JP6700794B2 - Imprint material discharge device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imprint material discharging device that discharges an imprint material.

  In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and the like, a so-called imprint technique is known in which a pattern-formed mold is brought into contact with an imprint material on a substrate, and the shape of the mold is transferred to the imprint material to form the pattern. ing. Patent Document 1 describes an ejection device using an inkjet head as an imprint material ejection device that ejects an imprint material onto a substrate.

  The inkjet head of the ejection device described in Patent Document 1 has an energy generating element that generates energy for ejecting the imprint material onto the substrate. In such a discharging device, if the imprint material contains a foreign substance, a good pattern may not be formed when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material. Therefore, in the ejection device described in Patent Document 1, the imprint material from which the foreign matter is removed by the filter is supplied to the containing portion.

JP, 2014-216471, A

  According to the study by the present inventors, it has been found that the discharge device described in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. For example, by leaving the imprinting material or the imprinting material storage section for a long time in a state where the imprinting material is stored therein, a part of the imprinting material in the storage section for the imprinting material may change due to aging. There is a possibility that In addition, the imprint material may be contaminated by the foreign matter generated from the inside of the housing portion. When the imprint material is discharged onto the substrate in such a state, the mold that comes into contact with the imprint material may be damaged or the patterning accuracy of the imprint material may be reduced.

  According to the method described in Patent Document 1, since the imprint material passes through the filter before entering the accommodating portion, foreign matters and the like are removed when the imprint material enters the accommodating portion. However, as described above, it is difficult to deal with the foreign matter generated in the housing portion and the change with time of the imprint material.

  Further, according to the study by the present inventors, as described above, the foreign matter generated in the accommodating portion of the imprint material is as small as several tens nm. If a filter with a small opening diameter capable of removing such foreign matter is provided in the passage of the imprint material, the supply of the imprint material to the ejection member is delayed due to the influence of the flow path resistance (pressure loss) in the filter, and The ejection of printing material was sometimes affected.

  Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an imprint material ejecting apparatus which can favorably eject the imprint material from the ejecting member while satisfactorily removing foreign matters generated in the imprint material in the accommodating portion with a filter. ..

The above problems can be solved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention is an imprinting material ejecting apparatus for ejecting an imprinting material that contacts a mold to form a pattern onto a substrate, the accommodating member having an accommodating portion that accommodates the imprinting material, and the accommodating portion. And a discharge member configured to discharge the imprint material, the discharge member including a region in which the imprint material flows, and the imprint material communicating with the region and flowing in the region. Has a discharge port that is a discharge port to the outside, and a piezoelectric element or a heating resistor that discharges the imprint material flowing in the region from the discharge port by driving, and the region has the discharge port. And an area between the piezoelectric element or the heating resistor and an area inside the ejection member, and the passage supplies the imprint material accommodated in the accommodation portion to the inside of the passage. A first opening that opens to the storage section, and a second opening that opens to the storage section for supplying the imprint material supplied from the first opening to the storage section. A filter for filtering the imprint material is provided between the first opening and the second opening of the passage, and the imprint material supplied from the first opening into the passage is A cartridge-type ejection device which is supplied to the accommodation portion through the second opening without passing through the region and in which the accommodation member, the passage, and the ejection member are integrated .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprint material ejecting apparatus which can favorably eject the imprint material from the ejecting member while satisfactorily removing foreign matters generated in the imprint material in the accommodating portion with the filter.

The figure which shows the structure of an imprint apparatus. The figure which shows the structure of an imprint material discharge device. The figure which shows the mode of circulation of the imprint material. The figure which shows the mode of circulation of the imprint material. The figure which shows the mode of circulation of the imprint material. The figure which shows the mode of circulation and discharge of the imprint material. The figure which shows the mode of circulation and discharge of the imprint material. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which an imprint material is ejected from an imprint material ejection device. The figure which shows the structure of an imprint material discharge device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which an imprint material is ejected to an imprint material ejection device. The figure which shows the structure of an imprint apparatus. The figure which shows the structure of an imprint material discharge device. The figure which shows the structure of the imprint material discharge device of a comparative form. The figure which shows the structure of the imprint material discharge device of a comparative form.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the imprint apparatus. Here, an example of an apparatus in which an ultraviolet curable resin is used as the imprint material and the ultraviolet curable resin is cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays will be described, but the material of the imprint material and the curing method are not limited to this. For example, the light irradiation device may irradiate light having a wavelength other than ultraviolet light to cure the photo-curable resin, or a thermosetting resin may be used to thermally cure the resin.

  The imprint apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an imprint material ejecting apparatus 10 and a mold 1. The imprint apparatus 100 having the mold 1 and the imprint material discharging apparatus 10 may be separate bodies. That is, the imprint material may be ejected by the imprint material ejecting apparatus 10 and may be imprinted by a mold included in the imprint apparatus 100 different from the imprint material ejecting apparatus 10.

  The imprint material ejecting device 10 includes an imprint material ejecting member 11, an accommodating member 12 having an accommodating portion that accommodates the imprint material, and a pressure control member 13. The substrate 4 is installed on the stage 6, and the imprint material 8 is ejected onto the substrate 4 from the ejection member 11. The mold 1 is brought into contact with the imprint material 8 discharged onto the substrate, and in this state, the imprint material 8 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation device 7 to cure the imprint material 8. A fine concave-convex pattern or the like is formed on the mold 1, and when the mold 1 is moved upward, the pattern of the mold is transferred to the imprint material. In this way, a pattern is formed on the imprint material.

  The stage 6 can move on the base frame 5 while holding the substrate 4. The mold driving mechanism 2 for vertically moving the mold 1 is held by the structure 3, and the mold 1 can be brought close to the substrate 4 to bring the mold 1 into contact with the imprint material 8. An ultraviolet irradiation device 7 is provided above the mold 1, and the imprint material 8 is irradiated with the ultraviolet light 9 through the mold 1. The ultraviolet rays 9 may be, for example, a light source such as a halogen lamp that generates i-line or g-line. Further, the ultraviolet irradiation device 7 may have a function of condensing and shaping the light generated by the light source.

  The imprint operation using the imprint apparatus 100 will be described in more detail. First, the substrate 4 is mounted on the stage 6. The substrate 4 is moved below the ejection member 11 of the imprint material ejection device 10 by the stage 6. Then, the imprint material 8 is discharged onto the substrate 4 from the discharge member 11 while moving the stage 6.

  Next, the portion of the substrate 4 on which the imprint material 8 has been discharged is moved below the mold 1 by the stage 6. Further, the mold 1 is lowered by the mold driving mechanism 2 to bring the mold 1 and the substrate 4 into close proximity to each other. In this state, the alignment mark on the mold 1 and the alignment mark on the substrate are overlapped with each other by an alignment scope or the like, and the relative position of the two is adjusted.

  After adjusting the relative position, the mold driving mechanism 2 further lowers the mold 1 downward (toward the substrate 4) to bring the mold 1 into contact with the imprint material 8. After that, the ultraviolet ray irradiation device 7 irradiates the imprint material 8 with the ultraviolet ray 9 and the ultraviolet ray 9 that has passed through the mold 1. As a result, a photo-curing reaction of the imprint material 8 occurs, and the imprint material 8 is hardened.

  Finally, the mold 1 is separated from the cured imprint material 8 by the mold driving mechanism 2. A pattern (patterned imprint material) can be formed on the substrate 4 through the above steps. An imprint apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor may form a pattern in all regions on the substrate 4. In this case, a series of imprint operations are repeated while changing the regions on the substrate.

  Next, the imprint material discharging device will be described. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the imprint material discharging device 10. The imprint material discharging device 10 mainly includes a discharging member 11, a housing member 12, and a pressure control member 13. A separation membrane 14 that separates the space inside the housing portion is provided inside the housing member 12. The separation film 14 is a film that separates the imprint material and a filling liquid described below, and is preferably flexible. The thickness of the separation membrane 14 is preferably 10 μm or more and 200 μm or less. The separation membrane 14 is preferably formed of a material having low liquid and gas permeability, and can be formed of, for example, a multilayer film of aluminum. Of the space formed by the separation film 14, the space on the side communicating with the ejection member 11 is filled with the imprint material. The ejection member 11 has an energy generating element that generates energy for ejecting the imprint material. An enlarged view of the ejection member 11 is shown in FIG. The ejection member 11 has an energy generating element 29. Further, the ejection member 11 has an ejection port 32 for ejecting the imprint material, and a region 33 between the energy generating element 29 and the ejection port 32. Examples of the energy generating element 29 include a piezoelectric element and a heating resistor. Since a material containing a large amount of resin is often used as the imprint material, it is preferable to use a piezoelectric element as the energy generating element. By controlling the energy generating element 29 with the controller, the imprint material 8 in the region 33 between the energy generating element 29 and the ejection port 32 is ejected from the ejection port 32 onto the substrate. The ejection member 11 is preferably a liquid ejection head used in an inkjet head or the like. Alternatively, a discharge member that controls the supply and stop of the liquid by using a control valve or the like can be used.

  The storage member 12 is a space on the opposite side of the storage portion 15 in which the imprint material is stored, and the storage portion 15 and the separation film 14, and is a space that is not in communication with the ejection member 11. 16 and 16. The filling liquid portion 16 is filled with the filling liquid and communicates with the pressure control member 13 via the communication portion 17. The pressure control member 13 includes a filling liquid tank, a pipe, a pressure sensor, a pump, a valve, and the like. The pressure sensor, pump, and valve control the pressure of the filling liquid in the filling liquid portion. By controlling the pressure of the filling liquid with the pressure control member 13, the pressure of the imprint material in the accommodating portion 15 can be controlled via the separation membrane 14. Thereby, the shape of the gas-liquid interface (meniscus) in the ejection member 11 can be stabilized, and the imprint material can be ejected with good reproducibility.

  When the discharge of the imprint material 8 from the discharge member 11 is repeated, the imprint material inside the containing portion 15 is consumed and reduced, and the separation film 14 is deformed. With the deformation of the separation membrane 14, the pressure control member 13 supplements the filling liquid from the filling liquid tank to the filling liquid portion 16, and the filling liquid portion 16 is filled with the filling liquid.

  The imprint material used in the imprint apparatus is required to contain as little foreign matter (fine particles) and metal ions as possible and maintain its properties until it is applied to the substrate. In the present invention, the imprint material is separated from the outside of the accommodating portion 15 in the period until the volume of the accommodating portion 15 is reduced by repeatedly discharging the imprint material and finally the entire imprint material is consumed. It can be stored in a stored state. Therefore, since there is no contact with the outside air or with devices such as a pressure sensor, it is possible to suppress the increase of foreign matters and metal ions in the imprint material that is initially managed and sealed.

  The accommodating portion 15 may be a bag-shaped flexible film as a separation film, such as a drip bag. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which a gas-liquid interface is provided inside the housing portion 15. In addition, the atmosphere communication port may be communicated with the accommodating portion 15 to make it open to the atmosphere. In the case of the air release type, it is preferable to connect a valve for switching the opening and closing and a device for controlling the pressure in order to perform the negative pressure control well.

  In the field of inkjet recording apparatuses, in order to stabilize the shape of the meniscus at the ejection port of the ejection member, the inside of the ejection member is maintained at a negative pressure within a certain range. For example, a method is known in which a porous body is formed inside the accommodating portion to hold a liquid, and a negative pressure is formed by utilizing a capillary force inside the porous body. Besides, there is a method of forming a negative pressure in the housing portion by a combination of a mechanical element such as a spring and a balloon-shaped membrane, and a method of controlling the negative pressure by using a control valve and air pressure. Also in the present invention, the negative pressure of the housing portion may be controlled by these methods.

  The imprint material discharging device of the present invention is configured such that a passage connected to the containing portion is provided outside the containing member, and the filter is arranged in the passage. FIG. 3 shows an example of the imprint material discharging device of the present invention. A passage (passage forming member 28 forming a passage) is connected to the containing portion 15 of the containing member of the imprint material discharging device. The passage forming member 28 is a member that forms a passage for the imprint material, and communicates with the accommodating portion 15 through the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 that open in the accommodating portion 15. The first opening 20 is an opening for supplying the imprint material inside the accommodating portion 15 to the inside of the passage, and the second opening 21 is for supplying the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the accommodating portion 15. It is an opening. A pump 22 and a filter 23 for filtering the imprint material are arranged in a passage connecting the first opening 20 and the second opening 21. Considering the possibility that foreign matter may be generated on the imprint material due to dust generation from the pump 22, the pump 22 is not connected to the downstream side when flowing the imprint material from the first opening 20 to the second opening 21. It is preferable to dispose the filter 23 at such a position. The pump 22 is preferably provided inside the passage of the passage forming member 28, but may be provided outside the passage.

  When the pump 22 is driven, the imprint material housed in the housing portion 15 is supplied (sucked) from the first opening 20. The imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 passes through the filter 23 inside the passage and is filtered, and then returns to the inside of the housing portion 15 via the second opening 21. Then, it is supplied again from the first opening 20. That is, the imprint material in the housing portion 15 is circulated and filtered by the filter 23.

  As described above, in the present invention, the filter 23 is arranged not inside between the containing portion of the containing member and the discharge member but inside the passage communicating with the containing portion of the containing member. The imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 of the passage is supplied from the second opening 21 without passing through the region 33 between the energy generating element of the discharge member 11 and the discharge port. Alternatively, the passage of the passage forming member 28 is provided in a portion different from the region 33 between the energy generating element and the discharge port. With such a configuration, the supply of the imprint material to the ejection member 11 is good, and the ejection of the imprint material from the ejection port 32 of the ejection member 11 is also good. As an example of a configuration in which the imprint material is circulated and filtered without passing through the region 33, there is no region 33 on the straight line connecting the first opening 20 and the second opening 21.

  On the other hand, as a comparative form, the imprint material discharging device shown in FIG. 13 is shown. The imprint material discharge device shown in FIG. 13 has a filter 18 between the containing portion 15 of the containing member and the discharge member 11, but does not have the passage having the filter as in the present invention. The configuration shown in FIG. 13 is rational in these respects because the imprint material can be filtered in the immediate vicinity of the ejection member and the filter is sandwiched between the containing member and the ejection member, which facilitates manufacturing. However, when the imprint material is supplied from the containing portion 15 to the ejection member 11, the imprint material passes through the filter 18. As described above, the filter used in the imprint material discharging device has a small average diameter (average diameter of openings in the filter), and has a large flow path resistance. Therefore, the supply of the imprint material to the ejection member 11 may be delayed, and the ejection of the imprint material from the ejection member 11 may be affected.

  In the present invention, it is preferable not to provide a filter between the containing portion 15 of the containing member and the ejection member 11. However, even when the filter is provided, it is difficult to supply the imprint material to the ejection member 11. It is required that the filter has no influence. At least, a filter having a smaller flow resistance (pressure loss) than the filter 23 in the flow path, that is, a filter having an average diameter larger than that of the filter 23 in the flow path is required.

  The imprint material discharging device may be in the form of a cartridge that can be removed from the imprint device. For example, when the imprinting device is equipped with a cartridge type imprinting material ejecting device and the imprinting material in the accommodating portion 15 is completely consumed, the cartridge type imprinting material ejecting device is replaced to immediately perform imprinting. Can be enabled. The pump 22 and the filter 23 are integrated with the imprint material discharging device as a cartridge, and can be replaced at the same time when the imprint material discharging device is replaced. By these methods, it is possible to replace the imprint material ejecting device while minimizing the chances of foreign matter entering the imprint material ejecting device. Further, in the imprint material discharging device, only the housing portion 15 may be replaced. In other words, it is possible to replace the storage unit 15 only by making the storage unit 15 separable from the pump 22 and the filter 23. According to this method, the pump 22 and the filter 23 are not replaced, which is preferable in terms of cost.

  The passage forming member 28 shown in FIG. 3 has a tube shape. The passage of the passage forming member may be formed outside the housing portion 15, and may be, for example, a passage formed by cutting inside the housing member. In addition, the pump 22 and the filter 23 may be configured to be connected to the housing portion 15 by a pipe such as a tube and be separable via a detachable joint or valve.

  A material having a high viscosity may be selected as the imprint material used in the imprint technique. Further, particularly in the case of a cartridge type discharge device, it is preferable that the pump has a small size. Therefore, it is preferable to take measures for efficiently filtering the imprint material with the filter 23. Therefore, for example, the arrangement of the openings of the passages is set to the position shown in FIG. In the imprint material ejecting apparatus shown in FIG. 4, two openings of the passage opening to the accommodating portion are located on diagonal lines, as compared with the imprint material ejecting apparatus shown in FIG. That is, in the imprint material discharging device shown in FIG. 3, the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 are opened on the same side surface of the accommodating portion 15. On the other hand, in the imprint material discharging device shown in FIG. 4, the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 are opened on the upper surface and the side surface of the accommodating portion 15, that is, on different surfaces. By opening the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 on different surfaces of the housing portion 15, the imprint material in the housing portion 15 can be efficiently circulated. Further, from the viewpoint of efficient circulation, it is more preferable that the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 are opened on different surfaces of the accommodating portion 15, that is, the upper surface and the side surface. It is further preferable that the second opening 21 is opened on the side surface of the housing portion 15 and the second opening 21 is opened on the upper surface of the housing portion 15. In this specification, when the imprint material is flowed from the first opening 20 to the second opening 21 in the passage, the lower surface of the accommodating portion in the direction of gravity is the bottom surface, and the upper surface is the upper surface. The surface that connects the bottom surface and the top surface is defined as the side surface (or four surfaces if the housing is a cube).

  A material (liquid) having a high viscosity flows while maintaining a laminar flow state without being stirred, especially when the inertial force due to the flow is small. Therefore, as in the flow indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, the imprint material supplied from the second opening 21 spreads inside the accommodating portion 15 and slowly flows without being disturbed, and partially imprints with the surrounding imprint material. While being exchanged, they are supplied to the first opening 20. At this time, it is preferable that the corner portion 24 in which the flow easily stays inside the accommodating portion 15 has a curved shape (R shape) as shown in FIG. With such a shape, the retention of the imprint material at the corner portion 24 can be suppressed.

  The first opening 20 and the second opening 21 may be arranged as shown in FIG. That is, the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 can be opened on the two opposite side surfaces of the housing portion 15. As shown in FIG. 5, when gas (air) enters the accommodation portion 15 through the atmosphere communication port 25 that communicates with the atmosphere as the imprint material is consumed, the upper surface of the side surface of the accommodation portion 15 It is preferable to open the first opening 20 and the second opening 21 at positions closer to the bottom surface. With such an arrangement, circulation filtration of the imprint material can be performed until just before the liquid is consumed and is removed from the storage unit 15.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first opening 20 and the second opening 20 are sandwiched so as to sandwich the flow path communicating with the discharge member 11 (the portion in the accommodating portion above the opening communicating with the discharge member in the direction of gravity). By arranging the opening 21, the inside of the housing portion 15 can be efficiently replaced. As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily remove the foreign matter generated on the imprint material in the housing portion 15.

  In order to improve the replacement efficiency of the imprint material, it is preferable to discharge the imprint material together with the circulation of the imprint material as described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, while circulating the imprint material in the containing portion 15, a flow toward the region 33 is generated and the imprint material is discharged from the ejection port 32. Since the imprint material flows downward from the containing portion 15 to the discharging member 11 by the discharging operation, the flow in the containing portion 15 during the circulation filtration further passes near the communication port between the containing portion 15 and the discharging member 11. It becomes the flow to do. Furthermore, when the stagnation of the imprint material occurs in the containing portion 15 during the circulation filtration, the flow can be changed by performing the discharging operation, and the stagnation of the imprint material can be further eliminated. As a result, the replacement efficiency of the imprint material supplied to the region 33 can be improved.

  In order to discharge the imprint material as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the pressure control member 13, which is a pressure adjusting unit, discharges the inside of the accommodating member 12 through the communicating portion 17 during the discharging operation. The inside of the filling liquid section 16 is pressurized. When the inside of the filling liquid unit 16 is pressurized, the inside of the containing unit 15 containing the imprint material is also pressed through the separation membrane 14. As a result, the imprint material in the housing portion 15 passes through the communication port between the housing portion 15 and the ejection member 11, flows into the region 33 of the ejection member 11, and is discharged from the ejection port 32. The amount (discharge amount) of the imprint material discharged from the discharge port 32 is at least one of the supply amount and the supply flow rate of the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the second opening 21 during circulation filtration. You may decide based on. That is, the pressure adjusting means may adjust the pressure based on at least one of the supply amount and the supply flow rate of the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the second opening 21 during the circulation filtration. Therefore, for the discharge amount, an experiment or the like is performed so that the replacement efficiency of the imprint material in the accommodating portion 15 is maximized according to the remaining amount of the imprint material in the accommodating portion 15, the supply flow rate and the supply time during the circulation filtration. To obtain information in advance. Then, the emission amount is determined based on the acquired information. When determining the discharge amount, the pressure value and the pressurizing time of the pressurization inside the containing portion 15 are also determined.

  Further, instead of discharging the imprint material in the containing portion 15 by the pressure control member 13, as shown in FIG. 7, the suction control member 34, which is a suction means for sucking the imprint material from the discharge port 32, is used. May be discharged. The suction control member 34 includes a suction unit, a pipe, a pressure sensor, a valve, a negative pressure generating unit, and the like. The suction part of the suction control member 34 is arranged below the discharge port 32 during the discharging operation, and is adjusted by the negative pressure generation part via the suction part 35 so that the lower part than the upper part of the meniscus surface of the discharge part 32 has a negative pressure. Then, the imprint material is discharged. In the case of the discharge by the suction control member 34, the suction amount or the suction flow rate of the imprint material is at least the supply amount and the supply flow rate of the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the second opening 21 during the circulation filtration. You may decide based on one. Therefore, for the discharge amount, an experiment or the like is performed so that the replacement efficiency of the imprint material in the storage unit 15 is maximized according to the remaining amount of the imprint material in the storage unit 15 and the supply flow rate and supply time during the circulation filtration. To obtain information in advance. Then, the emission amount is determined based on the acquired information. When determining the discharge amount, the pressure value and the suction time at the suction unit are also determined.

  In addition, instead of performing the discharge operation by the pressure control member 13 or the suction control member 34, the energy generating element 29 included in the discharge member 11 may be used to discharge the imprint material from the discharge port 32. That is, by generating energy from the energy generating element 29, the imprint material in the region 33 can be discharged to replace the imprint material in the region 33 and the containing portion 15.

  The timing of the discharging operation can be variously performed depending on the discharge situation. The circulation filtration can be performed at the same time as the circulation filtration is performed, or the circulation filtration and the discharge operation can be performed after the circulation filtration is performed for a specified time. In addition, circulation filtration may be performed after first discharging the amount of the imprint material required to replace the imprint material existing in the region 33.

  In addition, when bubbles are present in the liquid ejection port, ejection of the imprint material becomes unstable due to the influence of the bubbles, and therefore a removal operation for removing bubbles in the ejection port can also be performed. In order to use the imprint material efficiently, circulation filtration may be performed during the removal operation for removing bubbles. As a result, the region 33 can be efficiently replaced with the filtered imprint material, and the imprint material containing less foreign matter and metal ions can be stably discharged onto the substrate.

  FIG. 8 shows the state of the imprint material discharging device before and after the consumption of the imprint material. FIG. 8A shows a state before consumption of the imprint material, and FIG. 8B shows a state after consumption of the imprint material. As described above, the inside of the containing member 12 is divided into the containing portion 15 and the filling liquid portion 16 of the imprint material by the separation film 14. The separation membrane 14 is deformed as the imprint material is consumed, and the volume of the containing portion 15 is reduced. The first opening 20 and the second opening 21 are located on the side farther from the filling liquid section 16 in the storage section 15 so that the circulation filtration by the pump 22 and the filter 23 can be performed even if the separation membrane 14 moves (see FIG. In terms of 8, it is preferably arranged on the side closer to the left side surface than the right side surface).

  Air may be present inside the housing portion 15. For example, air may be taken in as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, air is not positively taken into the accommodation portion 15, but when the imprint material is sealed in the accommodation portion 15, air is mixed or dissolved in the imprint material. The gas may also exist as bubbles. If the air present in the imprint material is sent to the pump 22 or the filter 23, it may cause clogging or the like. Therefore, it is preferable that the first opening 20 is arranged so as to open downward in the gravity direction of the accommodating portion while supplying the imprint material from the first opening 20 so that air is not sucked as much as possible. That is, it is preferable that the first opening 20 is opened below the second opening 21 in the gravity direction. In addition, it is preferable that the first opening 20 is opened at a position closer to the bottom surface than the upper surface on the side surface of the housing portion 15.

  Further, the air (air bubbles) in the imprint material moves to the upper surface side in the accommodating portion 15 which is upward in the direction of gravity due to buoyancy. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable to provide a trap space 26, which is a concave portion for trapping air, on the upper surface, which is the upper surface in the gravity direction of the housing portion 15. Since the air collects in the trap space 26, the air and the imprint material can be well separated even if there is a gradual flow due to the circulation filtration in the containing portion 15.

  Like the trap space 26, there is a case where a gas-liquid interface exists in the accommodation portion 15. If there is a gas-liquid interface near the second opening 21, the imprint material may foam or air may be mixed into the imprint material. Therefore, the second opening 21 is opened at a position below the upper surface of the accommodating portion 15 in the direction of gravity and below the gas-liquid interface in the direction of gravity, and the imprint material is supplied to the accommodating portion 15. Is preferred. Therefore, the second opening 21 may have a convex shape protruding from the upper surface of the housing portion 15, or a tube may be connected to the second opening 21 and the tip of the tube may be guided below the gas-liquid interface. Good.

  The passage may be configured to pass through the discharge member 11. Such a configuration is shown in FIG. In this case, the passage extends from the first opening 20 through the interior of the discharge member 11 to the second opening 21. However, the region 33 is not included in the passage that is the passage of the imprint material. That is, the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the inside of the passage is supplied to the accommodation portion from the second opening 21 without passing through the region 33.

  In the form shown in FIG. 12, the first opening 20 opens near the region 33, so it is necessary to design in consideration of the balance between the filtration of the imprint material by the filter and the discharge.

  On the other hand, FIG. 14 shows an example in which the imprint material supplied from the first opening 20 to the inside of the passage is supplied from the second opening 21 to the accommodation portion via the region 33. With such a configuration, it is difficult to balance the filtration of the imprint material with the filter and the discharge.

  Next, a method of initially filling the container portion 15 of the imprint material discharging device with the imprint material will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the filling port 27 for the imprint material is provided on the side surface of the accommodating portion 15, and when filling the imprint material, the side surface, that is, the filling port 27 is directed upward in the gravity direction. .. Then, the imprint material is supplied from one side of the two filling ports 27, and the air is supplied from one side. When the imprint material is filled, the internal passages such as the pump 22 and the filter 23 are also filled with the imprint material to make it difficult for air to remain in the housing portion 15. Therefore, it is preferable to drive the pump 22 when the imprint material is filled in the containing portion 15. The air existing in the internal passages such as the pump 22 and the filter 23 in the initial stage is replaced with the imprint material by driving the pump 22, and emerges from the second opening 21. Since the air is supplied from the filling port 27 located in the immediate vicinity, it is possible to fill the passage including the accommodation portion 15 and the filter 23 with the imprint material without causing the imprint material to foam more than necessary.

  It should be noted that the filling of the imprint material into the accommodation portion 15 can be performed not only at the initial stage but also when the imprint apparatus is used. For example, the imprint apparatus may be used while filling the imprint material into the accommodation portion 15 from the filling port 27.

  Air tends to remain inside the filter 23 due to the structure of the filter. Therefore, by filling the filter 23 with the imprint material from the lower side to the upper side in the direction of gravity, it is possible to reduce the remaining air. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when filling the imprint material, it is preferable that the upstream side of the filter 23 is downward in the gravity direction and the downstream side is upward in the gravity direction. Further, it is preferable that one of the filling ports 27 is set upward in the direction of gravity so that the air can be easily supplied from the accommodating portion 15 with such an arrangement. Further, it is preferable that the first opening 20 is arranged downward in the direction of gravity so that the filter 23 can be easily filled with the imprint material.

  If the average diameter of the filter 23 is too large, it will be difficult to sufficiently remove the foreign matter in the imprint material. Therefore, it is preferable to use a filter having an average aperture of 10 nm or less, and more preferably to use a filter having an average aperture of 5 nm or less. On the other hand, if a filter having an average diameter that is too small is used, it becomes difficult to circulate the imprint material in the passage due to the pressure loss in the filter. Therefore, it is preferable to use a filter having an average aperture of 2 nm or more.

  If the amount of foreign matter present in the imprint material is large, the filter may be clogged in a short time. Therefore, it is also preferable to adopt a multi-stage filter configuration in which a filter for removing large foreign matters is arranged as a prefilter on the upstream side in circulation and a filter for removing small foreign matters is arranged on the downstream side. The filter for removing large foreign matters is, for example, a filter having an average aperture of 50 nm or more and 200 nm or less. The filter for removing small foreign matters is, for example, a filter having an average aperture of 2 nm or more and 10 nm or less.

  The filter 23 is preferably a membrane type or a hollow fiber membrane type. These filters are a method of removing foreign matter by providing a large number of fine holes in a membrane for filtering foreign matter and preventing the foreign matter having a diameter larger than that from passing through. In addition, polyethylene, fluororesin, nylon, etc., may be used as the material for forming the filter 23. Further, it is required that the amount of metal present in the imprint material is extremely small. Therefore, it is preferable to use a filter having a function of adsorbing metal or performing ion exchange. It is also preferable to arrange a plurality of these filters in series or in parallel.

  As the pump 22, for example, a diaphragm pump, a syringe pump, a tube pump, a gear pump or the like can be used. The liquid flow rate of the pump 22 is preferably 100 mL/min or less. When the flow rate is increased, the flow path resistance (pressure loss) for passing through the filter is increased, so that a high output pump is required. For this reason, the pump can be downsized by using the pump having a liquid flow rate of 20 mL/min or less.

  When the pressure fluctuation (pulsation) of the imprint material due to the driving of the pump is large, the imprint material easily leaks from the discharge member. Therefore, it is preferable to suppress the pressure fluctuation to the extent that the meniscus of the discharge port is not destroyed. For example, it is preferable to drive the pump so that the pressure fluctuation is within ±300 Pa.

  The imprint material discharging device includes a controller for operating the pump 22. Since the liquid is controlled so as to maintain the constant flow rate and to feed the liquid, when the filter 23 is clogged and the flow path resistance increases, the driving voltage increases. Therefore, the drive voltage of the pump in the controller is constantly monitored, and when the drive voltage exceeds a certain value, it is possible to issue a warning to the imprint apparatus to prompt the filter replacement. When the filter 23 is integrated as a cartridge type imprint material ejecting apparatus, the user can immediately use the imprint apparatus by exchanging the imprint material ejecting apparatus. For the abnormality detection of the pump 22 and the filter 23, a sensor for monitoring the states thereof may be provided, or a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor or the like may be provided in the pipe.

  The imprint material ejecting apparatus is required to have extremely high accuracy in the amount and the landing position of the imprint material ejected onto the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the meniscus shape at the discharge port of the discharge member stable. In the imprint material discharging device, the pressure of the imprint material may change due to the driving of the pump 22. Therefore, it is preferable to stop driving the pump 22 while the imprint material is being discharged from the imprint material discharging device.

  In the imprint process, a pattern is formed in each region on the substrate by repeating ejection of the imprint material onto the substrate, contact of the mold with the imprint material, exposure, and release of the mold. Therefore, it is preferable to circulate and filter the containing portion 15 at a timing other than the time when the imprint material is being discharged onto the substrate. The timing of circulation filtration may be the timing of substrate exchange or lot exchange.

  In addition, the circulation filtration may be carried out when foreign matters such as particles and gel increase in the containing portion 15. Thus, circulating filtration may be performed when the device is not in operation. The pump 22 may be stopped while the imprint process is being performed, and circulation filtration may be performed during maintenance of the apparatus or during a time when there is no substrate to be imprinted. Further, the imprinting device or the discharging device may be provided with a timer function, and the circulation filtration may be performed after a predetermined time has elapsed. Further, the pump 22 may be controlled by a programmed command from the imprinting device or the discharging device, or the user may drive the pump 22.

  FIG. 11 shows an imprint apparatus that constitutes the moving mechanism 30 of the accommodation section. The housing member 12 can be moved by the moving mechanism 30 between a position where the imprint material is discharged and a position where maintenance is performed. It is preferable to arrange a tray 31 for receiving the imprint material discharged from the ejection member 11 at a position where maintenance is performed.

  If the moving mechanism 30 is moved to the position for maintenance and the circulation filtration is performed, the imprint material can be received by the tray 31 even when the pressure fluctuation is large and the imprint material leaks from the discharge member 11. This is effective when it is desired to increase the output of the pump 22 to increase the circulation filtration flow rate and immediately end the circulation filtration to return to the imprint process.

  The timing of circulating filtration is the time elapsed since the imprinting device was started to be used by the imprinting device, the amount of imprinting material used, the time elapsed since the last circulating filtration, and the storage of the imprinting device discharging device. It may be decided according to the environmental history and the like. Further, since the degree of gelation varies depending on the environment and the type of imprint material, it may be determined depending on the type of imprint material.

  Further, if the remaining amount of the imprint material decreases, the amount of circulating filtration may be reduced, and the conditions such as the timing and the flow rate of the circulating filtration may be changed according to the remaining amount of the imprint material in the accommodating portion.

  The pump 22 does not have to be operated intermittently. If the pump 22 is controlled so as to be constantly driven at a low flow rate, pressure fluctuation can be suppressed. When a diaphragm pump is used as the pump 22, pressure fluctuation may be suppressed by reducing the vibration width of the diaphragm, and continuous circulation filtration may be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mold 8 Imprint material 10 Imprint material discharge device 11 Discharge member 12 Storage member 15 Storage portion 20 First opening 21 Second opening 23 Filter 28 Passage forming member

Claims (24)

An imprint material ejecting device for ejecting an imprint material for forming a pattern by contacting a mold onto a substrate,
A storage member having a storage portion for storing the imprint material,
A passage connected to the accommodation portion,
A discharge member for discharging the imprint material ,
Have
The discharge member has a region where the imprint material flows, a discharge port that is an opening that communicates with the region and discharges the imprint material flowing through the region to the outside, and the discharge member that flows through the region by driving A piezoelectric element or a heating resistor for discharging the imprint material from the discharge port,
The region is a region between the discharge port and the piezoelectric element or the heating resistor, and is a region inside the discharge member,
The passage includes a first opening for opening the storage portion to supply the imprint material stored in the storage portion to the inside of the passage, and an imprint material supplied from the first opening. A second opening for opening into the accommodation portion for supplying to the accommodation portion,
A filter for filtering the imprint material is provided between the first opening and the second opening of the passage, and the imprint material supplied from the first opening into the passage is Supplied to the accommodation portion from the second opening without passing through the region ,
An imprint material ejecting apparatus, which is an ejecting apparatus in a cartridge form in which the accommodating member, the passage, and the ejecting member are integrated . An imprint material ejecting device for ejecting an imprint material for forming a pattern by contacting a mold onto a substrate,
A storage member having a storage portion for storing the imprint material,
A passage connected to the accommodation portion,
A discharge member for discharging the imprint material ,
Have
The discharge member has a region where the imprint material flows, a discharge port that is an opening that communicates with the region and discharges the imprint material flowing through the region to the outside, and the discharge member that flows through the region by driving A piezoelectric element or a heating resistor for discharging the imprint material from the discharge port,
The region is a region between the discharge port and the piezoelectric element or the heating resistor, and is a region inside the discharge member,
The passage includes a first opening for opening the storage portion to supply the imprint material stored in the storage portion to the inside of the passage, and an imprint material supplied from the first opening. A second opening for opening into the accommodation portion for supplying to the accommodation portion,
There is a filter for filtering the imprint material between the first opening and the second opening of the passage,
The passage is provided in a portion different from the area ,
An imprint material ejecting apparatus, which is an ejecting apparatus in a cartridge form in which the accommodating member, the passage, and the ejecting member are integrated .   The imprint material ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a filter is not formed between the containing portion and the ejecting member. The imprint according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the containing member has a separation film, and the filling liquid part filled with the filling liquid is separated from the containing part by the separation film. Material discharge device. The imprinting material discharging device according to claim 4 , wherein the pressure of the imprinting material in the containing portion is controlled by controlling the pressure of the filling liquid filled in the filling liquid portion. The imprint material discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a pump is arranged in a passage between the first opening and the second opening. The imprint material discharging device according to claim 6 , wherein the pump is arranged upstream of the filter when the imprint material is supplied from the first opening to the second opening. Imprint material discharge device according to any one of the first and opening the second of claims 1 to 7 wherein the area on the straight line there is no connecting the opening. The filter imprint material discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 average diameter is 10nm or less. When the imprint material is supplied from the first opening to the second opening, the lower surface of the accommodating portion in the direction of gravity is the bottom surface, the upper surface is the upper surface, and the surface connecting the bottom surface and the upper surface. when the side surface, the imprint material discharge device according to any one of the first opening and the second opening each to claim 1 are opened on the same surface of the accommodating portion 9. When the imprint material is supplied from the first opening to the second opening, the lower surface of the accommodating portion in the direction of gravity is the bottom surface, the upper surface is the upper surface, and the surface connecting the bottom surface and the upper surface. when the side surface, the imprint material discharge device according to any one of the first opening and the second opening each to claim 1 are open on different surfaces of the housing part 9. The imprint material ejecting device according to claim 11 , wherein the first opening and the second opening are respectively opened on two opposing side surfaces of the side surfaces. The imprint material discharging device according to claim 11 , wherein the first opening is opened on the side surface, and the second opening is opened on an upper surface of the accommodating portion. The imprint material discharge according to any one of claims 10 to 12 , wherein the first opening and the second opening are opened at positions on the side surface closer to the bottom surface than to the top surface. apparatus. The imprint material discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein the accommodation portion communicates with the atmosphere through an atmosphere communication port. The imprint material discharging device according to claim 10, wherein a recess for capturing air is provided on the upper surface. When supplying the imprint material to the second opening from the first opening, according to any one of claims 1 to 16 to discharge the internal imprint material of the housing portion from the discharge port Imprint material discharge device. The imprint material ejecting apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising: a pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a pressure inside the accommodating unit, and the pressure adjusting unit discharges the imprint material inside the accommodating unit from the ejection port. The imprint according to claim 18 , wherein the pressure adjusting unit adjusts the pressure based on at least one of a supply amount and a supply flow rate of the imprint material supplied from the first opening to the second opening. Material discharge device. Suction means for sucking the imprint material from the discharge port is provided, and when the imprint material is supplied from the first opening to the second opening, the imprint inside the accommodation section is performed by the suction means. The imprint material discharging device according to claim 17 , wherein the material is sucked and discharged from the discharge port. The suction means determines the suction amount or suction flow rate of the imprint material based on at least one of a supply amount and a supply flow rate of the imprint material supplied from the first opening to the second opening. Item 21. The imprint material discharging device according to item 20 . 22. An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on the imprint material by bringing a mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, the imprint material ejecting apparatus ejecting the imprint material onto the substrate. An imprint apparatus comprising the imprint material discharging apparatus according to any one of claims. 23. The imprint apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the imprint material is a photo-curable resin, and a light irradiation device that irradiates the imprint material with light to cure the imprint material. 24. The imprint apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the imprint material ejecting apparatus is in the form of a cartridge that can be removed from the imprint apparatus.

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