processes for processing a substrate on which a pattern is formed instead of etching. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article as compared with the conventional method.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the reinforcing member is formed of a light transmissive member so as to correspond to an imprint apparatus employing a photocuring method, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the entire reinforcing member is not formed of a light transmissive member, but only a part that transmits light is formed of a light transmissive member, and the other part is formed of another metal member or a resin member. It may be formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imprint apparatus 3 Mold 5 Wafer 24 Mold base 51 Reinforcement member 56 Resin

Claims (14)

An imprint apparatus that forms an uncured resin on a substrate with a mold and cures, and forms a cured resin pattern on the substrate,
A holding part for attracting and holding the mold;
A reinforcing member that reinforces the mold by contacting the mold in parallel with the mold release in an area inside the area attracted by the holding portion;
An imprint apparatus comprising:   The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator that brings the inner region and the reinforcing member into contact with each other in parallel with mold release.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the actuator depressurizes a space between the inner region and the reinforcing member. The reinforcing member includes a through hole,
The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the actuator depressurizes a space between the inner region and the reinforcing member via the through hole.   The reinforcing member is formed with a plurality of the through holes, and the density of the openings of the plurality of through holes is high in the central portion between the central portion of the reinforcing member and the outer portion outside thereof. The imprint apparatus according to claim 4.   The guide according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member that guides the movement of the reinforcing member for contact or separation between the inner region and the reinforcing member. Printing device.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing member has a groove on a surface facing the inner region. A deformation mechanism that deforms the mold convexly toward the uncured resin;
The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mold is brought into contact with the uncured resin in a state where the mold is deformed by the deformation mechanism.   Deforming a partial region of the mold convexly toward the uncured resin by the deformation mechanism in a state where the inner region is attracted and held by the actuator to a partial region of the reinforcing member. The imprint apparatus according to claim 8.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the actuator causes the inner region and the reinforcing member to contact each other with a magnetic force.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the actuator causes the inner region and the reinforcing member to contact each other with electrostatic force.   The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least a part of the reinforcing member has light permeability.   The mold according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the mold has a mesa portion including a pattern for molding the uncured resin, and the mesa portion is thinner than other portions. The imprint apparatus according to any one of the above. Forming a resin pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
Processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the step;
A method for producing an article comprising:

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