KR20180124732A - Imprint method, imprint apparatus, imprint system, and method of manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an imprint method to conduct a forming process, comprising the following steps: supplying an imprint material on a substrate; and forming patterns of the imprint material on the substrate using a mold. Specifically, the method comprises: applying an adhesion material on the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material into close contact with each other; performing a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material; transporting the substrate subjected to the first annealing process; performing a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate transported in the transporting step; and performing the forming process on the substrate subjected to the second annealing process.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to an imprint method, an imprint apparatus, an imprint system,

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

An imprint apparatus for forming an imprint re-pattern on a substrate using a mold has attracted attention as a type of lithographic apparatus for mass production for semiconductor devices and the like. The imprint apparatus supplies an imprint material on a substrate, and performs an imprint process for separating the mold from the imprint material that is cured while the imprint material on the substrate and the mold are in contact with each other. As a result, an imprint re-pattern can be formed on the substrate.

An adhesion layer for improving adhesion between the substrate and the imprint material is formed in advance on the substrate to be imprinted (see Japanese Patent No. 5399374). The adhesion layer can be formed on the substrate by applying an adhesion material on the substrate by a spin coater or the like, heating (baking) the substrate, and then removing the solvent contained in the adhesion material.

In the adhering layer formed on the substrate, chemical contamination progresses with the lapse of time, so that adherence layer contaminants increase and the diffusion of the imprint material on the adhering layer may change. In such a case, the imprint material is insufficiently charged in the imprint material to the three-dimensional pattern of the mold, which may cause defects in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate.

The present invention provides an advantageous technique for precisely forming an imprinting pattern on a substrate, for example.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imprint method for performing a forming process comprising the steps of supplying an imprint material on a substrate and forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate using a mold, Applying an adhesion material on the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material in close contact with each other; Performing a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material; Transporting the substrate subjected to the first annealing process; Performing a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate conveyed in the conveying step; And performing the forming process on the substrate subjected to the second annealing process.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imprint system.
2 is a schematic view showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to the first embodiment.
3 is a flowchart showing an imprint method according to the first embodiment.
4 is a flowchart showing another imprint method according to the second embodiment.
5 is a schematic view showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to the third embodiment.
6 is a schematic view showing the system configuration of the imprint system according to the fourth embodiment.
7 is a view showing the step of planarization processing.
8 is a view showing a method of manufacturing an article.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the figures, and no repetitive description thereof is given.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

The imprint system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imprint system 100. Fig. The imprint system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system for forming an imprint re-pattern on a substrate and may include a coating apparatus 10, an annealing apparatus 20, and an imprint apparatus 30. The imprint system 100 is also provided with a control device 40 for controlling the conveyance of the substrate W between the devices in addition to the control of each of the application device 10, the annealing device 20 and the imprint device 30, Is provided. The control device 40 can be formed by a computer including, for example, a CPU, a storage unit (memory), and the like.

The application device 10 applies an adhesive material on a substrate in order to bring the imprint material and the substrate W into close contact with each other (to improve the adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate W) by a spin coater or the like. The annealing apparatus 20 includes a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate W to remove the solvent contained in the adhering material to the substrate W coated with the adhering material by the application device 10 1 baking treatment) is performed. As a result, an adhesion layer capable of improving adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate W can be formed on the substrate. The first annealing treatment includes a treatment of heating the substrate W to 60 DEG C or higher (preferably 90 DEG C or higher), and the heating conditions may be arbitrarily determined depending on the kind of the adhesive material applied on the substrate. The heating conditions may include, for example, heating time, heating temperature, and atmospheric gas (N ₂ , Ar, etc.). The substrate W subjected to the first annealing process is stored in a storage case F such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). Subsequently, the storage case F is transported to the imprint apparatus 30 as a whole by a transport mechanism such as an overhead hoist transfer (OHT).

The imprint apparatus 30 is an apparatus for forming a cured product pattern in which a three-dimensional pattern of a mold is transferred by bringing the imprint material and the mold supplied to the substrate into contact with each other and applying hardening energy to the imprint material. For example, the imprint apparatus 30 supplies an imprint material on a substrate (on an adherent layer), and hardens the imprint material in a state in which the mold M on which the three-dimensional pattern is formed is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate . Subsequently, the imprinting re-pattern is formed on the substrate (on the adhesion layer) by increasing the space between the mold M and the substrate W to separate (mold) the mold M from the cured imprint material. Such a process can be referred to as " forming process " or " imprint process " hereinafter.

As the imprint material, a curable composition (also referred to as uncured resin) that is cured by the application of curing energy is used. As the curing energy, electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. are used. As the electromagnetic wave, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet rays whose wavelength is selected from the range of 10 nm (inclusive) to 1 mm (inclusive) is used.

The curable composition is a composition that is cured by light irradiation or application of heat. Among these compositions, the photo-curable composition that is cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may optionally contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent. The non-polymer compound is at least one material selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, a polymer component and the like.

The imprint material can be supplied in a film form onto the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the imprint material may be supplied in droplets by the liquid-jet head, or in the form of islands in which the droplets are connected together, or on the substrate in the form of a film. The viscosity (viscosity at 25 캜) of the imprint material is 1 mPa s (inclusive) to 100 mPa s (inclusive).

The substrate W is made of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, or resin. A member formed of a material different from that of the substrate can be formed on the surface of the substrate as needed. More specifically, the substrate W is a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or a quartz glass wafer.

Next, a configuration example of the imprint apparatus 30 will be described. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the imprint apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment, and is a view showing the imprint apparatus 30 from above (Z-direction). The imprint apparatus 30 may include a pattern forming unit 31 for performing a forming process, a carrying unit 32 for carrying a substrate W, and a control unit 33. [ The control unit 33 controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 30 and is formed by a computer including, for example, a CPU and a storage unit (memory). The control unit 33 according to the present embodiment is configured separately from the control device 40, but the control unit can be formed integrally with the control device 40. [

The pattern forming unit 31 includes an imprint head 31a for holding the mold M by vacuum suction, a stage 31b which can move while holding the substrate W by vacuum suction, and a stage 31b And a supply unit 31c for supplying the imprint material onto the substrate held by the holding member 31c. The transport unit 32 transports the substrate W from the storage case F mounted on the table (mount table) 34 to the pattern forming unit 31 (on the stage 31b) by a transport mechanism such as OHT, As shown in Fig. The transfer unit 32 can be formed by a transfer robot including a hand 32a for holding a substrate W and a drive mechanism 32b (arm) for driving the hand 32a.

Here, in the adhesion layer formed on the substrate, chemical contamination progresses with the passage of time, so that adhesion layer contaminants may increase, and the manner in which the imprint material diffuses on the adhesion layer may change. In this case, in the forming process, filling of the imprint material into the three-dimensional pattern of the mold M becomes insufficient, which may cause defects in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate. The present inventors have found that as a result of extensive examination of this problem, it is possible to reduce the adhesion layer contaminants by sublimating the adhesion layer contaminants by performing annealing again on the substrate W on which the adhesion layer is formed.

Therefore, in the imprint system 100 according to the present embodiment, the imprint apparatus 30 includes an annealing unit 35 that performs a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate W on which the adhesion layer is formed. For example, a heating oven or the like may be used as the annealing unit 35. In the imprint apparatus 30, after the annealing unit 35 performs the second annealing process on the substrate W on which the adherent layer is formed by the first annealing process by the annealing apparatus 20, the substrate W is formed To the pattern forming unit 31 for processing. As a result, the formation process can be performed in a state in which the contaminants in the adhered layer are reduced, and the imprint pattern can be precisely formed on the substrate.

The imprint method of the imprint system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an imprint method of the imprint system according to the present embodiment.

In step S10, the application device 10 applies an adhesive material onto the substrate. In step S11, the annealing apparatus 20 performs the first annealing process on the substrate W coated with the adhesive material by the coating apparatus 10. [ The first annealing treatment is a baking treatment for heating the substrate W to 60 占 폚 or higher (preferably 90 占 폚 or higher) to remove the solvent contained in the adherend on the substrate. By performing this first annealing treatment, an adhesion layer can be formed on a substrate. In step S12, the substrate W subjected to the first annealing process is transported to the imprint apparatus 30 by a transport mechanism such as OHT. More specifically, after the first annealing process is performed by the annealing apparatus 20, the substrate W is stored in the storage case F and the entire storage case F is transported to the imprint apparatus 30 by the transport mechanism. To the stage (34).

The steps S13 to S19 are performed in the imprint apparatus 30 and can be controlled by the control unit 33, for example.

In step S13, the control unit 33 causes the substrate W (the target substrate W), which is an object of the forming process, among the plurality of substrates W stored in the storage case F on the mount table 34 to be the annealing unit And controls the transport unit 32 to transport it to the transporting unit 35. In step S14, the control unit 33 controls the annealing unit 35 to perform the second annealing process on the target substrate W. [ The second annealing treatment is a baking treatment in which the substrate W is heated to 60 占 폚 or higher (preferably 90 占 폚 or higher) to reduce contaminants by sublimating the contaminants in the adhered layer formed on the substrate. The heating conditions in the second annealing process can be arbitrarily determined depending on the kind of the adhesive material applied on the substrate. However, the heating conditions may be determined by changing at least one of the heating time, the heating temperature, and the heating conditions in the first annealing treatment in the atmosphere gas. For example, since the second annealing process is performed to remove the adhesion layer contaminants, the heating time of the substrate W can be shorter than the first annealing process performed to remove the solvent of the adhesion material.

At this time, in the adhesion layer on the substrate, the chemical contamination progresses with time even after the execution of the second annealing process. Therefore, as the elapsed time from the completion of the second annealing operation by the annealing unit 35 increases, Layer contaminants may increase. Thus, in step S14, the control unit 33 determines whether or not the annealing process is started based on the time at which the forming process is started so that the waiting time from the end of the second annealing process to the start of the forming process is within the allowable time, It may be preferable to control the timing at which the second annealing process is started by the second annealing process section 35. Hereinafter, the " waiting time until the forming process is started after the second annealing process is completed " can be simply referred to as " waiting time ". The allowable time is, for example, the upper limit of the waiting time in which the number of defects in the imprinting pattern formed on the substrate can fall within the permissible range, and the permissible time can be set in advance by conducting experiments or simulations.

In step S15, the control unit 33 controls the transport unit 32, on which the substrate W subjected to the second annealing process is transported to the pattern formation unit 31 (on the stage 31b). In step S16, the control unit 33 determines whether the waiting time of the substrate W carried to the pattern forming unit 31 is within the allowable time. Here, even in the case where the start timing of the second annealing process is controlled so that the waiting time comes in the allowable time in step S14, for example, the waiting time may exceed the allowable time by a device trouble or the like. Therefore, in step S16, the control unit 33 reaffirms whether the waiting time of the substrate W is within the allowable time. If the waiting time of the substrate W is not within the permissible range, the substrate W is transferred to the annealing unit 35, and the process returns to step S14 to perform the second annealing process on the substrate W again. On the other hand, if the waiting time of the substrate W falls within the allowable range, the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, the control unit 33 controls the pattern forming unit 31 to perform a forming process on the substrate W. [ In step S18, the control unit 33 controls the transport unit 32 to return the substrate W subjected to the forming process to the storage case F. [ In step S19, the control unit 33 determines whether or not the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as the next substrate W) to be formed next is within the storage case F. Next, If there is a next substrate W, the process returns to step S13, and steps S13 to S19 are performed on the next substrate W. At this time, the second annealing process (steps S13 and S14) for the next substrate W can be performed while the forming process for the previous substrate W (the target substrate W) is performed. On the other hand, when the next substrate W is not present, the processing is terminated.

Here, in the case of performing the forming process for each of the plurality of substrates W, it is preferable from the viewpoint of reproducibility that the number of defects of the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate by the forming process is the same on the plurality of substrates W . In order to realize this, the waiting time from the end of the second annealing process to the start of the forming process can be used for the plurality of substrates W equally. Therefore, in the imprint system 100 (the imprint apparatus 30) according to the present embodiment, the start timing of the second annealing process can be controlled so that the plurality of substrates W have the same waiting time in step S14.

As described above, in the imprint system 100 according to the present embodiment, the annealing unit 35 for performing the second annealing process is disposed in the imprint apparatus 30. [ In the imprint apparatus 30, after the annealing unit 35 performs the second annealing process on the substrate W on which the adherent layer is formed by the execution of the first annealing process by the annealing apparatus 20, the processed substrate W Is transferred to the pattern forming unit 31, and a forming process is performed on the substrate W. As a result, the forming process can be performed in a state in which adherence layer contamination is reduced, and the imprint pattern can be precisely formed on the substrate.

≪ Embodiment 2 >

An imprint system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The imprint system according to the present embodiment is basically a system that has inherited the structure and the imprint method of the imprint system 100 according to the first embodiment, but a part of the imprint method of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment. In the imprint system according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the second annealing process by the annealing unit 35 of the imprint apparatus is to be performed according to the elapsed time since the first annealing process was performed by the annealing apparatus 20 do.

The imprint method of the imprint system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an imprint method of the imprint system according to the present embodiment.

Steps S20 to S22 are the same as steps S10 to S12 in the flowchart shown in Fig. In step S20, the application device 10 applies an adhesive material onto the substrate. In step S21, the annealing apparatus 20 performs the first annealing process on the substrate W coated with the adhesive material by the application device 10. [ In step S22, the substrate W subjected to the first annealing process is transported to the imprint apparatus 30 by the transport mechanism.

The process of steps S23 to S30 is a process performed in the imprint apparatus 30, and can be controlled by the control unit 33, for example.

In step S23, the control unit 33 performs annealing (annealing) on the substrate W (the target substrate W) to be formed, of the plurality of substrates W stored in the storage case F on the mount table 34 It is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the end of the first annealing process by the device 20 is within the allowable time. The allowable time is the same as the allowable time of the waiting time, for example, the upper limit of the elapsed time during which the number of defects in the imprinting pattern formed on the substrate falls within the permissible range. The allowable time can be set in advance by conducting experiments or simulations.

If it is determined in step S23 that the elapsed time does not fall within the allowable range, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the control unit 33 controls the transport unit 32 so that the target substrate W is transported to the annealing unit 35. [ In step S25, the control unit 33 controls the annealing unit 35 to perform the second annealing process on the target substrate W. [ Since steps S24 to S25 are the same as steps S13 to S14 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that the elapsed time is within the permissible range, the process proceeds to step S26. As described above, in the imprint system according to the present embodiment, the annealing unit 35 performs the second annealing process on the target substrate W only when the elapsed time from the end of the first annealing process is not within the permissible range I do.

In step S26, the control unit 33 controls the transport unit 32 to transport the target substrate W to the pattern formation unit 31 (on the stage 31b). The processes in steps S27 to S29 are the same as those in steps S16 to S18 in the flowchart shown in Fig. In step S30, the control unit 33 determines whether or not the substrate W (next substrate W) to be formed next is present in the storage case F. [ If there is a next substrate W, the process returns to step S23 and the steps S23 to S29 are performed on the next substrate W. At this time, the second annealing process (steps S23 to S25) of the next substrate W can be performed while the forming process is performed on the previous substrate W (the target substrate W). On the other hand, when the next substrate W is not present, the processing is terminated.

As described above, in the imprint system according to the present embodiment, only for the substrate whose elapsed time from the end of the first annealing process by the annealing device 20 does not come within the allowable time, the annealing unit 35 performs the second Annealing process is performed. As a result, the throughput can be improved as compared with the imprint system according to the first embodiment.

≪ Third Embodiment >

An imprint system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The imprint apparatus 30 of the imprint system according to the present embodiment has a configuration different from that of the imprint system 100 according to the first embodiment (the second embodiment).

An example of the configuration of the imprint apparatus 30 of the imprint system according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the imprint apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment, and is a view of the imprint apparatus 30 viewed from above (in the Z-direction). A plurality of pattern forming units 31, a plurality of transfer units 32 and a plurality of annealing units 35 are disposed in the imprint apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, four pattern forming units 31, two transfer units 32 and two annealing units 35 are arranged. In the example shown in Fig. 5, when the eight mounting tables 34 on which the storage case F is mounted and the substrate W are carried to the corresponding one of the pattern forming units 31, And a second transport unit 37 for transporting the substrate W from the relay unit 36 to the corresponding one of the pattern formation units 31 are disposed.

In the imprint apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment, each substrate W to be conveyed to the pattern forming unit 31 is temporarily disposed in the relay section 36 by the conveying unit 32. [ The substrate W arranged in the relay section 36 is transported to the corresponding one of the pattern forming units 31 by the second transport unit 37. [ A module arranged to convey each substrate W to the plurality of pattern forming units 31 is referred to as an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module). The imprint method described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment can also be applied to the imprint system having the imprint apparatus 30 arranged as described above.

<Fourth Embodiment>

An imprint system 100A according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The system configuration of the imprint system 100A according to the present embodiment is different from that of the imprint system 100 of the first embodiment (second embodiment), and includes a coating apparatus 10, an annealing apparatus 20, The imprint apparatus 30 is connected in an in-line manner.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a system configuration of the imprint system 100A according to the present embodiment, and is a view from above (Z-direction) of the imprint system. In the imprint system 100A according to the present embodiment, the mounting table 34 is disposed in the coating apparatus 10. After the substrate W stored in the storage case F on each stage 34 is conveyed to the application device 10 and the adhesive material is applied, the substrate W is conveyed to the annealing device 20, Processing is performed. The substrate W subjected to the first annealing process is transported to the relay section 36 of the imprint apparatus 30 by the transport robot 50 as a transport mechanism. A plurality of pattern forming units 31, four annealing units 35, a carrying unit 32, and a second carrying unit 37 are arranged in the imprint apparatus 30. The transfer unit 32 transfers the substrate W between the relay unit 36 and the annealing unit 35. The second transfer unit 37 transfers the substrate W between the relay unit 36 and each pattern forming unit 31. [ The imprint method described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment can also be applied to the imprint system 100A arranged as described above.

<Fifth Embodiment>

A fifth embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Fig. The three-dimensional pattern is not drawn on the mold (plane template) in this embodiment, as compared with the method of transferring the pattern previously drawn on the mold (template) described in the above embodiment to the wafer (substrate). The lower pattern formed on the wafer has a three-dimensional profile by the pattern formed by the previous process. Particularly in recent years, process wafers having a step difference of 100 nm before and after have appeared with the increase of the multilayer structure of memory devices. Although the step caused by the gentle bending of the entire wafer can be corrected by the focus follow-up function of the scan exposure apparatus used in the photolithography process, a three-dimensional pattern having a fine pitch falling within the exposure slit area of the exposure apparatus is exposed Consumes the device's DOF (Depth Of Focus). As a conventional method of smoothing the wafer lower pattern, a method of forming a planarization layer such as SOC (Spin On Carbon) and CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) is used. However, in the prior art, in the boundary portion between the isolated pattern region A as shown by reference numeral 71 in Fig. 7 (described below) and the repetitive dense (line and space dense) pattern region B, Dimensional pattern suppression rate is 40% to 70%, there is a problem that sufficient planarization performance can not be obtained. Therefore, the three dimensional difference of the lower pattern caused by the multi-layering tends to increase further in the future.

As a solution to this problem, U.S. Patent No. 9415418 proposes a method of forming a continuous film by applying a resist, which becomes a planarization layer by an ink-jet dispenser, onto a substrate and pressing the applied resist by a planar template. In addition, U.S. Patent No. 8394282 proposes a method of reflecting the wafer-side topographic measurement results to the density information of each position designated to be applied by the ink-jet dispenser. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a planarizing apparatus for performing local planarization on a wafer surface by pressurizing a planar template, particularly with respect to previously cured uncured resist.

Reference numeral 71 in Fig. 7 denotes the wafer before planarization. The area of the convex portion of the pattern in the isolated pattern region A is small and the ratio of the area occupied by the convex portion of the pattern to the area occupied by the pattern concave portion in the dense region B is 1: The value of the average height of the isolated pattern region A and the dense region B varies according to the proportion occupied by the convex portion.

Reference numeral 72 in Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a resist forming a planarization layer is applied to a wafer. This figure shows a state in which the resist is applied by an ink jet dispenser based on a known example of U.S. Patent No. 9415418, but the present invention is applicable even when a spin coater is used for resist application. That is, the present invention is applicable to a case where the planar template is pressed onto a previously applied uncured resist.

At reference numeral 73 in Fig. 7, the plane template is formed of glass or quartz that transmits ultraviolet rays, and is cured by irradiation of exposure light from an exposure light source. On the other hand, the planar template follows the profile of the surface of the wafer with respect to the gentle uneven portion of the entire wafer.

At reference numeral 74 in Fig. 7, the planar template is separated after the resist is cured.

The present invention is applicable to the above-described fifth embodiment, and the same effects are obtained from the viewpoint of reducing the adhesion layer contaminants and the first to fourth embodiments.

&Lt; Example of production method of articles >

A method of manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a micro device such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes the steps of forming a pattern by using the above-described imprint system (imprint apparatus and imprint method) on an imprint material supplied (applied) to a substrate, . This manufacturing method further includes other known steps (oxidation, deposition, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist removal, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of an article as compared with a conventional method.

The pattern of the cured product formed by using the imprint apparatus is used for at least a part of various articles permanently or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The article includes an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, a die, and the like. The electric circuit element includes, for example, a volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or an MRAM, or a semiconductor device such as an LSI, a CCD, an image sensor, or an FPGA. The die includes an imprint mold and the like.

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

Now, a specific manufacturing method of the article will be described. A substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a material to be processed 2z such as an insulator is formed on the surface is prepared and then the surface of the material to be processed 2z And the imprint material 3z is applied to the surface. Here, a state in which the imprint material 3z formed of a plurality of droplets is provided on the substrate is shown.

The side of the imprint mold 4z where the three-dimensional pattern is formed faces the imprint material 3z on the substrate, as shown by reference numeral 82 in Fig. As shown by reference numeral 83 in Fig. 8, the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z and the mold 4z are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the material to be processed 2z. In this state, light as curing energy is irradiated through the mold 4z to cure the imprint material 3z.

The mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated from each other after the imprint material 3z is cured as shown by reference numeral 84 in Fig. 8 to form a cured product of the imprint material 3z on the substrate 1z A pattern is formed. The pattern of the cured product has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured product. That is, the three-dimensional pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

As shown by reference numeral 85 in Fig. 8, etching is carried out by using the pattern of the cured product as an etching resistance mask to remove the portion of the surface of the material to be processed 2z where no cured product or the cured product is thinly held Is removed to become the trench 5z. As shown by reference numeral 86 in Fig. 8, by removing the pattern of the cured product, an article having the trench 5z formed on the surface of the material to be processed 2z can be obtained. Although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, the pattern of the cured product is not removed even after processing, and can be used as an interlayer insulating film, that is, a constituent member of an article included in, for example, a semiconductor element or the like.

<Other Embodiments>

(S) of the present invention may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (which may also be referred to as a &quot; non-volatile computer readable storage medium &quot;) for performing one or more of the above- (E.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) that reads and executes executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) and / or performs one or more of the above- By reading and executing computer-executable instructions from a storage medium to perform the functions of, for example, one or more of the above-described embodiments (s), and / Or by controlling one or more circuits to perform one or more functions of the system or apparatus. A computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessing unit (MPU)) and may include a separate computer or a separate processor network for reading and executing computer- can do. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or storage medium. The storage medium may be, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (e.g., a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk Blu-ray Disc (BD) ^TM , a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

(Other Embodiments)

The present invention can be realized by supplying a program or a program for realizing one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, .

It may also be implemented by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims (11)

There is provided an imprint method for performing a forming process including a step of supplying an imprint material on a substrate and a step of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate by using a mold,
Applying an adhesion material on the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material in close contact with each other;
Performing a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material;
Transporting the substrate subjected to the first annealing process;
Performing a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate conveyed in the conveying step; And
And performing the forming process on the substrate subjected to the second annealing process. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein in the second annealing process, the waiting time from the end of the second annealing process to the start of the forming process falls within the allowable time based on the time at which the forming process is started in the forming process, Thereby controlling the start timing of the second annealing process with respect to the substrate. 3. The method of claim 2,
In the second annealing process, when the forming process is performed for each of the plurality of substrates, the start timing of the second annealing process for each of the plurality of substrates is controlled so that the waiting time is the same for the plurality of substrates Lt; / RTI &gt; 3. The method of claim 2,
And the second annealing process is performed again on the substrate by returning to the second annealing process when the waiting time does not fall within the allowable time at the start of the forming process in the forming process, . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein in the second annealing process, at least one of a heating time and a heating temperature is different from a heating time and a heating temperature of the first annealing process. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heating time of the substrate in the second annealing process is shorter than the heating time of the substrate in the first annealing process. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the first annealing process and the second annealing process includes a process of heating the substrate to 60 DEG C or higher. There is provided an imprint method for performing a forming process including a step of supplying an imprint material on a substrate and a step of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate by using a mold,
Applying an adhesion material on the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material in close contact with each other;
Performing a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material;
Transporting the substrate subjected to the first annealing process; And
And performing the forming process on the substrate carried in the carrying step,
Wherein, in the step of performing the forming process, when the elapsed time from the end of the first annealing process is not within the allowable time, the second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate is performed, And when the elapsed time is within the allowable time, the forming process is performed on the substrate without performing the second annealing process. A method of manufacturing an article,
Forming a pattern on the substrate using an imprint method;
And processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed to manufacture the article,
In the imprint method,
A step of supplying an imprint material onto the substrate and a step of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate using a mold,
Applying an adhesion material on the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material in close contact with each other;
Performing a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material;
Transporting the substrate subjected to the first annealing process;
Performing a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate conveyed in the conveying step; And
And performing the forming process on the substrate subjected to the second annealing process. There is provided an imprint system for performing a forming process including a step of supplying an imprint material on a substrate and a step of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate by using a mold,
An application device configured to apply an adhesion material to the substrate to bring the substrate and the imprint material into close contact with each other;
An annealing device configured to perform a first annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate coated with the adhesive material; And
And an imprint apparatus configured to perform the forming process on the substrate subjected to the first annealing process,
The imprint apparatus has an annealing unit configured to perform a second annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate,
Wherein the imprinting device performs the forming process after the second annealing process is performed by the annealing unit with respect to the substrate on which the first annealing process has been performed by the annealing device. There is provided an imprint apparatus for performing a forming process including a step of supplying an imprint material on a substrate and a step of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate by using a mold,
An annealing unit configured to perform an annealing process for heating and cooling the substrate;
A pattern forming unit configured to perform the forming process on the substrate; And
And a control unit configured to control the conveyance of the substrate so as to perform the forming process by the pattern forming unit after the annealing process by the annealing unit is performed on the substrate.

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