JP2018190802A - Imprint device and method of manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imprint device which is advantageous for mold elimination by a radiation source provided on a stage.SOLUTION: An imprint device includes: a stage 1 which moves while holding a substrate 2 on the holding surface; a supply part 3 for supplying an imprint material to the substrate 2; and a radiation source 6 for emitting ionization radiation to ionize gas around a mold 5 for elimination of the mold 5. The radiation source 6 is located in a region on the side opposite to the direction side directed from the mold 5 to the supply part 3 on the stage 1 with respect to a holding surface 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

  An imprint apparatus is known as an apparatus for forming a fine pattern on a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like. The imprint apparatus is cured by bringing the imprint material on the substrate into contact with a mold (mold) having a pattern-formed portion (hereinafter referred to as a pattern portion) and applying energy for curing to the imprint material. This is an apparatus for forming a pattern of the imprint material.

  When the mold is peeled off from the imprint material, the mold is charged, so that charged foreign matter is likely to adhere to the pattern portion of the mold. When the mold having foreign matter attached to the pattern portion is brought into contact with the imprint material, there is a possibility that a defect is generated in the pattern formed on the substrate.

  Patent Document 1 describes an imprint apparatus in which an ionizer that ejects ionized gas as a charge removing means for discharging a mold is provided on a substrate stage (stage).

JP 2009-286085 A

  Instead of the ionizer described in Patent Document 1, the mold can be neutralized using ionizing radiation such as α rays and soft X rays. When the radiation source that emits the ionizing radiation is disposed on the substrate stage, the position where the radiation source is disposed is important in improving the neutralization efficiency.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous for static elimination of a mold using a radiation source provided on a substrate stage.

  An imprint apparatus according to the present invention is an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, and a stage that moves while holding the substrate on a holding surface; A supply section for supplying a printing material; and a radiation source for emitting ionizing radiation that ionizes a gas surrounding the mold for discharging the mold, wherein the radiation source is on the stage It is located in the area | region on the opposite side to the direction side which goes to the said supply part from the said type | mold with respect to a surface.

  According to the present invention, it is advantageous in removing static electricity from a mold using a radiation source provided on a substrate stage.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the imprint apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of arrangement | positioning of the radiation source which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between arrangement | positioning of an alpha ray source, and static elimination time. It is a figure which shows the modification of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view of the substrate stage which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the upper side figure and sectional drawing of the substrate stage which concern on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a top view of the substrate stage which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a level | step-difference part. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of articles | goods.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In the following drawings, a vertical axis is a Z axis, and two axes orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis are an X axis and a Y axis. In each figure, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The imprint apparatus 100 forms a pattern of imprint material on the substrate 2 using the mold 5. Specifically, the imprint material is cured in a state where the mold 5 and the imprint material are in contact with each other, and the mold 5 is pulled away from the cured imprint material, thereby forming a three-dimensional pattern formed on the pattern portion 5a of the mold 5. The shape pattern (uneven pattern) is transferred to the imprint material. The process from when the uncured imprint material is supplied to the substrate 2 until the imprint material pattern is formed is referred to as an imprint process.

  The supply unit 3 supplies an imprint material to the substrate. When imprint processing is performed a plurality of times while changing the processing target area for one substrate 2, the supply unit 3 supplies an amount of imprint material necessary for one imprint processing to the substrate 2. In this embodiment, a photocurable composition is used as the imprint material.

  The imprint head 4 holds the mold 5 by vacuum suction force or electrostatic force. The imprint head 4 is configured so that the mold 5 can be driven in the Z-axis direction. When the pattern portion 5a and the imprint material are brought into contact with each other, the mold 5 is moved down in the −Z direction to form a mold from the cured imprint material. In order to separate 5, the mold 5 is raised in the + Z direction.

  The curing unit 8 irradiates light having a wavelength at which the imprint material is cured toward the imprint material supplied to the substrate. The light emitted from the curing unit 8 is, for example, ultraviolet light.

  The gas supply unit (first gas supply means) 9 supplies the gas 10 toward the space below the mold 5. The gas 10 is a filling accelerating gas that has a function of accelerating the filling of the imprint material into the concave portions of the pattern portion 5a when the mold 5 and the imprint material are brought into contact with each other. For example, helium, nitrogen, condensable gas (pentafluoropropane), or a mixed gas of two or more thereof. As an example of the mixed gas, there is a mixed gas in which helium and pentafluoropropane are mixed.

  The gas supply unit 9 is a gas at least from when the supply unit 3 applies the imprint material to the substrate 2 until the substrate 2 is moved below the mold 5 to bring the mold 5 and the imprint material into contact with each other. 10 is preferably supplied.

  The substrate stage (stage) 1 includes a holding unit 11 that holds the substrate 2 with the holding surface 12 by vacuum suction or electrostatic force, and moves while holding the substrate 2. The substrate stage 1 can be moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a linear motor or a piezoelectric actuator. The drive mechanism may include a minute drive system for moving the substrate stage 1 by a minute amount and a coarse motion drive system for moving the substrate stage 1 by a larger movement amount than the minute drive system.

  The substrate stage 1 is mainly used for positioning a region to be processed on which a pattern of imprint material is to be formed at a position below the supply unit 3 or below the mold 5 for imprint processing. Move in the XY plane. However, the movement direction of the substrate stage 1 is not limited to this, and the substrate stage 1 may be configured to be movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, and the rotation directions around these axes.

  The substrate stage 1 further has the same surface portion 7 around the holding portion 11. The same surface portion 7 surrounds the holding portion 11 and is configured such that the height difference between the surface of the same surface portion 7 on the mold 5 side and the surface of the substrate 2 held by the holding portion 11 is 1 mm or less. Due to the presence of the same surface portion 7, the gas 10 is easily drawn below the mold 5 as the substrate stage 1 moves. Further, when imprint processing is performed on a shot region near the edge of the substrate 2, the pressure due to the pressing of the mold 5 is prevented from becoming too large at the edge portion, and the pattern portion 5a is prevented from being damaged.

  While the substrate stage 1 moves in the horizontal direction, the distance between the surface of the substrate 2 and the mold 5 is kept at 1 mm or less. With such a narrow gap, the contact operation and the separation operation of the mold 5 and the imprint material can be performed quickly in the imprint process.

  The control unit (control unit) 30 is connected to constituent members related to the operation of the imprint process such as the substrate stage 1, the supply unit 3, the curing unit 8, and the gas supply unit 9 through a wired or wireless communication line. Control.

  In the imprint process, when the cured imprint material and the mold 5 are separated from each other, a positive or negative charge is applied to the surface of the pattern portion 5a on the substrate 2 side, and the imprint material has a polarity opposite to that of the mold 5 Take on the charge. When the material of the mold 5 is a dielectric such as quartz glass that transmits light from the hardened portion 8, the mold 5 remains charged.

  The mold 5 is used for forming a pattern of the imprint material on the next region to be processed on the substrate 2. For this reason, if the imprint process is performed in a state where the foreign matter attracted by charging is attached to the pattern portion 5a, there is a risk that a pattern newly formed on the substrate 2 is defective. Or the uneven | corrugated pattern currently formed in the pattern part 5a may be damaged by the insertion of a foreign material.

  Therefore, the imprint apparatus 100 includes a radiation source 6 that emits ionizing radiation on the substrate stage 1 for ionizing a gas around the mold 5 in order to neutralize the pattern portion 5a. Of the ions generated by the radiation source 6, the ions having a charge opposite to that of the mold 5 come into contact with the mold 5, so that the mold 5 is neutralized.

  In this specification, “static elimination” not only means that the static elimination object is not charged, but also reduces the amount of charge of the polarity that the static elimination object is charged (closes to zero). means. “Ionizing radiation” refers to energy rays that can ionize atoms and molecules directly or indirectly. Examples of ionizing radiation preferable for static elimination include soft X-rays and α rays. In the following description, “ionizing radiation” is simply referred to as “radiation”.

  In the present embodiment, an α ray source that emits α rays is used as the radiation source 6. As the α-ray source, a radioactive isotope such as americium or polonium can be adopted. When an α-ray source is used, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to route a power supply cable to the substrate stage 1 even when the radiation source 6 is disposed on the substrate stage 1 because no power supply is required.

The α-ray source generates ions in a space up to about 42 mm from the α-ray exit port in the direction in which the α-ray travels in an atmospheric environment. This can generate ions at a higher density than other radiation. The α-ray source typically generates ions of about 3 × 10 ⁸ [ions / cm ³ ] to 1.2 × 10 ¹¹ [ions / cm ³ ] at room temperature and in the atmosphere. When the radiation source 6 having a radiation dose of 40 kBq / mm ² or more per unit area is used, the mold 5 charged to about several nano [C] is sufficiently neutralized if it is about 10 [ms] and at most 1 second. It becomes possible to do.

  Next, the arrangement of the radiation source 6 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a top view of the imprint apparatus 100 (viewed from the + Z direction). For convenience of explanation, the positions of the mold 5 and the pattern unit 5a are shown by broken lines, and the gas supply unit 9, the mold stage 4, the control unit 30, and the curing unit 8 are not shown.

  FIG. 2A shows a state where the processing area to be imprinted is positioned below the mold 5. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the radiation source 6 on the substrate stage 1 moving in the −X direction passes through a position below the pattern portion 5a. FIG. 2C shows a state in which the next region to be processed is located below the supply unit 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the radiation source 6 is arranged in an arc shape on the + X direction side of the holding surface 12 in the right half region on the substrate stage 1. That is, in the region on the substrate stage 1, the radiation source 6 is opposite to the holding surface 12 in the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3 (from the holding surface 12 to the −X direction side) (holding surface). 12 + X direction side). Thereby, after the pattern formation in the processing region is finished, the substrate stage 1 is moving in the −X direction toward the lower position of the supply unit 3 in the next processing region, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the radiation source 6 passes through a position below the pattern portion 5a (see FIG. 1).

  Thereby, every time the imprint process is completed, the pattern portion 5a charged with ions generated by the α rays emitted from the radiation source 6 can be neutralized. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects in the pattern formed on the substrate and the damage to the pattern portion 5a due to the adhering foreign matter floating around the pattern portion 5a.

  When the radiation source 6 is disposed only in the region on the −X direction side with respect to the holding surface 12 of the substrate stage 1, the substrate stage 1 is moved to a position where the radiation source 6 faces the pattern portion 5a only for the purpose of static elimination. However, according to the present embodiment, such necessity is eliminated. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in throughput (the number of substrates on which a pattern is formed per unit time) due to the movement of the substrate stage 1 only for the purpose of static elimination.

  The radiation source 6 is preferably arranged along the outer edges of the substrate 2 and the holding surface 12. Even if the portion on the −X direction side of the substrate 2 is the next region to be processed, the radiation source 6 can be easily passed through the position facing the pattern portion 5a. In FIG. 2, a single radiation source 6 is illustrated, but the radiation source 6 is located in a region opposite to the direction side from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3 with respect to the substrate 2 (the holding surface of the stage). If they are arranged, they may be arranged discretely as shown in FIG.

In addition, the radiation source installation region preferably has a width in a direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3. In particular, it is preferable that the installation area of the radiation source 6 includes both ends of the substrate 2 in the orthogonal direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the installation area of the radiation source 6 is from the mold 5 to the supply section 3 with respect to both ends of the substrate 2 in the direction orthogonal to the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply section 3 (Y-axis direction). It is preferable that the area | region on the opposite side to the direction side which goes to is included.
As a result, regardless of which part of the substrate 2 is the next region to be processed, the radiation source 6 can be passed through the position where the substrate stage 1 faces the pattern unit 5a on the way to the supply unit 3.

  Furthermore, when there is a possibility that the imprint material supplied from the supply unit 3 is altered by the radiation emitted from the radiation source 6, the radiation source 6 is moved from the mold 5 of the holding surface 12 on the substrate stage 1 to the supply unit 3. It is preferable not to arrange in the region on the direction side (−X direction side) toward the head. Thus, the radiation source 6 is positioned below the supply unit 3 after the state shown in FIG. 2B and before the region to be processed is positioned at the lower position of the supply unit 3 as shown in FIG. 2C. Can be prevented from passing through.

  Even if the imprint material supplied from the supply unit 3 has a property of being altered by the radiation emitted from the radiation source 6, the imprint material near the discharge port of the supply unit 3 is exposed to the radiation. Time can be reduced or eliminated as much as possible. Thereby, compared with the case where the radiation source 6 is arranged on the substrate stage 1 in the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3, the risk that the imprint material is altered as the pattern defect occurs during the imprint process is reduced. can do.

  As described above, by disposing the radiation source 6 on the substrate stage 1 on the side opposite to the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3, the radiation source provided on the substrate stage 1 is used to neutralize the mold. It will be advantageous.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the imprint apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the concave portion 20 is formed in the same surface portion 7 and the radiation source 6 is disposed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 20. The recess 20 is a form of a stepped portion having a surface below the holding surface 12 on the side where the holding surface 12 on the substrate stage 1 is formed.

  The recess 20 is provided in order to ensure a distance between the radiation source 6 and the pattern portion 5a of the mold 5 by a distance L. When the radiation source 6 that emits α rays is used, it is preferable that the distance L in the Z-axis direction from the radiation source 6 to the pattern portion 5a when the radiation source 6 and the mold 5 face each other is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The reason will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows that the charge amount of the static elimination object is reduced to 1/10 while changing the distance L (horizontal axis) from the radiation source 6 which is an α-ray source to the static elimination target (not shown). It is a figure which shows the experimental result when conducting the experiment which investigates the relationship with the static elimination time (vertical axis). As the object to be neutralized, an object which is not a mold 5 but is intentionally charged with a predetermined charge amount was used.

  FIG. 5 shows that the static elimination time becomes longer if the distance L is too small or too large. If the distance L is too small, ions are difficult to be generated due to the small number of molecules contained in the space from the static elimination object to the radiation source 6, while if the distance L is too large, the energy of the α-rays This is considered to be because the ions are deactivated and ions are not easily generated in the vicinity of the static elimination object. Since the same tendency can be obtained regardless of the charge amount of the static elimination object and the energy of the emitted radiation, the distance L from the radiation source 6 to the pattern portion 5a is preferably in the above range.

  Further, it is preferable to secure the distance L by forming the recess 20 instead of keeping the substrate stage 1 at a distance of 5 mm or more and 40 mm from the mold 5. By forming the recess 20, the distance between the substrate 2 and the pattern portion 5 a is kept short, and the imprint process is performed quickly, while the distance L is kept within the above range and the radiation source 6 moves below the mold 5. The pattern portion 5a can be neutralized with preferable neutralization efficiency in a limited time to pass.

  When the imprint apparatus 100 has few or no coplanar portions 7, a stepped portion having a surface below the surface of the substrate 2 is formed instead of the concave portion 20, and a radiation source is formed on the surface. 6 may be arranged. That is, the stepped portion may be configured such that the bottom surface of the recess 20 extends to the end of the substrate stage 1 (see the stepped portion 50 in FIG. 12).

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 that is a modification of the present embodiment. The substrate stage 1 includes a shielding member 21 in the recess 20 that absorbs radiation emitted from the radiation source 6. For the shielding member 21, a material that easily absorbs radiation, such as lead, is used.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding member 21 is preferably disposed on the side surface on the side holding the substrate 2 among the surfaces constituting the recess 20. When the radiation source 6 is an α ray source, radiation such as gamma rays can be generated in addition to α rays. Since the shielding member 21 shields various radiations emitted from the radiation source 6, the malfunction of the circuit elements already formed on the substrate 2 and the various electrical components used in the imprint apparatus 100 are adversely affected. It can be prevented from occurring.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the imprint apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a top view of the substrate stage 1. In the present embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, a cover member 22 is provided above the radiation source 6 (on the mold 5 side with respect to the radiation source 6). The cover member 22 includes a plurality of through holes 23, and the radiation emitted from the radiation source 6 passes through the through holes 23 and ionizes the gas around the mold 5. Thereby, the static elimination function of the mold 5 can be maintained. The opening ratio of the cover member 22 is preferably determined in consideration of the transmittance of α rays and the rigidity of the cover member 22.

  Even if the mold 5 is detached from the mold holding portion (not shown) at the time of abnormality, the presence of the cover member 22 causes the mold 5 to fall into the recess 20 and damage the radiation source 6. Can be prevented.

  The cover member 22 is particularly preferably made of a conductive material so as to be electrically conductive. For example, aluminum. Thereby, the potential gradient between the cover member 22 and the pattern portion 5a generated when the pattern portion 5a is charged can be kept large. Therefore, the moving speed of ions generated by irradiation of radiation from the radiation source 6 is increased, and the charge removal efficiency (the amount of charge discharged per unit time) compared to the case where a conductive material is not used for the cover member 22. Can be improved.

  The cover member 22 is preferably provided so as to extend from the side of the holding portion 11 in the direction along the holding surface. By configuring the cover member 22 as a part of the same surface portion 7, the cover member 22 can have the above-described function as the same surface portion 7.

  7 and 8 illustrate a case where the through hole 23 has a circular cross section, the cross section may have other shapes. For example, a rectangular shape or a slit shape may be used.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the substrate stage 1 according to the imprint apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9A is a top view of the substrate stage 1, and illustration of the cover member 22 is omitted for easy understanding of the arrangement of the radiation source 6. FIG. 9B is a view showing a part of the CC ′ cross-sectional view of FIG.

  The stage apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is different from the stage apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment in that the radiation source 6 is disposed in each of the plurality of recesses 20 separated by the partition wall 24. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the recesses 20 corresponding to the seven radiation sources 6a to 6g are formed. The cover member 22 may be a single structure or a plurality of structures as long as the cover member 22 is arranged so as to hang over the plurality of recesses 20.

  During the imprint process on the processing area 26 (for example, the processing area 26a) on the side near the outer periphery of the substrate 2 among the plurality of processing areas 26, the gas supply unit 9 surrounds the processing area 26a. Gas 10 is supplied. At this time, the volume of the space from which the gas 10 escapes becomes large if the concave portion 20 is a space having a volume as large as when the plurality of concave portions 20 communicate with each other. For example, it becomes easy to diffuse to the space where the radiation source 6g is arranged, and the concentration of the gas 10 on the processing area 26a tends to become thin.

  On the other hand, even if the gas 10 diffuses into the recesses 20c and 25d in which the radiation sources 6c and 6d are disposed during the supply of the gas 10 by configuring the recess 20 having a small volume separated by the partition wall 24, the gas 10 It saturates at the recesses 20 c and 24 d and overflows on the substrate stage 1. Thereby, in addition to the effect similar to 1st-3rd embodiment, the density | concentration fall of the gas 10 in the to-be-processed area | region 26 can be suppressed. By suppressing the decrease in the concentration of the gas 10, it is possible to prevent the filling time of the imprint material into the pattern portion 5 a from being lengthened and to suppress a decrease in throughput.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment. In addition to the imprint apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment, the imprint apparatus 100 further includes a gas supply unit (second supply unit) that supplies a gas 25 to the recess 20 from a gas supply port 24a provided on the inner surface of the recess 20. 24.

  The gas supply unit 24 supplies the gas 25 to keep the recess 20 at a positive pressure compared to the space on the upper surface side of the substrate stage 1, thereby suppressing the gas from the gas supply unit 9 from entering the recess 20. Can do. As a result, the gas 10 supplied from the gas supply unit 9 enters the recess 20, so that a decrease in the concentration of the gas 10 in the space between the mold 5 and the substrate 2 can be suppressed or reduced.

  The type of the gas 25 from the gas supply unit 24 can be arbitrarily selected. For example, the gas is preferably inert to the imprint material, and may be clean dry air (CDA). Since the gas 25 may leak to the upper surface side of the substrate stage 1 from the recess 20, it is preferable that the gas 25 is also a filling accelerating gas like the gas 10.

[Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a top view of the substrate stage 1 according to the sixth embodiment. The imprint apparatus 100 according to the sixth embodiment includes shutter members 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d that can be opened and closed in addition to the imprint apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. The shutter members 31a to 31d can be arranged above the radiation source 6, that is, on the side where the radiation emitted from the radiation source 6 travels. The shutter members 31a to 31d can shield radiation emitted from the radiation source 6 when disposed on a path along which the radiation travels (when closed).

  The shutter members 31a to 31d are configured to be slidable in the X-axis direction by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a linear motor or a piezoelectric actuator. The controller 30 controls the opening and closing of the shutter members 31a to 31d by giving a drive command to the drive mechanism according to the pattern forming operation.

  FIG. 11 is an example thereof, and is a diagram illustrating a case where the shutter members 31a to 31d are controlled in accordance with the position of the processing target region. For example, when the substrate 2 is virtually divided into the regions 2a to 2d and the region to be processed is in the region 2c, the shutter member 31c is opened so as to be disengaged from above the radiation source 6, and the shutter members 31a and 31b are disposed. , 31d are closed and placed above the radiation source 6. Thus, when the substrate stage 1 moves in the −X direction after performing the imprint process in the region 2c, only the portion of the radiation source 6 that faces the pattern portion 5a is exposed, and the other portions are exposed to the shutter member. It can be shielded by 31a, 31b, 31d.

  As another example, the control unit 30 may control the opening and closing of the shutter members 31a to 31d according to the timing of the imprint process. It is preferable that the control unit 30 arranges the shutter members 31a to 31d on the side where the radiation source proceeds in at least a part of the period during which the radiation source 6 does not face the pattern unit 5a.

  For example, after the mold release operation until the radiation source 6 passes through a position facing the mold 5, the shutter members 31 a to 31 d are arranged at positions away from the radiation source 6 to expose the radiation source 6. Further, the shutter members 31a to 31d are arranged above the radiation source 6 to shield the radiation after the radiation source 6 passes through the position facing the mold 5 and immediately before the release operation in the next imprint process is completed. To do.

  As described above, by controlling the arrangement of the shutter members 31a to 31d according to the pattern forming operation, the constituent members of the imprint apparatus 100 are unnecessarily exposed to radiation in addition to the effect of eliminating the charge of the pattern 5a. Can be prevented.

  When the imprint apparatus 100 includes the supply unit 3 on the −X direction side and the + X direction side with respect to the mold 5, the control unit 30 performs shutter members 31 a to 31 d according to the moving direction of the substrate stage 1 after the mold release operation. You may control. The configuration of the shutter members 31a to 31d is not a divided structure as shown in FIG. 11, but may be an integral shutter. Further, the shutter members 31a to 31d may be made of any material as long as it is a member that can block α rays.

  If the shutter members 31 a to 31 d are arranged above the radiation source 6, even if the imprint material is likely to be altered by radiation irradiation, the mold 5 on the substrate stage 1 is directed to the supply unit 3. A radiation source 6 may be further arranged on the direction side. This is because radiation control to the vicinity of the supply unit 3 can be prevented by controlling the shutter members 31a to 31d.

[Other Embodiments]
A corona discharge type ionizer may be arranged in place of the radiation source 6 as a neutralizing means of the mold 5. The ionizer releases pre-ionized gas molecules together with the gas around the mold 5. The ionized molecules adhere to the pattern portion 5a of the mold 5 so that the pattern portion 5a can be neutralized. As in the above-described embodiments, the ionizer is located in a region on the substrate stage 1 opposite to the holding surface 12 in the direction from the mold 5 toward the supply unit 3. Thus, the ionizer always faces the pattern portion 5a while the substrate stage 1 goes to the supply portion 3 after the mold release operation, and is a region on the opposite side of the holding surface 12 from the direction toward the supply portion 3 from the mold 5. The mold 5 can be discharged efficiently compared to the case where it is not located at the position.

  In the first to third and sixth embodiments, it is not essential that the imprint apparatus 100 includes the gas supply unit 9. If the gas supply unit 9 is not provided, the substrate stage 1 does not include the same surface unit 7. Also good.

  In the case where the imprint material is difficult to be deteriorated by receiving α-rays or γ-rays, the radiation source 6 is moved from the holding surface mold 5 on the substrate stage 1 to the supply unit 3 in the second to fifth embodiments. You may arrange | position in the area | region of the direction direction which goes. In the third to sixth embodiments, the imprint apparatus may include the shielding member 21 described in the second embodiment.

  In the fourth to fifth embodiments, when the possibility of dropping the mold 5 is low, the imprint apparatus may not include the cover member 22. Conversely, the cover member 22 may be provided in the sixth embodiment.

  Depending on the energy of the radiation emitted from the radiation source 6, there may be a case where the mold 5 cannot be discharged to a predetermined charge amount during the operation of moving the substrate stage 1 after the mold release operation. In such a case, the control unit 30 responds to the position of the substrate stage 1 so that when the radiation source 6 passes under the mold 5, the substrate stage 1 is moved or stopped later than other times. The movement of the substrate stage 1 may be controlled.

  The area to be processed for imprint processing may be one shot area or a plurality of shot areas. Further, when a pattern is formed on the periphery of the substrate, it may be a part of the one or a plurality of shot regions. The shot area is a unit area for forming a pattern by the exposure apparatus.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where an α-ray source is used as the radiation source 6 has been described. However, a soft X-ray source that emits soft X-rays, a gamma-ray source that emits γ-rays, a β-ray source that emits β-rays, and the like. May be used instead of the α-ray source.

  The foreign substance in the above description is a substance that is not intended to participate in pattern formation. For example, dried solids with ink droplets drifted by an ink jet method, dried solids with splashes of imprint material supplied by a spin coating method, fine particles generated from components constituting the imprint device, and present in the imprint device Dust.

  As the imprint material, a curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when given energy for curing is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like is used. The electromagnetic wave is, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays, the wavelength of which is selected from a range of 10 nm to 1 mm.

  A curable composition is a composition which hardens | cures by irradiation of light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component.

  The imprint material is applied in the form of a film on the substrate 2 by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the liquid ejecting head may be applied onto the substrate 2 in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The imprint material has a viscosity (viscosity at 25 ° C.) of, for example, 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less.

  The imprint apparatus 100 having a plurality of features may be implemented by appropriately combining the first to sixth embodiments described above and other embodiments.

[Production Method]
The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include an imprint mold.

  The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as a constituent member of at least a part of the article or temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation or the like is performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

  Next, a specific method for manufacturing an article will be described. As shown in FIG. 13A, a substrate 2 such as a silicon substrate on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared. Subsequently, the substrate 2z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Apply printing material. Here, a state is shown in which a plurality of droplet-shaped imprint materials are applied onto the substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, the imprint mold 5 is opposed to the imprint material on the substrate with the side on which the concave / convex pattern is formed facing. As shown in FIG.13 (c), the board | substrate 2 to which the imprint material was provided, and the type | mold 5 are made to contact, and a pressure is applied. The imprint material is filled in the gap between the mold 5 and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold 5 as energy for curing, the imprint material is cured.

  As shown in FIG. 13D, after the imprint material is cured, when the mold 5 and the substrate 2 are separated, a pattern of a cured product of the imprint material is formed on the substrate 2. The pattern of the cured product is such that the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured product, that is, the concave / convex pattern of the mold 5 is transferred to the imprint material. That's right.

  As shown in FIG. 13 (e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching resistant mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured product or remains thin is removed, and the groove 5z and Become. As shown in FIG. 13 (f), when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article in which the groove 5z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the cured product pattern is removed here, it may be used as, for example, a film for interlayer insulation contained in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a constituent member of an article without being removed after processing.

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

2 Substrate 3 Supply section (supply means)
Type 5 6 Radiation source

Claims (19)

An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold,
A stage that holds and moves the substrate on a holding surface;
A supply unit for supplying an imprint material to the substrate;
A radiation source that emits ionizing radiation that ionizes the gas surrounding the mold for charge removal of the mold;
The imprint apparatus, wherein the radiation source is located in a region on the stage opposite to a direction side from the mold toward the supply unit with respect to the holding surface. A cover member having a through hole above the radiation source;
2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation emitted from the radiation source passes through the through hole and ionizes a gas around the mold. The stage has a stepped portion having a surface below the holding surface on the surface side on which the holding surface is formed,
The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation source is disposed on a surface below the holding surface of the stepped portion.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a shielding member that shields the ionizing radiation on a side surface of the stepped portion. Gas supply means for supplying a filling promoting gas for promoting filling of the imprint material into the concave portion of the pattern of the mold;
5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stage includes a plurality of concave portions as the stepped portions, and the radiation source is provided in each of the plurality of concave portions. A first gas supply means for supplying a filling promoting gas for promoting filling of the imprint material into the concave portion of the pattern of the mold;
5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a second gas supply unit that supplies gas from a supply port provided in the recess is provided in the recess as the stepped portion.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the gas supplied by the second gas supply means is the filling acceleration gas. An openable / closable shutter member for shielding the ionizing radiation from the radiation source;
The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls opening and closing of the shutter member in accordance with a pattern forming operation of the imprint material.   The said control means shields the said ionizing radiation by closing the said shutter member in the at least one part period when the said radiation source is not facing the pattern part of the said type | mold. The imprint apparatus described.   10. The radiation source according to claim 1, wherein the radiation source is not disposed in a region of the holding surface on the direction side from the mold toward the supply unit. Imprint device.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation emitted from the radiation source includes α rays.   The distance from the radiation source to the mold in the direction in which the radiation source and the mold are aligned when the radiation source and the mold face each other is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The imprint apparatus described. An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold,
A stage for holding the substrate on a holding surface;
A radiation source that emits alpha rays to ionize the gas surrounding the mold for static elimination of the mold;
An imprint apparatus, wherein when the radiation source and the mold face each other, a distance from the radiation source to the mold in a direction in which the radiation source and the mold are aligned is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less. A cover member having a through hole above the radiation source;
The imprint apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the α ray emitted from the radiation source passes through the through hole and ionizes a gas around the mold. The stage has a stepped portion having a bottom surface below the holding surface on the surface side on which the holding surface is formed,
The imprint apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the radiation source is disposed on a surface below the holding surface of the stepped portion. An openable / closable shutter member for shielding the α rays from the radiation source;
The imprinting apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a control unit that controls opening and closing of the shutter member in accordance with a pattern forming operation of the imprinting material.   The said control means shields the said alpha ray by closing the said shutter member in the at least one part period when the said radiation source is not facing the pattern part of the said type | mold. The imprint apparatus described. An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold,
A stage that holds and moves the substrate on a holding surface;
A supply unit for supplying an imprint material to the substrate;
Discharging means for discharging gas molecules ionized around the mold together with the gas for discharging the mold,
The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charge eliminating unit is located in a region on the stage opposite to a direction side from the mold toward the supply unit with respect to the holding surface. Forming a pattern on a region to be processed of a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to claim 1;
And a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the step,
A method for producing an article, comprising producing an article including at least a part of the processed substrate.

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