JP2019192753A - Molding apparatus and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an advantageous technique for cleaning a mold.SOLUTION: The molding apparatus for molding a composition on a substrate using a mold, includes: a dry cleaning unit for irradiating the mold with plasma or light to clean the mold; and a moving unit for moving a region irradiated with plasma or light by the dry cleaning unit on a surface of the mold. The molding apparatus irradiates a first partial region while moving the irradiation region at a first speed in the first partial region including a position related to foreign matters on the surface of the mold and irradiates a second partial region while moving the irradiation region at a second speed faster than the first speed in the second partial region different from the first partial region on the surface of the mold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

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

  The demand for miniaturization of semiconductor device patterns has advanced, and microfabrication technology that forms uncured resin (imprint material) on a substrate with a mold and forms the resin pattern on the substrate attracts attention. Yes. Such a technique is also called an imprint technique, and can form a fine structure on the order of several nanometers on a substrate.

  As one of the imprint techniques, for example, there is a photocuring method. In an imprint apparatus employing a photocuring method, first, a resin is supplied (applied) to a shot area (imprint area) on a substrate. Next, in a state where the uncured resin on the substrate is in contact with the mold, light is irradiated to cure the resin, and the pattern is formed on the substrate by separating the mold from the cured resin.

  In the imprint apparatus, since the mold and the resin on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, if foreign matter adheres to the mold, the foreign matter is transferred as it is, and a defect (defect, etc.) occurs in the pattern formed on the substrate. . In addition, foreign matter may be caught between the mold and the substrate, and the mold may be damaged by pressure when the mold and the resin on the substrate are brought into contact with each other.

  Several techniques for removing such foreign matter have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting a foreign substance on a mold and cleaning a place where the foreign substance is present based on the detected result.

JP 2017-59641 A

  In the prior art described in Patent Document 1, when using a dry cleaning apparatus for cleaning by irradiating with plasma or light, the power of the irradiation unit for irradiating with plasma or light is turned on in order to clean a place where there is a foreign substance. To do. In addition, since the cleaning is not performed in a region different from the place where the foreign matter is present, the irradiation unit is repeatedly turned on and off, such as turning off the irradiation unit. In addition, a standby time is required until the irradiation unit reaches a predetermined performance after the irradiation unit is turned on in order to clean the next foreign object and before the cleaning is started. In addition, depending on the number of cleanings and the number of foreign substances, ON and OFF are frequently repeated, and the life of the irradiation unit may be shortened.

  For this reason, when the mold is cleaned by irradiating with plasma or light by the irradiation unit even in a region different from the location where the foreign matter is present, the region wider than the location where the foreign matter is present is cleaned, resulting in a longer cleaning time.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique advantageous for cleaning a mold.

  A molding apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using a mold, and is a dry apparatus that cleans the mold by irradiating the mold with plasma or light. A cleaning unit; and a moving unit that moves the plasma or light irradiation region by the dry cleaning unit on the surface of the mold, wherein the moving unit includes a position related to a foreign substance on the surface of the mold. While moving the irradiation region at a first speed in the partial region, the dry cleaning unit irradiates the first partial region, and the moving unit is different from the first partial region on the surface of the mold. In the partial region, the second partial region is irradiated by the dry cleaning unit while moving the irradiation region at a second speed higher than the first speed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for cleaning a mold.

It is the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the mask cleaning of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process regarding the cleaning of a mold. It is the figure which showed the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 5th Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the schematic of the imprint apparatus of 6th Embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference number is attached | subjected about the same member and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

<First Embodiment>
In this embodiment, an imprint apparatus will be described as a molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using a mold. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the imprint apparatus 100. The imprint apparatus 100 is a lithography apparatus that performs an imprint process using a mold 3 to form a pattern on a resin (composition, imprint material) on a substrate 7. The imprint apparatus 100 includes a mold holding unit 2 that holds and moves the mold 3, a substrate stage 6 that holds and moves the substrate 7, a cleaning unit 40, a mold transport unit 30, and a control unit 20. .

  The control unit 20 includes a CPU (arithmetic unit) and a memory (storage unit), and controls the entire imprint apparatus 100. For example, the control unit 20 controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform imprint processing. In the imprint process, a resin is supplied onto the substrate, the resin is cured in a state where the mold 3 and the resin on the substrate are in contact, and a pattern is formed on the substrate by separating the mold 3 from the cured resin.

  Specifically, in the imprint process, first, the mold holding unit 2 is lowered to bring the pattern portion 3a of the mold 3 into contact with the resin on the substrate. And in the state which resin and the pattern part 3a contacted, light or heat is given to resin and resin is hardened. After completing the curing, the mold holding part 2 is raised to separate the pattern part 3a from the resin. Thereby, a resin pattern is formed on the substrate. In the imprint process, the substrate holding stage 2 may be moved up and down without being limited to the form in which the mold holding unit 2 is moved up and down.

  In the imprint process, the mold 3 and the resin on the substrate are present in the same space and are brought into contact with each other, so that the foreign matter 4 may adhere to the mold 3 (pattern surface 3a). For example, the mold 3 is charged by the contact between the mold 3 and the resin on the substrate or the mold 3 is separated from the resin on the substrate, and the particles existing in the vicinity of the mold 3 are attracted to the mold 3 and adhere as the foreign matter 4. Sometimes. In addition, the resin remaining in the mold 3 may be deposited and become the foreign matter 4. If the resin and the pattern surface 3 a are brought into contact with the mold 3, particularly the pattern surface 3 a while the foreign matter 4 is attached, the pattern formed on the substrate will be defective or the mold 3 may be damaged.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the mold 3 is cleaned using the cleaning unit 40 in the imprint apparatus 100. The cleaning unit 40 is a dry cleaning unit that cleans the mold 3 with plasma or light irradiated from the irradiation unit 41. The cleaning unit 40 includes a mold stage 42 that holds the mold 3 and an irradiation unit 41 that irradiates light such as plasma or ultraviolet rays toward the object to be cleaned.

  The mold stage 42 (moving unit) includes a mold holding unit that holds the outer periphery of the mold and a moving mechanism that moves the mold. Thus, the mold 3 held on the mold stage 42 is configured to be movable relative to the irradiation unit 41. The moving part is not limited to the mold stage 42, and the irradiation unit 41 may move.

  The cleaning unit 40 cleans the mold 3 while the mold 3 is held on the mold stage 42. The portion to be cleaned is, for example, the pattern surface 3a of the mold 3 or the side surface of the convex portion on which the pattern surface 3a is formed. The mold transport unit 30 is a robot hand that transports the mold 3 held by the mold holding unit 2 to the cleaning unit 40.

  The imprint apparatus 100 has a detection unit that observes the state of the pattern surface 3 a of the mold 3 and detects the foreign matter 4 attached to the pattern surface 3 a of the mold 3. The detection unit includes, for example, a camera that captures an image of the pattern surface 3a of the mold 3 and acquires an image, and detects the foreign matter 4 attached to the pattern surface 3a from the image. However, the present invention is not limited to this method, and non-contact type sensors such as eddy current type, optical type, and ultrasonic type may be included. In the case where the detection unit includes a non-contact type sensor, by obtaining data (for example, height) as a reference of the mold 3 in advance, the mold is calculated from the difference between the data and the detection result at an arbitrary timing. 3 can be detected. Further, when the state of the pattern surface 3a becomes unobservable due to reflection from the foreign material 4, it can be detected that the foreign material 4 has adhered to the pattern surface 3a of the mold 3. . The detection unit 1 may include a contact type sensor such as a transformer type or a scale type instead of a non-contact type sensor.

  The control unit 20 includes a specifying unit 22, a generation unit 24, and a processing unit 26. A control flow by the control unit 20 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a control flow. The specifying unit 22 specifies the position and the like of the foreign matter 4 attached to the pattern surface 3a of the mold 3 (S801). For example, the specifying unit 22 acquires information on the foreign matter 4 attached to the pattern surface 3 a of the mold 3 from the detection unit, and if the attachment of the foreign matter 4 to the pattern surface 3 a of the mold 3 is detected, specifies the position of the foreign matter 4. To do. In addition, the position of the foreign matter may be specified using a user interface (GUI) in which an image of the mold is displayed and the user designates an area including the position where the foreign matter is present using the displayed image. In addition, information on the position of a foreign object detected by an external inspection device may be acquired via a network.

  Next, the production | generation part 24 produces | generates the foreign material information 12 which is the information regarding the foreign material 4 identified by the specific | specification part 22 (S802). The foreign matter information 12 includes, for example, data representing the position (coordinates) of the foreign matter 4 on the pattern surface 3a of the mold 3, data representing the size of the foreign matter 4, data representing the height of the foreign matter 4, and the like. FIG. 1 shows an example in which there are a plurality of foreign substances 4a and 4b.

  Next, after the region that can be irradiated by the irradiation unit 41 is positioned on the surface to be cleaned of the mold, irradiation of plasma or light by the irradiation unit 41 is started (S803). In the present embodiment, the surface to be cleaned is the pattern portion 3 a of the mold 3. Thereafter, while moving the mold 3, a cleaning process is performed by irradiation of plasma or light by the irradiation unit 41 to remove the foreign matter 4. An irradiation area 41 a that can be irradiated simultaneously with plasma or light by the irradiation unit 41 is smaller than the entire surface of the mold 3. FIG. 2 shows an irradiation region formed in a line extending in the x direction. Therefore, by moving the mold stage 42 in one direction (y direction), the entire mold surface is cleaned while moving the irradiation region 41 a by the irradiation unit 41 on the surface of the mold 3.

  The processing unit 26 moves the mold stage 42 based on the position of the foreign matter 4 specified by the specifying unit 22 (S804, S805). The processing unit 26 designates the first partial area where the foreign matter is present based on the foreign matter information 12 generated by the generation unit 24. The processing unit 26 can also specify a second partial region that is different from the first partial region. The second partial region is a region in which no foreign matter is detected, but there is a possibility that there is foreign matter that cannot be detected by the detection unit.

  First, the mold stage 42 is moved at a high speed until the irradiation region by the irradiation unit 41 is located in a region where the foreign matter 4b is present (S804). At this time, in the second partial region on the right side of the region with the foreign matter 4b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the irradiation region is moved in the y direction at a second speed higher than the first speed, and the irradiation unit 41 performs the second operation. Irradiate a partial area. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the mold stage 42 by setting a second target speed faster than the first target speed when moving the irradiation area in the second partial area.

  Next, the mold stage 42 is moved in the y direction so as to move the irradiation region at a predetermined speed (first speed) in the first partial region including the position of the foreign matter 4b, and the irradiation unit 41 causes the first part to move. The area is irradiated to remove foreign matter (S805). For example, the first speed is set to a speed that can secure an irradiation amount necessary for removing foreign substances and is slower than the second speed. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the mold stage 42 by setting the first target speed when moving the irradiation region in the first partial region.

  Next, it is determined whether the irradiation area by the irradiation part 41 has reached the end of the pattern part 3a of the mold 3 (S806). When the irradiation area reaches the end of the pattern part 3a of the mold 3, the irradiation by the irradiation part 41 is stopped (S807), and the cleaning is finished. In order to improve the cleaning effect, the cleaning may be performed again by folding back at the end of the pattern portion 3a of the mold 3.

  If the irradiation area has not reached the end of the pattern portion 3a of the mold 3, the process returns to S804. In the example of FIG. 2, there are a plurality of foreign substances at positions away from each other, that is, there are a plurality of first partial areas with foreign substances, and a second partial area exists between the plurality of first partial areas. Therefore, after irradiating the second partial region, it is necessary to clean the first partial region where the foreign matter 4a is present. Therefore, after moving the irradiation region at the second speed in the second partial region, the irradiation region is moved at the first speed in the first partial region where the next foreign matter 4a is present.

  At this time, after cleaning the foreign matter 4b, when the irradiation unit 41 is once turned off when the irradiation region is moved to the position of the foreign matter 4a, it is necessary to turn it on again when cleaning the foreign matter 4b. If the power of the irradiation unit is repeatedly turned OFF and ON, the life may be shortened. For these reasons, it is desirable not to frequently turn OFF and ON.

  Therefore, the irradiation unit 41 changes the second partial region of the mold 3 from the state where the irradiation region is present in the region including the position where the foreign matter 4b is present to the state where the irradiation region is present in the region including the position where the foreign matter 4a is present. The mold stage 42 is moved at a high second speed while irradiating. Thereby, the frequency | count of OFF of the irradiation part 41 and ON can be reduced, and the life of the irradiation part 41 can be extended. Further, it is possible to reduce the waiting time until the irradiation unit reaches a predetermined performance when the irradiation unit is turned on after being turned off.

  When the irradiation area is moved at the first speed for cleaning the foreign matter in the entire area of the mold, the cleaning time becomes longer. According to the present embodiment, when cleaning an area where foreign matter is present as described above, the irradiation speed necessary for removing the foreign matter is set at a predetermined speed, and the irradiation area is high-speed in an area where no foreign matter is detected. The cleaning time can be shortened by moving. In addition, since the foreign matter can be cleaned in the entire region including the first partial region and the second partial region in a short cleaning time, efficient cleaning can be performed.

  When the irradiation unit 41 is not irradiated, for example, when the mold stage 42 is moved before the irradiation region is positioned on the pattern portion 3a of the mold 3, the second partial region is irradiated (during cleaning). It is also possible to move at a third speed that is faster than the second speed. Thus, by setting the second speed and the third speed, the time required for cleaning can be further shortened.

Second Embodiment
Next, an imprint apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an imprint apparatus connected to an external apparatus via a network. The imprint apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an input unit 27 that acquires information about a foreign object via the network 50. The imprint apparatus 100a, which is another apparatus, includes a memory (storage unit) 28 that stores information about foreign matters, and the server 60 stores information about foreign matters in the memory. The control unit 20 of the imprint apparatus 100 can acquire information on the foreign matter from the imprint apparatus 100 a or the server 60 using the input unit 27. The control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 40 of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform mold cleaning based on the acquired information on the foreign matter. Since the cleaning method is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, an imprint apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an imprint apparatus connected to a server that stores imprint conditions via a network. The imprint apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an input unit 27 that acquires information about imprint conditions via the network 50.

  The server 70 stores information such as the shape, line width, and density of the mold pattern, and information on the unevenness of the underlying layer of the layer on which the pattern is to be formed on the substrate. In addition, the server 70 stores information such as the distribution of the amount of resin applied to the substrate, the time during which the resin fills between the irregularities of the mold pattern, and the method for separating the mold from the resin.

  The control unit 20 of the imprint apparatus 100 acquires information related to the imprint conditions from the server 70 using the input unit 27. The generation unit 24 predicts the position of the foreign matter attached to the mold based on the acquired information on the imprint condition, and generates information on the foreign matter (foreign matter information). The control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 40 of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform mold cleaning based on the generated foreign matter information. Since the cleaning method is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, an imprint apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 20 of the imprint apparatus 100. The control unit 20 includes a storage unit 28 that stores, as a database, information on the position of foreign matter (foreign matter history) attached to the surface of the mold used in the past in the imprint apparatus 100. The generation unit 24 acquires information stored in the storage unit 28 and generates foreign matter information. The control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 40 of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform mold cleaning based on the generated foreign matter information. Since the cleaning method is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

<Fifth Embodiment>
Next, an imprint apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the imprint apparatus 100 connected to the external cleaning apparatus 101 via the network 50. The cleaning apparatus 101 detects and cleans foreign matter adhering to the mold used in the imprint apparatus 100 or other imprint apparatuses. The cleaning apparatus 101 includes a memory 80 that stores information regarding the detected foreign matter. The imprint apparatus 100 includes an input unit 27 that acquires information on the foreign matter stored in the memory 80 of the cleaning apparatus 101 via the network 50.

  The control unit 20 of the imprint apparatus 100 acquires information on the foreign matter from the cleaning apparatus 101 using the input unit 27. The control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 40 of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform mold cleaning based on the acquired information on the foreign matter. Since the cleaning method is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

<Sixth Embodiment>
Next, an imprint apparatus 100 according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the imprint apparatus 100 connected to another imprint apparatus 100 a via the network 50. The other imprint apparatus 100a has a storage unit 28 that stores, as a database, information on the position of a foreign substance (foreign substance history) attached to the surface of the mold used in the past in the imprint apparatus 100a. The imprint apparatus 100 includes an input unit 27 that acquires information regarding the foreign matter stored in the storage unit 28 of the other imprint apparatus 100 a via the network 50.

  The control unit 20 of the imprint apparatus 100 uses the input unit 27 to acquire information about the foreign matter stored in the storage unit 28 of the imprint apparatus 100a. The generation unit 24 of the imprint apparatus 100 generates foreign matter information using the acquired information. The control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 40 of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform mold cleaning based on the generated foreign matter information. Since the cleaning method is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

<Seventh embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the imprint apparatus has been described as a molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using a mold. However, in this embodiment, a flat molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using a mold. The converting apparatus will be described.

  A layer of a pattern formed on a wafer by a lithography apparatus such as an imprint apparatus or an exposure apparatus has irregularities (swells) when viewed as a shot region or the entire wafer. Therefore, the flattening device flattens the resin layer by applying a resin on the pattern layer, bringing a thin flat plate mold into contact with the resin, curing the resin, and separating the mold from the resin. Device.

  In the present embodiment, the same cleaning unit 40 as in the first embodiment is provided in the planarization apparatus, and the mold is cleaned by the control unit 20 according to the same control flow as in the first embodiment. Moreover, as the control part 20, the structure of each above-mentioned embodiment is employable.

(Product manufacturing method)
Next, a method for manufacturing an article (semiconductor IC element, liquid crystal display element, color filter, MEMS, etc.) using the imprint apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described. The imprint apparatus cleans the mold using a cleaning unit (dry cleaning unit and moving unit), and forms a pattern on a substrate (wafer, glass substrate, etc.) using the cleaned mold. Then, an article is manufactured by processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.

  Next, a method for manufacturing an article using the flattening apparatus of Embodiment 7 will be described. The planarization apparatus cleans the mold using a cleaning unit (dry cleaning unit and moving unit), and planarizes the composition on the substrate using the cleaned mold. Next, a pattern is formed on the substrate having the planarized composition by a lithography apparatus such as an imprint apparatus or an exposure apparatus. Then, an article is manufactured by processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.

  The substrate processing steps include etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like. According to the present manufacturing method, foreign substances can be efficiently removed, so that a high-quality article can be manufactured such that there are few pattern defects and a highly accurate pattern can be formed, and a manufacturing method with a high yield is provided. Can do. In addition, a highly productive manufacturing method can be provided by shortening the cleaning time.

Claims (16)

A molding apparatus for molding a composition on a substrate using a mold,
A dry cleaning section for cleaning the mold by irradiating the mold with plasma or light;
A moving unit that moves the plasma or light irradiation region on the surface of the mold by the dry cleaning unit,
The moving part irradiates the first partial region by the dry cleaning unit while moving the irradiation region at a first speed in the first partial region including the position related to the foreign matter on the surface of the mold,
While the moving part moves the irradiation area at a second speed higher than the first speed in a second partial area different from the first partial area on the surface of the mold, the dry cleaning part causes the second to move. An apparatus for irradiating a partial area. When the irradiation region is moved in one direction in the region including the first partial region and the second partial region,
Moving the irradiation region in the first direction at the first speed in the first partial region;
The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation region is moved in the one direction at the second speed in the second partial region. The second partial region is between the plurality of first partial regions,
In one of the plurality of first partial regions, the moving unit moves the irradiation region at a first speed,
After the moving unit moves the irradiation area at the second speed in the second partial area,
3. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit moves the irradiation region at a first speed in the other one of the plurality of first partial regions. A control unit for controlling the moving unit;
The controller is
Setting a first target speed when moving the irradiation area in the first partial area,
The molding according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a second target speed faster than the first target speed when the irradiation area is moved in the second partial area is set. apparatus. The moving unit moves the irradiation region at the first speed or the second speed by relatively moving the dry cleaning unit and the mold,
When the dry cleaning unit does not irradiate the mold with the plasma or light, the dry cleaning unit and the mold are moved at a third speed relatively higher than the second speed. The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   6. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that designates the first partial region based on information on a position of a foreign substance on the surface of the mold.   The molding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit designates the first partial region and the second partial region based on information on a position of a foreign substance on the surface of the mold. A storage unit for storing information on the position of the foreign object;
The molding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit acquires information regarding the position of the foreign matter stored in the storage unit.   The molding apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control unit acquires information related to the position of the foreign matter from an external database having a foreign matter history.   The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the information on the position of the foreign matter includes information on a position of the foreign matter attached to the surface of the mold used in the past.   The molding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a user interface that displays the image of the mold and a user specifies the first partial region using the displayed image. . The mold has a pattern portion on which a pattern is formed,
The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first partial region and the second partial region are in the pattern portion.   The molding apparatus is an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of the composition by bringing a composition on a substrate into contact with a pattern of a mold, curing the composition, and releasing the mold from the composition. The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein Forming a pattern on a substrate using a mold cleaned by the dry cleaning unit and the moving unit of the imprint apparatus according to claim 13;
And a step of manufacturing the article by processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.   The molding apparatus is a flattening apparatus for flattening the composition by bringing a flat mold into contact with the composition, curing the composition, and releasing the mold from the composition. The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11. Planarizing a composition on a substrate using a mold cleaned by the dry cleaning unit and the moving unit of the planarization apparatus according to claim 15;
Forming a pattern on a substrate having a planarized composition;
And a step of manufacturing the article by processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.

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