KR102193919B1 - Imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An imprint apparatus is provided which is advantageous for preventing foreign matter from entering a space between a substrate and a mold.
The imprint apparatus shapes an imprint material on a substrate using a mold. The imprint apparatus includes a substrate stage for holding and moving the substrate, a mold holding portion for holding the mold, and a peripheral member disposed around the mold holding portion, and on a side surface of the peripheral member, the An ejection portion for ejecting gas is provided in a space where the substrate stage can face.

Description

Imprint apparatus and article manufacturing method {IMPRINT APPARATUS, AND ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD}

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

As the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices and MEMS has progressed, in addition to the conventional photolithography technology, a microprocessing technology in which an imprint material is molded onto a substrate and a pattern of the imprint material is formed on the substrate has attracted attention. Are collecting. This technique is called an imprint technique. According to the imprint technology, it is possible to form a fine structure on the order of several nanometers on a substrate. For example, as one of the imprint techniques, there is a photocuring method. In an imprint apparatus employing this photocuring method, first, an imprint material is applied to an imprint area on a substrate. Next, the mold is pressed against the imprint material, and the imprint material is filled in the concave portion of the pattern region of the mold. Next, by irradiating the imprint material with ultraviolet rays to cure the imprint material, a pattern corresponding to the recess is formed. Next, by removing the mold from the cured imprint material, a pattern of the imprint material remains on the substrate.

In the imprint apparatus, since a pattern is formed by pressing a mold against an imprint material on a substrate, pattern defects are more likely to occur than in a reduction projection type exposure apparatus, and reduction of this defect is a subject. Among the causes of defects, defects caused by the mold being pressed against the imprint material in a state in which foreign matters (particles) from the outside are sandwiched between the mold and the substrate are particularly problematic. When the foreign matter adheres to the pattern region of the mold, defects occur at the same position in the pattern formed on the substrate thereafter. In addition, if the foreign material is harder than the material of the mold, there is a possibility of damaging the mold. In the imprint process, since the manufacturing cost of the mold is relatively high, the breakage of the mold becomes a large factor in increasing the cost of the product.

Therefore, in a conventional imprint apparatus, a technique is employed in which foreign matters from the outside hardly enter between the mold and the substrate by surrounding the imprint region with a gas barrier (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-56854

In order to form a gas barrier to effectively prevent entry of foreign matters into the space between the substrate and the mold, it is desirable to reduce the volume of the space between the substrate and the mold to maintain a high flow velocity of the gas constituting the gas barrier. However, it is necessary to form a space or the like for performing maintenance around the mold, and a large space may exist on the substrate or on a part of the region in which the substrate stage can be moved. In such a large space, the flow velocity of the gas constituting the gas barrier is lowered, and the effect of the gas barrier is reduced.

The present invention was made in the wake of the recognition of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus which is advantageous in preventing entry of foreign matter into a space between a substrate and a mold, for example.

One aspect of the present invention relates to an imprint apparatus for molding an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the imprint apparatus comprising: a substrate stage for holding and moving the substrate, and a mold holding portion for holding the mold Wow, a peripheral member disposed around the mold holding portion is provided, and on a side surface of the peripheral member, a jet portion for ejecting gas into a space that the substrate stage can face is provided.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, for example, an imprint apparatus advantageous for preventing entry of foreign matter into the space between the substrate and the mold can be provided.

1 is a diagram showing an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of an ejection unit in an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of a jetting unit in the imprint apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of a jetting unit in the imprint device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the ejection unit in the imprint apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating an article manufacturing method.

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

1 shows the configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The imprint apparatus 1 molds the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2 using the mold 4 and forms a pattern of the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2. More specifically, the imprint apparatus 1 contacts the imprint material 8 and the mold 4 disposed on the substrate 2, and applies curing energy to the imprint material 8, so that the mold 4 ) To form a cured product pattern of the transferred imprint material. In this specification and the accompanying drawings, the direction in the XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 2 is an XY plane is shown. In the XYZ coordinate system, the directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes are the X, Y, and Z directions, and the rotation around the X axis, the rotation around the Y axis, and the rotation around the Z axis are respectively θX. , θY, θZ. Control or drive about the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis means control or drive in a direction parallel to the X-axis, a direction parallel to the Y-axis, and a direction parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. In addition, the control or driving of the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis, respectively, controls rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, rotation around an axis parallel to the Y-axis, and rotation around an axis parallel to the Z-axis. Or it means driving. Further, the position is information that can be specified based on coordinates of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and the posture is information that can be specified with values of the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis. Position determination means controlling the position and/or posture.

As the imprint material, a curable composition (also referred to as a resin in an uncured state) that is cured by application of curing energy is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like can be used. The electromagnetic wave may be, for example, light whose wavelength is selected from a range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less, such as infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays. The curable composition may be a composition cured by irradiation of light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group such as a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal addition type release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The imprint material can be disposed on a substrate in the form of droplets or islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets by the supply unit 7. The viscosity (viscosity at 25° C.) of the imprint material may be, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less. As the material of the substrate, for example, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, and the like can be used. If necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate. The substrate is, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, and a quartz glass.

The imprint apparatus 1 includes a mold holding portion 6, a mold driving mechanism 24, a mold deformation mechanism 19, a substrate stage 3, a substrate driving mechanism 23, a supply portion 7 and a curing portion 20. ) Can be provided. The mold holding part 6 holds the mold 4. The mold holding portion 6 may include, for example, a first portion 61 having a chuck portion for chucking the upper surface of the mold 4 and a second portion 62 facing the side surface of the mold 4 have. The mold drive mechanism 24 may be configured to drive the mold 4 with respect to a plurality of axes (eg, X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis 6 axes). The mold deforming mechanism 19 deforms the mold 4 by applying a force to the side surface of the mold 4, thereby deforming the shape of the pattern region 41. The substrate stage 3 has a chuck that holds the substrate 2, and holds and moves the substrate 2. The substrate driving mechanism 23 moves the substrate stage 3 so as to move the substrate 2 with respect to a plurality of axes (eg, three axes of the X-axis, Y-axis, and θZ-axis). The mold drive mechanism 24 and the substrate drive mechanism 23 constitute a relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the mold 4 and the substrate 2 with respect to a plurality of axes. The relative movement of the mold 4 and the substrate 2 by the relative movement mechanism is a movement for contacting the imprint material 8 and the mold 4 on the substrate 2, and the cured imprint material 8 and the mold (4) may include movement to separate. Further, the relative movement of the mold 4 and the substrate 2 by the relative movement mechanism may include movement for relative positional alignment of the mold 4 and the substrate 2.

The supply unit 7 supplies or arranges the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2. The curing unit 20 imparts energy (eg, light such as ultraviolet light) 21 to the imprint material 8 to cure the imprint material 8 supplied or disposed on the substrate 2 to be imprinted. Harden the ash (8). After the imprint material 8 is supplied on the substrate 2 by the supply unit 7 and the imprint regions of the mold 4 and the substrate 2 are aligned, the mold holding unit is carried out by the mold driving mechanism 24 (6) can be driven in the -Z direction. Thereby, the pattern region 41 of the mold 4 comes into contact with the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2. Thereafter, waiting for the imprint material 8 to be filled in the concave portion constituting the pattern of the pattern region 41, the curing unit 20 gives the imprint material 8 energy for curing, and this As a result, the imprint material 8 is hardened. In the imprint apparatus 1, a first gas (e.g., helium) 17 for facilitating the filling of the imprint material 8 into the concave portions constituting the pattern of the pattern region 41 is applied to the substrate 2 A first gas supply unit 16 is provided to supply the processing space SP between the and mold 4. The first gas may be supplied to the first gas supply unit 16 by the first gas supply source 18. The gas supply port of the first gas supply unit 16 may be disposed in the mold holding unit 6, for example. The gas supply port of the first gas supply unit 16 may be arranged to surround the mold 4.

When the pattern region 41 of the mold 4 contacts the imprint material 8 on the substrate 2, foreign matters such as particles are between the imprint region of the substrate 2 and the pattern region 41 of the mold 4 If present, there is a possibility that the pattern region 41 is damaged. The imprint apparatus 1 is placed in a clean environment for manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices, but it is very difficult to completely eliminate the occurrence of foreign matter. The foreign matter may be generated from components constituting the imprint device 1 in some cases, or may be carried in from the outside of the imprint device 1. Although it differs depending on the size and depth of the pattern formed in the pattern region 41, if there is a foreign object having a size equal to or larger than the half pitch dimension of the pattern, there is a high possibility that a defect in the pattern may occur.

Thus, the peripheral member 9 is disposed around the mold holding portion 6, and the volume of the space above the substrate 2 can be limited by the peripheral member 9. The peripheral member 9 can typically be arranged so as to surround the mold holding portion 6 and the mold deformation mechanism 19. Further, the peripheral member 9 may be configured such that the second portion 62 of the mold holding portion 6 is disposed between the first side 91 of the peripheral member 9 and the region in which the mold 4 is disposed. I can. The imprint apparatus 1 includes a second gas (e.g., clean dry) for forming a gas barrier in the peripheral space SS (space between the peripheral member 9 and the substrate stage 3) surrounding the processing space SP. A second gas supply unit 10 for supplying air) 11 may be provided. The second gas may be supplied to the second gas supply unit 10 by the second gas supply source 12. The gas supply port of the second gas supply unit 10 may be disposed on the mold holding unit 6 and/or the peripheral member 9, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply ports of the second gas supply unit 10 are disposed on both the mold holding unit 6 and the peripheral member 9, for example. The gas supply port of the second gas supply unit 10 may be disposed in another member. The gas supply port of the second gas supply unit 10 may be disposed to surround the processing space SP.

From the viewpoint of preventing intrusion of foreign matter into the processing space SP, the peripheral member 9 should face the substrate stage 3 in the entire area in which the substrate stage 3 can move. It should be arranged to be able to. The range in which the substrate stage 3 can be moved is a receiving area for receiving the substrate 2 from the substrate stage 3 or passing the substrate 2 to the substrate stage 3, or a substrate stage. (3) A maintenance area for performing maintenance can be included. In this region, since the peripheral member 9 cannot be disposed, a space S1 that the substrate stage 3 can face may exist. In one example, the space S1 is a space in which the substrate stage 3 may be in a state that faces the space S1 and a state that does not face the space S1 due to the movement of the substrate stage 3. In another example, the space S1 is a space that the substrate stage 3 always faces.

The peripheral member 9 is different from the lower surface 90 including the portion facing the substrate stage 3, the first side surface 91 on the side of the mold holding part 6, and the first side surface 91 It has a second side surface 92, and the second side surface 92 faces a space S1 that the substrate stage 3 can face. The first side surface 91 of the peripheral member 9 can be disposed so as to surround the mold holding portion 6 and the mold deformation mechanism 19. In other words, the mold deformation mechanism 19 may be disposed between the region in which the mold 4 is disposed and the first side 91 of the peripheral member 9.

The distance between the lower surface 90 of the peripheral member 9 and the upper surface of the substrate stage 3 is preferably greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. In addition, the distance is more preferably 0.5 mm or more from the viewpoint of easiness of manufacture, and more preferably 2 mm or less from the viewpoint of the effect of the gas barrier. The substrate stage 3 may have a substrate peripheral portion 31 surrounding the substrate 2. The upper surface of the substrate stage 3 may be an upper surface of the peripheral portion 31 of the substrate.

In the situation where the substrate stage 3 faces the space S1, on the substrate stage 3 or the substrate 2, the substrate stage 3 and the substrate 2 due to a gas barrier formed by the second gas 11 The protective effect of is weakened, and foreign matter may adhere on the substrate stage 3 and the substrate 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the jetting portion 13 for jetting the clean gas (eg, clean dry air) 14 is provided on the second side surface 92 of the peripheral member 9. The cleanliness of the space S1 is improved by the clean gas jetted from the jetting portion 13. Thereby, in a situation where the substrate stage 3 faces the space S1, it is possible to reduce the possibility that foreign matter adheres to the substrate stage 3 and the substrate 2. Thereby, the possibility of foreign matter entering the processing space SP due to the movement of the substrate stage 3 and the substrate 2 can be reduced.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the ejection portion 13 includes an ejection opening 131 formed on the second side surface 92 and a flow path 25 connected to the ejection opening 131 through the inside of the peripheral member 9. ) Can be included. Clean gas can be supplied to the ejection part 13 by the gas supply source 15. Alternatively, the jetting portion 13 may include a jetting port 131 formed on the second side surface 92. The ejection portion 13 may be configured to eject gas into the space S1 facing the second side 92. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the ejection unit 13 may be configured to eject gas horizontally. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the ejection portion 13 may be configured to eject gas obliquely downward. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the ejection unit 13 may be configured to eject gas horizontally and eject gas obliquely downward. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5, in a configuration having a plurality of ejection portions 13 facing the space S1, a gas flow is formed along the moving direction of the substrate stage 3 (the right direction of the arrow A). , Gas may be ejected from the ejection portion 13 selected from among the plurality of ejection portions 13. It is preferable that the clean gas supplied from the ejection portion 13 to the space S1 is continuously ejected in order to improve the cleanliness of the space S1. However, at least when the substrate 2 is disposed below the space S1, it is sufficient to receive a clean gas from the ejection portion 13.

The pattern of the cured product formed by using the imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. As a mold, an imprint mold etc. are mentioned.

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

Next, a specific example of the article manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 6A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a material 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared, and then, the material 2z is formed by an inkjet method or the like. An imprint material 3z is applied to the surface. Here, a state in which the imprint material 3z in the form of a plurality of droplets is applied on the substrate is shown.

As shown in Fig. 6B, the imprint die 4z is opposed to the side on which the uneven pattern is formed toward the imprint material 3z on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 6C, the substrate 1z to which the imprint material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the material to be processed 2z. In this state, when light is transmitted through the mold 4z and irradiated as curing energy, the imprint material 3z is cured.

As shown in Fig. 6D, after curing the imprint material 3z, when the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are removed, the pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z on the substrate 1z Is formed. The pattern of the cured product has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product and the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, that is, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z. do.

As shown in Fig. 6(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching mask, a portion of the surface of the material to be processed 2z without the cured product or thinly remaining portion is removed, and the groove 5z ). As shown in Fig. 6F, when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article having a groove 5z formed on the surface of the material 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured product is removed, but it is not removed even after processing, and may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in, for example, a semiconductor element, that is, a constitutional member of an article.

1: imprint device
2: substrate
3: substrate stage
4: brother
6: mold holding part
9: peripheral member
90: when
91: first aspect
92: second aspect
13: spurt

Claims (12)

It is an imprint device for molding an imprint material on a substrate using a mold,
A substrate stage for holding and moving the substrate,
A mold holding part for holding the mold,
And a peripheral member disposed around the mold holding portion,
The peripheral member has a lower surface including a portion facing the substrate stage, a first side surface on the side of the mold holding part, and a second side surface different from the first side surface,
On the second side, an ejection portion for ejecting gas into a space that the substrate stage can face is provided.
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
Further provided with a mold deformation mechanism for deforming the mold by applying a force to the side surface of the mold, the mold deformation mechanism is disposed between the region in which the mold is disposed and the first side surface
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The mold holding portion includes a first portion having a chuck portion for chucking an upper surface of the mold, and a second portion facing a side surface of the mold, and the peripheral member includes the first side surface and the mold The second portion is configured to be disposed between the regions
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
A first gas supply unit for supplying a first gas to a processing space between the mold and the substrate, and a second supply unit for supplying a second gas to a peripheral space surrounding the processing space.
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The distance between the lower surface of the peripheral member and the upper surface of the substrate stage is greater than 0 mm and less than 10 mm
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The ejection portion includes an ejection port formed on the second side surface, and a flow path connected to the ejection port through the inside of the peripheral member.
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The ejection part comprises a ejection port formed on the second side
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The ejection unit ejects gas into the space facing the second side surface.
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The ejection part, for ejecting gas horizontally
An imprint device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The ejection unit ejects gas obliquely downward
An imprint device, characterized in that. A step of forming a pattern on a substrate by the imprint device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and
Process of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed
And manufacturing an article from the substrate subjected to the processing. delete

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