KR102308377B1 - Imprint apparatus and method of manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an imprint apparatus advantageous for both throughput and accurate pattern formation.
[Solution Means] An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on the substrate by contacting a mold to an imprint material on a substrate includes a first supply port, and includes the first supply port in a space between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold. A first supply unit for supplying a first gas from a supply port, a second supply unit including a second supply port, the second supply unit for supplying a second gas from the second supply port to the space, and the first gas in the space and a control unit for controlling the first supply unit and the second supply unit so that the second gas is mixed with each other.

Description

Imprint apparatus and article manufacturing method

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

As one of the lithography techniques for manufacturing articles, such as semiconductor devices, the imprint technique is gradually being put to practical use. In the imprint process, air bubbles are likely to be trapped between the mold and the imprint material when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate. If the imprint material is cured while air bubbles remain, an unfilled defect may occur in the formed pattern. In order to suppress unfilled defects, it is conceivable to set the filling time longer by waiting for the trapped air to diffuse out of the shot or to dissolve in the imprint material, but the throughput is lowered. As described above, the decrease in throughput due to the lengthening of the charging time is one of the major problems of the imprint technology.

As a solution for realizing the reduction of unfilled defects and shortening of the filling time, Patent Document 1 proposes to introduce helium, which has a high molecular diffusion rate, or carbon dioxide, which is easily soluble in the imprint material. In Patent Document 2, a configuration in which a space including the entire substrate or a region to be imprinted is exposed with a condensable gas is proposed. By condensing the gas trapped between the mold and the imprint material, it is possible to shorten the filling time and suppress unfilled defects. In Non-Patent Document 1, a mold is separated from a cured imprint material by using 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (hereinafter referred to as “pentafluoropropane”), which is one type of condensable gas. It has been reported that the force (hereinafter referred to as "release force") can be lowered. By reducing the release force, adhesion of the imprint material to the mold can be suppressed, and transfer defects can be reduced. Further, in Non-Patent Document 2, a phenomenon in which the viscosity of the imprint material is lowered by pentafluoropropane is reported. The lower the viscosity of the imprint material, the easier the imprint material spreads on the substrate, so that it is possible to shorten the filling time. In addition, in Patent Document 3, a configuration is proposed in which a mixed gas of condensable gas and helium is supplied to the imprint apparatus to shorten the filling time of the imprint material or reduce pattern defects and reduce the surface roughness of the imprint material. have.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-514658 Japanese Patent No. 3700001 Publication Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-168645

Hiroshima, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, B27(6)2009, 2862-2865 Hiroshima, Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology, Volume 23, Number 1, 2010, 45-50

Pentafluoropropane having a low vapor pressure is usually filled in a liquid state in a container, and pentafluoropropane vaporized in the container is returned to the imprint apparatus. The energy for conveying the condensable gas vaporized in the container to the imprint apparatus is only a very low pressure energy called the vapor pressure of pentafluoropropane, and external energy such as a pump is not normally used.

A configuration generally considered for mixing pentafluoropropane and helium is a configuration in which a pentafluoropropane supply pipe and a helium supply pipe are joined together with a T-joint or the like to make a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium in advance. . This mixed gas is supplied to the imprint apparatus. However, while the supply pressure of helium is usually about 500 kPa, the supply pressure of pentafluoropropane at room temperature is about 50 kPa. Therefore, in the method of simply mixing with a T-joint or the like, the flow of pentafluoropropane becomes difficult due to the difference in the supply pressure of helium. It is possible to increase the supply pressure of pentafluoropropane by increasing the temperature of the pentafluoropropane. Specifically, if pentafluoropropane can be heated to about 70°C, the supply pressure of pentafluoropropane can be set to 500 kPa. However, in order to realize this, since it is necessary to heat the pentafluoropropane container, piping, etc. to about 70 degreeC, the apparatus structure becomes complicated. In addition, when gas heated to about 70 DEG C is supplied between the mold and the substrate, it is also necessary to cope with the thermal deformation of the mold and the substrate.

An object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus advantageous for coexistence of, for example, throughput and accurate pattern formation.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on the substrate by contacting a mold with an imprint material on a substrate, comprising a first supply port, and a space between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold a first supply unit for supplying a first gas from the first supply port to the air conditioner; a second supply unit including a second supply port; and a second supply unit for supplying a second gas from the second supply port to the space; An imprint apparatus is provided, comprising a control unit for controlling the first supply unit and the second supply unit so that mixing of the first gas and the second gas is performed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus advantageous for coexistence of, for example, throughput and accurate pattern formation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structure of the imprint apparatus in embodiment.
It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the gas supply part in embodiment.
It is a figure explaining the example of the operation|movement of the gas supply part in embodiment.
It is a figure explaining another example of the operation|movement of the gas supply part in embodiment.
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to the embodiment;
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to the embodiment;
It is a figure explaining the article manufacturing method in embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described in detail with reference to drawings. In addition, the following embodiment only shows the Example of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the following embodiments are essential for solving the problems of the present invention.

<First embodiment>

First, an outline of the imprint apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. The imprint apparatus is an apparatus for forming a pattern of a cured product onto which the concavo-convex pattern of the die is transferred by bringing an imprint material supplied on a substrate into contact with a die and applying energy for curing to the imprint material.

As the imprint material, a curable composition (sometimes referred to as an uncured resin) that is cured by applying the energy for curing 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 the 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 that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition hardened|cured by irradiation of light contains a polymeric compound and a photoinitiator at least, and may contain a nonpolymerizable compound or a solvent further as needed. The nonpolymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal addition type mold release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The imprint material may be disposed on the substrate in a droplet shape or an island shape or a film shape formed by connecting a plurality of droplets by an imprint material supply device (corresponding to the imprint material supply unit 33 in FIG. 1 to be described later). The viscosity (viscosity in 25 degreeC) of the imprint material may be 1 mPa*s or more and 100 mPa*s or less, for example. 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 substrate, a compound semiconductor substrate, or quartz glass.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The imprint apparatus 10 is used for manufacturing a device such as a semiconductor device, and forms an imprint material 31 supplied on a substrate 21 (wafer) into a mold 41 , and forms a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate 21 . to form In addition, although the imprint apparatus employ|adopted the photocuring method is illustrated here, you may employ|adopt the thermosetting method. In addition, in the following drawings, the Z axis in the XYZ coordinate system is taken parallel to the optical axis of the ultraviolet light 53 irradiated to the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21, and is orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis. Take the X-axis and Y-axis in the direction of

The light irradiation unit 50 irradiates the mold 41 with ultraviolet rays 53 during the imprint process, particularly when curing the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 . The light irradiation unit 50 may include a light source 51 and an illumination optical system 52 that irradiates the mold 41 by adjusting the ultraviolet rays 53 emitted from the light source 51 to light suitable for imprinting. have. The light source 51 can employ lamps such as a halogen lamp, but if it is a light source that transmits the mold 41 and emits light of a wavelength at which the imprint material 31 is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays 53 , in particular, It is not limiting. Although not shown, the illumination optical system 52 may include a lens, a mirror, an aperture, or a shutter for switching between irradiation and light blocking. In addition, in this embodiment, although the light irradiation part 50 is provided in order to employ|adopt the photocuring method, for example, when employ|adopting the thermosetting method, instead of this light irradiation part 50, a thermosetting resin is hardened. A heat source is installed for this purpose.

The mold 41 has a rectangular outer peripheral shape, and includes a pattern portion 41a in which a pattern to be transferred, such as a circuit pattern, is formed on a surface opposite to the substrate 21 . In addition, let the material of the mold 41 be a material (for example, quartz) which can transmit the ultraviolet-ray 53. As shown in FIG. In addition, the mold 41 may have a circular planar shape on the surface to which the ultraviolet-ray 53 is irradiated, and may have the cavity 44 (recessed part) to some extent depth.

The mold holding part 40 includes a mold chuck 42 for holding the mold 41, a mold drive mechanism 43 for movably holding the mold chuck 42, and a mold 41 (pattern part). and a magnification correction mechanism 46 for correcting the shape of (41a)). The mold chuck 42 can hold the mold 41 by attracting the outer peripheral region of the irradiated surface of the ultraviolet rays 53 in the mold 41 with a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. For example, the mold chuck 42 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) provided externally when holding the mold 41 by the vacuum suction force, and by appropriately adjusting the suction pressure by the exhaust of the vacuum pump. , it is possible to adjust the adsorption force (retention holding force) to the mold 41 . The mold drive mechanism 43 moves the mold 41 so as to selectively contact or separate the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 . As a motive power source employable for this type|mold drive mechanism 43, there exist a linear motor and an air cylinder, for example. Moreover, the die drive mechanism 43 may have several drive systems, such as a coarse motion drive system and a fine motion drive system, in order to respond to high-precision positioning of the die 41. In addition, the mold drive mechanism 43 has a position adjustment function in the Z-axis direction as well as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the θ direction, which is a rotational direction around the Z-axis, and a tilt for correcting the inclination of the mold 41 . There may also be a configuration having a function or the like. In addition, each operation of contact and separation in the imprint apparatus 10 may be realized by moving the mold 41 in the Z-axis direction, but may be realized by moving the substrate holding unit 20 in the Z-axis direction, Alternatively, both of them may be relatively moved. The magnification correction mechanism 46 is provided on the holding side of the die 41 in the die chuck 42, and mechanically applies an external force or displacement to the side surface of the die 41 (pattern portion). The shape of (41a)) is corrected.

The substrate 21 is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate or a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. In the plurality of shot regions (pattern formation regions) on the substrate 21 , a pattern (layer including the pattern) of the imprint material 31 is formed by the pattern portion 41a. In general, before the substrate 21 is loaded into the imprint apparatus 10 , a pattern (hereinafter referred to as a “substrate-side pattern”) is previously formed on the plurality of shot regions in a pre-process.

The imprint material supply unit 33 is provided in the vicinity of the mold holder 40 , and supplies (places or applies) the imprint material 31 onto the shot region (substrate side pattern) on the substrate 21 . The imprint material 31 is, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin having a property of being cured by receiving ultraviolet rays 53 , and is appropriately selected depending on various conditions such as a semiconductor device manufacturing process. The imprint material supply unit 33 employs an inkjet method as a supply method of the imprint material, and includes a container 32 accommodating the imprint material 31 in an uncured state. The imprint material supply unit 33 has, for example, a piezo-type discharge mechanism (inkjet head). The supply amount (discharge amount) of the imprint material 31 can be adjusted in the range of 0.1 to 10 pL/drop, and is usually used in many cases about 2 pL/drop. In addition, the total supply amount of the imprint material 31 is determined by the density of the pattern part 41a and the remaining film thickness in design. The imprint material supply unit 33 controls a supply position, a supply amount, and the like, based on an operation command from the control unit 15 .

The substrate holding unit 20 holds the substrate 21 and is a movable holding unit. For example, when the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 come into contact, by moving the substrate 21 by the substrate holding portion 20 , the pattern portion 41a and the shot region are separated. Position alignment of the substrate side pattern is performed. The substrate holding unit 20 includes a substrate chuck 22 for holding the substrate 21 by an attraction force, and a substrate stage 23 for mechanically holding the substrate chuck 22 and moving it in each axial direction. ) has The substrate stage 23 includes a moving mechanism 23a that moves the substrate by moving on the surface plate 11 . The moving mechanism 23a can move the substrate along a path between the imprint material supply position (first position) and the imprint position (second position). Here, the imprint material supply position (first position) is a position at which the imprint material is supplied by the imprint material supply unit 33 , and means a position opposite to an imprint material supply port such as a nozzle for discharging the imprint material. In addition, the imprint position (second position) means a position where the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 are brought into contact. The moving mechanism 23a moves the substrate 21 (shot region of) to the imprint material supply position when performing imprint, and the imprint material 31 is supplied by the imprint material supply unit 33 . As a power source employable for the moving mechanism 23a, there exist a linear motor, a planar motor, etc., for example. A plurality of drive systems, such as a coarse motion drive system and a fine motion drive system, can be included with respect to each direction of the movement mechanism 23a, an X-axis, and a Y-axis. In addition, there may be a configuration having a drive system for position adjustment in the Z-axis direction, a position adjustment function in the θ direction of the substrate 21 , or a tilt function for correcting the inclination of the substrate 21 .

The substrate holding unit 20 is provided with a plurality of reference mirrors 71 (reflectors) corresponding to the respective directions of X, Y, Z, ωx, ωy, and ωz on the side surface thereof. Here, ωx, ωy, and ωz represent rotation directions around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. On the other hand, the imprint apparatus 10 is provided with a plurality of laser interferometers 73 (length measuring instruments) for measuring the position of the substrate stage 23 by irradiating the beams 72 to each of these reference mirrors 71 . . Also, in Fig. 1, only one set of the reference mirror 71 and the laser interferometer 73 is shown. The laser interferometer 73 measures the position of the substrate 21 in real time, and the control unit 15 described later performs positioning control of the substrate 21 (substrate stage 23 ) based on the measured value at this time. run In addition, as such a position measuring mechanism, an encoder using a semiconductor laser or the like may be employed instead of the above-described laser interferometer 73 .

The control unit 15 may control the operation and adjustment of each component of the imprint apparatus 10 . The control unit 15 is configured by, for example, a computer, is connected to each component of the imprint apparatus 10 through a line, and can execute control of each component according to a program or the like. In addition, the control part 15 may be comprised integrally with the other part of the imprint apparatus 10 (in a common housing), and may be comprised separately from the other part of the imprint apparatus 10 (in another housing).

The surface plate 11 supports the entire imprint apparatus 10 and forms a reference plane for movement of the substrate stage 23 . The vibration damper 12 is provided between the surface plate 11 and the frame 13 and has a function of removing vibration from the floor. The frame 13 supports from the light source 51 to the mold 41 of the structural part located above the board|substrate 21. As shown in FIG. The alignment scope 14 images the alignment mark on the substrate 21 . The control part 15 measures the position of an alignment mark based on the image obtained with the alignment scope 14, and positions the substrate stage 23 based on the result.

The mold chuck 42 and the mold drive mechanism 43 have an opening region 47 that allows the ultraviolet rays 53 irradiated from the light irradiation unit 50 to pass toward the substrate 21 in the central portion (inside) in the planar direction. ) has Here, the mold chuck 42 (or the mold drive mechanism 43 ) is a light transmitting member (eg, a glass plate) in which a part of the opening region 47 and the cavity 44 surrounded by the mold 41 are enclosed spaces. ) (45) may be provided. In this case, the pressure in the cavity 44 is adjusted by a pressure adjusting device (not shown) including a vacuum pump or the like. This pressure adjusting device directs the pattern portion 41a toward the substrate 21 by, for example, setting the pressure in the cavity 44 higher than the outside thereof when the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 come into contact with each other. bend it into a convex shape. Thereby, the imprint material 31 can be brought into contact from the central portion of the pattern portion 41a, and the concave-convex pattern of the pattern portion 41a can be filled with the imprint material 31 to every corner.

However, this alone is insufficient to reliably fill the imprint material 31 inside the concave-convex pattern without confining the air bubbles. When the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 come into contact, if air bubbles (atmosphere) exist between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21, the imprint material ( 31), unfilled defects may occur in the formed pattern. In order to prevent the occurrence of such unfilled defects, the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 has at least one property of high solubility or high diffusivity with respect to the imprint material 31 . It can be substituted with a gas having Examples of the gas having such properties include helium and the like.

As a method of replacing the gas, a method of increasing the gas concentration around the die 41 by blowing a gas such as helium from at least the gas supply unit 60 disposed in the vicinity of the die 41 can be considered. By continuously blowing the gas for a certain period of time, it is possible to substitute the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 by the diffusion effect of the gas itself. However, in such a substitution method, a certain waiting time is required until the gas concentration in the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 becomes sufficiently high. In a general imprint apparatus, a waiting time of several tens of seconds or more is assumed. Since such a waiting time adversely affects productivity, it is necessary to shorten this waiting time as much as possible. As a measure to shorten the waiting time, for example, a gas flow using the drive of the substrate stage 23, that is, a substitution method using the Coanda effect is effective.

Next, a method of replacing the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 with a mixed gas of the first gas and the second gas according to the present embodiment will be described. 2A and 2B are views showing the gas supply unit 60 seen from the upper surface. The gas supply unit 60 is arranged to surround the mold 41 and has a plurality of supply ports for supplying gas.

In the example of FIG. 2A , the gas supply unit 60 includes a first supply unit 61 disposed to surround the mold 41 and supplying the first gas from the first supply port 61a. do. The gas supply unit 60 is a second supply unit that supplies a second gas, which is a gas different from the first gas, from a second supply port 62a disposed outside the first supply port 61a with respect to the mold 41 . (62). The first supply unit 61 includes a first supply port 61a, a first tank (not shown) storing the first gas, and a pipe (not shown) connecting the first tank and the first supply port 61a. may include Similarly, the 2nd supply part 62 includes the 2nd supply port 62a, the 2nd tank (not shown) which stores 2nd gas, and the 2nd tank and the 2nd supply port 62a which connect the 2nd supply port 62a similarly. It may include piping.

Here, the first gas includes a condensable gas that is liquefied by contact between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 , and the second gas includes the imprint material 31 and the mold 41 . and a permeable gas passing through at least one of the substrates 21 . The condensable gas refers to a pressure increase when the imprint material 31 enters the concave portion of the pattern portion 41a and the gas trapped in the concave portion is compressed when the mold 41 is brought into contact with the imprint material 31 . gas that is liquefied by As such a condensable gas, for example, pentafluoropropane is used. In addition, as the permeable gas included in the second gas, for example, helium, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, xenon, etc. may be employed. In the following description, it is assumed that pentafluoropropane is used as the first gas and helium is used as the second gas.

In the example of FIG. 2B , the gas supply unit 60 includes a plurality of supply ports disposed along the side surface of the mold 41 , and includes a first supply port 63 for supplying pentafluoropropane and helium. The second supply ports 64 for supplying are alternately arranged. Pentafluoropropane is stored in a first tank (not shown), and is supplied to the first supply port 63 through a pipe 65 . In this way, the first gas is supplied into the space between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 through the first tank, the pipe 65 and the first supply port 63 . 1 The supply is configured. Helium is stored in a second tank (not shown), and is supplied to the second supply port 64 through a pipe 66 . In this way, the second gas is supplied into the space between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 through the second tank, the pipe 66 and the second supply port 64 . 2 supplies are configured. The supply of the first gas by the first supply unit and the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit are controlled by the control unit 15 .

The first supply port so that pentafluoropropane supplied from the first supply port 63 and the helium supplied from the second supply port 64 are efficiently mixed in the space between the mold 41 and the substrate 21 . (63) and the second supply port 64 may be oriented. For example, in the set of the first supply ports 63 and the second supply ports 64 adjacent to each other, pentafluoropropane supplied from the first supply port 63 and the second supply port 64 are The supplied helium is oriented to agglutinate.

If pentafluoropropane is continuously supplied, the temperature of the supply pipe or the like may be lowered by the heat of vaporization, making it difficult to supply pentafluoropropane. Therefore, you may provide a temperature control mechanism in the supply piping of pentafluoropropane etc.

Since the boiling point of pentafluoropropane is approximately -10 to 23°C and the saturated vapor pressure is 0.1 to 0.4 MPa, there is a possibility that pentafluoropropane may be liquefied due to pressure loss in piping or the like. Therefore, the pipe diameter of pentafluoropropane and the diameter of the first supply port 63 may be made larger than the pipe diameter of helium or the diameter of the second supply port 64 .

The control unit 15 controls the first supply unit and the second supply unit so that mixing of the first gas and the second gas is performed in the space between the imprint material 31 and the mold 41 on the substrate. For example, the control unit 15 controls the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit and the second supply by the second supply unit according to the position of the substrate 21 in the movement path between the imprint material supply position and the imprint position. 2 Control the gas supply. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3 , a method of substituting a gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 with a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium under the control of the controller 15 is described. Explain. FIG. 3A shows the positions of the substrate stage 23 with respect to the mold 41 and the gas supply unit 60 and the timing of supplying the gas from the gas supply unit 60 in the imprint process. In addition, the structure of FIG. 2(a) is employ|adopted for the gas supply part 60. As shown in FIG. Fig. 3(b) is a flowchart corresponding to Fig. 3(a).

In S11 , the control unit 15 controls the imprint material supply unit 33 to supply the imprint material 31 to the shot region to be imprinted (F11).

In S12 , the control unit 15 controls the gas supply unit 60 to supply pentafluoropropane from the first supply unit 61 . At this time, the supply of helium from the second supply unit 62 is not performed (F12).

In S13 , the control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 23a to start the movement of the substrate stage 23 so that the shot region on which the imprint material 31 is disposed is under the mold 41 . Simultaneously with this, in S14, the control unit 15 starts the supply of helium from the second supply unit 62 (F13). Regarding the substrate stage 23 , in the example of FIG. 3 , driving is performed in one direction, but for example, driving in a plurality of directions such as a rectangle or a zigzag may be used. By driving in multiple directions, pentafluoropropane and helium can be mixed more effectively. Further, the control unit 15 may promote mixing by alternately supplying pentafluoropropane and helium in time while moving the substrate 21 from the imprint material supply position to the imprint position by the moving mechanism 23a. do.

When the shot region comes directly under the mold 41 , the control unit 15 stops the movement of the substrate stage 23 at S15 and stops the supply of pentafluoropropane and helium at S16 . Make it (F14). Thereafter, in S17, the control unit 15 executes an operation of contacting/separating. The above series of processes S11 to S17 are repeatedly performed for each shot area.

The pentafluoropropane supplied at S12 is mixed with the helium supplied at S14 with the movement of the substrate stage 23 at S13. In S15, the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 is filled with a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium. Also, by changing the supply amounts of pentafluoropropane and helium, respectively, it is possible to arbitrarily change the pentafluoropropane concentration in the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 .

As described above, in the present embodiment, pentafluoropropane and helium are not mixed and then supplied, but separately supplied and then mixed. This eliminates the need to heat the pentafluoropropane to make it equal to the vapor pressure of helium.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the 2nd supply port 62a is arrange|positioned on the outer side of the 1st supply port 61a with respect to the die 41 (FIG.2(a)), the 1st supply port 61a ) and the positional relationship of the second supply port 62a may be reversed.

The process in the case where the gas supply part 60 has the structure shown in FIG.2(b) becomes as follows.

The control unit 15 controls the imprint material supply unit 33 to supply the imprint material 31 in S11, and pentafluoropropane from the first supply port 63 of the gas supply unit 60 in S12. supply At this time, helium is not supplied from the second supply port 64 of the gas supply unit 60 .

In S13 , the control unit 15 starts the movement of the substrate stage 23 so that the shot region on which the imprint material 31 is disposed is under the mold 41 . At the same time, in S14 , the control unit 15 starts supply of helium from the second supply port 64 of the gas supply unit 60 .

When the shot region comes directly under the mold 41 , the control unit 15 stops the movement of the substrate stage 23 at S15 and stops the supply of pentafluoropropane and helium at S16 . Thereafter, in S17, the control unit 15 executes an operation of contacting/separating. The above series of processes S11 to S17 are repeatedly performed for each shot area.

The pentafluoropropane supplied at S12 is mixed with the helium supplied at S14 with the movement of the substrate stage 23 at S13. In S15, the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 is filled with a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium. As described above, for example, in the pair of the first supply ports 63 and the second supply ports 64 adjacent to each other, the first supply ports 63 and the second supply ports 64 are each formed of pentafluoro It is oriented so that the injection direction of propane and the injection direction of helium intersect. Therefore, pentafluoropropane and helium are efficiently mixed. Further, the control unit 15 may promote mixing by temporally alternately supplying pentafluoropropane and helium during movement between the imprint material supply position and the imprint position of the shot region of the substrate 21 .

The processing shown in FIG. 3 is summarized as follows. The control unit 15 starts the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit before the shot region along the path between the imprint material supply position and the imprint position is started. Thereafter, the control unit 15 starts the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit along with the movement of the shot region along the path. Then, the control unit 15 stops the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit and the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit with completion of the movement of the substrate 21 to the imprint position.

According to the above embodiment, the mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium having different vapor pressures at the same temperature can be efficiently supplied to the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 .

<Second embodiment>

In the following second embodiment, after replacing the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 with helium, pentafluoropropane is supplied. Hereinafter, a method of replacing the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 with a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . 4A shows the positions of the substrate stage 23 with respect to the mold 41 and the gas supply unit 60 and the timing of supplying the gas from the gas supply unit 60 in the imprint process. Fig. 4(b) is a flowchart corresponding to Fig. 4(a).

In S21 , the control unit 15 controls the imprint material supply unit 33 to supply the imprint material 31 to the shot region to be imprinted (F21).

In S22 , the control unit 15 controls the gas supply unit 60 to supply helium from the second supply unit 62 . At this point, pentafluoropropane is not supplied from the first supply unit 61 (F22).

In S23 , the control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 23a to start the movement of the substrate stage 23 so that the shot region on which the imprint material 31 is disposed is under the mold 41 . At this time, the gas between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 is once replaced with helium.

Thereafter, in S24 , the control unit 15 stops the supply of helium from the second supply unit 62 and starts the supply of pentafluoropropane from the first supply unit 61 (F23). When the shot region comes directly under the mold 41, the control unit 15 stops the movement of the substrate stage 23 at S25 and stops the supply of pentafluoropropane at S26 ( F24). Thereafter, in S27, the control unit 15 executes the operation of contacting/separating. The above series of processes S21 to S27 are repeatedly performed for each shot area.

The amount of helium supplied in S22 is such that the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 is filled with a high concentration of helium. It is possible to arbitrarily change the pentafluoropropane concentration in the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 by changing the supply amount of pentafluoropropane in S24.

As described above, in the present embodiment, pentafluoropropane and helium are not mixed and then supplied, but separately supplied and then mixed. This eliminates the need to heat the pentafluoropropane to make it equal to the vapor pressure of helium.

The processing shown in FIG. 4 is summarized as follows. The control unit 15 controls the second supply unit by the second supply unit before moving the substrate 21 supplied with the imprint material 31 to the shot region by the imprint material supply unit 33 to the imprint position by the moving mechanism 23a. Start supplying gas. Thereafter, the control unit 15 starts the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit with the start of the movement of the substrate 21 to the imprint position. At this time, you may stop supply of the 2nd gas by a 2nd supply part. Then, the control unit 15 stops the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit and the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit with completion of the movement of the substrate 21 to the imprint position.

According to the above embodiment, a mixed gas of pentafluoropropane and helium having different vapor pressures at the same temperature can be efficiently supplied to the gap between the mold 41 and the imprint material 31 on the substrate 21 .

<Third embodiment>

Since condensable gas has a low boiling point (low vapor pressure), when supplied as a gas, there is a problem in that it becomes liquefied when pressurized. For example, in the case of hydrofluorocarbon (1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane), the supply pressure becomes 50 kPa at room temperature.

In the case where the arrangement path of the pipe is long or when the pressure loss is large due to the large flow rate, since it liquefies when pressurized, clogging of the pipe occurs, which may be an obstacle to supplying the gas in a gaseous state. For this reason, for example, it heats by winding a heater around a pipe, and measures, such as raising the temperature of condensable gas inside a pipe, and raising a vapor pressure, are needed.

Since the condensable gas in the pipe is always maintained in a pressurized state, it is also necessary to always heat the pipe, and there is a problem that power consumption increases. In addition, when the power of the device is turned off, when the power supply to the device is stopped, or when the heater wound around the pipe breaks down, the temperature of the pipe is lowered and the temperature of the condensable gas is also lowered at the same time, so that condensation in the pressurized state There is a problem that the sex gas is liquefied and the pipe is clogged.

Hereinafter, in view of such a subject, a technique which prevents liquefaction of the condensable gas in a pipe|tube and enables supply of a condensable gas, even if it does not perform heating of a pipe|tube constantly, is demonstrated.

5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the imprint apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The imprint apparatus 100 is a lithographic apparatus used in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or the like, and transfers a pattern of a mold onto a substrate. In the present embodiment, the imprint apparatus 100 employs a photo-curing method of curing the imprint material by irradiation with ultraviolet rays as a curing method of the imprint material.

The imprint apparatus 100 includes a die head 104 holding a die 103 , a stage 107 holding a substrate 106 , and an imprint material supply unit 33 . The imprint apparatus 100 includes a gas supply unit 120 for supplying a gas (condensable gas) condensed by pressure, an exhaust path 130 for exhausting a space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 ; It further has a control unit 140 .

The mold 103 has, on a surface opposite to the substrate 106 , a pattern portion 103a in which a pattern to be transferred to the substrate 106 (resin supplied to) is formed. The mold 103 has a rectangular shape, for example, and is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays such as quartz.

The mold head 104 holds (fixes) the mold 103 by a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. The mold head 104 includes a drive mechanism for driving the mold 103 in the z-axis direction, and brings the mold 103 into contact with an imprint material (uncured resin) on the substrate 106 with an appropriate force, thereby forming a substrate. (106) It has a function of peeling the mold 103 from the imprint material (cured resin) above.

The substrate 106 is a substrate to which the pattern of the mold 103 is transferred, and includes, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate, a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, or the like.

The stage 107 includes a substrate chuck for holding the substrate 106 , and a drive mechanism for performing position alignment (alignment) between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 . Such a drive mechanism is comprised from, for example, a coarse motion drive system and a fine motion drive system, and drives the board|substrate 106 in an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction. In addition, such a driving mechanism is a function of driving the substrate 106 in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, as well as the z-axis direction and the θ (rotation around the z-axis) direction, or for correcting the inclination of the substrate 106 . A tilt function may be provided.

The imprint material supply unit 33 forms a resin layer RL on the substrate 106 by supplying (applying) a liquid photocurable imprint material onto the substrate 106 . In the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 (resin layer RL), the gas supply unit 120 is a gas condensed by the pressure when the mold 103 is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 106 . (condensable gas) is supplied. In other words, the gas supply unit 120 replaces the gas in the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 with the condensable gas. The gas supply unit 120, under the control of the control unit 140, is sufficiently condensed by the pressure when the mold 103 is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 106 (that is, the occurrence of unfilled defects is sufficiently suppressed). to prevent), supply a condensable gas. The gas supply part 120 supplies a condensable gas through the supply port 125 arrange|positioned in the space vicinity between the mold|die 103 and the board|substrate 106 in this embodiment. However, as the supply method of the condensable gas, any method well known in the art can be applied. For example, a supply port for supplying the condensable gas may be formed in the mold 103 . In addition, the gas supply unit 120 converts not only the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 , but also the gas in the entire atmosphere of the apparatus (that is, in the chamber accommodating each part of the imprint apparatus 100 ) as a condensable gas. may be substituted. In addition, the gas supplied from the gas supply part 120 may supply the gas which mixed the gas with high permeability (for example, helium) and the condensable gas. This permeable gas has a property of being dissolved or diffused with respect to at least one of the mold 103 , the substrate 106 , or the imprint material. The specific configuration and function of the gas supply unit 120 will be described in detail later.

The exhaust path 130 exhausts the condensable gas supplied from the gas supply unit 120 to the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 . For example, the condensable gas 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane has a high global warming coefficient of 950 (CO ₂ =1), and it is necessary to prevent the supplied condensable gas from leaking into the atmosphere. have. The exhaust path is connected to a purification apparatus (not shown) installed separately from the imprint apparatus 100, and the condensable gas is taken out from the purification apparatus and reused.

The controller 140 includes a CPU and a memory, and controls the entire (operation) of the imprint apparatus 100 . The control unit 140 functions as a processing unit that controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 100 to perform an imprint process in the present embodiment. In the imprint process, the imprint material is cured in a state in which the die 103 is brought into contact with the imprint material supplied to the substrate 106 , and the die 103 is peeled from the cured imprint material, whereby the die 103 is placed on the substrate 106 . It means the process of transferring the pattern of

Here, the specific configuration and function of the imprint material supply unit 33 will be described. The imprint material supply unit 33 includes an imprint material container 111 for accommodating the imprint material, and a dispenser 113 for supplying the imprint material. By moving the stage 107 (scan movement or step movement) while supplying the imprint material from the imprint material supply unit 33 , it becomes possible to supply the imprint material onto the substrate 106 (the shot region of the substrate 106 ).

The imprint material container 111 supplies the imprint material to the dispenser 113 through the pipe 112 . The dispenser 113 includes, for example, line nozzles in which nozzles are arranged in a line shape, and uniformly drops droplets of about 1 picoliter onto the substrate 106 by a piezo jet method, a micro solenoid method, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the condensable gas is normally present as a gas in the internal environment (temperature and pressure) of the imprint apparatus 100 , and during the imprint process (that is, the mold 103 is applied to the imprint material). It has a property of condensing (by the pressure when it is brought into contact with).

In addition, when the vapor pressure of the condensable gas at room temperature (23 ° C.) is lower than 0.05 MPa, for example, the condensable gas is condensed by a small pressure difference generated in the pipe to control the supply amount of the condensable gas. things get difficult On the other hand, when the vapor pressure of the condensable gas at room temperature (23° C.) is higher than 1 MPa, when the imprint process is performed at room temperature, the pressure required for condensing the condensable gas becomes large, so an apparatus having pressure resistance is required, and the device becomes large-scale. Therefore, the vapor pressure of the condensable gas is preferably higher than 0.05 MPa and lower than 1 MPa at the temperature at which the imprint process is performed. In addition, since the vapor pressure of condensable gas is more preferable in it being near atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa), it is good to be higher than 0.1 MPa and to be lower than 1 MPa.

In addition, it is good that condensable gas is condensed at room temperature (23 degreeC) vicinity in atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). Therefore, the boiling point of the condensable gas should just be 15 degreeC or more and 30 degrees C or less. When the boiling point of the condensable gas is lower than 15°C, the temperature control mechanism for controlling the internal temperature of the imprint apparatus 100 becomes large. On the other hand, when the boiling point of the condensable gas is higher than 30° C., in order to condense the condensable gas, it is necessary to reduce the pressure inside the imprint apparatus 100 from atmospheric pressure or to increase the internal temperature of the imprint apparatus 100 . , and the device becomes large-scale.

Examples of such condensable gas include the following.

Trichlorofluoromethane having a vapor pressure of 0.1056 MPa at room temperature (23 ° C) (boiling point (24 ° C))

1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane with a vapor pressure of 0.14 MPa at room temperature (23 ° C) (boiling point (15 ° C))

In addition, the photocurable imprint material in this embodiment needs to be an imprint material in which a condensable gas melt|dissolves. For example, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane, which is an example of a condensable gas, is dissolved in a general imprint material for imprint based on an acrylic resin.

For example, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane has a vapor pressure of 0.14 MPa at room temperature (23°C). Needs to be. However, since it liquefies and clogs the inside of a pipe when vapor pressure is exceeded by a pressure loss of apparatuses, such as piping and a valve, the problem that it cannot flow arises. A method of flowing a prescribed flow rate without liquefying the condensable gas will be described together with the specific configuration and function of the gas supply unit 120 .

In the condensable gas container 121, the condensable gas is pressurized and stored in a liquid state. Although the condensable gas container 121 is configured in the imprint apparatus 100 in the present embodiment, the condensable gas may be supplied from factory equipment in a gaseous state. In addition, the condensable gas container 121 may be provided outside the imprint apparatus 100 and may be supplied.

The condensable gas vaporized from the condensable gas container 121 is supplied to the mass flow controller (mass flow meter) 123 through the valve VL1 and the pipe 122 . The mass flow controller 123 is controlled by the controller 140 to control the flow rate so that a prescribed flow rate flows. The condensable gas is supplied from the mass flow controller 123 to the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 from the supply port 125 through the pipe 122 .

The pipe 122 is covered by the temperature adjusting unit 124 , so that the pipe 122 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. By maintaining the pipe 122 at a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the condensable gas can also be maintained at a predetermined temperature. By raising the 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane to room temperature (23°C), the vapor pressure can be higher than 0.14 MPa, and it becomes possible to flow a predetermined flow rate in a gaseous state.

The temperature adjusting part 124 may cover the whole piping 122, and may cover a part. Moreover, you may cover each apparatus of the mass flow controller 123, valve VL1, and the supply port 125. As shown in FIG. The temperature control unit 124 can select and cover a location where the condensable gas is liquefied.

In the state in which the imprint process is not performed, the condensable gas remains in the pipe 122 as it is pressurized. As described above, even in a state where the imprint process is not performed, the temperature adjusting unit 124 always needs to continuously heat the pipe 122 , so there is a problem that power consumption increases. In addition, when the power of the device is turned off, when the power supply to the device is stopped, or when the temperature adjusting unit 124 fails, the temperature of the pipe 122 is lowered, and the temperature of the condensable gas is also lowered, There is a problem that the condensable gas in a pressurized state becomes liquefied.

When the imprint process is being performed, the valve VL1 is opened, the valve VL2 and the valve VL3 are closed, and the condensable gas is supplied from the condensable gas container 121 to the mass flow controller 123 through the pipe 122 . . When the imprint process is not being performed, the valve in the mass flow controller 123 is closed, and the inside of the pipe 122 is in a pressurized state. At this time, by closing the valve VL1 and opening the valve VL3 , the condensable gas in the pipe 122 is discharged to the exhaust path 130 through the pressure regulator 127 and the pipe 128 .

For example, when the temperature in the device is the same as room temperature (23° C.), if the set pressure of the pressure regulator 127 is set between atmospheric pressure 0.10 MPa and 0.14 MPa, the pressure in the pipe 122 is 1,1,1, It is lower than the vapor pressure of 3,3-pentafluoropropane (0.14 MPa). Therefore, even if it does not heat the piping 122 by the temperature adjustment part 124, the condensable gas in the piping 122 does not liquefy. Since the temperature adjusting unit 124 is not heated, power consumption of the apparatus 100 can be suppressed.

Although it has been described that the set pressure of the pressure regulator 127 is set to between 0.10 MPa and 0.14 MPa of atmospheric pressure, from the viewpoint of preventing contamination by atmospheric air entering the pipe 122, the set pressure of the pressure regulator 127 is 0.10 atmospheric pressure. It is preferable to raise it slightly above MPa.

When the device power supply is turned off, when power supply to the device is stopped, or when the valve VL3 is opened when de-energized, the pressure in the pipe 122 becomes the set pressure of the pressure regulator 127, It is possible to prevent liquefaction of the condensable gas in the pipe 122 . The pressure regulator 127 may make a set pressure constant, and may have a mechanism which can be changed arbitrarily. In addition, the control unit 140 may change the set pressure from the temperature in the apparatus 100 or the pressure in the pipe 122 . The pressure regulator 127, any method well known in the art can be applied, and as a representative example, there is a relief valve that adjusts the pressure at which the valve is opened and closed by the force of a spring.

As another method, a method of purging the pipe 122 with an inert gas such as nitrogen will be described. When the imprint process is not performed or when the power to the apparatus is turned off, the valves VL1 and VL3 are closed, and the valve VL2 is opened. Thereby, an inert gas, such as nitrogen, can be supplied from the purge gas supply part 126, and the inside of the piping 122 can be replaced with an inert gas from the condensable gas. The purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply unit 126 is supplied to the mass flow controller 123 through the pipe 122 . The mass flow controller 123 is controlled by the controller 140 to control the flow rate so that a prescribed flow rate flows. The purge gas is discharged from the mass flow controller 123 through the pipe 122 and the supply port 125 . Here, the purge gas may be discharged to the exhaust path 130 through the pressure regulator 127 by making the flow rate of the mass flow controller 123 zero, opening the valve VL3.

The purge gas may be an inert gas such as nitrogen, or may be CDA (clean dry air).

The method of depressurizing the inside of the pipe 122 and the method of purging which have already been described can be arbitrarily selected according to the operating state of the apparatus rather than switching by the flow path switching unit (valve VL1, valve VL2, valve VL3). Moreover, you may make it switch automatically under the control part 140 from the temperature in the apparatus 100, the pressure in the piping 122, and the operating state of the apparatus.

In the method of depressurizing the inside of the pipe 122 and the method of purging, since the pipe 122 does not come into contact with the atmosphere, cleanliness can be maintained. Moreover, while controlling the flow rate, the mass flow controller 123 has a function of closing an internal valve at the time of de-energization. Since the mass flow controller 123 closes the internal valve even when there is no power supply, the inflow of the atmosphere from the supply port 125 is prevented, and the airtightness of the pipe 122 is maintained, so that the pipe ( 122) can be maintained.

An operation of the imprint apparatus 100 will be described. The imprint material is supplied from the imprint material container 111 through the pipe 112 to the dispenser 113 . The stage 107 is moved so that the target shot region on the substrate 106 (the shot region from which the pattern of the mold 103 is transferred) is located under the dispenser 113, so that the target shot region on the substrate 106 is placed on the target shot region. We supply imprint materials. As a result, the resin layer RL made of the imprint material is formed on the substrate 106 .

Next, the stage 107 is moved so that the target shot region on the substrate 106 is positioned under the mold 103 , and the mold 103 is brought into contact with the imprint material supplied to the target shot region. At this time, the condensable gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 120 to the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 (imprint material). Accordingly, in an environment in which the space between the mold 103 and the substrate 106 is replaced with a condensable gas, the imprint material supplied to the target shot region of the mold 103 comes into contact.

Next, in a state in which the imprint material on the substrate 106 and the mold 103 are in contact, the imprint material on the substrate 106 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays through the mold 103 to cure the imprint material. Then, the mold 103 is peeled from the cured imprint material on the substrate 106 . Thereby, the pattern of the mold 103 is transferred to the target shot region on the substrate 106 .

In this way, according to the imprint apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the condensable gas from being liquefied in the pipe 122 and to suppress the power consumption of the apparatus. In addition, the degree of cleanliness in the pipe 122 can be maintained.

<Fourth embodiment>

Next, an imprint apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the imprint apparatus 101 of the present embodiment.

The feature of this embodiment is that the heater 129 is provided in the supply path from the purge gas supply unit 126 , the purge gas supply unit 126 , the heater 129 , the valve VL2 , and the valve VL3 are UPS (uninterruptible power supply) ) is connected to In addition, since the structure of the imprint apparatus 101 of this embodiment is the same as that of the imprint apparatus 100 (FIG. 5) according to the third embodiment, the code of each component is the same as that of the imprint apparatus 100 . and the description is omitted.

An operation of the imprint apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. When the power of the device is turned off, when the power supply to the device is stopped, or when the temperature control unit 124 fails, since the pipe 122 is not heated, there is a possibility that the condensable gas in the pipe 122 is liquefied. have. By opening the valve VL3 connected to the UPS (uninterruptible power supply), the condensable gas in the pipe 122 can be discharged through the pressure regulator 127 to lower the pressure in the pipe 122 to the set pressure of the pressure regulator. .

As another method, the purge gas is supplied from the purge gas supply unit 126 connected to the UPS (uninterruptible power supply), the purge gas is heated in the heater 129, and the purge gas is supplied to the pipe 122 by opening the valve VL2. can supply By heating the purge gas by the heater 129 , even when the condensable gas is liquefied in the pipe 122 , vaporization of the liquefied condensable gas is promoted, and clogging in the pipe 122 can be eliminated.

When the power of the device is turned off, when the power supply to the device is stopped, or even when the temperature control unit 124 fails, the condensable gas in the pipe 122 is prevented from liquefying, or the liquefied condensable gas is removed can do. Moreover, since the condensable gas can be supplied in a short time after apparatus restoration, the operation rate of an apparatus can be raised.

In this embodiment, the case where the power supply of the device is turned off, the power supply to the device is interrupted, or the case where the temperature adjusting unit 124 fails has been described. It can be utilized as a removal method.

The purge gas from the purge gas supply unit 126 can be heated by the heater 129 and supplied into the pipe 122 both when the imprint process is being performed and when the imprint process is not performed. The purge gas heated by the heater 129 may be discharged from the supply port 125 through the pipe 122 and the mass flow controller 123 . In addition, it may be discharged to the exhaust path 130 through the valve VL3, the pressure regulator 127, and the pipe 128.

Thereby, vaporization of the liquefied condensable gas of each part can be accelerated|stimulated, and the liquefied condensable gas can be removed in a short time.

<Embodiment of article manufacturing method>

The pattern of the cured product formed by using the imprint apparatus is permanently used in at least a part of various articles or temporarily when various articles are manufactured. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit element 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. Examples of the mold include a mold for imprinting.

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

Next, the article manufacturing method will be described. As shown in Fig. 7(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon substrate on which a material to be processed such as an insulator 2z is formed on the surface is prepared, and then, the material to be processed 2z is formed by an inkjet method or the like. An imprint material 3z is applied to the surface. Here, the state in which the imprint material 3z which became a several droplet shape was provided on the board|substrate is shown.

As shown in Fig. 7(b), the imprint die 4z is made to face the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed toward the imprint material 3z on the substrate. As shown in FIG.7(c), the board|substrate 1z to which the imprint material 3z was provided and the mold|die 4z are brought into contact, and a 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 irradiated as energy for curing through the mold 4z, the imprint material 3z is cured.

As shown in Fig. 7(d), after curing the imprint material 3z, when the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. is formed The pattern of the cured product is such that the concave portion of the mold has a shape corresponding to the convex portion of the cured product and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave 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. 7(e), when etching is performed by setting the pattern of the cured product to an etch-resistant type, the portion of the surface of the material to be processed 2z without the cured product or remaining thin is removed, and the groove 5z becomes this As shown in FIG.7(f), when the pattern of hardened|cured material is removed, the article in which the groove|channel 5z was formed in the surface of the to-be-processed material 2z can be obtained. Although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it may not be removed even after processing, and may be used, for example, as a film for interlayer insulation included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of an article.

10: imprint device
20: substrate holding part
21: substrate
23: substrate stage
33: imprint material supply unit
33, 40: mold holding part
41: older brother
50: light irradiation unit
52: illumination optical system

Claims (11)

An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process comprising a supplying step of supplying an imprint material onto a substrate, and a contacting step of bringing the imprint material and a mold into contact after the supplying step,
a first supply unit including a first supply port and supplying a first gas including a condensable gas liquefied by the contact from the first supply port to a space between the imprint material and the mold on the substrate; ,
a second supply unit including a second supply port and supplying a second gas containing a permeable gas passing through at least one of the imprint material, the mold, and the substrate from the second supply port to the space;
A control unit configured to control the first supply unit and the second supply unit so that the first gas and the second gas are mixed in the space after the supplying process and before the contacting process
Imprint apparatus, characterized in that it has. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: an imprint material supply unit supplying the imprint material to a shot region of the substrate;
A movable holding portion holding the substrate and moving the shot region along a path between the first position at which the imprint material is supplied and the second position at which the contact is made by the imprint material supply unit.
including,
The control unit may control supply of the first gas by the first supply unit and supply of the second gas by the second supply unit according to a position of the holding unit when the shot region moves along the path. to control
Imprint apparatus, characterized in that. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit may start the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit before the movement of the shot region along the path starts, and may be configured to start supplying the first gas to the second supply unit according to the movement of the shot region along the path. to start the supply of the second gas by
Imprint apparatus, characterized in that. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit may start the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit before the movement of the shot region along the path is started, and may be configured to start supplying the second gas to the first supply unit according to the movement of the shot region along the path. to start the supply of the first gas by
Imprint apparatus, characterized in that. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit is configured to alternately supply the first gas by the first supply unit and supply the second gas by the second supply unit during movement of the shot region along the path.
Imprint apparatus, characterized in that. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the condensable gas includes pentafluoropropane. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the permeable gas includes a gas selected from a plurality of gases including helium, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and xenon. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second supply port is disposed outside the first supply port with respect to the mold. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first supply port and the second supply port are alternately arranged along a side surface of the mold. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first supply port and the second supply port are oriented such that the first gas supplied from the first supply port and the second gas supplied from the second supply port cross each other. Imprint device with A step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10;
Process of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed
and manufacturing an article from the substrate on which the process has been performed.

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