JP6566843B2 - Pattern forming method, imprint system, and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pattern forming method, an imprint system, and an article manufacturing method.

  An imprint apparatus has attracted attention as a lithography apparatus that can replace an exposure apparatus. In the imprint apparatus, an imprint material is applied onto a substrate, a mold as an original is brought into contact with the imprint material, and the imprint material is cured in this state to form a pattern on the substrate. It is. Examples of the imprint material include a photo-curing resin material that is cured by light irradiation and a thermosetting resin material that is cured by heat.

  The imprint material can be supplied to the substrate by disposing the imprint material on the substrate in the form of a plurality of droplets by a dispenser. The plurality of droplets spread by bringing the mold into contact with the plurality of droplets of the imprint material disposed on the substrate. Thereby, the imprint material is formed according to the pattern formed in the mold. At this stage, since the imprint material is in an uncured state, that is, in a liquid state, the shape is not fixed. The imprint material formed by the mold is cured by applying curing energy such as light or heat, and the shape is fixed. Thereafter, the mold is pulled away from the cured imprint material.

  The size (volume) of the plurality of droplets of the imprint material disposed on the substrate by the dispenser can be affected by the variation among the plurality of ejection ports provided in the dispenser. Also, the plurality of droplets of the imprint material disposed on the substrate can be reduced by volatilization of the imprint material. The degree of volatilization may be different between the peripheral part and the central part of the region where a plurality of droplets are arranged.

  Patent Document 1 describes that an imprint material is applied on a substrate in consideration of the volatilization amount. Patent Document 2 describes that the thickness of a film formed by imprinting is measured, and the ejection amount of the functional ink from the nozzle is corrected based on the measurement result.

JP 2009-88376 A JP2013-65624A

  The imprint material is cured after the imprint material is sufficiently filled in the concave portions of the pattern formed in the mold. In order to facilitate this filling, a purge gas for replacing air can be supplied to the space between the substrate and the mold. Further, when an imprint material having oxygen curing inhibition (imprint material in which curing is inhibited by oxygen) is used, it becomes difficult to cure the imprint material if there is a large amount of oxygen. Therefore, a purge gas for replacing air is supplied to the space between the substrate and the mold. The purge gas can be, for example, helium gas or helium gas.

  The present inventor has found that the volatilization amount of the droplets of the imprint material disposed on the substrate greatly depends on the purge gas. The purge gas is usually supplied locally in the space between the substrate and the mold, more specifically in the space under the mold. In the imprint, after a plurality of droplets of the imprint material are arranged by a dispenser on a region to be imprinted on the substrate, the region is moved under the mold, and the mold is brought into contact with the plurality of droplets. This can be done by curing. Therefore, since the plurality of droplets of the imprint material disposed on the substrate are exposed to different atmospheres depending on their positions, the amount of volatilization may differ depending on their positions. If this point is not taken into consideration, it is difficult to improve the quality of the pattern formed on the substrate.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above knowledge by the present inventor, and is formed by adjusting the arrangement of a plurality of droplets of the imprint material formed on the substrate in consideration of the influence of the purge gas. The purpose is to improve the quality of the pattern to be printed.

  One aspect of the present invention relates to a pattern forming method, wherein the pattern forming method includes disposing a plurality of test droplets of an imprint material on a test region by a supply unit that supplies the imprint material. A sample creation step of creating a sample having a plurality of droplet cured products by curing the plurality of test droplets in a state where purge gas is supplied to the test droplets, and the plurality of droplet cured products in the sample An evaluation process to be evaluated, a generation process for generating an arrangement recipe based on design information of a pattern to be formed on the board and a result obtained in the evaluation process, and an input on the board by the supply unit according to the arrangement recipe. A pattern formed on the basis of the design information in a state in which a plurality of droplets of a printing material are arranged and the purge gas is supplied to the plurality of droplets. An imprint process of forming an imprint material constituting the plurality of droplets by bringing a mold to contact the plurality of droplets, and forming a pattern by curing the formed imprint material; ,including.

  According to the present invention, the quality of the pattern to be formed can be improved by adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets of the imprint material formed on the substrate in consideration of the influence of the purge gas.

The figure which shows typically the structure of the imprint apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the pattern formation method of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the specific example of a sample preparation process. The figure which illustrates the arrangement | positioning recipe for sample preparation. The figure which illustrates the shot layout at the time of manufacturing articles | goods. The figure which illustrates a mode that the several droplet of imprint material is arrange | positioned on a board | substrate according to an arrangement | positioning recipe. The figure which shows typically the movement of the area | region where the some test droplet of the imprint material is arrange | positioned, and hardening of this some test droplet. The figure which illustrates the change (curing | curing) of the fluidity | liquidity of the ultraviolet curable resin as an imprint material. The figure which illustrates the difference in the volatilization amount by the elapsed time from the application time between the some droplets of the imprint material. The figure which illustrates typically the difference of the volatilization amount by the arrangement position, and the difference of wetting spread among several droplets of the imprint material. The figure which illustrates the difference in the volatilization amount by the flow volume of purge gas between several droplets of the imprint material. The figure which illustrates the difference between the nozzles of several droplet hardened | cured material formed in the test board | substrate. The figure which illustrates the application amount distribution of the imprint material with respect to a shot area | region. The figure which illustrates the arrangement | positioning recipe of a reference example. The figure which shows the specific example of an arrangement | positioning recipe production | generation process. The figure which illustrates the intermediate data for correction | amendment, and correction amount distribution. The figure which illustrates correction application amount distribution. The figure which illustrates the arrangement | positioning recipe produced | generated by embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the imprint system of one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The imprint system of the present invention forms a pattern by forming an imprint material supplied on a substrate with a mold and curing the formed imprint material. An imprint material is a curable composition that cures when given energy to cure it. The imprint material may mean a cured state or an uncured state. As the energy for curing, for example, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like can be used. The electromagnetic wave can be, for example, light (for example, infrared rays, visible rays, ultraviolet rays) having a wavelength selected from a range of 10 nm to 1 mm.

  The curable composition is typically a composition that is cured by light irradiation or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by light can contain at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator. Further, the photocurable composition may additionally contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent. The non-polymerizable compound may be at least one selected from the group of, for example, a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The imprint apparatus 100 is a lithographic apparatus used in a process for manufacturing an article such as a semiconductor device, and supplies an imprint material 120 onto a substrate 104, and a pattern of a mold 101 is formed on the imprint material 120. Transcript. In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 104 is an XY plane. In the XYZ coordinate system, the directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes are the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively, and rotation around the X axis, rotation around the Y axis, and rotation around the Z axis are θX and θY, respectively. , ΘZ. The control or drive related to the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis means control or drive related to the direction parallel to the X axis, the direction parallel to the Y axis, and the direction parallel to the Z axis, respectively. The control or drive related to the θX axis, θY axis, and θZ axis relates to rotation around an axis parallel to the X axis, rotation around an axis parallel to the Y axis, and rotation around an axis parallel to the Z axis. Means control or drive.

  In the present embodiment, as a method of curing the imprint material 120, a photocuring method is adopted in which the imprint material 120 is cured by irradiating the imprint material 120 with light such as ultraviolet rays. However, the method of curing the imprint material 120 is not limited to this, and the imprint material 120 may be cured by applying heat to the imprint material 120, for example.

  The imprint apparatus 100 includes a mold driving mechanism 102 that drives the mold 101, a curing unit (light irradiation unit) 103, and a purge unit 106. The imprint apparatus 100 includes a stage 105 that holds the substrate 104 and a substrate driving mechanism 112 that drives the substrate 104 by driving the stage 105. The imprint apparatus 100 also includes a dispenser 110 that disposes a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 on the substrate 104, a supply source 111 that supplies the imprint material 120 to the dispenser 110, a control unit 130, data A storage unit 131. The dispenser 110 is one form of a supply unit that supplies the imprint material onto the substrate 104.

  The mold 101 has a pattern portion 101 a on which a pattern to be transferred is formed on the imprint material 120 supplied to the substrate 104. The mold 101 is arranged so that the pattern portion 101 a faces the substrate 104. The mold 101 has, for example, a rectangular outer shape and can be made of a material (quartz or the like) that transmits light (ultraviolet rays). The mold driving mechanism 102 has a mold chuck for holding the mold 101, and the mold 101 held by the mold chuck is moved to a plurality of axes (for example, X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θX axis, θY axis, θZ axis). 6 axis). The mold driving mechanism 102 drives the mold 101 so that the mold 101 is brought into contact with a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 disposed on the substrate 104. As a result, the plurality of droplets spread, and the imprint material 120 constituting the plurality of droplets is shaped according to the pattern of the pattern portion 101a. At this stage, since the imprint material 120 is in an uncured state, that is, in a liquid state, the shape is not fixed. The imprint material formed by the mold is cured by being irradiated with light, and the shape is fixed. Thereafter, the mold driving mechanism 102 drives the mold 101 so as to separate the mold 101 from the cured imprint material 120.

  The stage 105 has a substrate chuck that holds the substrate 104. The stage 105 is driven by the substrate driving mechanism 112. The substrate drive mechanism 112 can be constituted by a coarse drive system and a fine drive system, for example. The substrate driving mechanism 112 drives the stage 105 so as to drive the substrate 104 about a plurality of axes (for example, three axes of the X axis, the Y axis, and the θZ axis).

  The supply source 111 is a tank that stores an uncured, that is, liquid imprint material 120, and supplies the imprint material 120 to the dispenser 110. The dispenser 110 has a plurality of nozzles (discharge ports), and discharges the imprint material 120 in a droplet state through the plurality of nozzles. Typically, the imprint material 120 is ejected from the plurality of nozzles of the dispenser 110 in synchronization with the driving (scanning) of the substrate 104 by the substrate driving mechanism 112, whereby the plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 are discharged to the substrate. It is arranged (applied) on 104. In one example, one droplet may be several picoliters, and the interval between the droplets may be several μm.

  In this embodiment, the imprint material 120 is an ultraviolet curable resin having an oxygen curing inhibitory property (a property in which curing is inhibited by oxygen). The purge unit 106 supplies one or a plurality of blow-out units 107 with a purge gas for allowing the imprint material 120 to be cured in a space between the substrate 104 and the mold 101, more specifically in a space immediately below the mold 101. Supply through. In one example, the plurality of blowing portions 107 can be arranged so as to surround the mold 101. As the purge gas, a gas having an action of promoting the filling of the imprint material 120 into the concave portion of the pattern portion 101a can be used. As the purge gas, a gas that does not inhibit the curing of the imprint material 120, for example, a gas including at least one of helium gas, nitrogen gas, and a condensable gas (for example, pentafluoropropane (PFP)) can be used. The blowing unit 107 may have, for example, a plurality of nozzles so as to supply the purge gas to the entire region of the plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 formed on the substrate 104 by the dispenser 110.

  The control unit 130 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls a plurality of elements constituting the imprint apparatus 100, that is, the mold driving mechanism 102, the curing unit 103, the purge unit 106, the substrate driving mechanism 112, and the like. The data storage unit 131 stores an arrangement recipe (drop recipe) for controlling the arrangement of a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 on the substrate 104 by the dispenser 110. The arrangement recipe includes information indicating the arrangement of the droplets of the imprint material 120.

  A pattern forming method performed by the imprint apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The following operations in step S101 (sample creation process) are operations in the first mode of the imprint apparatus 100, and operations in steps S105 to S108 are operations in the second mode of the imprint apparatus 100.

  In step S101 (sample creation step), a sample for measuring the droplet characteristics of the imprint material 120 in the imprint apparatus 100 is created. The sample has a plurality of droplet cured products. In the plurality of liquid cured products, a test substrate having a test area is loaded on the stage 105, and a plurality of test droplets of the imprint material 120 are placed in the test area by the dispenser 110, and the plurality of test liquid droplets are cured. It is formed by being cured by the portion 103. The plurality of test droplets are cured in a state where the purge gas is supplied to the plurality of droplets arranged by the dispenser 110 on the test substrate. Here, the purge gas is supplied, for example, when the purge gas is supplied over a predetermined time or until the oxygen concentration in the space surrounding the plurality of droplets falls below a predetermined concentration. State. Details of step S101 (sample creation step) will be described later. The curing of the plurality of test droplets by the curing unit 103 can be performed at the same position as the position where the plurality of droplets of the imprint material are cured in the imprint process for manufacturing the article in steps S105 to S108.

  In step S102 (evaluation step), a plurality of droplet cured products in the sample created in step S101 (sample creation step) are evaluated. This evaluation can include measurement of the volume of each of the plurality of liquid cured products in the sample created in step S101 (sample creation process). Here, when one cured product (hereinafter referred to as a bonded cured product) is formed with n (natural number of 2 or more) droplets combined, the volume of the bonded cured product is divided by n. Can evaluate the volume of individual droplets before bonding. Alternatively, when evaluating a group of n droplets as a unit under the condition that one bonded cured product is formed in a state where n (natural number of 2 or more) droplets are bonded, individual bonding Each group can also be evaluated by the volume of the cured product.

  In step S103, the control unit 130 acquires design information (for example, circuit pattern design information) of a pattern to be formed on the substrate in order to manufacture an article such as a semiconductor device. The pattern formed on the pattern portion 101a of the mold 101 used for manufacturing the article is formed based on the design information. The design information is stored in the data storage unit 131. In step S104 (arrangement recipe generation step), the control unit 130 generates an arrangement recipe based on the design information acquired in step S103 and the evaluation result obtained in step S102 (evaluation step).

  In steps S105 to S109 (imprint process), imprinting is performed according to the arrangement recipe generated in step S104. Specifically, in step S105, the dispenser 110 supplies the imprint material onto the shot area of the substrate 104 at a predetermined timing according to the arrangement recipe generated in step S104. This supply is performed such that a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 are disposed on the shot area of the substrate 104. In step S <b> 106, the purge unit 106 starts supplying purge gas to the space surrounding the plurality of droplets arranged on the shot region of the substrate 104. In step S107, the mold driving is performed so that the plurality of droplets arranged on the shot region of the substrate 104 are supplied with the purge gas by the purge unit 106 so that the pattern unit 101a of the mold 101 contacts the plurality of droplets. The mold 101 is driven by the mechanism 102.

  In step S <b> 106, the mold 101 is driven by the mold driving mechanism 102 so that the pattern portion 101 a of the mold 101 contacts a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 on the shot area of the substrate 104. As a result, the imprint material 120 constituting a plurality of droplets on the shot region of the substrate 104 is formed following the pattern of the pattern portion 101a. The mold 101 used here is a mold in which a pattern is formed in the pattern portion 101a according to the design information acquired in step S103. In step S <b> 107, the cured imprint material 120 is irradiated with light by the curing unit 103. As a result, the imprint material 120 is cured and the shape is fixed. In step S <b> 108, the mold 101 is driven by the mold drive mechanism 102 so that the mold 101 is separated from the cured imprint material 120. In the present embodiment, in steps S106 and S108, the mold 101 is driven by the mold driving mechanism 102 so that the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material 120 and the mold 101 is separated from the cured imprint material 120. The However, instead of such control, the substrate 104 may be driven by the substrate driving mechanism 112 so that the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material 120 and the mold 101 is separated from the cured imprint material 120.

  Step S109 and step S110 are optional steps. In step S109, the film thickness distribution of the pattern formed by steps S105 to S108 (imprint process) (that is, a pattern obtained by molding and curing the imprint material 120) is measured. In step S110, the correction control information can be changed as necessary based on the measurement result of the film thickness distribution in step S109. For example, this change can be achieved by increasing the volume of a droplet that should be placed in a portion where the film thickness obtained by measurement is thinner than the target film thickness, and placing it in a portion where the film thickness obtained by measurement is thicker than the target film thickness. A process of reducing the volume of the droplet may be included. The volume of the droplet is adjusted by increasing / decreasing the number of droplets arranged in a thin portion or increasing / decreasing the discharge amount per droplet.

  In the above example, the substrate 108 for manufacturing the article and the test board are separate substrates, but a part of the substrate 108 for manufacturing the article is used as a test area, An area may be used as an area for manufacturing an article.

  Further, the purge gas supply timing by the purge unit 106 in the above description is an example. At the latest, the purge unit 106 sends a space under the mold 101 until the shot area to be imprinted is sent under the mold 101 and the mold 101 comes into contact with a plurality of droplets on the shot area. It can be controlled that the supply of the purge gas to is started. For example, the purge unit 106 can be controlled to supply a purge gas to the space under the mold 101 during a period from when the substrate 104 is loaded onto the stage 105 to when it is unloaded from the stage 105. Alternatively, the purge unit 106 supplies the purge gas to the space below the mold 101 during the period from when the first substrate 104 of the lot is loaded onto the stage 105 to when the last substrate 104 of the lot is unloaded from the stage 105. Can be controlled.

  A specific example of step S101 (sample creation step) in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S <b> 201, the mold 101 is held by the mold chuck of the mold drive mechanism 102. The mold 101 may or may not have a pattern for forming an article such as a semiconductor device. This is because the imprint material 120 may be cured without bringing the mold 101 into contact with the imprint material 120 in the sample creation process.

  Step S202 is a step executed when the dispenser 110 is not mounted on the imprint apparatus 100. If the dispenser 110 is not mounted on the imprint apparatus 100, the dispenser 110 is mounted on the imprint apparatus 100 in step S202. In step S203, the control unit 130 identifies the dispenser 110 mounted on the imprint apparatus 100 based on the ID. Accordingly, performance information such as the type of dispenser 110 mounted on the imprint apparatus 100, the number of nozzles (the number of discharge ports), the average discharge amount as discharge performance, the discharge amount variation for each nozzle, and the discharge position variation is acquired. Can do.

  In step S <b> 204, a test substrate is loaded on the stage 105 as the substrate 104. In step S205, the control unit 130 generates or acquires an arrangement recipe for sample creation. In one example, the arrangement recipe for creating a sample can be prepared in advance in the data storage unit 131 in association with the type of dispenser 110 or the number of nozzles. In this case, the control unit 130 can acquire an arrangement recipe prepared in advance based on the type of dispenser 110 or the number of nozzles. In another example, the control unit 130 determines the nozzle for discharging the imprint material and the discharge timing so that the droplets of the imprint material 120 are arranged at a predetermined position, and based on this determination An arrangement recipe can be generated.

  In FIG. 4, the arrangement recipe for creating a sample is visualized. A sample can be created in each of the plurality of regions R of the test substrate. Each region R is a region where an array of a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 is cured in one curing process. Each region R can be a region similar to a shot region when an article such as a semiconductor device is manufactured. The dispenser 110 has nozzles 1, 2, 3,... As a plurality of nozzles. A black square in the region R indicates a position where the test droplet of the imprint material 120 is disposed, and a white square indicates a position where the test droplet of the imprint material 120 is not disposed. In this example, a corresponding interval is provided between the test droplets so that the test droplets do not contact each other. The test substrate is scanned laterally in FIG. 4 by the substrate driving mechanism 112. First, the imprint material 120 is discharged from the nozzles 1, 4, 7..., And test droplets are arranged at corresponding positions. Next, after an interval of 3 dots is provided, the imprint material 120 is ejected from the nozzles 2, 5, 8,..., And droplets are disposed at corresponding positions.

  In step S206, the control unit 130 selects a region in which a sample (an array composed of a plurality of droplet cured products) has not yet been created among the plurality of regions R of the test substrate. FIG. 5 illustrates a shot layout (arrangement of a plurality of shot areas) when an article such as a semiconductor device is manufactured. The shot area is an area where the pattern of the mold 101 is transferred in one imprint. Each region R in which a sample is created can be a region similar to a shot region when an article such as a semiconductor device is manufactured. In FIG. 5, areas to which 1, 2, 3, 4, E1, E2, E3, E4, etc. are attached are shot areas. In the simplest example, the region R can be defined in the same manner as the shot regions 1, 2, 3, 4, E1, E2, E3, and E4. Therefore, the following description will be made assuming that the region R is a shot region.

  In step S207, with respect to the region R (shot region) selected in step S206, a plurality of imprint materials 120 are dispensed by the dispenser 110 as schematically shown in FIG. Of test droplets are placed. In step S208, the purge unit 106 starts supplying purge gas to the space surrounding the plurality of test droplets. In step S209, as schematically shown in FIG. 7A, in the test substrate as the substrate 104, the region R (shot region) where the plurality of test droplets of the imprint material 120 are arranged is the mold 101. It is driven by the substrate driving mechanism 112 so as to be sent down. A purge gas is supplied to the space below the mold 101 (or the space below the position where the mold 101 is disposed) by the purge unit 106. The control of the supply of the purge gas is the same as the supply of the purge gas when manufacturing an article such as a semiconductor device. Thereby, the influence which the imprint material 120 receives at the time of preparation of a sample and manufacture of an article can be brought close. In step S209, as schematically shown in FIG. 7B, the curing unit 103 irradiates a plurality of test liquid droplets of the imprint material 120 through the mold 101, thereby a plurality of the test droplets. The liquid droplets are cured to form a plurality of liquid droplet cured products as samples. Thereby, a sample is formed in one region R (shot region). The present invention does not exclude contacting the mold 101 with the plurality of test droplets when the plurality of test droplets of the imprint material 120 are cured. However, it is preferable that the mold 101 is not brought into contact with the plurality of test droplets when the plurality of test droplets are cured. This is because it is desirable that the test droplets do not come into contact with each other in order to individually evaluate the respective cured droplets after the sample is formed. Each droplet cured product may have a volume that is affected by variations in the discharge amount between nozzles (discharge ports) of the dispenser 110 and variations in the volatilization amount due to the difference in supply of purge gas between droplets. .

  In general, the ultraviolet curable resin that can be used as the imprint material 120 gradually decreases in fluidity in response to ultraviolet irradiation, and finally solidifies. FIG. 8 shows changes in fluidity of the four types of ultraviolet curable resins A, B, C, and D due to irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The horizontal axis represents the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays, which is proportional to the irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet curable resin A is cured to a sufficient degree when the ultraviolet irradiation time reaches Ta.

  At the time of manufacturing the article, the mold 101 comes into contact with the plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120, thereby reducing the contact of a gas such as purge gas with the plurality of droplets. Further, when the mold 101 comes into contact with a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120, the plurality of droplets are coupled to each other to form a continuous liquid film. Considering this, the timing for curing the imprint material 120 (timing based on the timing at which a plurality of droplets of the imprint material are arranged on the substrate) is the same when the sample is produced and when the article is manufactured. It is not preferable to make it.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the timing of curing the imprint material 120 at the time of sample preparation and article manufacture is determined so as to satisfy the relationship of Expression (1).

T1 <T2 (1)
T1 is the time (first time) from the placement of the plurality of test droplets to one region R of the plurality of regions R by the dispenser 110 in the sample preparation process to the start of curing of the plurality of test droplets. . In addition, T2 indicates the curing of the plurality of droplets from the arrangement of the plurality of droplets by the dispenser 110 with respect to the shot region corresponding to the one region R among the plurality of shot regions in the imprint process for manufacturing the article. Time until start (second time). That is, it is preferable that the first time T1 is shorter than the second time T2.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the timing satisfies the relationship of the formula (2).

T1 <T3 (2)
T3 is the contact of the mold 101 with the plurality of droplets from the arrangement of the plurality of droplets by the dispenser 110 with respect to the shot region corresponding to the one region R among the plurality of shot regions in the imprint process for manufacturing the article. Time (third time T3). That is, it is preferable that the first time T1 is shorter than the third time T3.

  Or it is preferable that the said timing satisfy | fills the relationship of Formula (3). That is, the first time T1 is preferably in the range of 0.8 times or more and less than 1 time of the third time T3.

0.8 × T3 ≦ T1 <T3
Furthermore, when the curing time of the ultraviolet curable resin as the imprint material 120 (in the case of the ultraviolet curable resin A shown in FIG. 8, the curing time Ta can be conveniently used) is set to Tc, the timing described above. Preferably satisfies the relationship of the formula (4).

T1 <(T3-Tc) (4)
Equation (4) means that the timing of curing of the imprint material at the time of sample preparation is set earlier than the timing of contact of the mold 101 with the droplet of the imprint material at the time of manufacturing the article.

  In the above discussion, the region R on the substrate at the time of sample preparation is associated with the shot region on the substrate at the time of manufacturing the article. This is because the time required to move from the bottom of the dispenser 110 to the bottom of the mold 101 differs depending on the position on the substrate. That is, the comparison between the first time T1, the second time T2, and the third time T3 is significant unless the region R on the test substrate and the shot region on the substrate for manufacturing the article are at the same position or close to each other. Because you lose.

  After curing of the test droplet in step S209, in step S210, the control unit 130 determines whether or not a region R in which a sample has not been created remains among the plurality of regions R. Then, when there is a region R for which a sample has not been created, the control unit 130 executes steps S206 to S209 for the region R. On the other hand, when the creation of samples for all the regions R where the samples are to be created is completed, the test substrate is unloaded from the stage 105 in step S211.

  Next, a variation immediately before curing between a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 120 arranged in the region R or the shot region by the dispenser 110 will be described. In the method of disposing (applying) droplets in the region R or shot region while scanning the stage 105, the time at which the droplets are disposed (applied) varies depending on the position in the scanning direction in the region R or the shot region. . Therefore, the longer the elapsed time from the time when the droplet was applied, the more the amount of volatilization from the droplet, so the elapsed time from the time when the droplet was applied is longer, as schematically shown in FIG. The droplets become smaller due to volatilization.

  Further, the variation immediately before curing between the plurality of droplets can be caused by the distribution of vapor pressure of the volatilized imprint material. The vapor pressure of the imprint material that volatilizes from the droplets is higher in the central part of the array composed of a plurality of droplets than in the peripheral part of the array. Therefore, the volatilization amount in the peripheral portion is larger than the volatilization amount in the central portion. Further, as schematically shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the droplet spreading in the peripheral portion tends to be faster than the droplet spreading in the central portion. In addition, FIG.10 (b) is sectional drawing in the AA line of Fig.10 (a).

  Further, the variation immediately before the curing between the plurality of droplets may be caused by the flow rate distribution of the purge gas. FIG. 11 schematically shows a plurality of droplets immediately before curing in the case where the purge gas outlet 107 has two nozzles 107a and 107b. The flow rate of the purge gas varies depending on the position in the region R or the shot region. At a position where the flow rate of the purge gas is large, the vapor pressure of the imprint material that has volatilized from the droplets decreases, so the volatilization amount increases.

  In addition, variation immediately before curing between a plurality of droplets may also occur depending on the position of the region R or shot region in the substrate. This is because the relative position between the purge gas blowing portion 107 and the substrate and the stage 105 differs depending on the position of the region R or the shot region in the substrate. This is because the flow rate distribution is different. In particular, the flow rate distribution of the purge gas is remarkable in the region R or shot region (for example, the shot regions E1, E2, E3, and E4 in FIG. 5) in the peripheral portion of the substrate and the region R or shot region in the central portion of the substrate. Can be different.

  Further, the variation immediately before curing between the plurality of droplets may be caused by the variation in the discharge amount between the plurality of nozzles of the dispenser 110. However, the variation in the discharge amount among the plurality of nozzles can be suppressed to an allowable range by calibration.

  Next, the evaluation of the liquid drop cured product in step S102 (evaluation step) will be exemplarily described. The plurality of droplet cured products of the sample created in step S101 (sample creation step) can be weighed and evaluated using, for example, an optical interference measurement device. For example, the measurement can be performed with respect to the volume, shape, and arrangement position of each droplet cured product. An example of the optical interference measurement device is “Vert Scan R5000 model”. The evaluation result can be managed in association with the ID of the dispenser 110. The optical interference measurement device can obtain the shape information of the specimen by analyzing interference fringes obtained by white interference, for example. In the evaluation process, for example, another measuring device such as a digital holographic microscope may be used. The evaluation results of the volume and arrangement position of the droplet cured product can be used for determining the coating amount distribution. The evaluation result of the shape of the droplet cured product can be used to determine whether or not the droplets are normally arranged.

  FIG. 12A schematically shows a plurality of droplet cured products arranged in the region R of the test substrate. FIG. 12 (b) shows the result of measuring and evaluating the volume of the plurality of cured droplets shown in FIG. 12 (a). In the example shown in FIG. 12B, a value obtained by averaging the volume of the liquid drop cured product for each nozzle that ejected the volume is shown. In FIG. 12B, the volume is shown as a deviation from the reference value. Here, the reference value can be, for example, a value obtained by averaging the volumes of all measured droplet cured products. From FIG. 12 (b), it can be seen that the volume of the liquid droplet cured product varies between the nozzles of the dispenser 110. 201a indicates a portion where the volume of the droplet cured product is large, and 201b indicates a portion where the volume of the droplet cured material is small.

  Next, as a reference example, a process for generating an arrangement recipe for manufacturing an article without considering the evaluation result of the droplet cured product will be described. First, based on design information (for example, circuit pattern design information) of a pattern to be formed on the substrate, an application amount distribution of the imprint material for the shot region is determined. The application amount distribution can be achieved, for example, by dividing the shot region into a plurality of partial regions and determining the application amount for each partial region. The coating amount can be determined based on the pattern density in the partial region (density of the convex pattern formed on the substrate) in addition to the pattern height. FIG. 13 illustrates an application amount distribution of the imprint material with respect to the shot area. The example shown in FIG. 13 shows an example in which the shot area is divided into four partial areas, and the coating amount for each partial area is determined. The coating amount is expressed as a density (multi-valued data) for convenience of subsequent processing, and the shot area is expressed as an image having a density corresponding to the coating amount. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the partial area 301a is a high pattern density area, the partial area 301b is a medium pattern density area, and the partial area 301c is a low pattern density area.

  The image showing the distribution of the imprint material applied to the shot area is converted into a binary image showing an arrangement recipe (data indicating the arrangement of droplets) by halftone processing. A pixel “1” in the placement recipe indicates that a droplet is placed (applied), and a pixel “0” indicates that a droplet is not placed (applied). As the halftone processing, for example, an error diffusion method can be employed. FIG. 14 schematically shows an arrangement recipe (binary image) generated by halftone processing. A black square (pixel) corresponds to “1” and indicates that a droplet is disposed (applied), and a white square (pixel) corresponds to “0” and indicates that a droplet is not disposed (applied). Show. In one example, the arrangement recipe can be generated in the binary image format as described above, but each pixel has discharge amount correction information (for example, information for correcting discharge variation between nozzles). It may be generated in the form of Alternatively, the arrangement recipe may be a set of coordinate data indicating the arrangement (application) position of the droplet in the shot area, or may be in another form.

  Next, a process in step S103 (arrangement recipe generation process) in FIG. 2, that is, a process for generating an arrangement recipe based on the design information acquired in step S103 and the evaluation result obtained in step S102 (evaluation process). A specific example will be described. Since the evaluation result obtained in step S102 includes the influence of the purge gas, the influence of the purge gas is reduced by generating the arrangement recipe based on the evaluation result, and the pattern formed on the substrate. Can improve the quality.

  FIG. 15 shows a specific example of step S103 (placement recipe generation step) in FIG. First, in step S401, the control unit 130 determines an application amount distribution of the imprint material for the shot region based on design information (for example, circuit pattern design information) of a pattern to be formed on the substrate. In step S402, the control unit 130 selects a shot area for which correction control information is to be generated. In step S403, the control unit 130 performs step S102 for the region R corresponding to the shot region selected in step S402 (this region R is the region R existing at the same position as or close to the shot region). The evaluation result in (evaluation process) is acquired. This evaluation result is, for example, variation in the volume of the droplet cured product depending on the nozzle of the dispenser 110 (FIG. 12B).

  In step S404, the control unit 130 generates an arrangement recipe based on the design information acquired in step S103 and the evaluation result obtained in step S102 (evaluation process). First, the control unit 130 generates intermediate data for generating a correction distribution based on the evaluation result obtained in step S402 (for example, variation in the volume of the droplet cured product depending on the nozzle). FIG. 16A illustrates intermediate data for generating a correction amount distribution. For example, the control unit 130 calculates intermediate data as illustrated in FIG. 16A by calculating a moving average (for example, an average of 8 nozzles) in the evaluation result illustrated in FIG. Can be generated. The intermediate data illustrated in FIG. 16A can also be understood as data obtained by smoothing the evaluation result illustrated in FIG. Reference numeral 402a denotes a portion where the volume of the droplet cured product is large, and 402b denotes a portion where the volume of the droplet cured product is small.

  Next, the control unit 130 generates a correction amount distribution illustrated in FIG. 16B based on the intermediate data. The correction amount distribution can be generated, for example, in the form of a multi-value image in which a numerical value obtained by multiplying intermediate data by −1 is expressed by density. In FIG. 16B, 403a is a portion indicating that the volume (droplet volume) of the imprint material to be discharged should be reduced by 5%, and 403b is the volume (droplet volume) of the imprint material to be discharged. ) Should be increased by 10%.

  Next, the control unit 130 generates a corrected application amount distribution by combining the application amount distribution generated in step S401 and the correction amount distribution. The corrected application amount distribution can be expressed by an image having a density corresponding to the application amount. The composition of the application amount distribution and the correction amount distribution can be performed, for example, by adding the application amount distribution and the correction amount distribution. FIG. 17 illustrates a corrected application amount distribution. Reference numerals 404a to 404d denote portions for increasing or decreasing the coating amount with respect to the coating amount distribution generated based on the design information. The increase / decrease in the coating amount with respect to the coating amount distribution generated based on the design information is −5% for 404a and 404b and + 10% for 404c and 404d.

  Next, the control unit 130 generates a binary image as an arrangement recipe (data indicating the arrangement of droplets) by performing a halftone process on the image indicating the corrected application amount distribution. A pixel “1” in the placement recipe indicates that a droplet is placed (applied), and a pixel “0” indicates that a droplet is not placed (applied). As the halftone processing, for example, an error diffusion method can be employed. FIG. 18 schematically shows an arrangement recipe (binary image) generated by halftone processing. A black square (pixel) corresponds to “1” and indicates that a droplet is disposed (applied), and a white square (pixel) corresponds to “0” and indicates that a droplet is not disposed (applied). Show. As a reference example, it can be seen that the position and number of droplets are different between the arrangement recipe illustrated in FIG. 14 and the arrangement recipe illustrated in FIG. 18 generated according to the present embodiment.

  In step S405, the control unit 130 determines whether or not an unprocessed shot area remains. If there is an unprocessed shot area, the control unit 130 executes steps S402 to S404 for the shot area. On the other hand, if the generation of the arrangement recipe is completed for all shot areas, the control unit 130 stores the arrangement recipe for each shot area in the data storage unit 131 in step S406.

  As described above, the quality of the pattern to be formed can be improved by adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets of the imprint material formed on the substrate in consideration of the influence of the purge gas.

  In the above embodiment, an arrangement recipe indicating the arrangement of a plurality of droplets to be formed on a substrate for manufacturing an article is generated based on the design information and the evaluation result of the sample, and the dispenser 110 is generated based on the arrangement recipe. Is controlled. Instead of such a method, by correcting the arrangement recipe generated based on the design information based on the evaluation result of the sample, a corrected arrangement recipe according to the evaluation result is generated, and based on this, the dispenser 110 is changed. You may control.

  FIG. 19 shows the configuration of an imprint system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The imprint system includes the above-described imprint apparatus 100, an evaluation apparatus 500 that performs the evaluation in step S102, and a transport apparatus 510. The transport device 510 transports the test substrate on which the sample (an array of a plurality of cured droplets) is formed by the imprint device 100 to the evaluation device 500. The evaluation apparatus 500 evaluates the sample and provides the evaluation result to the imprint apparatus 100. The imprint apparatus 100 generates an arrangement recipe based on the evaluation result, and performs imprinting on a substrate for manufacturing an article based on the arrangement recipe.

  Hereinafter, the article manufacturing method of the present invention will be exemplarily described. A method for manufacturing a device (semiconductor integrated circuit element, liquid crystal display element, etc.) as an article includes a step of forming a pattern on a substrate (wafer, glass plate, film-like substrate) using the above-described imprint apparatus. Further, the manufacturing method may include a step of processing (for example, etching) the substrate on which the pattern is formed. In the case of manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) and optical elements, the manufacturing method may include other processes for processing a substrate on which a pattern is formed instead of etching. The article manufacturing method of 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.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Imprint apparatus, 101: type | mold, 101a: pattern part, 102: type | mold drive mechanism, 103: hardening | curing part, 104: board | substrate, 105: stage, 106: purge part, 107, blowing part, 110: dispenser (supply part) ), 111: supply source, 112: substrate drive mechanism, 130: control unit, 131: data storage unit

Claims (14)

A plurality of test droplets of the imprint material are arranged on the test area by a supply unit that supplies the imprint material, and the plurality of test droplets are cured in a state where purge gas is supplied to the plurality of test droplets. A sample creation step of creating a sample having a plurality of droplet cured products,
An evaluation process for evaluating the plurality of droplet cured products in the sample;
A generation step of generating a layout recipe based on design information of a pattern to be formed on the substrate and a result obtained in the evaluation step;
According to the arrangement recipe, a plurality of droplets of the imprint material are arranged on the substrate by the supply unit, and a pattern formed based on the design information in a state where the purge gas is supplied to the plurality of droplets. An imprint step of forming a pattern by forming an imprint material constituting the plurality of droplets by bringing the mold having contact with the plurality of droplets and curing the formed imprint material; ,
A pattern forming method comprising: The curing of the plurality of test droplets in the sample preparation step is performed at a position where a process of bringing the mold into contact with the plurality of droplets on the substrate and curing is performed.
The pattern forming method according to claim 1. The sample preparation step and the evaluation step are performed for each of a plurality of regions in the test region,
In the generation step, a plurality of arrangement recipes are generated for imprinting the plurality of shot regions of the substrate based on the results obtained in the evaluation step for each of the plurality of regions in the test region. ,
The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein: The time from the placement of the plurality of test droplets to one of the plurality of regions by the supply unit in the sample preparation step to the start of curing of the plurality of test droplets is a first time,
A time period from the placement of the plurality of droplets by the supply unit to the start of curing of the plurality of droplets with respect to a shot region corresponding to the one region among the plurality of shot regions in the imprint process is a second time. And when
The first time is shorter than the second time;
The pattern forming method according to claim 3. The time from the placement of the plurality of droplets by the supply unit to the shot region corresponding to the one region among the plurality of shot regions in the imprint process until the contact of the mold with the plurality of droplets is a third time. When time and
The first time is shorter than the third time;
The pattern forming method according to claim 4. The time from the placement of the plurality of droplets by the supply unit to the shot region corresponding to the one region among the plurality of shot regions in the imprint process until the contact of the mold with the plurality of droplets is a third time. When time and
The first time is in the range of 0.8 times or more and less than 1 time of the third time;
The pattern forming method according to claim 4. The evaluation step includes measuring and evaluating the volume of the plurality of test droplets;
The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein: The purge gas is supplied to a space below the position where the mold is disposed.
The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein: The imprint material is a material whose curing is inhibited by oxygen,
The purge gas is a gas that does not inhibit the curing of the imprint material.
The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern forming method is a pattern forming method. In the sample preparation step, the plurality of droplets are cured without bringing the mold into contact with the plurality of droplets.
The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein: A supply unit for arranging a plurality of droplets of the imprint material on the substrate;
A purge unit for supplying a purge gas to the plurality of droplets on the substrate;
A curing unit that cures the molded imprint material in a state where the imprint material constituting the plurality of droplets is molded by bringing a mold into contact with the plurality of droplets on the substrate; With
In the first mode, the plurality of test droplets of the imprint material are disposed on the test region by the supply unit, and the plurality of test droplets are supplied to the plurality of test droplets by the purge unit. A droplet is cured by the curing unit, thereby creating a sample having a plurality of droplet cured products,
In the second mode, the imprinting material is formed on the substrate by the supply unit according to the layout recipe generated based on the design information of the pattern to be formed on the substrate and the evaluation result of the sample created in the first mode. A plurality of droplets are arranged, and a mold having a pattern formed based on the design information is brought into contact with the plurality of droplets in a state where the purge gas is supplied to the plurality of droplets by the purge unit. By forming the imprint material constituting the plurality of droplets, the cured imprint material is cured by the curing unit,
An imprint system characterized by that. An evaluation device for evaluating the sample;
A transport device for transporting the sample to the evaluation device;
The imprint system according to claim 11, further comprising: Forming a pattern on a substrate in accordance with the pattern forming method according to claim 1;
Processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed;
An article manufacturing method comprising: Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint system according to claim 11 or 12, and
Processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed;
An article manufacturing method comprising:

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