KR20090004910A - Chucking system comprising an array of fluid chambers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a chucking system to hold a substrate, said system including, inter alia, a chuck body having first and second opposed sides, said first side including an array of fluid chambers arranged in rows and columns, said fluid chambers each comprising first and second spaced-apart recesses defining first and second spaced-apart support regions, with said first support region cincturing said second support region and said first and second recesses, and said second support region cincturing said second recess, with said substrate resting against said first and second support regions, with said first recess and a portion of said substrate in superimposition therewith defining a first chamber and said second recess and a portion of said substrate in superimposition therewith defining a second chamber, with each column of said first chambers and each row of said second chambers being in fluid communication with a differing source of fluid to control a flow of fluid in said array of fluid chambers.

Description

CHUCKING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ARRAY OF FLUID CHAMBERS

The present invention relates to a chucking system comprising an array of fluid chambers.

Nano-fabrication involves the fabrication of very compact structures, for example having features on the order of nanometers or less. One area where nano-fabrication has had a significant impact is the processing of integrated circuits. Nano-fabrication becomes even more important as the semiconductor processing industry continues to strive for higher production rates as the number of circuits per unit area formed on a substrate increases. Nano-fabrication can further reduce the minimum feature dimensions of the formed structure while providing greater process control. Other areas of development where nano-fabrication is being used include biotechnology, optical technology, mechanical systems, and the like.

Typical nano-fabrication techniques are commonly referred to as imprint lithography. A typical imprint lithography process is US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0065976, filed as US Patent Application No. 10 / 264,960, entitled “Method for Arranging Features on a Substrate to Copy Features with Minimum Dimensional Variability. And mold "; US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0065252, filed as US Patent Application No. 10 / 264,926, entitled “Method for Forming a Layer on a Substrate to Facilitate the Fabrication of Measurement Standards”; And US Pat. No. 6,936,194, entitled "Function Patterning Material for Imprint Lithography Processes" and the like, all of which are assigned to the applicant of the present invention.

The imprint lithography techniques disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application Publications and U.S. Patents, respectively, include forming a relief pattern in the polymerizable layer and transferring a pattern corresponding to the relief pattern to the lower substrate. The substrate can be positioned above the motion stage, thereby obtaining the desired position to facilitate patterning. To this end, a mold is used spaced apart from the substrate, and there is a formable liquid between the mold and the substrate. The liquid solidifies to form a patterned layer in which a pattern is recorded that matches the shape of the surface of the mold in contact with the liquid. Next, the mold is separated from the patterned layer so that the mold and the substrate are separated from each other. Next, a process for transferring the relief image corresponding to the pattern in the patterned layer to the substrate is performed on the substrate and the patterned layer.

Still, there is a need for an improved chucking system to easily change the dimensions of the template as needed.

This is achieved by the chucking system of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a simplified side view of a lithographic system in which a mold and a substrate are spaced apart from each other and the substrate is positioned over a substrate chuck.

FIG. 2 is a view from above showing an array of droplets of imprinting material located over an area of the substrate shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a simplified side view of the substrate shown in FIG. 1 with the patterned layer positioned over the substrate.

4 is a side view of the substrate chuck shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the substrate chuck shown in FIG. 1 showing multiple columns of a pump system in fluid communication with a plurality of fluid chambers of the substrate chuck. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the substrate chuck shown in FIG. 1 showing a plurality of rows of a pump system in fluid communication with a plurality of fluid chambers of the substrate chuck. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway view of the substrate chuck and part of the substrate shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of patterning an area of the substrate shown in FIG. 1.

9 is a side view of the mold and the substrate shown in FIG. 1 in which the shape of the substrate is changed.

10 is a side view of the mold and substrate shown in FIG. 9 with the mold in contact with some of the droplets of the imprint material shown in FIG.

11-13 are top views of the compression of the droplets shown in FIG. 2 using the modified form of the substrate shown in FIG.

14 is a side view of the mold and substrate shown in FIG. 10 with the substrate positioned over the substrate chuck.

FIG. 15 is a view from above showing compression of the droplets in FIG. 2 using the modified form of the substrate shown in FIG. 10 in another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the mold and substrate shown in FIG. 1 with the mold partially separated from the substrate. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system 10 for forming a relief pattern on a substrate 12 is shown. Substrate 12 may be coupled to substrate chuck 14, which is further described below. Substrate 12 and chuck 14 may be supported on stage 16. In addition, the stage 16, substrate 12, and substrate chuck 14 may be located on a base (not shown). Stage 16 may provide motion about the x and y axes.

The template 18 is positioned away from the substrate 12, from which a mesa 20 having a patterned surface 22 extends toward the substrate 12. The mesa 20 may also be referred to as a mold 20. The mesa 20 may also be referred to as a nanoimprint mold 20. In other embodiments, the mold 18 may be substantially free of the mold 20. Template 18 and / or mold 20 are formed from materials including, but not limited to, melt-silica, quartz, silicon, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, borosilicate glass, fluorocarbon polymers, metals, and cured sapphires Can be. As shown, the patterned surface 22 includes features defined by a plurality of spaced apart grooves 24 and protrusions 26. However, in other embodiments, patterned surface 22 may be substantially smooth and / or planar. Patterned surface 22 may define an original pattern that forms the basis of a pattern to be formed over substrate 12. Template 18 may be combined with template chuck 28, which template chuck 28 is any chuck, including but not limited to vacuum, pin-type, groove-type, or electromagnetic, which is incorporated herein by reference. See US Pat. No. 6,873,087, which is incorporated herein by reference, entitled “High-Precision Orientation Alignment and Gap Control Stages for Imprint Lithography Process”. In addition, the template chuck 28 may be coupled to the imprint head 30 to facilitate movement of the template 18 and thus the mold 20.

System 10 further includes a fluid dispensing system 32. The fluid distribution system 32 may attach the polymeric material 34 thereon by in fluid communication with the substrate 12. System 10 may include any number of fluid dispensers and fluid distribution system 32 may include multiple distribution units there. The polymer material 34 may be formed using the substrate 12 using any known technique, for example, drop dispensing, spin-coating, dip-coating, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), thin film deposition, thick film deposition, or the like. It can be located above. As shown in FIG. 2, polymeric material 34 may be attached onto substrate 12 as a plurality of spaced apart droplets 36 defining matrix array 38. By way of example, each of the drops 36 may have a unit volume of approximately 1-10 picoliters. The drop 36 of the matrix array 38 may be arranged in five columns c ₁ -c ₅ and five columns r ₁ -r ₅ . However, the drop 36 may be disposed in any two-dimensional arrangement on the substrate 12. Typically, the polymeric material 34 is placed over the substrate 12 before the desired space is defined between the mold 20 and the substrate 12. However, the polymer material 34 may be filled into this space after the desired space is obtained.

1 to 3, the system 10 also includes a source 40 of energy 42 coupled to direct energy 42 along the passageway 44. The imprint head 30 and the stage 16 are arranged so that the mold 20 and the substrate 12 are each superimposed and disposed in the passage 44. The imprint head 30, stage 16, or both, vary the distance between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 to define the desired space therebetween and the desired space is filled with the polymer material 34. More specifically, the drop 36 enters and fills the groove 24. The time required for the drop 36 to fill the pattern defined by the patterned surface 22 may be defined as the “fill time” of the mold 20. After the desired space is filled with the polymeric material 34, the source 40 supplies energy 42, for example the polymeric material 34, to the shape of the surface 46 and the patterned surface 22 of the substrate 12. A broad ultraviolet light that is capable of solidifying and / or cross-linking in accordance with is emitted and defines a patterned layer 48 over the substrate 12. Patterned layer 48 includes a residual layer 50 and includes a number of features, represented by protrusions 52 and grooves 54. System 10 is in processor 56 in data communication with stage 16, imprint head 30, fluid dispensing system 32, and source 40, operating on a computer readable program stored in memory 58. Adjusted by).

1 and 4 to 6, as described above, the system 10 includes a substrate chuck 14. The substrate chuck 14 is adapted to hold the substrate 12 using vacuum technology. The substrate chuck 14 includes a chuck body 60 having a first opposite side 62 and a second opposite side 64. The side surface, or edge surface 66, extends between the first opposite side 62 and the second opposite side 64. The first side 62 includes a plurality of fluid chambers 68. As shown, the substrate chuck 14 includes fluid chambers 68a-68u, but in other embodiments, the substrate chuck 14 may include any number of fluid chambers. As shown, the fluid chambers 68a-68u can be positioned as an array disposed in _five columns a _{1-a 5} and five rows b _1- b ₅ . However, the fluid chamber 68 may be disposed in any two-dimensional arrangement in the chuck body 60. For simplicity of illustration, columns a _{1-a 5} and columns b _1- b ₅ are shown separately in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively.

4 to 6, each of the fluid chambers 68 includes a first groove 70 and a second groove 72 spaced apart from the first groove 70, and the support region 74 and the second groove 72. Define support region 76. The second support region 76 surrounds the second groove 72. The first support region 74 surrounds the second support region 76 and the first and second grooves 70 and 72. A plurality of passageways 78 and 80 are formed in the chuck body 60 so that each of the fluid chambers 68 is in fluid communication with the pump systems 82 and 84, respectively. More specifically, each first groove 70 of the fluid chamber 68 may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82 via the passage 78 and each second groove 72 is a passage 80. It may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84 through the). Each of the pump systems 82 and 84 may include one or more pumps therein.

4 and 5, in the columns a _{1-a 5} of the fluid chamber 68, each first groove 70 of the fluid chamber 68 passes through a passage 78 to the pump system 82. It may be in fluid communication with. More specifically, the first groove 70 of the fluid chambers 68d, 68i and 68n in the column a ₁ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82a via the passage 78a; The first groove 70 of the fluid chambers 68a, 68e, 68j, 68o, and 68s in column a ₂ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82b through the passage 78b; The first groove 70 of the fluid chambers 68b, 68f, 68k, 68p, and 68t in column a ₃ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82c through the passage 78c; The first groove 70 of the fluid chambers 68c, 68g, 68l, 68q, and 68u in column a ₄ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82d through the passage 78d; The first groove 70 of the fluid chambers 68h, 68m, and 68r in column a ₅ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 82e through the passage 78e.

4 and 6, in the rows b _1- b ₅ of the fluid chamber 68, each second groove 72 of the fluid chamber 68 passes through the passage 80 to the pump system 84. It may be in fluid communication with. More specifically, the second groove 72 of the fluid chambers 68a, 68b, and 68c in row b ₁ may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84a through the passage 80a; In row b ₂ , the second grooves 72 of the fluid chambers 68d, 68e, 68f, 68g, and 68h may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84b through the passage 80b; In row b ₃ , the second grooves 72 of the fluid chambers 68i, 68j, 68k, 68l, and 68m may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84c through the passage 80c; In row r ₄ , the second grooves 72 of the fluid chambers 68n, 68o, 68p, 68q, and 68r may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84d through the passage 80d; In row r ₅ , the second groove 72 of the fluid chambers 68s, 68t, and 68u may be in fluid communication with the pump system 84e via the passage 80e.

1 and 4 to 6, as described above, when the substrate 12 is positioned above the substrate chuck 14, the substrate 12 covers the fluid chamber 68, more specifically the fluid chamber. A first surface 62 of the chuck body 60 covering each of the first and second grooves 70 and 72 of 68. More specifically, each first groove 70 of the fluid chamber 68 and a portion of the substrate 12 superimposed thereon define a first chamber 86; Each second groove 72 of the fluid chamber 68 and a portion of the substrate 12 superimposed therewith define the second chamber 88. Moreover, pump system 82 operates to control pressure / vacuum in first chamber 86; Pump system 84 operates to control pressure / vacuum in second chamber 88. The separation of the substrate 12 from the substrate chuck 14 is avoided while establishing the pressure / vacuum in the first chambers 86 and 88 and changing the shape of the substrate 12 as described further below. If not, the position of the substrate 12 may be maintained to reduce. Pump systems 82 and 84 may be in data communication with processor 56 operating on a computer readable program stored in memory 58 to control pump systems 82 and 84.

4 and 5, more specifically, the pump system 82a is adapted to control the pressure / vacuum in the first chamber 86 of the fluid chambers 68d, 68i and 68n in column a ₁ . Works; Pump system 88b operates to control pressure / vacuum within first chamber 86 of fluid chambers 68a, 68e, 68j, 68o, and 68s in column a ₂ ; Pump system 88c operates to control pressure / vacuum within first chamber 86 of fluid chambers 68b, 68f, 68k, 68p, and 68t in column a ₃ ; Pump system 88d operates to control pressure / vacuum within first chamber 86 of fluid chambers 68c, 68g, 68l, 68q, and 68u in column a ₄ ; Pump system 88e operates to control pressure / vacuum within first chamber 86 of fluid chambers 68h, 68m, and 68r in column a ₅ .

4 and 6, furthermore, the pump system 84a operates to control pressure / vacuum in the second chamber 88 of the fluid chambers 68a, 68b, and 68c in row b ₁ . and; Pump system 84b operates to control pressure / vacuum in second chamber 88 of fluid chambers 68d, 68e, 68f, 68g, and 68h in row b ₂ ; Pump system 84c operates to control pressure / vacuum in second chamber 88 of fluid chambers 68i, 68j, 68k, 68l, and 68m in row b ₃ ; Pump system (84d) is operable to control the pressure / vacuum in the second chamber 88 of the fluid chamber (68n, 68o, 68p, 68q , and 68r) on the column ₍₄ b) and; Pump system (84e) is operable to control the pressure / vacuum in the second chamber 88 of the fluid chamber (68s, 68t, and 68u) in the column ₍₅ b).

With reference to FIGS. 4-7, each of the fluid chambers 68 may have a chucked state associated therewith, or 2) an unchucked / bent associated with it, depending on the desired application described further below. May have a state. More specifically, as described above, the first and second chambers 86 and 88 are associated with the first and second grooves 70 and 72, respectively. For this purpose, the force on a part of the substrate 12, in particular, overlaps with a portion of the substrate 12 and the size of the area of the first and second grooves 70 and 72 overlapping the part of the substrate 12. Loss may depend on the size of the pressure / vacuum in the first and second chambers 86 and 88. More specifically, for the portion 90 of the substrate 12 overlaid with the subset of the fluid chamber 68, the force on the portion 90 is the force on the small portion 92 of the portion 90 ( F ₁ ) and the second groove 72 / second chamber 88 and the force F ₂ on the small portion 94 of the overlaid portion 90. As shown, the forces F ₁ and F ₂ are both in a direction away from the substrate 12. However, the forces F ₁ and F ₂ may be in a direction toward the substrate 12. Also, the forces F ₁ and F ₂ may be in opposite directions. For that purpose, the force F ₁ on the small portion 92 of the substrate 12 can be defined as follows:

F ₁ = A ₁ × P ₁

Wherein A ₁ is the area of the first groove 70 and P ₁ is the pressure / vacuum associated with the first chamber 86; The force F ₂ on the small portion 94 can be defined as follows:

F ₂ = A ₂ × P ₂

Wherein A ₂ is the area of the second groove 72 and P ₁ is the pressure / vacuum associated with the second chamber 88; Forces F ₁ and F ₂ associated with fluid chamber 68 may be collectively referred to as chuck force F _c exerted by substrate chuck 14 over substrate 12.

1 and 4 to 6, for this purpose, it is in particular to have different fluid chambers 68 having different states depending on the spatial relationship between the drop 36, the substrate 12, and the mold 20. It may be desirable. The state of the first and second chambers 86 and 88 depends in particular on the direction of the forces F ₁ and F ₂ . More specifically, for the force F ₁ in the direction towards the substrate 12, the first chamber 86 is in a pressure state; For the force F ₁ in the direction away from the substrate 12, the first chamber 86 is in a vacuum state; For the force F ₂ in the direction towards the substrate 12, the second chamber 88 is in a pressure state; For the force F ₂ in the direction away from the substrate 12, the second chamber 88 is in a vacuum.

For this purpose, as a result of the possibility of the first and second chambers 86 and 88 associated with two different states, respectively, the fluid chamber 68 may have one of four combinations associated therewith. Table 1 below shows the four combinations of vacuum / pressure in the first and second chambers 86 and 88 and the resulting state of the fluid chamber 68.

Combination First chamber 86 Second chamber 88 State of Fluid Chamber 68 One vacuum vacuum Chucked 2 vacuum pressure Chucked 3 pressure vacuum Chucked 4 pressure pressure Unchucked / Bent

In the first and fourth combinations, the first and second chambers 86 and 88 have the same state associated therewith. More specifically, in the first combination, the first chamber 86 is in a vacuum state and the second chamber 88 is in a vacuum state, as a result of which the fluid chamber 68 is in a chucked state associated therewith. Have Also, in the fourth combination, the first chamber 86 is in a pressure state, and the second chamber 88 is in a pressure state, as a result of which the fluid chamber 68 is associated with the chucked / bent state associated with it. Have

In the second and third combinations, the first and second chambers 86 and 88 have different states associated with them. However, fluid chamber 68 has a chucked state associated with it. For this purpose, the ratio of the areas A ₁ and A _{2 of} the first and second grooves 70 and 72 is based on a given pressure K _p and a given vacuum associated with the first and second chambers 86 and 88. K _v ), the magnitudes of the forces F ₁ and F ₂ associated with the vacuum states of the first and second chambers 86 and 88 are the remaining associated with the pressure states of the first and second chambers 86 and 88. Greater than the magnitudes of the forces F ₁ and F ₂ . For this purpose, in the second combination mentioned above, the first chamber 86 is in a vacuum and the second chamber 88 is in a pressure state.

For fluid chamber 68 in a vacuum state,

｜ F ₁ ｜ ＞ ｜ F ₂ ｜

Therefore, using the above equations 1 and 2,

A ₁ × K _v | ＞ A ₂ × K _p |

And the ratio of the areas A ₁ and A _{2 of} the first and second grooves 70 and 72, respectively,

A ₁ / A ₂ ＞ ｜ K _p / K _v ｜

In the third combination described above, the first chamber 86 is in a pressure state and the second chamber 88 is in a vacuum state. For this purpose, for the fluid chamber 68 in a vacuum state,

F ₂ ＞ F ₁ ｜

Therefore, using the above equations 1 and 2,

A ₂ × K _v | ＞ A ₁ × K _p |

And the ratio of the areas A ₁ and A _{2 of} the first and second grooves 70 and 72, respectively,

A ₁ / A ₂ <｜ K _v / K _p ｜

For this purpose, it is evident that the first and second chambers 86 and 88 have a vacuum associated therewith for the fluid chamber 68 when the first and second chambers 86 and 88 are in different states, and the first and second grooves 70 and 72 respectively. The area A ₁ and A ₂ can be defined as follows:

｜ K _p / K _v ｜ <A ₁ / A ₂ <｜ K _v / K _p ｜

In an embodiment, K _p may be approximately 40 kPa and K _v may be approximately −80 kPa, thus the ratio of area A ₁ to A ₂ is defined as follows:

0.5 <A ₁ / A ₂ <2

Furthermore, the magnitude of the pressure in the fluid chamber 68 in the chucked / bent state can be varied. More specifically, processor 56 operating on a computer readable program stored in memory 58 results in first and second communication via pump systems 82 and 84 as a result of being in electrical communication with pump systems 82 and 84, respectively. The magnitude of the pressure in the second chambers 86 and 88 may be varied.

1 to 3, as noted above, the distance between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 is varied so that the desired space between them filled by the polymeric material 34 is defined. Further, after solidification, the polymeric material 34 conforms to the shape of the surface 46 and patterned surface 22 of the substrate 12 to define a patterned layer 48 over the substrate 12. For this purpose, there is a gas present in the defined space 96 between the droplets 36 of the matrix array 38. The gas and / or gas pockets can be gases including but not limited to air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium. The gas between the substrate 12 and the mold 20 may in particular result from a number of substrates 12 and the mold 20. For this purpose, it may be desirable to reduce the filling time of the mold 20 described above. The filling time is such that gas and / or gas pockets are emptied from between the substrate 12 and the mold 20 and / or the polymer material (especially between the substrate 12 and the mold 20 and in the patterning layer 48). Depending on the time required to dissolve in 34 and / or diffuse into the polymeric material 34. For this purpose, methods and systems are described below to minimize the capture of gas between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 if not prevented.

1 and 8, a method of expelling gas between the substrate 12 and the mold 20 is shown. More specifically, in step 100, as described above, the polymer material 34 is subjected to drop dispensing, spin-coating, dip coating, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), thin film deposition, thick film deposition, and the like. May be located on the substrate 12. In other embodiments, polymeric material 34 may be located in mold 20.

5, 6, 8, and 9, in step 102, the shape of the substrate 12 is defined by the distance d ₂ defined between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 at a central small portion of the substrate 12. ) May be changed to be less than the distance defined between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 in the remainder of the substrate 12. In an embodiment, the distance (d ₁₎ is smaller than the distance (d _2), the distance (d ₂₎ is defined at the edge of the substrate 12. In other embodiments, the distance d ₁ may be defined at any desired location of the substrate 12. The shape of the substrate 12 may be changed by controlling the pressure / vacuum in the plurality of fluid chambers 68. More specifically, the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 is not chucked to bend the portion 98 of the substrate 12 towards the mold 20 and away from the substrate chuck 14. And / or bent. In addition, at the same time as the fluid chamber 68 overlaid with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 in the chucked / bent state, the remaining fluid chamber 68 overlaid with the portion 99 of the substrate 12 may have the substrate Is chucked to hold the substrate 12 over the chuck 14.

7, 10, and 11, in step 104, as described above with respect to FIG. 1, the imprint head 30, or stage 16, or both, shown in FIG. 1, are both small portions of the mold 20. The distance d ₁ shown in FIG. 9 can be changed to contact a small portion of this drop 36. As shown, the central small portion of mold 20 contacts the small portion of drop 36, and the remaining small portion of mold 20 contacts the remaining droplet of drop 36. However, in other embodiments, any portion of mold 20 may contact drop 36 prior to the rest of mold 20. For this purpose, as shown, the mold 20 contacts substantially all of the droplets 36 associated with the column c ₃ shown in FIG. 2. This causes the droplet 36 to spread to make the adjacent liquid sheet 120 of the polymeric material 34. The edges 122a and 122b of the liquid sheet 120 define gas-liquid interfaces 124a and 124b, respectively, which push the gas towards the edges 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d in the space 96. Function. The space 96 between the droplets 36 in columns c _1- c ₅ defines a gas passageway through which gas is pushed to the edges 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d. As a result, the liquid-gas interface 124a and 124b with respect to the gas passage will be reduced if it does not prevent the capture of the liquid sheet 120.

4-6 and 8, in step 106, the shape of the substrate 12 is defined by the polymer material 34 as desired with the desired volume defined between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 as described above with respect to FIG. 1. It can also be changed because the distance d ₁ is also reduced so that it can be charged by). More specifically, the shape of the substrate 12 may be changed through the fluid chamber 68 in combination with reducing the distance d ₁ through the imprint head 30, the stage 16, or both. More specifically, as described above, the magnitude of the pressure in the first and second chambers 86 and 88 of the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 shown in FIG. 9 may vary. Can be. For this purpose, the first and second chambers 86 and 88 of the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 shown in FIG. 9 because the distance d ₁ shown in FIG. 9 is reduced. The magnitude of the pressure within can be reduced. Of the above-described pressure reduction in the Fig. 9, the distance (d ₁₎ reducing the first and second chambers (86 and 88) of the substrate (12) portion (98) fluid chamber (68) being superimposed with the shown in Figure 9 As a result, the polymeric material 34 associated with the drop 36 in the columns c ₂ and c ₄ shown in FIG. 2 may spread to be included in the adjacent fluid sheet 120, as shown in FIG. 12. The distance d ₁ shown in FIG. 9 reduces the magnitude of pressure in the first and second chambers 86 and 88 of the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 shown in FIG. 9. In combination with the mold 20, the mold 20 is then brought into contact with the drop 36 associated with the columns c ₁ and c ₅ so that the polymeric material 34 associated therewith is, as shown in FIG. It may spread to be included in the adjacent sheet 120. In other embodiments, the pressure in the first and second chambers 86 and 88 of the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 can be reduced, so that the portion 98 of the substrate 12 can be reduced. Is positioned on the substrate chuck 14 as shown in FIG. In yet another embodiment, the first and second chambers 86 and 88 of the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 98 of the substrate 12 may have a vacuum therein following the spread of the drop 36. have.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 13, as shown, the interfaces 124a and 124b have moved towards the edges 128c and 128a, respectively, so that the gas in the remaining space 96 shown in FIG. 11 is not disturbed. There is a passage. This allows the gas in the space 96 shown in FIG. 11 to exit to the opposite edges 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d from between the mold 20 and the substrate 12. In this way, the capture of gas and / or gas pockets between the mold 20 and the substrate 12 and in the patterned layer 48 shown in FIG. 3 is minimized if not avoided.

1 and 8, in step 108, as mentioned above with respect to FIG. 1, the polymeric material 34 is then solidified and / or crosslinked to define the patterned layer 48 shown in FIG. 3. . In step 110, the mold 20 may then be separated from the patterned layer 48.

1, 8, and 15, as described above, the shape of the substrate 12 may be changed along the first direction. However, in other embodiments, the shape of the substrate 12 can be changed simultaneously in the first and second directions, with the second direction extending perpendicular to the first direction. More specifically, the substrate 12 has a central small portion of the substrate 12 in contact with the mold 20, and thus, the central small portion of the droplet 36 has the droplet 36 as described above with respect to FIG. 10. The remaining drop of can be changed to contact mold 20 prior to contacting mold 20. This defines a contiguous liquid-gas interface 124 that serves to spread the droplet 36 to create an adjacent liquid sheet 120 of the polymeric material 34, which pushes the gas in the space 96 radially out. In an embodiment, the liquid sheet 120 has a circular or circular extension of the gas-liquid interface 124 to push the gas in the space 96 radially out toward the edges 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d. It may be. However, in other embodiments, the shape of the substrate 12 is of any desired geometry, i.e., spherical, to facilitate pushing the gas in the space 96 radially out towards the edges 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d. Can be altered in any direction to create a liquid sheet 120 having a cylindrical, cylindrical, or the like, such that gas and between the substrate 12 and the mold 20 and within the patterning layer 48 can be as shown in FIG. 3. And / or minimize the capture of gas pockets, if not avoided. In other embodiments, a subset of the columns or columns of the first and second chambers 86 and 88, respectively, may not be pressure / vacuum created therein.

Referring to FIG. 16, in another embodiment, the substrate chuck 14 may also be used to facilitate separation between the mold 20 and the patterning layer 48 located over the substrate 12. More specifically, separation of the mold 20 from the patterned layer 48 is achieved by the application of the separating force F _s to the template 18 and the mold 20. The separation force F _s is a force of sufficient magnitude to overcome the adhesion between the mold 20 and the patterned layer 48 and the resistance to strain (deformation) of the substrate 12. Deformation of a portion of the substrate 12 is believed to facilitate separation of the mold 20 from the patterned layer 48. For this purpose, it may be desirable to minimize the magnitude of the separation force F _s to achieve separation of the mold 20 from the patterned layer 48. Minimizing the magnitude of the separation force F _s facilitates in particular the alignment between the mold 20 and the substrate 12, increases the ratio of template patterning area to total template area, and allows for template 18, mold 20 ), The probability of structural damage to the substrate 12, and the patterned layer 48 can be minimized.

For that purpose, as described above, the magnitude of the pressure in the fluid chamber 68 can be varied. For this purpose, the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 13 of the substrate 12 during the separation of the mold 20 from the patterning layer 48 may be in an uncured / bent state. As a result, the fluid chamber 68 superimposed with the portion 13 of the substrate 12 has the chuck force F _c , the force F ₁ shown in FIG. 7 in a direction substantially the same as the direction of the separating force F _s . And F ₂ ). As a result, the magnitude of the separation force F _s required to separate the mold 20 from the patterned layer 48 can be reduced. More specifically, the magnitude of the chuck force F _c superimposed with the portion 13 of the substrate 12 facilitates strain (deformation) of the portion 13 of the substrate 12 in response to the separation force F _s . To be established. Substrate 12 held on the portion (13) is part of the substrate 12 outside of the substrate chuck (14) when subjected to a separating force (F _s) of the chuck force (F _c) is a part (13) the size of which is superimposed with the It should be noted that it may have a desirable value to make it possible.

Referring to FIG. 1, in still another embodiment, the method of bending of the substrate 12 through the substrate chuck 14 may be similarly applied to the template 18 / mold 20. More specifically, template 18 / mold 20 may be positioned over substrate chuck 14 to facilitate bending in substantially the same manner as described above with respect to substrate 12. For this purpose, the template 18 / mold 20 may have a thickness of 1 mm to facilitate bending. In still other embodiments, the substrate 12 may be modified using multiple actuators instead of, or in combination with, the substrate chuck 14.

Embodiments of the invention described above are exemplary. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-listed specification while remaining within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the above description, but should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their equivalents.

Claims (11)

A chucking system for supporting a substrate, comprising: a chuck body having first and second opposite sides, the first side including a fluid chamber, The fluid chamber includes first and second spaced apart grooves and defines first and second spaced apart support areas, the first support area being the second support area and the first and second spaces. Surrounds the two grooves, the second support region surrounds the second groove, the substrate rests against the first and second support regions, The first groove and a portion of the substrate superimposed thereon define a first chamber and the second groove and a portion of the substrate superimposed thereon define a second chamber, And the first chamber and the second chamber are in fluid communication with another fluid source to control the flow of fluid in the fluid chamber. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second chambers has a positive pressure therein, and the remaining one of the first and second chambers has a negative pressure therein to control the pressure in the first and second chambers. And further comprising a pressure control system in fluid communication with the first and second chambers, for a given positive pressure in one of the first and second chambers and a negative pressure in the remaining ones of the first and second chambers. And a ratio of the area between the second grooves such that the fluid chamber exerts a negative force on a portion of the substrate on which the fluid chamber overlaps the fluid chamber. 3. The chucking system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a plurality of fluid chambers. 4. The chucking system of claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising first and second passages for placing said first and second chambers in fluid communication with said pressure control system, respectively. The chucking system of claim 1, wherein the pressure control system comprises a plurality of fluid sources. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an array of fluid chambers arranged in rows and columns, wherein each column of the first chamber and each row of the second chamber is fluid in the row of fluid chambers. A chucking system in fluid communication with other fluid sources of the plurality of fluid sources to control the flow of the fluid. 7. The chucking system of claim 6, wherein each first chamber of the column of the fluid chamber is in fluid communication with a conventional fluid source. 7. The chucking system of claim 6, wherein each second chamber of the row of fluid chambers is in fluid communication with a conventional fluid source. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein each first chamber of the column of the fluid chamber is in fluid communication with a first conventional fluid source and each second chamber of the row of fluid chambers is in communication with the first conventional fluid source. A chucking system in fluid communication with another second conventional fluid source. 7. The chucking system of claim 6, wherein the fluid chamber of the fluid chamber array is sealed from the remaining fluid chamber of the fluid chamber array. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of passages, wherein each column of the first chamber and each column of the second chamber is coupled to other passages to fluidize the first and second chambers with the other fluid source. A chucking system, characterized in that to be placed in communication.

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