JP7237646B2 - IMPRINT METHOD, IMPRINT APPARATUS, AND ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imprint method, an imprint apparatus, a program, and an article manufacturing method.

As the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices and MEMS advances, in addition to conventional photolithography technology, microfabrication is performed by molding uncured resin on a substrate (wafer) with a mold to form a resin pattern on the substrate. Technology is getting a lot of attention. This technique is also called an imprint technique, and can form a fine structure on the order of several nanometers on a substrate. For example, one imprint technique is a photo-curing method. In an imprint apparatus employing this photo-curing method, first, an ultraviolet curable resin is supplied to a shot region on a substrate. Next, this resin (uncured resin) is brought into contact with the mold to fill the gap between the substrate and the mold for molding (imprinting). Then, the pattern of the resin is formed on the substrate by releasing the mold after curing the resin by irradiating ultraviolet rays (mold release).

Here, in a series of device manufacturing processes, the substrate to be imprinted may expand or shrink as a result of undergoing heat treatment in a film forming process such as sputtering. As a result, the shape (size) of the shot area may change in two orthogonal directions in the plane. Therefore, in the imprint apparatus, when bringing the mold into contact with the resin on the substrate, it is necessary to match the shape of the shot region on the substrate with the shape of the pattern portion formed on the mold.

In order to deal with such problems, Patent Document 1 proposes an imprint apparatus that includes a shape correction mechanism (magnification correction mechanism) that physically deforms the mold by applying an external force from the side surface of the mold. In addition to the shape correction mechanism, the imprint apparatus applies heat to the substrate to thermally deform the shot region on the substrate, thereby improving the overlay accuracy.

Japanese Patent No. 5686779

However, when the shot region is deformed by heating the substrate as in the imprint apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the thermal stress generated in the shot region depends on the position of the shot region to be deformed on the substrate. is different. For example, in a shot region (edge shot region) including the vicinity of the outer periphery of the substrate, heat is insulated near the outer periphery of the substrate and heat diffusion is hindered. It tends to deform toward the outer periphery. Therefore, in the shot area formed near the outer periphery of the substrate, the deformation of the shot area cannot be controlled to an intended shape, and it may be difficult to precisely align the mold and the substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in improving the accuracy of overlaying a mold and a substrate in an edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate. and

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an imprinting apparatus that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate, the imprinting apparatus providing preliminary light for increasing the viscosity of the imprinting material on the substrate. An irradiation part that irradiates the imprint material, a heating part that heats and deforms the shot area of the substrate, and an imprint material on the mold and the substrate when forming a pattern on the edge shot area including the outer periphery of the substrate. a controller for controlling the irradiating unit to irradiate preliminary light onto the outer periphery of the substrate in the edge shot region while the substrate is in contact with the substrate, and then starting deformation by the heating unit; controls the irradiating unit so that the amount of preliminary light applied to the outer circumference of the substrate in the edge shot area is greater than the amount of preliminary light applied to the frame area not including the outer circumference of the edge shot area. Characterized by

According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in improving the accuracy of overlaying a mold and a substrate in an edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an imprint processing sequence according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining a part of the flow of an imprint processing sequence; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a shot area of a substrate; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the processing of S105 for the standard shot area; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the processing of S105 for an edge shot area; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case of forming a distribution of the irradiation amount of the first irradiation light in the first irradiation region; 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an imprint processing sequence according to the second embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of articles|goods.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The imprint apparatus 1 is used for manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices. The imprinting apparatus 1 brings an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold 4 (mold) and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern of a cured product to which the uneven pattern of the mold is transferred. It is a device that forms For example, the imprinting apparatus 1 supplies an imprinting material onto a substrate, and cures the imprinting material in a state in which a mold having a pattern of protrusions and recesses is brought into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate. Then, the pattern of the mold can be formed on the imprint material on the substrate by widening the distance between the mold and the substrate and separating (mold-releasing) the mold from the cured imprint material. Such a series of processes is called an imprint process, and is performed for each of a plurality of shot areas on the substrate. That is, when imprint processing is performed on each of a plurality of shot regions on one substrate, imprint processing is repeatedly performed by the number of shot regions on the one substrate.

Here, an imprint apparatus 1 that employs a photo-curing method will be described. In the following figures, the Z-axis is parallel to the optical axis of the illumination system that irradiates the imprint material on the substrate with ultraviolet rays, and the X-axis and Y-axis are perpendicular to each other in the plane perpendicular to the Z-axis. I take the.

The imprint apparatus 1 includes a curing section 10, a light irradiation section 12, a heating section 14, a mold holding section 6, a substrate stage 3, a detection section 9, a supply section 7, and a control section 16. .

The curing unit 10 irradiates the imprint material 8 in the entire shot region 30 with the ultraviolet rays 11 during imprint processing. The curing unit 10 can be composed of, for example, a light source (not shown) and an optical element that adjusts the ultraviolet rays 11 emitted from the exposure light source to light suitable for imprinting.

A curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when energy for curing is applied is used for the imprint material. Electromagnetic waves, heat, and the like are used as curing energy. The electromagnetic wave is, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays whose wavelengths are selected from the range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less.

A curable composition is a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent if necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components and the like. In this embodiment, as an example, a photocurable composition that is cured by light is used as the imprint material 8 .

The imprint material is applied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, it may be applied onto the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid jet head. The viscosity of the imprint material (viscosity at 25° C.) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

The light irradiation unit 12 irradiates the first irradiation light 13 (preliminary light) to increase the viscosity of the imprint material 8 on the frame region, which is the region along the outline of the shot region 30 on the substrate. Details of the frame area will be described later. Although not shown, the light irradiation unit 12 is a light source for causing the imprint material 8 to undergo a photopolymerization reaction, in other words, a light source that emits light for increasing the viscosity of the imprint material 8 (light source for photopolymerization reaction). )including. In this embodiment, the light source for photopolymerization reaction uses, as an example, a light source with a wavelength different from that of the light source of the curing section 10 . The first irradiation light 13 emitted by the light source for photopolymerization reaction is not limited to ultraviolet rays as long as the imprint material 8 undergoes a polymerization reaction. As the light source for photopolymerization reaction, a light source capable of obtaining light output necessary for polymerizing the imprint material 8 to a desired viscosity is selected, and examples thereof include a lamp, a laser diode, and an LED.

The first irradiation light 13 emitted from the light source for photopolymerization reaction is guided to a spatial light modulation element that spatially modulates amplitude, phase or polarization by an optical element or the like. As the spatial light modulation element, for example, a digital micromirror device (hereinafter referred to as DMD) can be adopted, but an LCD device, an LCOS device, or the like may also be used. A DMD has a plurality of mirror elements arranged on a light reflecting surface and individually adjusts the surface direction of each mirror element, thereby making it possible to change the dose distribution. By using a spatial light modulator such as a DMD, it becomes possible to freely set the irradiation area and intensity of the irradiation light.

The heating unit 14 irradiates the second irradiation light 15 for heating the substrate 2 . The heating unit 14 includes a heating light source, and the second irradiation light 15 emitted by the heating light source is preferably light in a wavelength range, such as infrared rays, to which photocurable resin is not sensitive. The heating unit 14 also includes the above-described spatial light modulation element for adjusting the irradiation amount of light with which the shot region 30 is irradiated. Note that the heating unit 14 may be provided with a heater for directly heating the substrate 2 instead of the heating light source, for example, on a substrate chuck, which will be described later.

The mold 4 has a rectangular outer periphery, and a surface facing the substrate 2 is provided with a pattern portion 5 (also referred to as a mesa) protruding from the periphery near the center. In the pattern portion 5, for example, a three-dimensional pattern of protrusions and recesses to be transferred, such as a circuit pattern, is formed. The material of the mold 4 is a material that allows the ultraviolet rays 11 to pass therethrough, and quartz is used as an example in this embodiment.

The mold holding unit 6 has a driving mechanism for moving the mold 4 while holding the mold 4 . The mold holding part 6 can hold the mold 4 by attracting the outer peripheral area of the surface of the mold 4 irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 11 by vacuum adsorption force or electrostatic force. The mold holding unit 6 moves the mold 4 in each axial direction so as to selectively press or separate the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2 . Moreover, in order to correspond to highly accurate positioning of the mold 4, it may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse movement drive system and a fine movement drive system. Furthermore, there may be a configuration having a position adjustment function not only in the Z-axis direction, but also in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the θ direction of each axis, and a tilt function for correcting the inclination of the mold 4 . Note that the pressing and separating operations in the imprint apparatus 1 may be realized by moving the mold 4 in the Z-axis direction, but may also be realized by moving the substrate stage 3 in the Z-axis direction, or , may be moved relative to each other.

The substrate 2 is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate or an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate.

The substrate stage 3 holds the substrate 2 by, for example, a substrate chuck, and aligns the mold 4 and the shot region 30 when the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2 come into contact with each other. The substrate stage 3 also has a stage driving mechanism (not shown) that can move in each axial direction. The stage drive mechanism may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse movement drive system and a fine movement drive system for each of the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Furthermore, a configuration having a drive system for adjusting the position in the Z-axis direction, a function for adjusting the position of the substrate 2 in the θ direction, or a tilt function for correcting the inclination of the substrate 2 is also possible.

The detector 9 detects the positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided with respect to the pattern section 5 on the mold and the positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided with respect to the shot area 30 on the substrate. Here, the shot region 30 on the substrate may be deformed due to the influence of a series of semiconductor device manufacturing processes. Therefore, by bringing the shape of the shot region 30 closer to the shape of the pattern portion 5 by the heating portion 14, the pattern portion 5 and the shot region 30 can be overlapped with high accuracy.

The supply unit 7 is installed, for example, in the vicinity of the mold holding unit 6 and supplies the imprint material 8 onto the substrate 2 . The imprint material 8 can be appropriately selected according to various conditions such as the semiconductor device manufacturing process. The amount of the imprint material 8 supplied from the supply unit 7 is also appropriately determined according to the desired thickness of the imprint material 8 to be formed on the substrate 2, the density of the pattern to be formed, and the like.

The control unit 16 controls the operation of each mechanism of the imprint apparatus 1 to form patterns in a plurality of shot regions on the substrate 2 . The control unit 16 is configured to control the curing unit 10, the light irradiation unit 12, the heating unit 14, the mold holding unit 6, the substrate stage 3, the detection unit 9, and the supply unit 7, for example. The control unit 16 may be provided within the imprint apparatus 1 or may be provided at a location separate from the imprint apparatus 1 and remotely controlled.

Next, the flow of imprint processing in the imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an imprint processing sequence according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of part of the imprint processing sequence. Each flow is executed mainly by control of each unit by the control unit 16 .

First, in S101 shown in FIG. 2, the substrate stage 3 is driven, the shot region 30 of the substrate 2 to be imprinted is arranged directly below the supply unit 7, and uncured liquid is transferred onto the shot region 30 from the supply unit 7. of imprint material 8 is supplied.

In S102, the substrate stage 3 is driven again to move the shot region 30 supplied with the imprint material 8 from directly below the supply unit 7 to directly below the pattern unit 5, and move the shot region 30 supplied with the imprint material 8 to the pattern unit. Place directly under 5. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the shot region 30 supplied with the imprint material 8 has moved directly below the pattern portion 5 .

Returning to FIG. 2, in S103, the mold holding unit 6 is driven to bring the pattern portion 5 of the mold 4 into contact with the imprint material 8 on the substrate, thereby removing the uncured imprint between the pattern portion 5 and the substrate 2. The printing material 8 is filled (contact step). FIG. 3B shows a state in which the pattern portion 5 is brought into contact with the imprint material 8 on the substrate. As shown in FIG. 3B, the region where the pattern portion 5 and the imprint material 8 contact is formed outside the pattern portion 5 (peripheral portion) after the vicinity of the center of the pattern portion 5 and the imprint material 8 come into contact with each other. ) begins to spread toward

Returning to FIG. 2, in S104, relative alignment between the pattern portion 5 and the shot area 30 is performed. For alignment, for example, translational shift correction, rotational correction, and tilt correction are performed. The alignment adjustment amount may be determined using the detection result of the detection unit 9 .

In S<b>105 , the light irradiation unit 12 irradiates the outer peripheral portion of the shot region 30 with the first irradiation light 13 . During the contacting step of S103, as shown in FIG. 3C, the uncured imprint material 8 has good wettability with the pattern section 5, so the uncured imprint material 8 is pushed from the surface 5a of the pattern section. It may seep out to the edge 5b of the pattern portion and adhere to the edge 5b of the pattern portion. When the uncured imprint material 8 that has entered the pattern portion 5 is cured while the uncured imprint material 8 is adhered to the end portion 5b, and the mold 4 is released from the cured imprint material 8, the end portion 5b is removed. A projection shape of the imprint material 8 corresponding to is formed. If the imprint material 8 is formed in a protruding shape, the film thickness becomes non-uniform, which causes problems in subsequent etching processes and the like. Also, part of the imprint material 8 adhering to the end portion 5b falls onto the substrate 2 during imprint processing, and when the mold 4 is pressed onto the imprint material that has fallen, the surface 5a of the pattern portion can be destroyed. Also, patterning defects on the substrate can cause defects in manufactured devices.

Therefore, in S<b>105 , the imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment irradiates the frame region with the first irradiation light 13 in advance while the pattern portion 5 is in contact with the imprint material 8 . prevent the protrusion of the Note that S105 may be performed in parallel with the contact step of S103. For example, the first irradiation light 13 may be applied before part of the pattern portion 5 contacts the imprint material 8 and S103 is completed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the shot area 30 of the substrate 2. As shown in FIG. The substrate 2 includes a standard shot area 30a formed near the center of the substrate 2 without including the outer periphery 2a (edge) of the substrate 2, and an edge shot area 30b including the outer periphery 2a. In this embodiment, the processing for the standard shot region 30a and the edge shot region 30b are different, so the processing for the standard shot region 30a will be described first.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing of S105 for the standard shot area 30a. When performing the process of S105 on the standard shot area 30a, the light irradiation unit 12 irradiates the first irradiation light 13 on the frame area of the standard shot area 30a. Here, the frame area of the standard shot area 30a refers to an area along the outline of the standard shot area 30a in which no pattern is formed by the pattern unit 5. FIG. In this process for the standard shot region 30a, the light irradiation unit 12 irradiates the first irradiation light 13 to a region that includes the end portion 5b of the pattern portion and does not include the surface 5a of the pattern portion on which the fine pattern is formed. That is, the frame region of the standard shot region 30a includes the end portion 5b of the pattern portion and does not include the surface 5a of the pattern portion on which the fine pattern is formed. I can say.

As a result, the gas-liquid interface of the uncured imprint material 8 that wets and spreads reaches the region irradiated with the first irradiation light 13, or reaches the gas-liquid interface of the uncured imprint material 8 that wets and spreads. , where the first irradiation light 13 is irradiated, a polymerization reaction occurs. By increasing the viscosity of the imprint material 8 at the air-liquid interface, the movement of the air-liquid interface stops, and the imprint material 8 can be prevented from adhering to the end portion 5b.

Next, the case where the processing of S105 is performed on the edge shot area 30b will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the processing of S105 for the edge shot area 30b. FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining the frame area of the edge shot area 30b. Here, the frame area of the edge shot area 30b is an area along the contour of the edge shot area 30b. The outline of the edge shot region 30b includes the outer periphery along the other shot regions and the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 among the outer periphery of the edge shot region 30b. Specifically, the frame region of the edge shot region 30b includes the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2, and includes a region (first irradiation region 31) along the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 and a pattern portion along the outer periphery of other shot regions. 5 (second irradiation area 32) where no pattern is formed. Here, the second irradiation area 32 is a frame area that does not include the outer circumference 2 a of the substrate 2 . It should be noted that the width of the first irradiation region 31 should be sufficient to stop the movement of the imprint material 8 by being irradiated with the first irradiation light 13, and the narrower the width, the better the pattern is formed. It is possible to expand the range of The width of the first irradiation region 31 may be equal to that of the second irradiation region 32, for example.

FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining the processing of S105 for the edge shot area 30b. In the present embodiment, in S105, the control unit 16 causes the irradiation amount of the first irradiation light 13a with which the first irradiation region 31 is irradiated to be greater than the irradiation amount of the first irradiation light 13b with which the second irradiation region 32 is irradiated. The light irradiation unit 12 is controlled so that Specifically, for example, the intensity of the first irradiation light 13a may be controlled by making it stronger than the first irradiation light 13b, or the irradiation time of the first irradiation light 13a may be longer than the irradiation time of the first irradiation light 13b. You may control by lengthening. Also, the irradiation amount may be controlled by both of them. As a result, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation area 31 including the outer periphery 2 a of the substrate 2 becomes higher than that of the imprint material 8 in the second irradiation area 32 . In order to prevent the imprint material 8 from seeping out, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 should be increased to such an extent that the movement of the imprint material 8 to the outside of the frame area of the edge shot area 30b is stopped.

In this embodiment, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation area 31 is increased to such an extent that deformation of the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 is suppressed when the edge shot area 30b is thermally deformed. In other words, the control unit 16 irradiates the first irradiation region 31 with at least the amount of light necessary for stopping the movement of the imprint material 8 on the first irradiation region 31 to the outside of the first irradiation region 31 . , controls the light irradiation unit 12 .

For example, the hardness of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation region 31 including the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 when the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 is increased in S105 is the hardness of the imprint material 8 cured by the ultraviolet rays 11 irradiated from the curing unit 10. It may be higher than the hardness of the printing material 8 . That is, the control unit 16 may make the irradiation amount of the first irradiation area 31 irradiated by the light irradiation unit 12 larger than the irradiation amount of the entire shot area irradiated by the curing unit 10 . By doing so, it becomes possible to suppress the deformation of the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2, and the accuracy of superimposition of the substrate 2 and the mold 4 can be improved.

However, if the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation area 31 is too high, a high shearing force is generated when aligning the pattern portion 5 and the shot area 30, which may make adjustment difficult. Therefore, in such a case, the alignment of the pattern portion 5 and the shot region 30 (S104) is performed before the irradiation of the first irradiation region 31 including the outer circumference 2a of the substrate 2 by the light irradiation portion 12 (S105). Better It should be noted that the irradiation of the first irradiation light 13 to the first irradiation region 31 and the irradiation of the first irradiation light 13 to the second irradiation region 32 do not necessarily have to be performed at the same time. For example, before the alignment (S104), the first irradiation light 13 is irradiated to the first irradiation region 31, and after the alignment (S104), the irradiation of the first irradiation light 13 to the second irradiation region 32 is performed. you can go Further, before the alignment (S104), the outer peripheral portion of the edge shot region 30b is irradiated with the first irradiation light 13, and after the alignment (S104), the additional first irradiation light is irradiated onto the first irradiation region 31. 13 irradiation may be performed

Returning to FIG. 2 , in S<b>106 , the heating unit 14 irradiates the shot region 30 with the second irradiation light 15 . The shape of the shot region 30 is corrected by thermally deforming the shot region 30 due to the irradiation of the second irradiation light 15 . The second irradiation light 15 emitted from the heating unit 14 is adjusted to a desired irradiation amount distribution by the spatial light modulator based on the correction amount, and the shape correction is performed by forming the temperature distribution in the shot area 30. done. The irradiation amount distribution in the shot area 30 of the second irradiation light 15 may be determined using the detection result by the detection unit 9, or the shape of the shot area 30 is measured in advance and the measurement result is used. may be

When correcting the shape of the edge shot region 30b including the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation region 31 is increased in S105 so that the edge shot region 30b is positioned on the outer periphery 2a side of the substrate 2. It is possible to reduce thermal deformation unevenly. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence on the overlay accuracy between the pattern portion 5 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2 .

In S<b>107 , the uncured imprint material 8 molded in the pattern section 5 is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays 11 from the curing section 10 . In S108, the pattern portion 5 is separated from the cured imprint material 8. As shown in FIG. Thereby, a pattern is formed on the shot area. If there is an imprint-unprocessed shot area on the same substrate, the processes of S101 to S108 are performed on the next shot area. The substrate 2 is unloaded when imprint processing is completed for all shot areas on the same substrate.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when imprinting is performed on the edge shot region 30b including the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2, the overlay accuracy between the pattern portion 5 of the mold 4 and the edge shot region 30b is can be improved.

In addition, in the first irradiation region 31, the irradiation amount distribution of the first irradiation light 13a may be further formed in S105. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the case of forming the irradiation amount distribution of the first irradiation light 13a in the first irradiation region 31. As shown in FIG. For example, the first irradiation area 31 is further divided into a plurality of small areas, and each small area is irradiated with the first irradiation light 13 by changing the irradiation intensity or the irradiation time, for example. For example, the control unit 16 controls the position closer to the end 5b of the pattern unit 5 when the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, among the plurality of small regions of the first irradiation region 31, to the first irradiation region. The light irradiation unit 12 is controlled so that the irradiation amount of the irradiation light 13 is increased. Specifically, when the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate are closer to each other than the small region 31b located near the center of the pattern portion 5 of the mold 4 . The irradiation amount is increased to the small region 31a which is located near the end portion 5b of the pattern portion 5 when the two come into contact with each other. As a result, the thermal deformation of the edge shot region 30b biased toward the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 can be further reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the curing section 10 and the light irradiation section 12 are separate bodies, and the light sources of different wavelengths are used. The same light source may be used.

(Second embodiment)
Next, an imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. In the imprint apparatus of this embodiment, the apparatus configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the operation of the light irradiation unit 12 in the edge shot region 30b including the outer circumference 2a of the substrate 2 is partially changed. In this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an imprint processing sequence according to the second embodiment. Since S201 to S203 are the same as S101 to S103 of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, before performing relative alignment (S205) between the pattern portion 5 and the shot region 30, the frame region of the edge shot region 30b, that is, the first irradiation region 31, is irradiated by the light irradiation section 12 in S204. and the second irradiation area 32 is irradiated with the first irradiation light 13 . In S204, the first irradiation region 31 including the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2 and the second irradiation region 32 not including the outer periphery 2a are subjected to the irradiation necessary to stop the movement of the imprint material 8 outside the frame region of the edge shot region 30b. The irradiation amount of the first irradiation light 13 is irradiated.

At that time, if the imprint material 8 on the frame area of the edge shot area 30b is completely cured, the pattern portion 5 and the edge shot area 30b are fixed to each other through the cured imprint material 8. can be difficult. Therefore, the irradiation amount applied to the first irradiation region 31 and the second irradiation region 32 in S204 prevents the imprint material 8 from moving out of the frame region, but does not align the pattern portion 5 and the edge shot region 30b. It is preferable to adjust the irradiation dose within the range in which it is possible to

In the present embodiment, immediately after the mold 4 and the imprint material 8 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other in S203, the frame area of the edge shot area 30b is irradiated with the first irradiation light 13. It is advantageous to prevent bleeding of 8. Further, the irradiation of the first irradiation light 13 in S204 may be performed simultaneously with the contacting step of S203, or may be performed during the contacting step of S203. Further, by increasing the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the frame region of the edge shot region 30b in S204, relative vibration between the pattern portion 5 and the edge shot region 30b caused by the floor and the apparatus can be reduced. can be performed well.

In S205, as in S104, the pattern portion 5 and the edge shot region 30b are aligned. In the present embodiment, since the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the frame region of the edge shot region 30b is increased in advance in S204, relative vibration can be reduced and alignment accuracy is improved.

In S<b>206 , the first irradiation area 31 including the outer circumference 2 a of the substrate 2 is additionally irradiated with the first irradiation light 13 by the light irradiation unit 12 . As a result, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 8 in the first irradiation region 31 including the outer periphery of the substrate 2 is higher than that of the imprint material 8 in the second irradiation region, which is a frame region not including the outer periphery 2a of the substrate 2. Become. Since S207 to S209 are the same as S106 to S108 of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the alignment accuracy between the pattern portion 5 and the edge shot region 30b by suppressing the exudation of the uncured imprint material 8 and reducing the relative vibration.

(Embodiment of article manufacturing method)
A pattern of a cured product formed using an imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. Articles are electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, molds, or the like. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include imprint molds and the like.

The pattern of the cured product is used as it is or temporarily used as a resist mask as at least a part of the article. After etching, ion implantation, or the like in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

Next, a specific manufacturing method for the article will be described. As shown in FIG. 9A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a surface to be processed 2z such as an insulator is prepared. A printing material 3z is applied. Here, a state is shown in which a plurality of droplet-like imprint materials 3z are applied onto the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the imprint mold 4z is opposed to the imprint material 3z on the substrate with the side on which the uneven pattern is formed. As shown in FIG. 9C, the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z and the mold 4z are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold 4z as energy for curing, the imprint material 3z is cured.

As shown in FIG. 9D, after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated to form a pattern of the cured imprint material 3z on the substrate 1z. The pattern of this cured product has a shape in which the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, and the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product. It will be done.

As shown in FIG. 9(E), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an anti-etching mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where the cured product is absent or remains thinly is removed, leaving the grooves 5z. Become. As shown in FIG. 9(F), by removing the pattern of the cured product, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of an article, without being removed after processing.

(Other embodiments)
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof.

1 imprint apparatus 2, 1z substrate 4, 4z mold 5 pattern portion 5b end portion of pattern portion 8 imprint material 12 light irradiation portion 14 heating portion 16 control portion 30 shot region 30b edge shot region

Claims (13)

An imprinting apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold,
an irradiation unit that irradiates the imprint material with preliminary light for increasing the viscosity of the imprint material on the substrate;
a heating unit that heats and deforms the shot region of the substrate;
When forming the pattern on the edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate, while the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact, and a control unit that controls the irradiation unit to irradiate the preliminary light and then starts deformation by the heating unit ,
The controller controls the control unit so that the irradiation amount of the preliminary light to the outer periphery of the substrate in the edge shot area is larger than the irradiation amount of the preliminary light to the frame area that does not include the outer periphery in the edge shot area. An imprinting apparatus that controls an irradiation unit . The control unit controls the irradiating unit so as to irradiate the frame region with preliminary light of an irradiation amount at least necessary to stop the movement of the imprint material outside the frame region along the outline of the edge shot region. 2. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprinting apparatus controls. An imprinting apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold,
an irradiation unit that irradiates the imprint material with preliminary light for increasing the viscosity of the imprint material on the substrate;
a control unit configured to control the irradiating unit to irradiate the preliminary light onto a frame area along the contour of the shot area of the substrate while the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other; , and
When the pattern is formed in an edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate, the control unit controls the irradiation amount of the preliminary light applied to the outer periphery of the substrate in the edge shot region to be the same as that in the edge shot region. An imprinting apparatus, wherein the irradiation unit is controlled so that the amount of preliminary light irradiated to a frame area not including an outer circumference is greater than that of the preliminary light. The control unit controls the irradiating unit so that after irradiating an outer periphery of the substrate and a frame region not including the outer periphery with the preliminary light, the irradiating unit irradiates additional preliminary light onto the outer periphery of the substrate. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . After the irradiating unit irradiates the outer periphery of the substrate and a frame region not including the outer periphery with the preliminary light, the control unit performs relative alignment between the pattern portion of the mold and the shot region, and then 5. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said irradiating unit is controlled to irradiate the outer periphery of the substrate with said additional preliminary light. The control unit increases the irradiation amount of the preliminary light at a position closer to the end of the pattern portion of the mold when the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other on the outer periphery of the substrate. 6. The imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the irradiation unit is controlled such that a curing unit that irradiates light for curing the imprint material over the entire shot region;
3. The control unit makes the irradiation amount of the preliminary light to the outer periphery of the substrate of the irradiation unit larger than the irradiation amount of the light to the entire shot area of the curing unit. 7. The imprint apparatus according to any one of 1 to 6 . 8. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the light sources for the irradiation unit and the curing unit are separate units. The control unit performs relative alignment between the pattern portion of the mold and the shot region in a state where the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other, and then starts irradiation of the preliminary light. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the irradiation unit is controlled. 10. The imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the irradiation unit has a light modulation element that forms a distribution of the irradiation amount of the preliminary light. An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold, comprising:
an irradiation step of irradiating the imprint material with preliminary light for increasing the viscosity of the imprint material on the substrate;
a heating step of heating and deforming the shot region of the substrate;
When the pattern is formed in the edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate, in the irradiation step, the imprint material on the substrate is kept in contact with the mold in the edge shot region. After irradiating the outer periphery of the preliminary light, deformation in the heating step is started ,
In the irradiation step, irradiation is performed such that the irradiation amount of the preliminary light to the outer periphery of the substrate in the edge shot region is larger than the irradiation amount of the preliminary light to the frame region not including the outer periphery in the edge shot region. I do,
An imprinting method characterized by : An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold, comprising:
Preliminary light for increasing the viscosity of the imprint material on the substrate is applied to a frame area including the outline of the shot area of the substrate while the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. an irradiation step of irradiating,
When the pattern is formed in the edge shot region including the outer periphery of the substrate, in the irradiation step, the irradiation amount of preliminary light applied to the outer periphery of the substrate in the edge shot region is adjusted to the above-mentioned An imprinting method, comprising: making the irradiation amount of preliminary light larger than that irradiated to a frame region not including an outer periphery. forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ;
a step of processing the substrate patterned in the step;
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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