JP2019204895A - Molding apparatus for molding composition on substrate using mold, molding method, substrate processing method, and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an imprint apparatus advantageous in preventing a decrease in productivity.SOLUTION: The molding apparatus for molding a composition on a substrate after a substrate carried into a base molding apparatus is held by a plurality of holding units, includes a detection unit for identifying holding units to which foreign matters have adhered on the basis of detected adhesion positions of foreign matters by detecting the foreign matters adhering to a back of the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a molding apparatus, a molding method, a substrate processing method, and an article manufacturing method for molding a composition on a substrate using a mold.

  The demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices has progressed, and in addition to conventional photolithography technology, an uncured imprint material on a substrate is molded with a mold and cured to form an imprint material pattern on the substrate. Attention has been focused on microfabrication technology. Such a technique is called an imprint technique, and can form a fine pattern 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 that employs a photocuring method, first, a substrate is carried into the apparatus. The substrate carried into the apparatus is transported through a plurality of holding members and then held by the substrate stage. A photocurable imprint material is supplied to the shot area on the substrate held by the substrate stage. Next, light is irradiated in a state where the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold to cure the imprint material, and the pattern is formed on the substrate by pulling the mold away from the cured imprint material. When the imprint material on the substrate is brought into contact with the mold, if there is a foreign object on the back surface of the substrate, the flatness of the substrate is deteriorated, and a transfer defect such as distortion in the pattern formed on the substrate may occur. .

  As a technique for removing foreign substances adhering to the back surface of such a substrate, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 always transports a cleaning plate having an adhesive layer on the surface to a stage and performs a predetermined cleaning operation. The stage surface is maintained in a normal state. Further, in the pre-maintenance method of Patent Document 2, when a manufacturing process wafer is transferred more than a predetermined number of times, a confirmation wafer is transferred, particle / contamination check is performed, and a pre-maintenance period is determined from the result. After the determined pre-maintenance period has elapsed, a wafer for confirmation is transferred and the pre-maintenance period is optimized from the results of back surface measurement and back surface contamination check.

JP 2004-172395 A Japanese Patent No. 4822048

  However, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to prevent the foreign matter from adhering to the back surface of the substrate when the foreign matter is attached to the holding member other than the substrate stage. In addition, when such foreign matter is generated, it is necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus and clean all the mechanisms that come into contact with the substrate, which may lead to a decrease in productivity. Also, in the pre-maintenance method of Patent Document 2, in the period other than the predetermined period, troubled lots occur frequently for the foreign matter that occurs unexpectedly until the next cleaning period, so that productivity can be reduced. .

  An object of the present invention is, for example, to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of suppressing a decrease in productivity.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a molding apparatus for molding a composition on a substrate after the substrate carried into the molding apparatus is held by a plurality of holding units, and adheres to the back surface of the substrate. And a detection unit that identifies the holding unit to which the foreign matter is attached based on the detected attachment position of the foreign matter.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of suppressing a decrease in productivity.

It is the schematic which shows the imprint apparatus structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the conceptual diagram which illustrated arrangement | positioning of the several holding part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the detection part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the some holding | maintenance part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the some holding | maintenance part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the adhesion position of the foreign material which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the flowchart which pinpoints the holding | maintenance part to which the foreign material has adhered. It is the figure which showed the flowchart of the foreign material inspection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the process by the planarization apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of articles | goods.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment>

  In the present embodiment, an example in which an imprint apparatus is used as a molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using a mold will be described. In each figure, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. First, an outline of the imprint apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. The imprint apparatus is an apparatus that forms a pattern of a cured product in which a concave / convex pattern of a mold is transferred by bringing an imprint material supplied on a substrate into contact with a mold and applying energy for curing to the imprint material. is there.

  As the imprint material, a curable composition (which may be referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when energy for curing is applied is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like can be used. The electromagnetic wave can be, for example, light having a wavelength selected from a range of 10 nm to 1 mm, for example, infrared rays, visible rays, ultraviolet rays, and the like. The curable composition may be a composition that is cured by light irradiation or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by light irradiation contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further 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 can be placed on the substrate in the form of droplets or islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets by the imprint material supply unit. The viscosity of the imprint material (viscosity at 25 ° C.) can be, for example, 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less. As the material of the substrate, for example, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like can be used. If necessary, a member made of a material different from the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate. The substrate is, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The imprint apparatus 1 performs an imprint process in which an imprint material on a substrate is brought into contact with a mold to form a pattern of the imprint material. The imprint process by the imprint apparatus 1 may include supplying an imprint material onto the surface of the substrate 18 and curing the imprint material in a state where the mold 17 is in contact with the imprint material. In the present embodiment, the imprint apparatus 1 employs a photocuring method in which the imprint material is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays (UV light) as a method for curing the imprint material. Accordingly, the imprint apparatus 1 cures the imprint material by irradiating the imprint material with ultraviolet rays while the imprint material on the substrate 18 is in contact with the mold 17 (pattern surface thereof). An imprint material pattern is formed thereon. However, the imprint apparatus 1 may cure the imprint material by irradiation with light in other wavelength ranges, or may employ a thermosetting method in which the imprint material is cured by other energy, for example, heat. Good. In the following, the directions perpendicular to each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate to which the imprint material is supplied are defined as an X axis and a Y axis, and a direction perpendicular to the X axis and the Y axis (for example, with respect to the imprint material) The direction parallel to the optical axis of the irradiated ultraviolet light is taken as the Z axis.

  The imprint apparatus 1 can include a curing unit 2, an imprint head 6 that holds a mold 17, a substrate stage 13 that holds a substrate, a supply unit 14, an alignment measurement unit 16, and a control unit 10. The curing unit 2 irradiates the mold 17 with ultraviolet rays during the imprint process. The curing unit 2 includes, for example, a light source 4 and a plurality of optical systems 5 for adjusting the ultraviolet light 3 irradiated from the light source to light suitable for imprinting.

  The mold 17 is, for example, a mold that has a rectangular outer peripheral portion and a pattern region in which a concave / convex pattern formed on the imprint material supplied on the substrate 18 is formed in a three-dimensional shape on a surface facing the substrate 18. . The material of the mold 17 is a material that transmits ultraviolet rays such as quartz.

  The imprint head 6 includes, for example, a mold chuck 7, a mold stage 8, and a mold shape correction mechanism 9. The mold chuck 7 holds the mold 17 by mechanical holding means (not shown) such as a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic suction force. The mold chuck 7 is held on the mold stage 8 by mechanical holding means (not shown). The mold stage 8 includes a drive system for positioning the distance between the mold 17 and the substrate 18 when the mold 17 and the substrate 18 are brought into contact with each other, and moves the mold 17 in the Z-axis direction. Note that the drive system of the mold stage 8 moves the mold 17 not only in the Z-axis direction but also in, for example, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction (the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis rotation directions). It may have a function. The mold shape correction mechanism 9 is a mechanism for correcting the shape of the mold 17 and is installed at a plurality of locations so as to surround the outer periphery of the mold.

  The substrate stage 13 holds the substrate 18 and corrects (aligns) the translational shift between the mold 17 and the substrate 18 when the mold 17 and the substrate 18 are brought into contact with each other. The substrate stage 13 includes a substrate chuck 12. The substrate chuck 12 holds the substrate 18 by a substrate suction pad (substrate suction portion). Note that vacuum suction, electrostatic suction, and other suction methods may be used as the suction method. The substrate stage 13 includes a drive system that drives in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction for correcting (alignment) the translational shift between the mold 17 and the substrate 18. Further, the drive system in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse drive system and a fine drive system. Furthermore, a drive system for adjusting the position in the Z-axis direction, a function for adjusting the position of the substrate 18 in the θ (rotation around the Z-axis) direction, and a tilt function for correcting the tilt of the substrate 18 may be provided. The substrate stage 13 is one of a plurality of holding units.

  The substrate 18 can be a member made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like. If necessary, a layer made of a material different from the member may be formed on the surface of the member. The substrate 18 is, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or a quartz glass plate. A plurality of shot areas are formed on the substrate 18, and a pattern can be formed on the shot areas of the substrate 18 by repeating the imprint process for each shot area. In addition to the substrate 18 for forming the pattern, a maintenance-dedicated substrate for detecting foreign matters may be used as the substrate 18. The imprint apparatus 1 may further include a base surface plate 19 for holding the substrate stage 13, a bridge surface plate 20 for holding the imprint head 6, and a column 21 for supporting the bridge surface plate 20.

  The supply unit 14 (dispenser) supplies the imprint material onto the substrate 18. The supply unit 14 includes, for example, a discharge nozzle (not shown), and supplies the imprint material 15 onto the substrate 18 from the discharge nozzle. In the present embodiment, the imprint material 15 uses a resin having a property of being cured by ultraviolet rays as an example. Further, the amount of imprint material to be supplied may be determined depending on the required thickness of the imprint material, the pattern density to be formed, and the like.

  The alignment measurement unit 16 detects the alignment marks formed on the mold 17 and the substrate 18, and the positional deviation or shape between the pattern formed on the substrate and the pattern area of the mold in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction It is a measuring unit for measuring the difference.

  The control unit 10 is a control unit that controls the operation, adjustment, and the like of each unit constituting the imprint apparatus 1. The control unit 10 is configured by, for example, a computer, and is connected to each unit configuring the imprint apparatus 1 via a line, and can control each unit according to a program or the like. The control unit 10 also controls operations of a carry-in station 22, a carry-out station 23, a transport hand 24, a temperature adjustment unit 25, and an alignment unit 26 which will be described later. Furthermore, the control unit 10 can include a storage unit that stores the position of the back surface of the substrate 18 with which each of the plurality of holding units contacts. Moreover, the control part 10 determines the process with respect to the board | substrate 18 or several holding | maintenance part based on the test result of the detection part mentioned later.

  The imprint apparatus 1 may include a mold transport mechanism (not shown) that transports the mold 17 from the outside of the imprint apparatus 1 to the imprint head 6. Further, the imprint apparatus 1 includes an inline station in order to transfer the substrate between the inside and the outside of the imprint apparatus 1. The inline station can include a carry-in station 22 and a carry-out station 23. The carry-in station 22 and the carry-out station 23 are one of a plurality of holding units. For example, when a device such as a coater developer or EFEM is connected to the imprint apparatus 1, first, the substrate 18 is transported to the carry-in station 22, and after the substrate 18 is held by a plurality of holding units, an imprint process is performed. The Thereafter, the substrate 18 on which the imprint process has been completed is transported to the carry-out station 23.

  Here, a plurality of holding units through which the substrate 18 is transferred from the carry-in station 22 to the carry-out station 23 will be described. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the arrangement of a plurality of holding units according to the first embodiment. Since this figure is a conceptual diagram, the positional relationship of each part includes a part that does not necessarily match FIG. First, the substrate 18 transported to the carry-in station 22 is held by the transport hand 24 and transported to the temperature adjustment unit 25. The transport hand 24 holds the substrate 18 and transports it to each holding unit. The transport hand 24 can include a vacuum suction using a pad, an edge clamp, or the like as a mechanism for holding the substrate 18. In the present embodiment, the transport hand 24 includes two suction pads 40 for holding the substrate 18 as an example. The transport hand 24 is one of a plurality of holding units.

  The temperature adjustment unit 25 is a mechanism that holds the substrate 18 and adjusts the substrate 18 to an arbitrarily set temperature. The temperature adjustment unit 25 may include, for example, a substrate chuck 29 for holding the substrate 18 and a temperature adjustment plate 30 for adjusting the temperature of the substrate 18 (see FIG. 4D). The temperature adjustment unit 25 is one of a plurality of holding units. The substrate 18 whose temperature has been adjusted to the set temperature is again held by the transport hand 24 and transported to the alignment unit 26. The alignment unit 26 aligns the center position of the substrate 18 with the rotation direction so that the feeding position when the substrate 18 is transported to the substrate stage 13 is always constant. The alignment unit 26 is one of a plurality of holding units. The substrate 18 aligned by the alignment unit 26 is again held by the transfer hand 24 and transferred to the substrate stage 13.

  The substrate stage 13 is one of a plurality of holding units as described above. The substrate 18 transported to the substrate stage 13 is held by the substrate chuck 12 and imprint processing is performed. In the present embodiment, the plurality of holding units refer to the substrate stage 13, the carry-in station 22, the carry-out station 23, the transfer hand 24, the temperature adjustment unit 25, and the alignment unit 26. In addition, when simply referred to as a holding unit, it refers to any of the substrate stage 13, the carry-in station 22, the carry-out station 23, the transfer hand 24, the temperature adjustment unit 25, or the alignment unit 26.

  The substrate 18 for which the imprint process has been completed is again held by the transport hand 24 and transported from the substrate stage 13 to the detection unit 27. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the detection unit 27 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram of the detection unit 27 viewed from the −Z direction that is the back surface direction of the substrate 18. FIG. 3B is a diagram of the detection unit 27 viewed from the Y direction that is a side surface. The detection unit 27 detects foreign matter on the back surface (the surface on which the pattern is not formed) of the substrate 18 and, for example, a position where the foreign matter is attached (attachment position) and an amount of attached foreign matter (attachment amount). Is a mechanism for detecting The detection unit 27 includes an illumination unit 36 that illuminates the back surface of the substrate 18, an acquisition unit 38 that acquires an image of a foreign object on the back surface of the substrate 18, and an image processing unit 39 that processes the image acquired by the acquisition unit 38. Prepare.

  The illumination unit 36 is disposed on the back side of the substrate 18, has a drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the illumination unit 36, and is movable. As the illumination unit 36, for example, a semiconductor laser may be used. The illumination unit 36 is driven so as to irradiate the entire back surface by a drive mechanism. The acquisition unit 38 receives the scattered light 37 from the back surface of the substrate 18 illuminated by the illumination unit 36 by an imaging device such as a CCD, and performs measurement processing. If no foreign matter adheres to the back surface of the substrate 18, the light from the illumination unit 36 is specularly reflected and travels in the direction opposite to the illumination unit 36. However, if foreign matter adheres to the back surface of the substrate 18, light from the illumination unit 36 is scattered, and scattered light 37 is generated in another direction. The acquisition unit 38 measures the scattered light. Note that the acquisition unit 38 may use an imaging element such as a linear image sensor or a photodetector, or may use a means for detecting a foreign substance by reflected light instead of measuring scattered light.

  The image acquired by the acquisition unit 38 is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 39, and the presence or absence of foreign matter is detected. The image processing unit 39 uses the movement information of the illumination unit 36 and the presence / absence information of foreign matter detected by the image processing, and the attachment position (hereinafter referred to as “attachment position information”) and the attachment amount (hereinafter referred to as “attachment position information”) of the substrate 18. Hereinafter, it is referred to as “attachment amount information”). Hereinafter, the generic name of the attachment position (attachment position information) and the amount of attachment (attachment amount information) of the foreign matter attached to the back surface of the substrate 18 is referred to as attachment information. In the present embodiment, the illumination unit 36 is driven, but the substrate 18 may be driven, or both the illumination unit 36 and the substrate 18 may be driven.

  In the present embodiment, the foreign matter inspection of the substrate 18 is performed after the imprint process is completed. However, before the imprint process is performed, that is, before the substrate 18 is transported to the substrate stage 13, the substrate 18 is detected. It may be conveyed to 27 and foreign matter inspection may be performed.

  4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a plurality of holding units according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the carry-in station 22 of the inline station. FIG. 4A is a view of the carry-in station 22 as viewed from the Y direction that is a side surface. In addition, although the structure of the carrying-in station 22 is demonstrated here, the carrying-out station 23 is also the same structure. The carry-in station 22 includes, for example, three pins 28 that support the substrate 18. The three pins 28 of the carry-in station 22 are arranged at a position where the hands such as the transport hand 24 and the coater developer do not collide when the board 18 is carried into and out of the carry-in station 22. The substrate 18 transported to the carry-in station 22 is placed on the pins 28. Therefore, the back surface of the substrate 18 conveyed to the carry-in station 22 comes into contact with the pins 28. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating the position of the back surface of the substrate 18 in contact with the pins 28 in the carry-in station 22. The foreign matter deposited and deposited on the pins 28 can adhere to the position 28a on the back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate 18 is transported. Therefore, if the position 28a is detected as the adhesion position information when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign object, there is a high possibility that the carry-in station 22 or the carry-out station 23 is contaminated with the foreign object.

  FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a position where the suction pad 40 and the back surface of the substrate 18 are in contact with each other in the transport hand 24. The transport hand 24 includes two suction pads 40 for holding the substrate 18. Therefore, the back surface of the substrate 18 contacts the suction pad of the transport hand 24. For this reason, the foreign matter deposited and deposited on the suction pad can adhere to the position 40 a on the back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate 18 is transported by the transport hand 24. Therefore, if the position 40a is detected as the attachment position information when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign object, there is a high possibility that the transport hand 24 is contaminated with the foreign object.

  FIG. 4D is a view of the temperature adjusting unit 25 when the temperature of the substrate 18 is adjusted as seen from the Y direction. The temperature adjustment unit 25 includes a substrate chuck 29 for holding the substrate 18, a temperature adjustment plate 30 for adjusting the temperature of the substrate 18, and a pin 31 (shown in FIG. 4E) for moving the substrate 18 up and down. The temperature adjustment plate 30 is controlled to have an arbitrary temperature by a temperature controller (not shown). The substrate chuck 29 is disposed on the temperature adjustment plate 30 and has a diameter equal to or larger than that of the substrate 18. The substrate chuck 29 adjusts the temperature of the substrate 18 to an arbitrary temperature by transferring the heat adjusted by the temperature adjustment plate 30 to the substrate 18. The substrate chuck 29 is provided with a plurality of small protrusions 51, and the substrate 18 placed on the substrate chuck 29 comes into contact with the protrusions 51.

  FIG. 4E is a diagram for explaining pins in the temperature adjustment unit 25. The pin 31 has a drive mechanism for moving the pin 31 up and down. The temperature adjustment unit 25 receives the substrate 18 by driving the pins 31 upward (the state shown in FIG. 4E) when the substrate 18 is carried in by the transport hand 24. The transport hand 24 places the substrate 18 on the raised pins 31. The substrate 18 placed on the pins 31 is held by the substrate chuck 29 when the pins 31 are driven downward (as shown in FIG. 4D). Therefore, the back surface of the substrate 18 conveyed to the temperature adjustment unit 25 also contacts the pins 31. That is, the substrate 18 held by the temperature adjusting unit 25 comes into contact with the protrusions 51 and the pins 31 of the substrate chuck 29.

  FIG. 4F is a view illustrating positions where the pins 31 and the substrate chuck 29 contact the back surface of the substrate 18 in the temperature adjusting unit 25. The foreign matter deposited and deposited on the pins 31 can adhere to the position 31 a on the back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate 18 is transported to the temperature adjustment unit 25. Therefore, when the position 31a is detected as the attachment position information when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign object, there is a high possibility that the temperature adjustment unit 25 is contaminated with the foreign object. Further, the foreign matter deposited and deposited on the substrate chuck 29 can adhere to the position where it contacts the protrusion 51. Therefore, when the substrate chuck 29 is contaminated with foreign matter, any position on the entire back surface of the substrate 18 is used. Is detected as adhesion position information.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the alignment unit 26. The alignment unit 26 includes a drive stage 34, a support unit 35, a substrate chuck 33, and a measurement unit 32. The drive stage 34 has drive mechanisms (not shown) in the X and Y directions and the θ rotation direction. The support unit 35 supports the drive stage 34. The substrate chuck 33 sucks and holds the substrate 18 by a substrate suction pad or the like. Note that vacuum suction, electrostatic suction, and other suction methods may be used as the suction method. The alignment of the substrate 18 is performed by, for example, acquiring position information (substrate position information) of the outer periphery of the substrate while rotating the substrate. Therefore, the substrate chuck 33 needs to have an adsorption area so that the substrate 18 is not displaced by this rotation.

  The measuring unit 32 is arranged at a position where the end of the substrate 18 can be measured in order to measure the end (outer peripheral portion) of the substrate 18. The substrate 18 transported to the alignment unit 26 by the transport hand 24 is placed on the substrate chuck 33 on the drive stage 34. Thereafter, the substrate 18 is sucked and held by the substrate suction pad of the substrate chuck 33. Next, the drive stage 34 is rotated, and the end of the substrate 18 is measured by the measuring unit 32, whereby the position of the substrate 18 is detected. The image acquired by the measurement unit 32 is processed by an image processing apparatus (not shown), and substrate position information including the center position of the substrate 18 is obtained. Based on the obtained substrate position information, the drive stage 34 is moved in the X and Y directions and rotated in the θ direction to align the substrate 18. Thereby, when the transport hand 24 carries the substrate 18 out of the alignment unit 26, the substrate 18 is arranged on the transport hand 24 in a state where the reference point of the transport hand 24 and the reference point of the substrate 18 are aligned. Accordingly, the back surface of the substrate 18 conveyed to the alignment unit 26 comes into contact with the substrate chuck 33.

  FIG. 5B illustrates the position where the back surface of the substrate 18 contacts the substrate chuck 33 in the alignment unit 26. The foreign matter deposited and deposited on the surface of the substrate chuck 33 can adhere to the position 33 a on the back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate 18 is transported to the alignment unit 26. Therefore, when the position 33a is detected as the attachment position information when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign object, there is a high possibility that the alignment unit 26 is contaminated with the foreign object.

  FIG. 5C is a diagram showing the configuration of the substrate stage 13. The substrate stage 13 includes, for example, three pins 41 that support the substrate 18. The pin 41 is disposed at a position where it does not collide when the transport hand 24 loads and unloads the substrate 18. The substrate 18 transported to the substrate stage 13 is placed on the pins 41. The substrate stage 13 receives the substrate 18 from the transport hand 24 by driving the pins 41 upward. After that, the substrate stage 13 holds the substrate 18 by driving the pins 41 a downward and attracting the substrate 18 to the substrate chuck 12. The substrate chuck 12 sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate 18 so that the substrate 18 is not detached from the substrate chuck 12 when the mold 17 and the substrate 18 are separated from each other. That is, the substrate 18 held on the substrate stage 13 comes into contact with the entire surface of the substrate chuck 12 and the pins 41.

  FIG. 5D is a diagram illustrating positions where the pins 41 and the substrate chuck 12 on the substrate stage 13 are in contact with the back surface of the substrate 18. The foreign matter deposited and deposited on the pins 41 can adhere to the position 41 a on the back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate 18 is transported to the substrate stage 13. Therefore, when the position 41a is detected as the attachment position information when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign object, there is a high possibility that the substrate stage 13 is contaminated with the foreign object. In addition, since the foreign matter adhering to and deposited on the substrate chuck 12 can adhere to the entire back surface of the substrate 18, any position on the entire back surface of the substrate 18 when the substrate chuck 12 is contaminated with the foreign material. Is detected as adhesion position information.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a foreign matter adhesion position according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the contact position between each holding portion shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the back surface of the substrate 18 on the same substrate. When each of the plurality of holding units holds the substrate 18, coordinates of a position in contact with the back surface of the substrate 18 (hereinafter referred to as “contact position information”) are stored in advance in a storage unit in the control unit 10. . The contact position information is determined based on the substrate position information including the position of the notch N provided as a reference on the substrate 18 and the position of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 18. In the present embodiment, the substrate position information is a concept including the position of the notch N and the position of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 18.

  FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of the adhesion position information and adhesion amount information of the foreign matter detected by the detection unit 27. In the figure, the foreign matter P is indicated by dots. When the foreign matter P adheres to each of the plurality of holding portions, the foreign matter may adhere to the back surface of the substrate 18 held by the plurality of holding portions. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 6B, the foreign matter P adheres to a position where each of the plurality of holding portions and the back surface of the substrate 18 come into contact with each other. Therefore, when the detection unit 27 inspects the foreign matter, the position illustrated in FIG. 6B is detected as the foreign matter attachment position information. The detection unit 27 compares the attachment position information of the foreign matter with the contact position information stored in the control unit 10 to identify the holding unit to which the foreign matter is attached. Although not shown in the drawing, when the foreign matter adheres to the entire substrate instead of a specific portion, the substrate chuck 12 configured on the substrate stage 13 or the substrate chuck 29 configured on the temperature adjustment unit 25. It shows that foreign matter is attached to.

  FIGS. 6C to 6E are diagrams illustrating positions where the holding portions and the back surface of the substrate 18 are in contact with each other when the position of the notch N of the substrate 18 to be conveyed is changed. FIG. 6C shows a position where each holding unit and the back surface of the substrate 18 come into contact after being carried into the imprint apparatus 1 and before being conveyed to the alignment unit 26. FIG. 6D shows a position where each holding unit and the back surface of the substrate 18 come into contact after being transported to the alignment unit 26 and carried out to the outside of the imprint apparatus 1. FIG. 6E is a view showing the contact position between each holding portion shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D and the back surface of the substrate 18 on the same substrate. The position of the notch N of the substrate 18 when it is carried from the outside to the inside of the imprint apparatus is always the same position by a coater developer, EFEM, or the like, and is not changed until the alignment is performed in the alignment unit 26. . The notch N is a reference for the orientation of the substrate 18. The position of the notch N is changed when the substrate 18 conveyed to the alignment unit 26 is aligned. The position of the notch N after alignment is always the same position and is not changed. Therefore, the coordinates of the contact position information are changed based on the position of the notch N when the imprint apparatus 1 is carried in from the outside and the position of the notch N after alignment by the alignment unit 26. Thereby, even when the position of the notch N is changed during the conveyance, it is possible to specify the holding unit to which the foreign matter has adhered. Note that only the position information of the notch N may be used as the substrate position information. Further, the position of the orientation flat provided as a reference on the substrate 18 may be used as the substrate position information.

  FIG. 6F is a diagram showing a method of using the contact position information as an area instead of coordinates. By storing the contact position between each holding unit and the back surface of the substrate 18 as an area, it is possible to specify the holding unit to which foreign matter is attached without using the substrate position information. Specifically, when the direction of the notch N is changed, an area (hereinafter referred to as “contact area”) in which each holding portion can come into contact with the back surface of the substrate 18 is shown in FIG. The contact area is stored as contact position information.

  For example, the contact region 42, the contact region 43, the contact region 44, and the circular contact region 45 are formed in a ring shape from the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 18. The contact area 42 is an area where the pins 28 of the carry-in station 22 and the carry-out station 23 can come into contact with each other. The contact area 43 is an area where the pin 31 of the temperature adjusting unit 25 and the pin 41 of the substrate stage 13 can come into contact with each other. The contact area 44 is an area where the suction pad 40 of the transport hand 24 can come into contact. The contact area 45 is an area where the substrate chuck 33 of the alignment unit 26 contacts.

  The control unit 10 stores each contact area, and the detection unit 27 specifies a holding unit to which a foreign substance is attached from the attachment position information and the contact area when the foreign substance is attached to the contact area. Thus, by storing the contact position between each holding portion and the back surface of the substrate 18 as an area, notch information is not used even when the orientation of the substrate 18 conveyed in the imprint apparatus 1 is not always constant. It becomes possible to specify the holding part on which foreign matter has adhered.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flowchart for specifying a holding unit to which foreign matter is attached. Each step is executed by the control of each unit by the control unit 10. In step S <b> 701, the substrate 18 placed on the carry-in station 22 of the inline station is held by the transport hand 24. In S <b> 702, the transport hand 24 transports the held substrate 18 to the temperature adjustment unit 25 and places it on the pins 31. In step S <b> 703, the pins 31 are lowered and the substrate 18 is placed on the substrate chuck 29. Since the substrate chuck 29 is in contact with the temperature adjustment plate 30, the temperature of the substrate chuck 29 is maintained at a predetermined temperature by controlling the temperature of the temperature adjustment plate. Since the substrate 18 is attracted and held by the substrate chuck 29, the substrate 18 comes into contact with the substrate chuck 29, so that the temperature of the substrate 18 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature.

  In step S <b> 704, the substrate 18 that has reached a predetermined temperature is peeled off from the substrate chuck 29 by the ascent of the pin 31, and is transported to the alignment unit 26 by the transport hand 24 for alignment. As a result, the substrate 18 is held by the transfer hand in a state where the reference point of the transfer hand 24 and the reference point of the substrate 18 exist. In step S <b> 705, the substrate 18 is transported to the substrate stage 13 by the transport hand 24 and the substrate chuck 12 holds the substrate 18.

  In S706, an imprint process for forming a pattern on the substrate 18 is performed. The imprint process is performed according to the shot area formed on the substrate 18, and when the imprint process for all the shot areas on the substrate is completed, the imprint process on the substrate 18 is finished. In step S <b> 707, the transport hand 24 transports the substrate 18 on which the imprint process has been completed to the detection unit 27. In S708, the adhesion of foreign matter on the back surface of the substrate 18 is inspected. Specifically, the back surface of the substrate 18 is irradiated with the illumination unit 36, and the scattered light is measured by the acquisition unit 38, thereby acquiring the adhesion position information and the adhesion amount information of the foreign matter on the back surface of the substrate 18. In S709, the adhesion information, which is the inspection result of the detection unit 27, is compared with the contact position information stored in advance in the storage unit, and the holding unit to which the foreign matter is attached is specified from the plurality of holding units. In step S <b> 710, the position and amount of foreign matter attached are displayed on a monitor (not shown) configured in the imprint apparatus 1. In S <b> 711, the transport hand 24 holds the substrate 18 and transports the substrate 18 from the detection unit 27 to the carry-out station 23.

  In S710, the position and amount of the foreign matter and the holding portion to which the specified foreign matter has been attached are displayed on a monitor or the like. However, the control unit 10 determines whether the substrate 18 or the plurality of substrates are based on the inspection result of the detection unit 27. You may determine the process with respect to a holding | maintenance part. Here, the process for the substrate 18 or the plurality of holding units is, for example, replacement of the substrate, automatic cleaning of the holding unit, or manual cleaning. As a specific example, for each inspection of the substrate 18, data on the adhesion position and the amount of foreign matter is stored, and when the integrated value of the amount of adhesion exceeds a threshold value, execution of cleaning for the corresponding holding unit is determined. Etc. In this case, appropriate processing can be determined based on the inspection result, such as cleaning can be performed at an appropriate time. In addition, when it is determined that foreign matter is attached to a holding unit that has a great influence on the cause of product failure, for example, the substrate stage 13, the cleaning may be immediately determined.

  Further, the detection of the foreign matter by the detection unit 27 may be performed for each substrate carried into the imprint apparatus 1 or may be performed at a preset timing.

With the above configuration, it is possible to identify a holding unit to which a foreign substance is attached from among a plurality of holding units from the adhesion information and contact position information of the foreign substance attached to the back surface of the substrate 18.
Second Embodiment

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. Matters not mentioned in the second embodiment are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. FIG. 8 is a view showing a flowchart of foreign object inspection according to the second embodiment. Each step is executed by the control of each unit by the control unit 10. In the second embodiment, a foreign substance inspection is performed only on an arbitrary holding unit among a plurality of holding units, using a substrate dedicated for maintenance.

  In step S801, a holding unit for which contamination due to foreign matter is to be confirmed is selected. In step S <b> 802, the maintenance-only substrate placed on the carry-in station 22 is held by the transport hand 24. In S803, the transport hand 24 transports the maintenance-dedicated substrate to the selected holding unit. Note that the number of holding units to be selected may be plural instead of one. When a plurality of holding units are selected, the substrate is transferred to all of the selected holding units. In S <b> 804, the transport hand 24 transports the substrate to the detection unit 27. In S805, the adhesion of foreign matter on the back surface of the substrate is inspected. Specifically, the illumination unit 36 is irradiated on the back surface of the substrate, and the scattered light is measured by the acquisition unit 38 to acquire the adhesion position information and the adhesion amount information of the foreign substance on the back surface of the substrate 18. In S806, the adhesion information, which is the inspection result of the detection unit 27, is compared with the contact position information stored in advance in the storage unit to determine whether the selected holding unit needs to be cleaned, or a plurality of holding units are selected. If it is, the holding part to which the foreign matter is attached is specified. In step S807, the position and amount of foreign matter are displayed on the monitor (display unit). In step S <b> 808, the transport hand 24 holds the substrate and transports the substrate from the detection unit 27 to the carry-out station 23.

  Note that, in S807, the position and amount of foreign matter and the holding portion to which the specified foreign matter is attached are displayed on a monitor or the like. However, the control unit 10 performs a plurality of holdings based on the inspection result of the detection unit 27. You may determine the process with respect to a part. Here, the processing with respect to the plurality of holding units is, for example, automatic cleaning of the holding units or implementation of manual cleaning. As a specific example, data on the position and amount of foreign matter attached is stored for each inspection of a board dedicated to maintenance, and if the integrated value of the attached amount exceeds a threshold value, the corresponding holding unit is cleaned. To decide. In this case, appropriate processing can be determined based on the inspection result, such as cleaning can be performed at an appropriate time. Further, the notch direction of the substrate may be aligned in a specific direction when the substrate is placed on the carry-in station, or selected after being transferred to the alignment unit 26 and aligned. You may convey a board | substrate to a part.

According to the above, it is possible to determine whether or not the specific holding unit should be cleaned. In addition, by limiting the holding parts to be inspected, it is possible to confirm the state of contamination due to adhesion of foreign matters more accurately. This flow may be performed after cleaning. By performing after cleaning, the state of each holding part after cleaning can be confirmed. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the maintenance time, and it is possible to reduce a decrease in productivity when the production line is stopped.
<Third Embodiment>

  3rd Embodiment demonstrates the planarization apparatus which performs the formation process which forms a planarization layer on a board | substrate as an example of a shaping | molding apparatus. Note that matters not mentioned here can follow the above-described embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, a mold having a concavo-convex pattern is described as the mold 17. However, a mold (planar template) having a flat portion on which a concavo-convex pattern is not formed may be used. The planar template is used in a planarization apparatus (molding apparatus) that performs a planarization process (molding process) that molds the composition on the substrate by a planar portion. The planarization treatment includes a step of curing the curable composition by light irradiation or heating while the flat portion of the planar template is in contact with the curable composition supplied on the substrate.

  In the planarization apparatus, a planarization layer is formed on a substrate using a planar template. The underlying pattern on the substrate has a concavo-convex profile resulting from the pattern formed in the previous process, and in particular with the recent multi-layer structure of memory elements, some process substrates have steps of about 100 nm. Yes. The level difference caused by the gentle undulation of the entire substrate can be corrected by the focus tracking function of the scan exposure apparatus used in the photo process. However, fine pitch irregularities that fall within the exposure slit area of the exposure apparatus consume the DOF (Depth Of Focus) of the exposure apparatus as it is. As a conventional method for smoothing the base pattern of the substrate, a method of forming a planarizing layer such as SOC (Spin On Carbon) or CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) is used. However, the conventional technique has a problem that sufficient flattening performance cannot be obtained, and in the future, the difference in unevenness of the base due to multilayering tends to further increase.

  In order to solve this problem, the planarization apparatus of the present embodiment performs local planarization in the substrate surface by pressing a planar template (planar plate) against an uncured composition pre-applied to the substrate. . In the present embodiment, the configuration of the flattening apparatus can be substantially the same as that of the imprint apparatus 1 shown in FIG. However, in the flattening apparatus, a flat plate having the same area as or larger than the substrate is used in place of the mold having the pattern portion on which the uneven pattern is formed, and is brought into contact with the entire surface of the composition layer on the substrate. The mold holder is configured to hold such a flat plate.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining processing by the planarization apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing the substrate 18 on which the base pattern 46 before the flattening process is formed. In the isolated pattern area 47, the area of the pattern convex portion is small, and in the dense area 48, the area occupied by the pattern convex portion is 1: 1 with the area occupied by the concave portion. FIG. 9B shows a state before the composition 52 is supplied onto the substrate and the flat plate 49 is brought into contact. The supply pattern of the composition 52 includes an isolated pattern area 47 and a dense area 48. This is calculated in consideration of unevenness information on the entire surface of the substrate. FIG. 9C shows a state in which the flat plate 49 is brought into contact with the composition 52 on the substrate, and the composition 52 is cured by irradiating the composition 52 with light from the light source 4. FIG. 9D shows a state in which the flat plate 49 is pulled away from the cured composition 52.

  As described above, since the actual substrate has not only the pattern step but also the unevenness on the entire surface of the substrate, the timing at which the flat plate 49 contacts the composition 52 is different due to the influence of the unevenness. In this embodiment, the movement of the composition 52 starts immediately after the contact at the position where the contact is made first, but a large amount of the composition 52 is arranged according to the degree. In addition, at the last contact position, the start of the movement of the composition is slow and the composition flowing in from the periphery is added, but the amount of the composition is reduced according to the degree. By such measures, a flattened layer having a uniform thickness can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate.

The invention according to the above-described embodiment can be similarly applied to the planarization apparatus of the present embodiment, and the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
(Device manufacturing method)
As an article, for example, a manufacturing method of a device (semiconductor device, magnetic storage medium, liquid crystal display element, etc.), a color filter, or a hard disk will be described. Such a manufacturing method includes a step of forming a pattern on a substrate (a wafer, a glass plate, a film-like substrate, etc.) using an imprint apparatus. The manufacturing method further includes a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed. The processing step may include a step of removing a residual film of the pattern. Further, other known steps such as a step of etching the substrate using the pattern as a mask may be included. The method for manufacturing an article in this 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 preferred 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. Moreover, the imprint apparatus which concerns on Example 1-Example 2 can be implemented not only by itself but with all the combinations of Example 1-Example 2. FIG.

<Embodiment related to article manufacturing method>
The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable, for example, for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. The method of manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes a step of forming a pattern on the imprint material applied to the substrate using the above-described imprint apparatus (a step of performing imprint processing on the substrate), and a pattern is formed by such a step. And processing the processed substrate. Further, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, composition peeling, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like). 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.

  The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus 1 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, a mold, or the like. 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 composition mask. After etching or ion implantation or the like is performed in the substrate processing step, the composition mask is removed.

  Next, a specific method for manufacturing an article will be described. As shown in FIG. 10A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon substrate on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared. Subsequently, the substrate 1z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. A printing material 3z is applied. Here, a state is shown in which the imprint material 3z in the form of a plurality of droplets is applied on the substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the imprint mold 4z is made to face the imprint material 3z on the substrate with the side on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed facing. As shown in FIG. 10C, the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in a gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated as energy for curing through the mold 4z, the imprint material 3z is cured.

  As shown in FIG. 10D, after the imprint material 3z is cured, when the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of a cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. This cured product pattern has a shape in which 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 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z. It will be done.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching resistant mask, a portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured product or remains thin is removed, and the grooves 5z and Become. As shown in FIG. 10F, 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.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various change is possible within the range of the summary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imprint apparatus 10 Control part 13 Substrate stage 22 Carry-in station 23 Carry-out station 24 Transport hand 25 Temperature control part 26 Positioning part 27 Detection part

Claims (13)

A molding apparatus that molds the composition on the substrate after the substrate carried into the molding apparatus is held by a plurality of holding units,
A molding apparatus, comprising: a detection unit that detects foreign matter attached to the back surface of the substrate and identifies the holding unit to which the foreign matter is attached based on the detected attachment position of the foreign matter.   The detection unit performs the identification based on contact position information that is a position in contact with the substrate when the attachment position and each of the plurality of holding units hold the substrate. The molding apparatus according to claim 1.   The molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact position information is coordinates of a position where each of the plurality of holding units comes into contact with the substrate when holding the substrate.   The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit performs the identification based on a reference position provided on the substrate.   The molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact position information is an area where each of the plurality of holding units can come into contact with the substrate when holding the substrate.   The molding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that determines processing for the substrate or the plurality of holding units based on an inspection result of the detection unit.   The molding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit determines to perform cleaning on the holding unit when an amount of the foreign matter attached exceeds a threshold value. The detector is
An illumination unit for illuminating the back surface of the substrate;
An acquisition unit that receives light from the illumination unit scattered by the foreign matter attached to the back surface of the substrate and acquires an image;
An image processing unit for processing the acquired image;
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:   The molding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the illumination unit is movable.   The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the foreign matter for each of the substrates carried into the molding apparatus.   The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the foreign matter at a preset timing. A molding method for molding a composition on the substrate after the substrate carried into the molding apparatus is held by a plurality of holding units,
A molding method characterized by detecting foreign matter adhering to the back surface of the substrate and identifying the holding portion to which the foreign matter has adhered based on the detected position of the foreign matter. Forming the composition on the substrate using the molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Treating the substrate on which the composition has been formed in the step;
Producing an article from the treated substrate.
A method for manufacturing an article.

Images