JP2020004920A - Flattening apparatus and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flattening device which is advantageous for separating a large-area mold from a cured imprint material.SOLUTION: A flattening device according to the present invention that flattens the surface of a composition by bringing a mold into contact with the composition on a substrate includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates the composition with light for curing the composition in a state where the mold and the composition are in contact with each other, and a control unit that changes a light irradiation region where the light irradiation unit irradiates the composition with the light, and controls the mold to be separated from a portion of the composition where the light irradiation is completed first.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a flattening device and a method for manufacturing an article.

  With the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices, in addition to the conventional photolithography technology, the uncured imprint material on the substrate is molded and cured using a mold to form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate. Attention is being paid to 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.

  One of the imprint techniques is, for example, a photo-curing method. An imprint apparatus that employs a photo-curing method is a method in which a photo-curable imprint material supplied onto a substrate (shot area) is formed in a mold, and the imprint material is cured by irradiating light, and the cured imprint material is cured. A pattern is formed on the substrate by separating the mold from the material.

  In recent years, a technique for flattening a substrate using an imprint apparatus has been proposed (Patent Document 1). With respect to the flattening technology of the substrate, generally, a technology of flattening the step of the substrate by forming a coating film on the substrate using an existing coating device (spin coater) is known. Is not enough to flatten the step at the nanoscale. On the other hand, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is to drop an imprint material on the basis of a step of a substrate, and to cure the imprint material in a state in which the template is brought into contact with the dropped imprint material to thereby improve the flatness accuracy. It is intended to improve.

JP 2011-529626 A

  However, the conventional flattening apparatus does not sufficiently cope with the releasing operation. In the flattening apparatus, the entire surface of the mold may be peeled off after the imprint material is brought into contact with the large-area mold and the imprint material supplied over the entire surface of the substrate and cured. If an attempt is made to release the mold from a state in which the entire surface of the large-area mold is in contact with the cured imprint material, the energy required for the release is increased and the mold cannot be easily released.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide a flattening device that is advantageous for separating a large-area mold from a cured imprint material.

  The flattening device of the present invention is a flattening device for flattening the surface of the composition by contacting a composition with a composition on a substrate, wherein the mold and the composition are in contact with each other, A light irradiation unit for irradiating the composition with light for curing the composition, and changing the light irradiation region where the light irradiation unit irradiates the light to the composition, And a control unit for controlling the mold to be separated from the mold before a portion where the light irradiation is completed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flattening device that is advantageous for separating a large-area mold from a cured imprint material.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a flattening device according to one aspect of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing an outline of a flattening process. It is sectional drawing of a board | substrate and the type | mold at the time of the planarization process of 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a light irradiation area and a light shielding area during exposure according to the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flattening process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the board | substrate and the type | mold at the time of the planarization process of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional view of a substrate stage of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the planarization processing of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a flattening apparatus 100 according to the present invention. The flattening apparatus 100 is embodied as a forming apparatus (so-called imprint apparatus) that forms an imprint material (composition) on a substrate using a mold (mold, template). Flatten the imprint material. The flattening apparatus 100 forms the flat surface of the imprint material on the substrate by curing the imprint material in a state where the imprint material on the substrate and the mold are in contact with each other and separating the mold from the cured imprint material. I do. As a method of curing the imprint material, a case where a photo-curing method of curing the imprint material by irradiating light will be described. In the present invention, the mold 11 has a flat portion for forming a flat surface of the imprint material formed at least on the surface facing the substrate 1.

  The substrate used in the present invention is typically a silicon wafer, but is not limited thereto. The substrate 1 can be arbitrarily selected from those known as substrates for semiconductor devices such as aluminum, titanium-tungsten alloy, aluminum-silicon alloy, aluminum-copper-silicon alloy, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride. it can. Note that, as the substrate 1, a substrate in which an adhesion layer is formed by a surface treatment such as a silane coupling treatment, a silazane treatment, or the formation of an organic thin film to improve the adhesion with the curable composition may be used. . The substrate 1 is typically circular with a diameter of 300 mm, but is not limited to this.

  The mold 11 is made of a light transmissive material in consideration of a step of irradiating light to cure the imprint material. Specifically, the material constituting the mold 11 includes glass, quartz, a light-transparent resin such as PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), a polycarbonate resin, a transparent metal deposition film, a flexible film such as polydimethylsiloxane, a light-cured film, A metal film or the like is preferable. In the present invention, the mold 11 is a circle having a diameter larger than 300 mm and smaller than 500 mm, but is not limited to this. The thickness of the mold 11 is preferably not less than 0.25 mm and less than 2 mm, but is not limited thereto.

  As the imprint material, a curable composition (which may be referred to as an uncured resin) which is cured by application of curing energy is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat and the like are used. As the electromagnetic wave, for example, light such as infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light whose wavelength is selected from the range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less is used.

  The curable composition is a composition that is cured by light irradiation or by heating. Typically, monomers such as acrylates and methacrylates may be used. The photocurable composition that is cured by irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent, if 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 may be applied in a film form on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Further, the imprint material may be applied to the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by the liquid ejecting head. The viscosity (viscosity at 25 ° C.) of the imprint material is, for example, 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the flattening apparatus 100 includes a chuck 2, a substrate stage 3, a base platen 4, a support 5, a top plate 6, a guide bar plate 7, a guide bar 8, and a mold drive. It has a part 9, a support 10, a mold chuck 12, a head 13, and an alignment shelf 14. The flattening device 100 includes a supply unit 20, an off-axis alignment scope (OA scope 21), a substrate transport unit 22, an alignment scope 23, and a light irradiation unit 24. Further, the flattening device 100 includes a stage driving unit 31, a mold transfer unit 32, a cleaning unit 33, an input unit 34, and a control unit 200. In the present embodiment, the chuck 2 and the substrate stage 3 constitute a substrate holder for holding the substrate 1, and the mold chuck 12 and the head 13 constitute a mold holder for holding the mold 11. Here, the XYZ coordinate system is defined such that the horizontal plane is the XY plane and the vertical direction is the Z-axis direction.

  The operation of the flattening device will be described with reference to FIG. The substrate 1 is carried in from the outside of the flattening apparatus 100 by a substrate transporting unit 22 including a transport hand and the like, and is held by the chuck 2. The substrate stage 3 is supported by a base platen 4 and driven in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to position the substrate 1 held by the chuck 2 at a predetermined position. The stage driving unit 31 includes, for example, a linear motor and an air cylinder, and drives (moves) the substrate stage 3 in at least the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. (Six axis directions). The stage driving unit 31 includes a rotating mechanism, and rotationally drives (rotates) the chuck 2 or the substrate stage 3 around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction (θz direction). Further, the stage drive unit 31 includes a mechanism for tilting the substrate 1 and rotationally drives the chuck 2 or the substrate stage 3 around an axis parallel to the X-axis direction (θx direction) or around an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction (θy direction). May be.

  The mold 11 is carried in from the outside of the flattening device 100 by the mold transport unit 32 including a transport hand and the like, and is held by the mold chuck 12. The mold 11 has, for example, a circular or square outer shape, and includes a flat portion 11a that contacts the imprint material on the substrate and conforms to the surface shape of the substrate 1. In the present embodiment, the flat portion 11 a has the same size as the substrate 1 or a size larger than the substrate 1. The mold chuck 12 is supported by the head 13 and has a function of correcting the inclination of the mold 11 around the Z axis. Each of the mold chuck 12 and the head 13 includes an opening (not shown) through which light (ultraviolet light) irradiated from the light irradiation unit 24 passes. A load cell for measuring a pressing force (imprinting force) of the mold 11 against the imprint material on the substrate 1 is arranged on the mold chuck 12 or the head 13.

  On the base platen 4, a column 5 for supporting a top plate 6 is arranged. The guide bar 8 penetrates the top plate 6, one end is fixed to the guide bar plate 7, and the other end is fixed to the head 13. The mold driving unit 9 drives the head 13 in the Z-axis direction via the guide bar 8 to bring the mold 11 held by the mold chuck 12 into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 1, Pull away from imprint material. In the present embodiment, the mold driving section 9 has a function of driving (moving) the head 13 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and a function of moving the mold chuck 12 or the head 13 around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction. (the θz direction). Further, the mold driving unit 9 includes a mechanism for tilting the mold 11, and rotationally drives the mold chuck 12 or the head 13 around an axis parallel to the X-axis direction (θx direction) or around an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction (θy direction). May be.

  The alignment shelf 14 is suspended from the top plate 6 via the columns 10. The guide bar 8 penetrates the alignment shelf 14. Further, a height measuring device (not shown) for measuring the height (flatness) of the substrate 1 held by the chuck 2 is disposed on the alignment shelf 14 using, for example, an oblique incident image shift method. ing.

  The alignment scope 23 includes an optical system and an imaging system for observing a reference mark provided on the substrate stage 3 and an alignment mark provided on the mold 11. However, when no alignment mark is provided on the mold 11, the alignment scope 23 may not be provided. The alignment scope 23 is used for alignment that measures a relative position between a reference mark provided on the substrate stage 3 and an alignment mark provided on the mold 11 and corrects the positional deviation.

  The supply unit 20 (dispenser) is configured by a dispenser including a discharge port (nozzle) that discharges an uncured (liquid) imprint material to the substrate 1, and supplies (applies) the imprint material onto the substrate. The supply unit 20 employs, for example, a piezo jet method or a micro solenoid method, and can supply an imprint material having a minute volume of about 1 pL (picoliter) onto a substrate. Further, the number of discharge ports in the supply unit 20 is not limited, and may be one (single nozzle), a plurality of discharge ports, for example, more than 100 (linear nozzle array). ). Further, the supply unit 20 may combine a plurality of linear nozzle arrays.

  The OA scope 21 is supported by the alignment shelf 14. The OA scope 21 detects a reference mark provided on the substrate stage 3 and an alignment mark provided on a plurality of shot areas of the substrate 1, and is used in a global alignment process for determining respective positions of the plurality of shot areas. . The relative position between the mold 11 and the substrate 1 is adjusted by obtaining the positional relationship between the mold 11 and the substrate stage 3 by the alignment scope 23 and obtaining the positional relationship between the substrate stage 3 and the substrate 1 by the OA scope 21 (alignment). )be able to.

  The cleaning unit 33 cleans (cleans) the mold 11 while the mold 11 is held by the mold chuck 12. In the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 33 removes the imprint material adhered to the mold 11, particularly, the flat portion 11 a by separating the mold 11 from the cured imprint material on the substrate. The cleaning unit 33 may, for example, wipe off the imprint material adhered to the mold 11, or may remove the imprint material adhered to the mold 11 by using UV irradiation, wet cleaning, plasma cleaning, or the like.

  The control unit 200 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the entire flattening apparatus 100. The control unit 200 functions as a processing unit that controls each unit of the flattening apparatus 100 and performs a flattening process. Here, the flattening process is a process of flattening the imprint material by bringing the flat portion 11a of the mold 11 into contact with the imprint material on the substrate and causing the flat portion 11a to follow the surface shape of the substrate 1. is there. The flattening process is generally performed in lot units, that is, for each of a plurality of substrates included in the same lot. The control unit 200 may be provided in the flattening apparatus 100, or may be installed in a place different from the flattening apparatus 100 and remotely controlled.

(About flattening method)
An outline of the flattening process will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the imprint material IM is supplied from the supply unit 20 to the substrate 1 on which the base pattern 1a is formed. As shown in FIG. 2A, the supply unit 20 can supply the imprint material IM with a distribution on the substrate according to the presence or absence and the density of the base pattern 1a. FIG. 2A shows a state before the imprint material IM is supplied onto the substrate and the mold 11 is brought into contact. Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the imprint material IM on the substrate is brought into contact with the flat portion 11 a of the mold 11. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the flat portion 11 a of the mold 11 contacts the imprint material IM on the substrate, and the flat portion 11 a of the mold 11 follows the surface shape of the substrate 1. Then, in the state shown in FIG. 2B, light (ultraviolet light) is irradiated from the light irradiation unit 24 to the imprint material IM on the substrate via the mold 11 to cure the imprint material IM. Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the mold 11 is separated from the cured imprint material IM on the substrate. Thereby, a layer (flattening layer) of the imprint material IM having a uniform thickness can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1. The surface of the flattening layer made of the imprint material IM only needs to follow the surface of the substrate 1. In general, the base pattern 1a has an uneven shape with a shorter period than the state of the surface of the substrate 1. FIG. 2C shows a state in which a flattening layer of the imprint material IM is formed on the substrate.

  When performing such a flattening process, it is difficult to make the large-area mold 11 come into contact with the imprint material IM supplied over the entire surface of the substrate 1 and to separate the mold 11 from the state of contact with the entire surface. The larger the contact area between the mold 11 and the imprint material, the more difficult it is to separate. For this reason, there is a possibility that the mold release operation of the flattening device 100 takes time and the mold 11 is damaged.

  Therefore, in order to separate the mold 11 from the imprint material on the substrate 1 (release), the planarization apparatus 100 of the present embodiment varies the area to be irradiated with light to cure the imprint material. . The flattening device 100 cures a part of the imprint material on the substrate so as not to irradiate the entire surface of the substrate at once. Then, the flattening device 100 separates the mold 11 from the portion where the imprint material is cured by irradiating light. As described above, the imprint apparatus of the present embodiment releases the mold at a time by repeatedly curing the imprint material on the substrate partially and separating the mold from the cured imprint material. Energy can be reduced.

  The flattening process of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a curing process of the imprint material IM and a release process of separating the mold 11 from the cured imprint material IM in the flattening process.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the flattening apparatus 100 brings the mold 11 into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 so that the entire surface of the substrate 1 is filled. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the region where the imprint material IM is cured is not applied to the entire surface of the substrate 1 at once, but is applied to the peripheral portion (outer peripheral portion) of the substrate 1 with light. To cure the imprint material. As shown in FIG. 4A, the region to be irradiated with light first is the peripheral portion of the substrate 1, and therefore, the region to be irradiated has an annular shape. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the substrate 1 is observed from above, and includes a light irradiation area 41 in a peripheral part of the substrate 1 and a light shielding area 42 in a central part of the substrate 1.

  After the imprint material in the peripheral portion of the substrate is cured, the mold 11 and the cured imprint material IM are released from the peripheral portion of the substrate as shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3D, light is partially applied to the imprint material IM in a region closer to the center than the periphery of the substrate. The flattening device 100 cures the imprint material IM in a region closer to the center of the substrate 1 than the region released in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the light-irradiated area 41 having a ring shape is narrowed down to be smaller than that in FIG.

  After the imprint material in the region shown in FIG. 3D is cured, the mold 11 is separated from the cured imprint material IM as shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3F, the imprint material IM at the center of the substrate is partially irradiated with light. The flattening device 100 cures the imprint material IM at the center of the substrate 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4C, the central portion of the substrate 1 is set as a light irradiation area 41, and light is applied to the imprint material on the substrate 1. After the imprint material in the region shown in FIG. 3F is cured, the mold 11 is separated from the cured imprint material IM as shown in FIG. 3G.

  As described above, the flattening apparatus of the present embodiment repeats the step of partially curing the imprint material on the substrate and the step of separating the mold from the cured imprint material, thereby imprinting the entire surface of the mold 11. It can be separated from the material IM.

  The light irradiation unit 24 of the flattening apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a mechanism capable of changing the light irradiation area 41 so that light can be irradiated from the peripheral part of the substrate 1 toward the central part. . For example, using a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) or disposing a light-shielding plate between the light source included in the light irradiation unit 24 and the mold 11 to control the light irradiation area 41 and the light-shielding area 42 Can be. In the flattening process of the present embodiment, the area for curing the imprint material on the substrate 1 is controlled so as not to be larger than a certain value, the energy at the time of releasing is kept small, and the releasing is easily performed.

  With reference to FIG. 5, a flattening process in the flattening device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flattening process. As described above, the flattening process is performed by the control unit 200 integrally controlling each unit of the flattening apparatus 100.

  In S502, the mold 11 is carried into the flattening apparatus 100 by the mold transport unit 32, and the mold 11 is held by the mold chuck 12. In step S504, setting information regarding the flattening process is obtained. The setting information regarding the flattening process includes a maximum value of a light irradiation region where the substrate 1 and the mold 11 are in contact with each other for controlling the process of irradiating light to cure the imprint material and the release process. In step S <b> 506, the substrate 1 to be subjected to the flattening process is loaded into the flattening apparatus 100 by the substrate transport unit 22 from the plurality of substrates included in the same lot, and the substrate 1 is held by the chuck 2. In S508, a process of supplying the imprint material IM onto the substrate 1 (dropping process) is performed on the substrate 1 carried in in S506, as shown in FIG. In S510, as shown in FIG. 2B, the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 so that the space between the substrate 1 and the mold 11 is filled with the imprint material IM.

  In S512, in a state where the imprint material is filled between the substrate 1 and the mold 11 in S510, light is irradiated from the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 1 to cure the imprint material. When the light irradiation area reaches a certain area based on the setting information regarding the flattening processing, the mold release of the cured imprint material and the mold is started. Simultaneously with the start of the release, the uncured imprint material is irradiated with light so as to cure the imprint material sequentially so that the light irradiation area on the substrate 1 reaches a certain area. As described above, the irradiation and the mold release may be linked so that the area of the light irradiation area for irradiating the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 is constant, or the area of the light irradiation area gradually decreases. The light irradiation area may be determined as described above.

  In S514, the substrate 1 subjected to the planarization processing is unloaded from the planarization apparatus 100 by the substrate transport unit 22. In S516, it is determined whether or not the flattening process has been performed on all the substrates included in the same lot. If the result of determination in S516 is that all substrates included in the same lot have not been subjected to the planarization process, the process proceeds to S506 in order to carry the next substrate to be processed into the planarization apparatus 100. I do. On the other hand, if the result of determination in S516 is that planarization has been performed on all substrates included in the same lot, the flow shifts to S518. In S518, the mold 11 held by the mold chuck 12 is washed by the washing unit 33. By cleaning the mold 11, the imprint material adhered to the plane portion 11a of the mold 11 can be removed. In S520, the cleaned mold 11 is unloaded from the flattening device 100 by the mold transport unit 32.

  In the present embodiment, the flattening process is completed for all the substrates 1 included in the same lot, and the mold 11 is cleaned before the mold 11 is carried out from the flattening apparatus 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not something. For example, the mold 11 may be cleaned even if the flattening process has not been completed for all the substrates 1 included in the same lot. Further, when the flattening device 100 includes a detection unit that detects the state of adhesion of the imprint material on the flat portion 11a of the mold 11, the mold 11 is cleaned according to the detection result of the detection unit. Is also good. In the case where the cleaning unit 33 is not provided in the flattening apparatus 100, the flattened mold 11 is carried out of the flattening apparatus 100 without being washed, and the mold 11 is washed by an external washing apparatus. Is also good.

  As described above, the flattening apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can reduce energy for mold release by curing a part of the imprint material on the substrate and separating the mold in order from the cured region.

(2nd Embodiment)
The flattening apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment described above describes a case where the light irradiation area is changed from the peripheral part toward the central part in the order of FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b), and 4 (c). . The flattening device 100 of the present invention can also change the light irradiation area in the order of FIGS. 4C, 4B, and 4A from the center to the periphery.

  The flattening process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a curing process of the imprint material IM and a release process of separating the mold 11 from the cured imprint material IM in the flattening process.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the planarization apparatus 100 brings the mold 11 into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 from the center of the substrate 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the region where the imprint material IM is cured is not limited to the entire surface of the substrate 1 but is partially irradiated to the central portion of the substrate 1 to irradiate the imprint material IM. To cure. As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the region to be irradiated first with light is the center of the substrate 1, so that the light irradiation region 41 has a circular shape.

  After the imprint material at the center of the substrate is cured, the mold 11 and the cured imprint material IM are released from the center of the substrate as shown in FIG. 6C. Further, while releasing the mold, the mold 11 is deformed so that the area outside the center portion is brought into contact with the uncured imprint material. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6D, light is partially applied to the imprint material IM in a region closer to the periphery than the center of the substrate. The flattening device 100 cures the imprint material IM in a region closer to the periphery of the substrate 1 than the region released in FIG. 6C. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the light is irradiated onto the imprint material on the substrate 1 by being transformed into a ring-shaped light irradiation area 41.

  After the imprint material in the region shown in FIG. 6D is cured, the mold 11 is separated from the cured imprint material IM as shown in FIG. 6E. Further, the mold 11 is deformed so as to come in contact with the uncured imprint material in the peripheral portion while releasing the mold. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6F, light is partially applied to the imprint material IM in the peripheral portion of the substrate. The flattening device 100 cures the imprint material IM around the substrate 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the peripheral portion of the substrate 1 is set as a light irradiation area 41, and the imprint material on the substrate 1 is irradiated with light. After the imprint material in the area shown in FIG. 6F is cured, the mold 11 is separated from the cured imprint material IM as shown in FIG. And the mold 11 can be released.

  FIG. 7 shows a chuck 2 that can be applied in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the chuck 2 holding the substrate 1. The chuck 2 for holding the substrate 1 of the planarizing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a function of partially descending.

  FIG. 7A shows a normal state of the chuck 2. The state of FIG. 7A can be, for example, the state of the chuck 2 when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material at the center of the substrate shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B and cured. . FIG. 7B shows a state in which the chuck 2 at a position corresponding to the center of the substrate released from the mold 11 is lowered while adsorbing the substrate 1. The state shown in FIG. 7B is, for example, the chuck 2 when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material in the region closer to the peripheral portion than the central portion of the substrate in FIGS. State. As described above, by partially lowering the chuck 2, it is possible to form a shape in which the substrate 1 is pulled down only at the center (release part). FIG. 7C shows a state in which the chuck 2 has been lowered while adsorbing the substrate 1 in a wider range than in FIG. 7B. The state shown in FIG. 7C can be, for example, the state of the chuck 2 when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material around the substrate shown in FIGS. 6E and 6F and cured. . As described above, the chuck 2 of the flattening apparatus of the present embodiment partially adjusts the suction surface of the chuck 2 in the order of FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C in accordance with the flattening process. Can be controlled to descend.

  The light irradiation unit 24 of the planarization apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a mechanism capable of changing the light irradiation area so that light can be irradiated from the center of the substrate 1 toward the periphery. For example, the light irradiation area can be controlled by using a DMD (digital micromirror device) or by disposing a light shielding plate between the light source included in the light irradiation unit 24 and the mold 11. In the flattening process of the present embodiment, the area for curing the imprint material on the substrate 1 is controlled so as not to be larger than a certain value, the energy at the time of releasing is kept small, and the releasing is easily performed.

  With reference to FIG. 8, a flattening process in the flattening device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flattening process. As described above, the flattening process is performed by the control unit 200 integrally controlling each unit of the flattening apparatus 100.

  In S802, the mold 11 is carried into the flattening device 100 by the mold transport unit 32, and the mold 11 is held by the mold chuck 12. In step S804, setting information regarding the flattening process is obtained. The setting information regarding the flattening process includes a maximum value of a light irradiation region where the substrate 1 and the mold 11 are in contact with each other for controlling the process of irradiating light to cure the imprint material and the release process. In step S <b> 806, the substrate 1 to be subjected to the planarization process is carried into the planarization apparatus 100 by the substrate transport unit 22 from among the plurality of substrates included in the same lot, and the substrate 1 is held by the chuck 2. In S808, a process (dropping process) of supplying the imprint material IM onto the substrate 1 is performed on the substrate 1 carried in in S806, as shown in FIG. In S810, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 is brought into contact with the mold having a certain area based on the setting information, the light is emitted. Irradiation cures the imprint material and separates the cured imprint material from the mold. Thereafter, by repeating contact (filling), curing, and releasing from the uncured imprint material, the imprint material can be cured over the entire surface of the substrate 1. The irradiation and the mold release may be linked so that the area of the light irradiation area for irradiating the imprint material IM on the substrate 1 is constant, or the area of the light irradiation area may be gradually increased. The light irradiation area may be determined.

  In S812, the substrate 1 on which the flattening process has been performed is unloaded from the flattening apparatus 100 by the substrate transport unit 22. In S814, it is determined whether the flattening process has been performed on all the substrates included in the same lot. If the result of determination in S814 is that planarization processing has not been performed on all substrates included in the same lot, the process proceeds to S806 in order to carry the next substrate to be processed into the planarization apparatus 100. I do. On the other hand, if the result of determination in S814 is that planarization has been performed on all substrates included in the same lot, the flow shifts to S816. In S816, the cleaning unit 33 cleans the mold 11 held on the mold chuck 12. By cleaning the mold 11, the imprint material adhered to the plane portion 11a of the mold 11 can be removed. In S818, the cleaned mold 11 is carried out of the flattening apparatus 100 by the mold transport unit 32.

  In the present embodiment, the flattening process is completed for all the substrates 1 included in the same lot, and the mold 11 is cleaned before the mold 11 is carried out from the flattening apparatus 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not something. For example, the mold 11 may be cleaned even if the flattening process has not been completed for all the substrates 1 included in the same lot. Further, when the flattening device 100 includes a detection unit that detects the state of adhesion of the imprint material on the flat portion 11a of the mold 11, the mold 11 is cleaned according to the detection result of the detection unit. Is also good. In the case where the cleaning unit 33 is not provided in the flattening apparatus 100, the flattened mold 11 is carried out of the flattening apparatus 100 without being washed, and the mold 11 is washed by an external washing apparatus. Is also good.

  As described above, in the planarization process of the present embodiment, the contact, the curing, and the mold release are performed in parallel, so that a constant area is always in contact with the mold 11 and the imprint material on the substrate 1. Can be Since a contact area equal to or more than a certain amount is not generated, the energy at the time of releasing can be kept small, and the releasing can be easily performed.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist. Further, although the present invention describes a flattening apparatus, the present invention can also be applied to an imprint apparatus in which a pattern is formed on the entire surface of a substrate using a mold on which a pattern is formed.

  Also, the above-described flattening apparatus has described the flattening process of hardening the imprint material using a light curing method. However, the above-described embodiment is not limited to the light hardening method, and the imprint material is hardened using heat. It may be a method to make it. In the photo-curing method, a pattern is formed by using an ultraviolet-curing resin, irradiating ultraviolet rays with the mold pressed against the substrate via the resin, curing the resin, and then separating the mold from the cured resin. . In the above-described embodiment, ultraviolet light is applied as the curing light. However, the wavelength of the light can be appropriately determined according to the imprint material supplied on the substrate 1. In contrast, in the method using heat, the thermoplastic resin is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature, the mold is pressed onto the substrate via the resin in a state where the fluidity of the resin is increased, and after cooling, the mold is formed from the resin. Are separated to form a pattern. In this case, the heating area is changed sequentially instead of changing the light irradiation area.

  A method for manufacturing a device (semiconductor integrated circuit element, liquid crystal display element, etc.) as an article includes a step of forming a flattened composition on a substrate (wafer, glass plate, film-like substrate) using the above-described flattening apparatus. Including. Further, the manufacturing method may include a step of processing the flattened substrate. When manufacturing another article such as a patterned medium (recording medium) or an optical element, the manufacturing method includes, in addition to the flattening processing, other processing for processing a substrate by forming a pattern. May be included. The article manufacturing method of 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.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 flattening device 1 substrate 11 type 9 type drive unit 31 stage drive unit 32 type transfer unit 200 control unit

Claims (11)

A flattening apparatus for flattening a surface of the composition by bringing a mold into contact with a composition on a substrate,
In a state where the mold and the composition are in contact with each other, a light irradiation unit that irradiates the composition with light for curing the composition,
A control that changes the light irradiation area where the light irradiation unit irradiates the light with respect to the composition, and controls the mold to be separated from the mold first from a portion of the composition where the light irradiation is completed. Department and
A flattening device comprising:   The flattening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit changes the light irradiation area to irradiate the composition with light by changing the light irradiation area into an annular shape.   The flattening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holding unit that holds the substrate is capable of changing the height of a part of the substrate on which the irradiation of the light is completed while adsorbing the substrate. .   4. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit changes a light irradiation area from a peripheral portion of the substrate toward a center of the substrate to irradiate the composition with light. 5. Item 10. The flattening device according to item 8.   The mold holding section for holding the mold, wherein the mold is separated from the cured composition in order from the periphery of the substrate toward the center of the substrate, according to claim 4, wherein the mold is separated. Flattening device.   4. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit changes the light irradiation area from a central part of the substrate toward a peripheral part of the substrate and irradiates the composition with light. 5. Item 10. The flattening device according to item 8.   The substrate holding unit that holds the substrate changes the height of the substrate so that the composition of the portion where the light irradiation is completed is sequentially separated from the center of the mold toward the periphery of the mold. The flattening device according to claim 6, wherein:   The control unit separates the mold from the composition in a portion of the composition where the light irradiation has been completed, and irradiates the light to the composition different from a portion in which the light irradiation has been completed. The flattening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed so that the steps are performed in parallel.   The flattening apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a cleaning unit that performs cleaning of the mold to remove the composition attached to the mold.   The flattening apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control unit collectively flattens the composition on the entire surface of the substrate. Using the flattening apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, flattening the surface of the composition on the substrate;
Processing the flattened substrate to obtain an article.

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