TW202105470A - Imprint device and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an imprint device for forming a pattern of imprint material on a substrate using a mold. The imprint device is characterized by comprising: an optical system for irradiating a peripheral region including an end of a mesa portion of a mold with irradiating light for increasing the viscosity of imprint material, the peripheral region surrounding the mesa portion, in a state in which the mesa portion is contacted with the imprint material; and a control unit which, in a state in which the mesa portion of the mold is contacted with the imprint material on the substrate, controls the optical system in such a way that a plurality of regions in the peripheral region that have mutually different distances from the center of the mesa portion are irradiated with the irradiating light at mutually different timings.

Description

Imprinting device and manufacturing method of article

The present invention relates to an imprinting device that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate.

As a method of manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices and MEMS, there is known an imprint method in which an imprint material on a substrate is formed with a mold (mold). The imprinting method supplies an imprinting material on the substrate, and the supplied imprinting material is brought into contact with the mold (imprinting). Next, after the imprint material is hardened in a state where the imprint material is in contact with the mold, the mold is separated (released) from the hardened imprint material, thereby forming a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate.

After the imprinting device brings the imprinting material on the substrate into contact with the mold, the imprinting material is sufficiently filled in the recesses of the pattern formed in the concave and convex shape of the mold, and then the imprinting material is hardened. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-069919 discloses an imprinting device that irradiates the outer periphery of the substrate with light that hardens the imprint in order to prevent the imprint from expanding to the outer periphery of the substrate while the imprint is in contact with the mold.

In the mold used for the imprinting device, a part of the area becomes a convex portion (referred to as a table portion) protruding from the surrounding area. On the table surface of the mold, a pattern (pattern area) formed on the substrate or a flat surface where no pattern is formed is formed. Therefore, while the imprinting material on the substrate is opposed to the table surface of the mold and the imprinting material is in contact with the surface of the table surface, the imprinting material is exposed from the table surface and adheres to the side surface of the table surface, which may cause foreign matter. Yu. The imprint device described in JP 2013-069919 A can prevent the imprint material from expanding to the outer periphery of the substrate, but it cannot prevent the imprint material from being exposed to the side surface (outside) of the table portion of the mold.

The imprinting device of the present invention is an imprinting device that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate. The peripheral area of the table surface is irradiated with an optical system for irradiating light for increasing the viscosity of the imprinting material; while the table surface of the mold is brought into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate, the optical system is controlled so as to In the peripheral area, the plurality of areas whose distances from the center of the mesa surface portion are different from each other are different control units at the time of irradiation of the irradiation light.

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the attached drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numeral is attached to the same member, and repeated description is omitted.

(Imprinting device) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of an imprint apparatus 1 in this embodiment. The configuration of the imprinting device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Here, the surface on which the substrate 10 is arranged is the XY plane, the direction perpendicular to it is the Z direction, and each axis is determined as shown in FIG. 1. The imprinting device 1 is a device that brings an imprinting material supplied to a substrate into contact with a mold 8 (mold), and applies hardening energy to the imprinting material to form a pattern of a cured product to which the concave-convex pattern of the mold is transferred. The mold is also called a mold, template, or master. The imprinting device 1 of FIG. 1 is used in the manufacture of devices such as semiconductor devices as articles. Here, the imprint apparatus 1 using the photocuring method will be described.

The imprinting device is a device that brings the imprinting material supplied to the substrate into contact with the mold, and applies hardening energy to the imprinting material to form a pattern of the hardened product to which the uneven pattern of the mold is transferred. Therefore, the imprinting device is a device that uses a mold (mold) to shape an imprinting material on a substrate.

The imprinting apparatus 1 includes: a mold holding section 3 (imprint head) that holds and moves a mold 8, a substrate holding section 4 (stage) that holds and moves a substrate 10, and a supply section 5 (dispensing material) that supplies imprint material to the substrate. machine). In addition, the imprint apparatus 1 is provided with a light irradiation system 2 that irradiates the light 9 for curing the imprint material, an imaging section 6 that irradiates the light 35 to capture the contact state between the mold and the imprint material, and a control section that controls the operation of the imprint apparatus 1 7. Furthermore, the imprint apparatus 1 is equipped with the detector 12 which detects the mark formed on a mold and a board|substrate.

The substrate holding unit 4 includes a substrate chuck 16 that holds the substrate 10 and a substrate drive mechanism 17 that controls the position of the substrate 10 in at least two axes of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in the XYZ coordinate system. In addition, the position of the substrate holding portion 4 is obtained by using the mirror 18 and the interferometer 19 provided in the substrate holding portion 4. Instead of the mirror 18 and the interferometer 19, an encoder may be used to obtain the position of the substrate holder 4.

The mold holding portion 3 is moved in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a mold driving mechanism 38 (actuator) provided in the mold holding portion in a state where the mold 8 is held by the mold chuck 11. The mold holding portion 3 is moved downward (in the −Z direction) by the mold driving mechanism 38 to bring the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 into contact with the imprint material 14 (imprint). On the table surface portion 8d (see FIG. 3) of the mold 8 used for the imprint apparatus 1, a reverse pattern (pattern area) of the uneven pattern formed on the substrate or a flat surface (flat portion) where no pattern is formed is formed. In the following description, only the case where the mesa portion of the mold is the pattern area 8a will be described, but it may be a flat portion where no pattern is formed. After the imprint material is cured, the mold holding portion 3 is moved upward (+Z direction) by the mold driving mechanism 38, whereby the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 is separated (released) from the cured imprint material.

Furthermore, the space 13 partitioned by the partition plate 41 and the mold 8 may be provided in the mold holding part 3, and by adjusting the pressure in the space 13, the mold 8 at the time of imprinting and demolding can be deformed. For example, by increasing the pressure in the space 13 during imprinting, the mold 8 can be deformed into a convex shape with respect to the substrate 10 to bring the pattern area 8 a and the imprint material 14 into contact.

The detector 12 can detect the mark formed on the mold 8 and the mark formed on the substrate 10. The imprint apparatus 1 can obtain the relative position of the mold 8 and the substrate 10 based on the detection result of the detector 12, and the mold 8 and the substrate 10 can be aligned by moving at least one of the mold 8 and the substrate 10.

In order to form a pattern on a plurality of shot areas formed on the substrate 10, the control unit 7 controls the operation of each mechanism of the imprinting device 1. In addition, the control unit 7 can control the mold holding unit 3, the substrate holding unit 4, the supply unit 5, the light irradiation system 2, and the detector 12. The control unit 7 may be provided in the imprinting device 1, or may be provided in a location different from the imprinting device 1 and perform remote control.

The imprinting material uses a curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that is cured by applying energy for curing. As energy for hardening, electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. can be used. As the electromagnetic wave, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays selected from the wavelength range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less.

The curable composition is a composition that is cured by light irradiation or by heating. At this time, the photocurable composition that is cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may also contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent if necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, and polymer components.

The imprinting material is given a film shape on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the liquid ejecting head may be provided on the substrate in the shape of a droplet, or an island or film connected by a plurality of droplets. The viscosity of the embossing material (viscosity at 25°C) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

The substrate may be made of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc., and if necessary, it may be formed on the surface with a member made of another material different from that of the substrate. As the substrate, specifically, silicon wafers, compound semiconductor wafers, quartz glass, and the like.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a forming process of forming the imprint material 14 on the substrate 10 by using the imprint device 1. The imprinting method by the photohardening method will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

First, in the process 101, the substrate 10 is carried into the imprinting device 1. The substrate 10 is carried into the substrate chuck 16 of the substrate holding portion 4 by a substrate transport mechanism not shown.

Next, in the process 102, the supply unit 5 supplies the imprinting material 14 to the shooting area on the substrate 10 on which the pattern of the imprinting material is formed. In the process 103, the mold 8 and the substrate 10 are brought close, and the imprint material 14 supplied on the substrate 10 is brought into contact with the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 (imprint process).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, since the imprinting material 14 has good wettability with the mold 8, it was confirmed that the imprinting material 14 was exposed from the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 and adhered to the side surface 8b of the pattern area 8a. If the imprint material is hardened in a state where the imprint material 14 is attached to the side surface 8b of the pattern area 8a, when the mold 8 is released, the imprint material 14 having a shape as shown in FIG. 3B is formed. In addition, in FIG. 3B, the fine concavo-convex pattern corresponding to the pattern area 8a is omitted. If the protrusion shape 15 of the imprint material 14 is formed as shown in FIG. 3B, the film thickness will become non-uniform, and it may affect the etching process etc. of a post process. In addition, a part of the imprint material 14 attached to the side surface 8b of the pattern area 8a falls on the substrate 10 during imprinting, and may become a foreign matter. If there is a foreign matter on the substrate 10, if the mold 8 contacts the foreign matter on the substrate during the imprinting process, the fine pattern formed in the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 may be damaged. Therefore, it becomes a cause of poor pattern formation.

In addition, the place where the imprinting material is last filled such as the corners of the shooting area (the corners of the shooting area is the corner when the shooting area is rectangular) will have all the unfilled imprinting materials in the pattern area 8a as shown in FIG. 3C and become unfilled 8c Situation. If the substrate 10 is not filled with 8c, the film thickness of the imprinting material 14 will also become uneven, which may be affected by the etching process in the subsequent process. In this embodiment, by reducing the adhesion of the imprint material on the side surface 8b of the pattern area 8a, defects in pattern formation and damage of the mold 8 are prevented, and an imprint device with high yield is provided.

However, in the imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the pattern area 8a is brought into contact with the imprint material 14 in the process 103, the process 104 irradiates the outer periphery of the pattern area 8a with irradiation light 50 to prevent the imprint material 14 from being exposed. In the process 104, a part of the pattern area 8a is in contact with the imprint material 14, and before the process 103 ends, the irradiation light 50 is irradiated.

In the process 103, after the imprinting is completed and the pattern in the pattern area 8a is filled with the embossing material, the mold 8 and the substrate 10 are aligned in the process 105. For example, the mark formed on the mold 8 and the light from the mark formed on the substrate 10 are detected by the detector 12, and thereby the mold 8 and the substrate 10 are aligned. The irradiation light 50 is not irradiated near the center of the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 in which the fine pattern is formed. As mentioned above, by irradiating the irradiated light 50 to the side 8b of the mold 8, the imprinting material 14 is prevented from adhering to the side 8b, and the imprinting material 14 located in the center of the mold 8 does not change the viscosity and can maintain Filling to fine patterns.

In the process 104, although the viscosity of the imprinting material 14 is changed, it is not hardened. In order to prevent the imprinting material 14 from adhering to the side surface 8b of the mold 8 as in the prior art document, if the imprinting material 14 near the side surface 8b of the mold 8 is hardened, it becomes difficult to align the mold 8 and the substrate 10. In addition, when the microstructure is also arranged in the pattern area 8a near the side surface 8b of the mold 8, the imprint material 14 hardens before filling the microstructure, which causes an increase in unfilled defects. The decrease in coincidence accuracy and the increase in unfilled defects will cause the risk of a decrease in yield.

The overlap accuracy determination is performed in the process 106, and if the overlap accuracy satisfies the determination value, in the process 107, the imprint material 14 is hardened in a state where the mold 8 and the imprint material 14 are in contact. After hardening the imprint material 14, in the process 108, the mold 8 is separated from the imprint material 14 after hardening (a demolding process). If the coincidence accuracy judgment in the process 106 does not satisfy the judgment value, the alignment process of the mold and the substrate in the process 105 is continued. When the process 106 does not satisfy the judgment value, it may be forced to proceed to the next process for processing.

After the mold 8 is separated from the imprinting material on the substrate in step 108, in step 109, it is determined whether or not the imprinting process has ended in the shot area designated on the substrate 10. When the imprint processing is completed in step 109, the substrate 10 is carried out of the imprint apparatus 1 in step 110. When the imprinting process is not finished, the process returns to the process 102, the imprinting material 14 is supplied to the next imprinting position (shooting area), and each process is repeated until the imprinting process is completed.

Next, the light irradiation performed in the process 104 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the light irradiation performed in the process 104. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the irradiation light 50 is irradiated to the peripheral area (irradiation area 52) of the side surface 8b which is the outer peripheral part of the pattern area 8a containing the mold 8. As shown in FIG. The irradiated light 50 may be light that allows the imprint material 14 to undergo polymerization reaction, and is not limited to ultraviolet light. After the imprint material 14 is cured by the irradiation of the light 50, the alignment cannot be performed in the process 105. Therefore, the light irradiation performed in the process 104 is to irradiate light to such an extent that the viscosity of the imprint material 14 in the vicinity of the pattern area 8a is increased without hardening the imprint material 14. The irradiation light 50 takes into consideration the properties of the material of the imprint material 14 and the like, and the wavelength, irradiation time, intensity, etc. of the irradiation light can be appropriately determined.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the irradiation area 52 where the irradiation light 50 is irradiated on the substrate 10 through the mold 8 and the side surface 8b (outer peripheral portion) of the mold 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation area 52 of the irradiation light 50 is an area including the side surface 8b of the mold 8. By setting the irradiation area 52 as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to prevent the imprint material 14 from being exposed from the pattern area 8a during imprinting.

When the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 shown in FIG. 5A is brought into contact with the imprinting material 14 supplied on the substrate 10, the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 may be deformed into a convex shape with respect to the substrate 10 and contact the imprinting material 14 in some cases. As shown in FIG. 5B, the area where the mold contacts the imprinting material, after the pattern area 8a near the center of the mold 8 comes into contact with the imprinting material 14, expands to the outside (outer periphery) of the pattern area 8a. As shown in FIG. 5C, the gas-liquid interface 14b of the imprint material 14 in the area irradiated with the irradiated light 50 starts a polymerization reaction due to the irradiated light 50, and the viscosity of the gas-liquid interface 14b increases. As the viscosity of the imprint material 14 on the outer periphery of the pattern area 8a increases, the moving speed of the gas-liquid interface 14b of the imprint material 14 that expands outside the pattern area 8a decreases, and it is possible to prevent the imprint material from adhering to the side surface 8b of the mold 8. At this time, because the intensity of the irradiation light 50 required for the viscosity change of the imprint material 14 and the irradiation timing of the irradiation light 50 differ depending on the type of the imprint material 14, etc., it is necessary to explore the conditions according to special experiments.

An example of an optical system for irradiating the irradiated light 50 to the outer peripheral portion (region including the side surface 8b) of the pattern region 8a will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an optical system for irradiating the irradiation light 50. An irradiating light source 51 with a wavelength at which the imprint material 14 will undergo polymerization reaction is prepared. The irradiating light source 51 is selected to obtain the necessary light output in order to polymerize the imprinting material 14 to a desired viscosity, for example, it is constituted by a lamp, a laser diode, an LED, or the like. The light from the illuminating light source 51 is guided to the light modulation element 53 (spatial light modulation element) by the optical element 54a. As the light modulating element 53 of this embodiment, an example in which a digital micromirror device (hereinafter DMD) is used is shown. However, the light modulating element 53 is not limited to DMD, and other elements such as LCD devices and LCOS devices can be used. The imprinting device 1 uses the light modulating element 53 between the irradiating light source 51 and the substrate 10, so that the irradiation area 52 and the light intensity of the irradiating light 50 can be set anywhere on the substrate. In addition, the irradiation area 52 and the light intensity of the irradiation light 50 are controlled by the light modulating element 53, and the magnification of the projection onto the mold 8 and the substrate 10 is adjusted by the optical element 54b.

Next, the above-mentioned process 103 and process 104 in the first embodiment will be described in more detail.

In the process 103, when the mold 8 is brought into contact with the imprint material 14, the gas-liquid interface 14b of the imprint material 14 expands outward in a circular shape or a similar shape as shown in FIG. That is, the contact area between the mold 8 and the imprint material 14 changes so as to expand from the vicinity of the center of the pattern area 8a. Generally, because the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 is rectangular, the irradiation area 52 is also an area along the outer periphery of the rectangle. Therefore, the point at which the gas-liquid interface 14b of the imprint material 14 reaches the irradiation area 52 (the outer peripheral portion of the pattern area 8a) of the irradiation light 50 is different in each position of the irradiation area 52.

On the other hand, in the process 104, if the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 is earlier than the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the irradiation area 52, an unfilled defect may occur in the pattern area 8a close to the side surface 8b of the mold 8. In addition, if the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 is later than the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the irradiation area 52, the imprint material 14 may be exposed to the side surface 8b of the mold 8 and adhere. Therefore, the irradiation light 50 for preventing the exposure of the imprint material 14 must be irradiated at the right time of the imprint process.

Here, in the first embodiment, in the process 104, as shown in FIG. 8A, the irradiation area 52 is divided into a plurality of small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n. In addition, for each small area, at least one of the irradiation time point or the irradiation intensity is changed and the irradiation light 50 is irradiated. By using the above-mentioned light modulating element 53, the irradiation time point, irradiation area, and irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 with respect to the irradiation area 52 can be set. In FIG. 8A, although the irradiation area 52 is divided into 8 vertical and 6 horizontal small areas, the number of divisions is not limited to this and can be set to any number. In addition, the shape of each small area can be set to rectangle, triangle and other arbitrary shapes.

In the first embodiment, the time point when the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches each small area 52a, 52b, ..., 52n of the irradiation area 52 is determined, and the irradiation time point of the irradiation light 50 is changed for each small area in accordance with the determination result. The determination of the time point when the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches each small area can be determined instantly based on the imaging result of the imaging unit 6. Alternatively, the time point when the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches each small area may be determined in advance, and based on the result, the irradiation time point of the irradiation light 50 may be determined for each small area.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the gas-liquid interface 14b is expanded from the center of the pattern area 8a to the outside, a diagram of the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 to the small area of the irradiation area 52 is shown in FIG. 8B. For the sake of simplification of description, the irradiation area 52 is defined as the left side of the pattern area 8a, showing the respective irradiation time point graphs of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52h. The horizontal axis represents time. As shown in FIG. 8B, after the imprinting process is started, the earlier the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the small area irradiated earlier.

After the imprinting process is started, the gas-liquid interface 14b expanded from the vicinity of the center of the pattern area 8a reaches the small area 52d and the small area 52e at time T1. At this time, the control unit 55 of FIG. 6 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the irradiation light 50 irradiates the small area 52d and the small area 52e. Next, the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the small area 52c and the small area 52f at time T2. At this time, the control unit 55 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the irradiation light 50 irradiates the small area 52c and the small area 52f. Next, the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the small area 52b and the small area 52g at time T3. At this time, the control unit 55 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the irradiation light 50 irradiates the small area 52b and the small area 52g. Finally, the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the small area 52a and the small area 52h at time T4. At this time, the control unit 55 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the irradiation light 50 irradiates the small area 52a and the small area 52h.

The time for irradiating the irradiation light 50 to each small area can be arbitrarily set. In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the time for irradiating each small area with the irradiation light 50 is ΔT. In addition, the intensity of the irradiation light irradiated to each small area is set to be the same.

Instead of the irradiation timing of the irradiation light 50, the irradiation intensity may be changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the irradiation intensity of each small area 52a, 52b, ..., 52h of the irradiation area 52 may be changed. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the irradiation intensity of each small area. The irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 to the small area that the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the earliest is increased, and the irradiation intensity is sequentially decreased in the order in which the gas-liquid interface 14b arrives. In FIG. 9A, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 to each small area (small area 52a to small area 52h).

In FIG. 8, although the small area limited to the left of the pattern area 8a in the irradiation area 52 is described, in fact, in all the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n, the irradiation time point or irradiation intensity is determined. By dividing the irradiation area in this way, it is possible to irradiate the irradiation light 50 at the optimum timing in response to the expansion of the contact area between the pattern area 8a of the mold and the imprint material 14 on the substrate.

(Second Embodiment) The second embodiment describes a case where the irradiation amount of the irradiation light 50 is changed in each of the small areas (small areas 52a to 52n) of the irradiation area 52 described in the first embodiment.

The gas-liquid interface 14b described in the first embodiment has different speeds, that is, energy when passing through the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n of the irradiation area 52. Therefore, in the second embodiment, since the viscosity when the gas-liquid interface 14b is enlarged is more accurately controlled, the irradiation amount of the irradiation light 50 is changed in each small area, and the irradiation light 50 is irradiated.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the gas-liquid interface 14b is expanded from the center of the pattern area 8a to the outside, diagrams of the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 to the small area of the irradiation area 52 are shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. For the sake of simplification of description, the irradiation area 52 is defined as the left side of the pattern area 8a, showing the respective irradiation time point graphs of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52h. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the irradiation intensity of each small area. Fig. 9A is an example in which the irradiation time is maintained constant but the irradiation intensity is changed, and Fig. 9B is an example in which the irradiation intensity is maintained constant but the irradiation time is changed. As shown in FIG. 9, after the imprinting process is started, the earlier the gas-liquid interface 14b reaches the small area, the more the irradiation amount is.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the gas-liquid interface 14b expands from the center of the pattern area 8a to the outside, it is generally set so that the small areas 52d and 52e close to the center have a large amount of exposure and the end small areas 52a and 52h have a small amount of exposure. Furthermore, in addition to changing the exposure amount of each small area, as shown in the first embodiment, the irradiation timing of each small area may be changed.

In FIG. 9, although the small area limited to the left of the pattern area 8a in the irradiation area 52 is described, in fact, the irradiation intensity is determined in all the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n. By dividing the irradiation area 52 in this way, the irradiation light 50 can be irradiated with an optimal exposure amount in response to the expansion of the contact area between the pattern area 8a of the mold and the imprint material 14 on the substrate.

(Third Embodiment) The third embodiment explains how the small areas (small areas 52a to 52n) of the irradiation area 52 described in the first embodiment and the distance from the center position 61 of the shooting area are changed for each small area. situation.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the gas-liquid interface 14b is expanded from the center of the pattern area 8a to the outside, a diagram of the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 to the small area of the irradiation area 52 is shown in FIG. 10B. For the sake of simplification of description, the irradiation area 52 is defined as the left side of the pattern area 8a, showing the respective irradiation time point graphs of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52h. The horizontal axis represents time. Here, the distance between the center position 61 of the shooting area and the respective small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52h is set to La, Lb, ..., Lh.

In the third embodiment, the start time of the imprint process is set to 0, and the irradiation time of each small area is determined by the function Tx=f(Lx). Here, x=a, b, ..., h. That is, the irradiation timing of each small area in the third embodiment is determined according to the distance. For example, using the proportional constant K, the irradiation time point can be determined by Tx=K×Lx. In addition, the irradiation time point may be determined by a linear function or a higher-order function of the second order or more. As shown in FIG. 10B, after the imprinting process is started, the shorter the distance between the center position 61 of the general shooting area and the small areas of the irradiation area 52, the earlier the irradiation time point. Although the sequence flow of FIG. 10B is described by setting the start time of the imprinting process to 0, the time when the mold 8 and the imprinting material 14 are in contact may be set to time 0.

Furthermore, based on the aforementioned distances La, Lb, ..., Lh, the irradiation intensity and the irradiation time may be changed in the same manner as in the method described in the second embodiment. For example, when changing the irradiation intensity according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the greater the irradiation intensity. In addition, when changing the irradiation time according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the longer the irradiation time. In addition, the irradiation amount may be changed in the same way as the method shown in the second embodiment. In addition, both of the irradiation time point, irradiation intensity, or irradiation amount may be changed.

In FIG. 10, although the small area limited to the left of the pattern area 8a in the irradiation area 52 is described, in fact, in all the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n, the irradiation is determined according to the distance from the center position 61 Time point, or amount of exposure. In addition, the number of divisions and the division shape of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n of the irradiation area 52 are not limited to those in FIG. 10A, and are the same as described above. By dividing the irradiation area 52 in this way, the irradiation light 50 can be irradiated with an optimal exposure amount according to the distance between the center of the shooting area and each shooting area. In the case of the third embodiment, even when there is no imaging result of the imaging unit 6, the irradiation timing can be controlled from the shape of the shooting area.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment explains about the small areas (small areas 52a to 52n) of the irradiation area 52 described in the first embodiment, and the distance from the imprint center position 62 of the mold 8, and the irradiation of the irradiation light 50 is changed for each small area The situation at the moment. Instead of the irradiation time point, it is also possible to change the irradiation intensity. Among them, the imprinting center position 62 of the mold 8 indicates the position where the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 contacts the imprinting material on the substrate earliest. In general, although the center of the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 comes into contact with the imprint material first, for example, when a pattern is formed in a shot area (peripheral shot, edge shot) including the outer periphery of the substrate, it is not limited to the center of the pattern area 8a.

FIG. 11A shows a view of the irradiation area 52 and the imprint center position 62 of the mold 8 in the fourth embodiment. The timing of the irradiation of the irradiation light in the small area of the irradiation area 52 at this time is shown in FIG. 11B. In order to simplify the description, the irradiation area 52 is limited to the left side of the pattern area 8a, and the irradiation time point graphs of each of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52h are shown. The horizontal axis represents time. Here, the distance between the imprint center position 62 and each small area 52a, 52b, ..., 52h is set to La, Lb, ..., Lh.

In the fourth embodiment, the start time of the imprint process is set to 0, and the irradiation time of each small area is determined by the function Tx=f(Lx). Here, x=a, b, ..., h. That is, the irradiation timing of each small area in the fourth embodiment is determined in accordance with the distance as in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11B, after the imprinting process is started, generally, the shorter the distance between the imprinting center position 62 and the small areas of the irradiation area 52, the earlier the irradiation time point. Although the sequence flow of FIG. 11B is described by setting the start time of the imprinting process to 0, the time when the mold 8 and the imprinting material 14 are in contact may be set to time 0.

Furthermore, based on the aforementioned distances La, Lb, ..., Lh, the irradiation intensity and the irradiation time may be changed in the same manner as in the method described in the second embodiment. For example, when changing the irradiation intensity according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the greater the irradiation intensity. In addition, when changing the irradiation time according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the longer the irradiation time. In addition, the irradiation amount may be changed in the same way as the method shown in the second embodiment. In addition, both of the irradiation time point, irradiation intensity, or irradiation amount may be changed.

In FIG. 11, although the irradiation area 52 is limited to the small area on the left of the pattern area 8a, in fact, in all the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n, the distance from the imprint center position 62 is Decide the point of exposure, or the amount of exposure. In addition, the number of divisions and the division shape of the small areas 52a, 52b, ..., 52n of the irradiation area 52 are not limited to those in FIG. 11A, and are the same as described above. In addition, when the pattern is formed in the shot area including the outer periphery of the substrate, since the imprint material does not touch the pattern area 8a corresponding to the area outside the substrate 10, the imprint material does not have the risk of contacting the side surface 8b of the mold 8. Therefore, the irradiation light 50 may not be irradiated to the small area of the irradiation area 52 in the area outside the substrate 10.

By dividing the irradiation area 52 in this way, the irradiation light 50 can be irradiated with an optimal exposure amount according to the distance between the center of the shooting area and each shooting area. In the case of the fourth embodiment, even when there is no imaging result of the imaging unit 6, it is possible to control the irradiation timing from the shape of the shooting area.

(Fifth Embodiment) The fifth embodiment describes the case of the small areas of the shot area 52 having different shapes from the small areas of the shot area 52 described in the above-mentioned embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A, the irradiation area 52 is divided into small areas 52y in the vertical direction (y direction) and small areas 52x in the horizontal direction (x direction), and the irradiation time point or irradiation intensity is changed for each small area. Irradiate the irradiating light 50.

FIG. 12A shows a view of the irradiation area 52 in the fifth embodiment. The irradiation timing of the irradiation light 50 of the small areas 52x and 52y of the irradiation area 52 at this time is shown in FIG. 12B. FIG. 12B shows a graph of the irradiation time of each small area 52x and 52y, and the horizontal axis represents time. Here, let the center position of the shooting area or the imprint center position, and the distances from the small area 52y and the small area 52x be Ly and Lx, respectively. As shown in FIG. 12A, when the distance Ly<Lx, the small area 52y is generally irradiated earlier than the small area 52x.

In the fifth embodiment, the irradiation light 50 can respectively irradiate the small area 52y in the vertical direction and the small area 52x in the horizontal direction at a time point predetermined by experiments or the like. Alternatively, an imaging unit 6 such as a camera may be used to observe the time when the gas-liquid interface 14b described in the above embodiment reaches the small area 52y in the vertical direction and the small area 52x in the horizontal direction, and the irradiation time of the irradiation light 50 may be determined based on the result. Alternatively, it is possible to determine the irradiation timing of the irradiation light 50 by the method of obtaining the irradiation timing shown in the third embodiment by using the center position of the shooting area and the distances Ly and Lx from the imprint center position.

Furthermore, based on the above-mentioned distances Lx and Ly, the irradiation intensity and irradiation time may be changed in the same manner as in the method described in the second embodiment. For example, when changing the irradiation intensity according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the greater the irradiation intensity. In addition, when changing the irradiation time according to the distance, the shorter the distance, the longer the irradiation time. In addition, the irradiation amount may be changed in the same way as the method shown in the second embodiment. In addition, both of the irradiation time point, irradiation intensity, or irradiation amount may be changed.

In addition, the method of dividing the small area 52y in the vertical direction and the small area 52x in the horizontal direction is not limited to the method shown in FIG. 12A. For example, as shown in FIG. The small area 52x can also be divided. For example, the small area 52y in the vertical direction may be divided so that the area of the irradiation area of the small area 52x in the horizontal direction becomes the same.

By dividing the irradiation area 52 in this way, it is possible to easily irradiate the irradiation light 50 with an optimal exposure amount according to the distance between the center of the shooting area and each shooting area.

(Sixth Embodiment) The sixth embodiment describes the case of the small areas of the shot area 52 having a different shape from the small areas of the shot area 52 described in the above-mentioned embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A, each of the small areas 52a to 52n of the irradiation area 52 described in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment is in a direction in which the irradiation area 52 is directed from the center of the shooting area to the outside. segmentation. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the small area 52c is divided from the center of the shooting area into three small areas 52c1, 52c2, and 52c3. The number of divisions is arbitrary, and the shape of each small area can be set arbitrarily. For each small area, the irradiation time point or the irradiation intensity is changed to irradiate the irradiation light 50.

FIG. 13A shows a view of the irradiation area 52 in the sixth embodiment. The irradiation time points of the irradiation light 50 of the small areas 52c1, 52c2, and 52c3 of the irradiation area 52 at this time are shown in FIG. 13B. FIG. 13B shows a graph of the irradiation time points of the respective small areas 52c1, 52c2, and 52c3, and the horizontal axis represents time. As shown in FIG. 13B, for example, the irradiation light 50 is sequentially irradiated from a small area inside the shooting area. In FIG. 13, although the small area 52c shown in FIG. 8 is described, other small areas are also irradiated sequentially from the inside with the irradiation light 50, and all the small areas of the irradiation area 52 can be irradiated.

In addition, the sixth embodiment is not limited to the first embodiment, and any method of dividing the irradiation area 52 shown in the second embodiment to the fifth embodiment can also be applied.

By dividing the irradiation area 52 in this way, the irradiation light 50 can be irradiated with an optimal exposure amount in response to the expansion of the contact area between the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 and the imprint material 14 (movement of the gas-liquid interface 14b).

(Seventh embodiment) In the seventh embodiment, by reducing the adhesion of the imprint material on the side surface 8b of the pattern area 8a, defects in pattern formation and damage of the mold 8 are prevented, and an imprint device with high yield is provided. In addition, there is provided an imprinting device that forms a pattern of the imprinting material without reducing the fillability of the imprinting material in a portion that is likely to be unfilled.

Here, in the imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in the process 104 of FIG. 2, if the irradiation light 50 is also irradiated to the corner of the shot area (pattern area 8a) close to the side surface 8b, the imprint material 14 becomes difficult to fill the corners. Part, there is a risk of unfilled defects. Here, in the imprint apparatus 1 of the seventh embodiment, in the process 104, the intensity of the irradiated light 50 in the corner portion (the second area) of the pattern area 8a is reduced.

The light irradiation performed in the process 104 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the light irradiation performed in the process 104. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the irradiation light 50 is irradiated to the peripheral area (irradiation area 52) of the side surface 8b which is the outer peripheral part of the pattern area 8a containing the mold 8. As shown in FIG. The irradiated light 50 may be light that allows the imprint material 14 to undergo polymerization reaction, and is not limited to ultraviolet light. After the imprint material 14 is cured by the irradiation of the light 50, the alignment cannot be performed in the process 105. Therefore, the light irradiation performed in the process 104 is to irradiate light to such an extent that the viscosity of the imprint material 14 in the vicinity of the pattern area 8a is increased without hardening the imprint material 14. The irradiation light 50 takes into consideration the properties of the material of the imprint material 14 and the like, and the wavelength, irradiation time, intensity, etc. of the irradiation light can be appropriately determined.

As shown in FIG. 14A, it is difficult to fill the embossing material at the corners of the pattern area 8a. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the irradiation light 50 is not uniformly irradiated to the irradiation area 52 shown in FIG. 4B, but the intensity of the irradiation light 50 at the position corresponding to the corner is reduced.

Here, in the seventh embodiment, the irradiation area 52 is divided into a plurality of small areas as shown in FIG. 14B. In addition, the irradiation intensity is changed to irradiate the irradiation light 50 for each small area. By using the light modulating element 53 to be described later, the irradiation area and the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 with respect to the irradiation area 52 can be set. Although FIG. 14B shows an example in which the irradiation area 52 is divided into 8 small areas in the vertical direction and 6 small areas in the horizontal direction, the number of divisions is not limited to this and can be set to any number. In addition, the shape of each small area can be set to rectangle, triangle and other arbitrary shapes.

When the irradiation area 52 is provided with a plurality of small areas as shown in FIG. 14B, for example, the intensity of the irradiation light 50 in the small areas 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d (the second area) is lower than the other areas (the first area). At this time, the control unit 55 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the intensity of the irradiation light irradiated through the small areas 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d is lower than the intensity of the irradiation light 50 irradiated through other areas. In addition, the control unit 55 may control the light modulating element 53 so as not to irradiate the irradiation light 50 to the small areas 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d. However, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area is defined as the second area.

In this way, the irradiation area is divided, and by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 at the corners of the pattern area 8a and other areas, it is possible to reduce exposure of the imprint material and prevent a decrease in fillability to the corners of the pattern area 8a.

(Eighth Embodiment) The filling property of the imprint material is affected by the width of the pattern formed in the pattern area 8a. For example, as with the alignment mark, it is difficult to fill the embossed material with a pattern with a larger width of the concave portion compared to other concave-convex shapes. Here, in the imprint device 1 of the eighth embodiment, the intensity of the irradiated light 50 is lower than that of other regions in the region where the pattern of the concave portion such as the alignment mark and the like is formed in the irradiated region 52.

As shown in FIG. 15A, it is difficult to fill the imprint material in the area where the alignment mark of the pattern area 8a is formed. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the irradiation light 50 is not uniformly irradiated to the irradiation area 52 shown in FIG. 4B, and the intensity of the irradiation light 50 at the position corresponding to the alignment mark is reduced.

Here, in the eighth embodiment, the irradiation area 52 is divided into a plurality of small areas as shown in FIG. 15B. In addition, the irradiation intensity is changed to irradiate the irradiation light 50 for each small area. By using the light modulating element 53 to be described later, the irradiation area and the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 with respect to the irradiation area 52 can be set. In FIG. 15B, although the irradiation area 52 is divided into 8 vertical and 6 horizontal small areas, the number of divisions is not limited to this and can be set to any number. In addition, the shape of each small area can be set to rectangle, triangle, and other arbitrary shapes.

When the irradiation area 52 is provided with a plurality of small areas as shown in FIG. 15B, for example, the intensity of the irradiation light 50 in the small areas 52e and 52f (the second area) is lower than the other areas (the first area). At this time, the control unit 55 controls the light modulating element 53 so that the intensity of the irradiation light 50 of the small areas 52e and 52f is lower than that of other areas. In addition, the control unit 55 may control the light modulating element 53 so as not to irradiate the irradiation light 50 to the small areas 52e and 52f. However, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area is defined as the second area. In particular, the area including the area where the alignment mark is formed is referred to as the second area.

By dividing the irradiation area in this way, by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 in the area of the alignment mark in the pattern area 8a and other areas, it is possible to reduce exposure of the imprint material and prevent filling of the alignment mark in the pattern area 8a Sexual decrease. It is not limited to the alignment mark, and the intensity of the irradiated light 50 may be reduced in a region where the width of the pattern of the concave portion formed in the mold is larger than other widths. Thereby, the fillability of the imprint material can be maintained, and the exposure of the imprint material can be reduced.

(Ninth Embodiment) The imprint apparatuses of the seventh embodiment and the eighth embodiment describe the case where the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 is set in response to the presence or absence of the area where the pattern area 8a is difficult to fill with the imprint material. The imprint apparatus of the ninth embodiment will explain the presence or absence of the setting of the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 in the area where the imprint material is easily exposed from the pattern area 8a (the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold earlier than others). Situation.

The ease of exposure of the imprint material (the difference in time for the imprint material to reach the side surface of the pattern area of the mold) affects the direction of the pattern formed in the pattern area 8a. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, after the droplets of the imprint material 14 come into contact with the mold 8, the imprint material easily expands along the pattern direction of the concavo-convex pattern formed in the pattern area 8 a. Therefore, when there is an end (side surface 8b) of the pattern area 8a in a direction crossing the pattern direction, the imprint material is more likely to be exposed than when there is an end of the pattern area 8a in a direction along the pattern direction. Here, the pattern direction indicates the direction in which the linear concavo-convex pattern extends. When plural directions are mixed, there is a method of determining the pattern direction from the average value of the concave and convex shapes included in the area by setting the pattern shape closest to the end of the pattern area 8a as the pattern direction.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the end of the pattern area 8a is along the y direction, the imprinting material in contact with the mold 8 has a pattern direction along the x direction compared to the area where the pattern direction is the y direction (second area) (Area 1) is easier to expose. Therefore, the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 may be set by increasing the intensity of the irradiation light 50 with respect to the area where the imprint material is easily exposed. In addition, the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 may be set by reducing the intensity of the irradiation light 50 with respect to the area where the imprint material is easily exposed. In addition to the pattern direction, the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 may be set according to the pattern density. However, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area is defined as the second area.

Depending on the pattern direction, the ease of exposure and filling of the imprint material at the end of the pattern area (the end of the shooting area) are different. Therefore, by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 according to the pattern direction, the filling property of the imprinting material can be maintained and the exposure of the imprinting material can be reduced.

(Tenth Embodiment) The imprint apparatus of the tenth embodiment will describe the case where the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 is set in accordance with the presence or absence of the area where the imprint material is easily exposed from the pattern area 8a.

The ease of exposure of the imprint material is affected by the placement of droplets of the imprint material near the end of the shot area. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the shorter the distance between the dropping position of the droplet of the imprint material 14 and the end of the pattern area 8a (the end of the shot area), the easier the imprint material is exposed. In addition, the higher the density of the droplets of the imprint material 14 arranged on the substrate, the easier the imprint material is exposed.

Here, the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 is set so that the shorter the distance between the drop position of the imprint material 14 and the end of the shot area (the first area) is larger than the other areas (the second area) . In addition, the intensity distribution of the irradiated light 50 may be set by reducing the intensity of the irradiated light 50 in an area where the imprint material is hard to be exposed (the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than others). Similarly, the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 can be distributed so that the area where the density of the droplets of the imprint material 14 is high (the first area) is larger than the other areas (the second area). Instead of the density of the droplets, the distribution of the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 may be set based on the information about the amount of imprinting material. However, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area is defined as the second area.

Depending on the arrangement of the droplets of the imprint material 14 supplied to the shot area on the substrate, the ease of exposure and fillability of the imprint material at the end of the pattern area (end of the shot area) differs. Therefore, by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 in accordance with the distance between the drop position of the imprint material and the end of the shot area and the density of the droplets, the filling property of the imprint material can be maintained and the exposure of the imprint material can be reduced.

(Eleventh embodiment) The imprint apparatus of the eleventh embodiment will describe the case where the intensity distribution of the irradiated light 50 is set because of the presence or absence of the area where the imprint material is easily exposed from the pattern area 8a.

The ease of exposure of the imprint material is affected by the arrangement of the droplets of the imprint material near the end of the shot area and the shape of the pattern area 8a formed in the mold 8. The shape of the end of the shooting area is not limited to a straight line as shown in FIG. 18. The ease of exposure of the imprint material is influenced by the distance between the drop position of the drop near the end of the shot area and the end of the shot area among the droplets of the imprint material supplied on the substrate.

For example, even if the shape of the end of the shot area is as shown in FIG. 18, the shorter the distance between the drop position of the imprint material 14 and the end of the shot area, the easier the imprint material is exposed. As shown in Figure 18, the drop position of the imprint material from the end of the shot area is from the droplet 15(a) in the order of 15(a), 15(b), 15(c), 15(d) The dropping position of the droplet relative to the end of the shooting area becomes farther. Here, the intensity is set so that the shorter the distance between the drop position of the imprint material and the end of the shot area (the first area) is than the other areas (the second area). distributed. However, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area is defined as the second area.

The ease of exposure of the imprint material at the end of the pattern area differs according to the arrangement of the droplets of the imprint material 14 supplied to the shooting area on the substrate and the shape of the end of the pattern area. Therefore, by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiated light 50 in accordance with the distance between the drop position of the imprint material and the end of the shot area, the filling property of the imprint material can be maintained and the exposure of the imprint material can be reduced.

(Twelfth Embodiment) The imprint apparatus of the twelfth embodiment will describe a case where the intensity distribution of the irradiated light 50 is set due to the presence or absence of an area where the imprint material is easily exposed from the pattern area 8a.

The ease of exposure of the imprint material is affected by the imprint time from the time when the imprint material 14 on the substrate and the pattern area 8a come into contact with each other until the imprint material is hardened. As shown by the dotted line in Figure 19A, when the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 contacts the imprinting material on the shooting area in a manner that expands from the center, the droplets 15(e), 15(f), 15(g) are pressed in the order Printing time becomes longer. Therefore, when the position of the droplet calculated from the end of the shot area is different from the imprint time, the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 is set in accordance with the imprint time and the position of the end of the shot area.

As shown in FIG. 19B, by dividing the irradiation area 52 in a direction from the center of the shooting area toward the outside, the distribution of the irradiation light 50 can be set in accordance with the shape of the pattern area 8a. The number of divisions of the irradiation area 52 is arbitrary, and the shape of each small area can also be set arbitrarily. The irradiation intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 can be set in a pattern that can match the outer shape of the shooting area (pattern area 8a). In addition, it is possible to set the irradiation intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 according to the imprint time during which the imprint material is in contact with the pattern area 8a of the mold 8a. For example, the irradiation intensity of the area (first area) indicated by the oblique lines of the irradiation area 52 shown in FIG. 19B can be made larger than the other areas (second area). Among them, when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, the area where the imprint material reaches the side surface of the pattern area of the mold later than the first area (area with a short imprint time) is set as the second area.

Therefore, by setting the intensity distribution of the irradiation light 50 according to the shape of the pattern area 8a of the mold 8 and the imprinting time, the filling property of the imprinting material can be maintained and the exposure of the imprinting material can be reduced.

(13th embodiment) The imprint apparatus of the thirteenth embodiment will describe the case where the presence or absence of the area where the imprint material is easily exposed from the pattern area 8a is confirmed, and the intensity distribution of the irradiated light 50 is set based on the state of the obtained fillability.

The imprinting method of the thirteenth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 20. First, in the process 201, the imprinting process described in FIG. 2 is used to form the pattern of the imprinting material on the substrate using a mold. In the process 202, the fillability of the end of the shot area of the pattern formed in the process 201 is confirmed. In the process 203, it is confirmed from the observation result of the process 201 whether it is necessary to optimize the distribution of the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light. When it is judged in the process 203 that the optimization of the fillability is not necessary, the current parameter (the distribution of the irradiation intensity) is set as the optimum value in the process 204.

When it is judged in the process 203 that the optimization of the fillability is required, in the process 205, the fillability at the end of the pattern area is obtained from the placement information of the droplets and the pattern conditions of the mold, and the calculation including the irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 50 and the irradiation position is calculated. Distribution of irradiation intensity. Next, in the process 207, the distribution of the irradiation intensity obtained in the process 205 is set as a new parameter. Next, confirm the fillability of the end of the shot area after imprinting, and determine the necessity of optimizing parameters such as the placement information of the droplets and the imprint outline in the process 206. If necessary, the droplets can be removed in the process 208 Optimal configuration information, etc.

By performing these imprinting processes and correcting the repetitive parameters of the fillability confirmation, the fillability of the imprinting material can be maintained and the exposure of the imprinting material can be reduced.

In addition, in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, the imprint apparatus 1 using the photocuring method has been described, but it is not limited to the photocuring method, and an imprint apparatus that hardens the imprint material by heat may be used. In this case, the imprinting device is equipped with a heating part that increases the viscosity of the imprinting material by heat as a hardening part, instead of an optical system that irradiates the imprinting material with light in order to increase the viscosity of the imprinting material. The heating part (hardening part), when the mold is in contact with the imprinting material, the heat per unit area applied to the imprinting material corresponding to the first area by the hardening part is higher than the heat given to the imprinting material corresponding to the second area The heat per unit area is also large, and the substrate is heated.

(Implementation form of flat processing device) An embodiment of the planarization device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 21. The above-mentioned embodiment is a method of transferring a pattern drawn in advance on a mold (reverse plate, template) to a substrate (wafer). In contrast, this embodiment does not form a concave-convex pattern on the mold (flat template). The base pattern on the substrate has a concave-convex profile caused by the pattern formed in the previous process. Especially with the multi-layer structure of memory devices in recent years, the process wafer has a step around 1100nm. The step difference caused by the gradual undulation of the entire substrate can be corrected by the focus tracking energy of the scanning exposure device used in the exposure process, but the fine unevenness of the pitch within the area of the exposure slit of the exposure device can be corrected. It consumes the DOF (DepthOfFocus) of the exposure device. As a conventional method for smoothing the base pattern on the substrate, a method of forming a planarization layer such as SOC (Spin On Carbon) and CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) is used. However, in the previous example, in the boundary portion between the isolated pattern area A in FIG. 21A and the repeated Dense (line & space pattern dense) pattern area B, the unevenness suppression rate of 40% to 70% cannot be sufficiently obtained. The problem of flattening performance will tend to increase in the future due to the unevenness of the substrate due to multilayering.

As a solution to this problem, US9415418 proposes a method of forming a continuous film by coating with a flattened layer photoresist inkjet dispenser and imprinting with a flat template. In addition, US8394282 proposes a method of reflecting the topography measurement result on the wafer side to the shade information for each position indicated by the inkjet dispenser. In this embodiment, in particular, the uncured photoresist (imprint material, uncured resin) applied in advance is flattened (flattened) by pressing a flat template (mold) to flatten the surface of the substrate. The device is applicable to the inventor.

FIG. 21A shows the substrate before the planarization process is performed. The area A is an isolated pattern area and the area of the convex part of the pattern is small, and the area B is a dense area. The area occupied by the convex part and the area occupied by the concave part are 1:1. The average height of the area A and the area B takes different values depending on the proportion of the convex portion.

FIG. 21B shows a state in which a photoresist forming a planarization layer is applied to the substrate. In this figure, although the photoresist is coated by an inkjet dispenser based on US9415418, the present invention can also be applied to the photoresist using a spin coater. That is, the present invention can also be applied if it includes a process of flattening a flat template by contacting a previously coated uncured photoresist.

FIG. 21C is a diagram showing the process of curing the photoresist by the exposure light from the exposure light source when the flat template is made of glass or quartz that transmits ultraviolet light. At this time, the gentle unevenness of the flat template with respect to the entire substrate is imitated as the contour of the surface of the substrate.

Fig. 21D is a diagram showing a state where the flat template is separated after the photoresist is hardened.

The present invention can also be applied to the embodiment of the flat processing device. Like any of the above embodiments, when a mold (flat template) without a pattern formed on the table surface is used, the exposure of the photoresist (imprint material) from the table surface can be reduced. .

In addition, in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the gas-liquid interface 14b uniformly moves to the outside from the center of the pattern area (table surface portion) of the mold has been described. However, the gas-liquid interface 14b is not limited to uniform (concentric circle) movement. Depending on the position and supply amount of the imprint material supplied to the substrate, the time for the imprint material to reach the side of the pattern area may vary depending on the small area. Therefore, the control unit of the imprint device can change the irradiation sequence of the small areas of the irradiation area 52 in accordance with the supply position and the supply amount of the imprint material supplied to the substrate.

In addition, in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, the imprint apparatus 1 using the photocuring method has been described, but it is not limited to the photocuring method, and an imprint apparatus that hardens the imprint material by heat may be used. In this case, the imprinting device is equipped with a heating part that increases the viscosity of the imprinting material by heat as a hardening part, instead of an optical system that irradiates the imprinting material with light in order to increase the viscosity of the imprinting material.

(Method of manufacturing items) The pattern of the hardened object formed by the imprinting device is permanently used in at least a part of various articles or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. The so-called article refers to: circuit components, optical components, MEMS, recording components, sensors, or molds, etc. As the circuit element, volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, or semiconductor element such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, FPGA, etc. can be used. As the mold, a mold for imprinting or the like may be used.

The pattern of the cured product can be used as a constituent member of at least a part of the above-mentioned article as it is or temporarily used as a photoresist mask. In the substrate processing process, after etching or ion implantation, the photoresist mask is removed.

Next, the specific manufacturing method of the related article will be explained. As shown in FIG. 22A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed on the surface is prepared, and then, an imprint material 3z is supplied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the state where the imprint material 3z in the form of a plurality of droplets is supplied onto the substrate is shown.

As shown in FIG. 22B, the side surface of the embossing mold 4z on which the uneven pattern is formed faces the imprinting material 3z on the substrate and is opposed to each other. As shown in FIG. 22C, the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the material 2z to be processed. In this state, the imprint material 3z is cured after light is irradiated through the mold 4z as energy for curing.

As shown in FIG. 22D, after hardening the imprint material 3z, after separating the mold 4z from the substrate 1z, the pattern of the hardened material of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In the pattern of the cured product, the concave portion of the mold becomes the convex portion of the cured product, and the concave portion of the mold becomes the shape corresponding to the convex portion of the cured product, that is, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprinting material 3z.

As shown in FIG. 22E, after etching the pattern of the hardened material as an etching resistant mask, in the surface of the workpiece 2z, no hardened material or remaining thin portions are removed and become grooves 5z. In addition, it is preferable to remove the remaining part in advance by an etching different from the etching. As shown in FIG. 22F, after removing the pattern of the hardened product, an article in which grooves 5z are formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it is not removed after processing. For example, it can be used as a film for interlayer insulation contained in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of an article.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Next, in order to disclose the scope of the present invention, the following claims are appended.

This case is based on Japanese Patent Application Special Application 2017-201415 filed on October 17, 2017, Japanese Patent Application Special Application 2017-204553 filed on October 23, 2017, and Japanese Patent Application Special Application 2018 filed on September 21, 2018. -177272, Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-177271 as the basis for claiming priority, and citing all the contents recorded.

1: Imprinting device 8: Mode 3: Mold holding part 10: substrate 4: Board holding part 5: Supply Department 9: light 2: Light irradiation system 35: light 6: Camera Department 7: Control Department 12: Detector 16: substrate chuck 17: Substrate drive mechanism 18: mirror 19: Interferometer 14: Embossed material 8d: table face 8a: Pattern area 38: Mould drive mechanism 41: Dividing board 13: space 8b: side 15: protrusion shape 8c: unfilled 50: Irradiation light 52: Irradiation area 51: Irradiation light source 53: optical modulation element 54b: Optical components 54a: Optical components

[Fig. 1] A diagram showing an imprinting device. [Fig. 2] A diagram showing the process of forming the pattern of the imprinting device. [Fig. 3A] A diagram showing a conventional imprinting method. [Fig. 3B] A diagram showing the conventional imprinting method. [Fig. 3C] A diagram showing a conventional imprinting method. [Fig. 4A] A diagram showing the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 4B] A diagram showing the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 5A] A diagram showing the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 5B] A diagram showing the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 5C] A diagram showing the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 6] A diagram showing an optical system that determines the irradiation area of the first embodiment. [Fig. 7] A diagram showing the area where the imprint material is in contact with the mold and the irradiation area. [Fig. 8A] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation time point of the first embodiment. [Fig. 8B] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation time point of the first embodiment. [Fig. 8C] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation time point of the first embodiment. [Fig. 9A] A graph showing the irradiation intensity and irradiation time in the second embodiment. [Fig. 9B] A graph showing the irradiation intensity and irradiation time in the second embodiment. [Fig. 10A] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation time point of the third embodiment. [Fig. 10B] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the third embodiment. [Fig. 11A] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the fourth embodiment. [Fig. 11B] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the fourth embodiment. [Fig. 12A] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the fifth embodiment. [Fig. 12B] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation time point of the fifth embodiment. [Fig. 12C] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the fifth embodiment. [Fig. 13A] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the sixth embodiment. [Fig. 13B] A diagram showing the irradiation area and the irradiation timing of the sixth embodiment. [Fig. 14A] A diagram showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the seventh embodiment. [Fig. 14B] A diagram showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the seventh embodiment. [Fig. 15A] A diagram showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the eighth embodiment. [Fig. 15B] A diagram showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the eighth embodiment. [Fig. 16] A diagram showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the ninth embodiment. [Fig. 17] A graph showing the distribution of irradiation intensity in the tenth embodiment. [Fig. 18] A diagram showing the arrangement of droplets and the end of the mold in the eleventh embodiment. [Fig. 19A] A diagram showing the arrangement of droplets and the end of the mold in the twelfth embodiment. [Fig. 19B] A diagram showing the arrangement of droplets and the end of the mold in the twelfth embodiment. [Fig. 20] A flowchart showing the change of the parameters of the thirteenth embodiment. [Fig. 21A] A diagram showing the process of the flattening process. [Fig. 21B] A diagram showing the process of the flattening process. [Fig. 21C] A diagram showing the process of the flattening process. [Fig. 21D] A diagram showing the process of the flattening process. [Fig. 22A] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article. [Fig. 22B] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article. [Fig. 22C] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article. [Fig. 22D] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article. [Fig. 22E] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article. [Fig. 22F] A diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the article.

52: Irradiation area

52a~52h, 52n: small area

Claims (23)

A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: The irradiated light used to increase the viscosity of the composition on the substrate passes through the mold to irradiate the optical system of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold in such a way that the end of the mold is included in the irradiated area; A control unit that controls the aforementioned optical system; The peripheral region includes: a first region and a second region that is in contact with the composition at a later time than the first region when the mold is brought into contact with the composition; The control unit controls the optical system so that the irradiation time of the irradiation light to the first area is earlier than the irradiation time of the irradiation light to the second area. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, including: an imaging unit that captures a state where the mold is in contact with the composition; In accordance with the time when the composition reaches the first area and the time when it reaches the second area obtained from the imaging results of the imaging unit, the irradiation timing of the irradiated light is set. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the center of the area where the mold and the composition contact the first area is greater than the distance between the center of the area where the mold contacts the composition and the second area short. The molding device according to claim 1, wherein the composition that moves from the center of the area where the mold and the composition are in contact with the peripheral area is set in accordance with the time from reaching the first area and the time to reaching the second area The timing of the irradiation of the aforementioned irradiation light. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply position of the composition supplied to the substrate on the substrate in the first area and the supply of the composition on the substrate in the second area to the substrate are dealt with The supply position of the composition is set at the time of irradiation of the aforementioned irradiated light. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical system includes a light modulating element that changes the irradiation time point at which the irradiation light is irradiated. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: A hardened portion that improves the viscosity of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold in such a way that the end of the substrate is included in the area that promotes the viscosity of the composition on the substrate; The control part that controls the aforementioned hardening part; The peripheral region includes: a first region and a second region that is in contact with the composition at a later time than the first region when the mold is brought into contact with the composition; The control part controls the hardening part so that the time point of raising the viscosity of the composition corresponding to the position of the first region is earlier than the time point of raising the viscosity of the composition corresponding to the position of the second region. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: The hardening light used to harden the aforementioned composition form is irradiated to the optical system of the aforementioned composition contacting the aforementioned mold through the aforementioned mold; The irradiating light used to increase the viscosity of the aforementioned composition passes through the aforementioned mold to irradiate the aforementioned composition's illumination optical system in the peripheral area of the aforementioned mold in such a manner that the end of the aforementioned mold is included in the irradiation area; A control unit that controls the aforementioned illuminating optical system; The peripheral region includes: a first region and a second region that is in contact with the composition at a later time than the first region when the mold is brought into contact with the composition; The control unit controls the irradiation optical system so that the irradiation time of the irradiation light to the first area is earlier than the irradiation time of the irradiation light to the second area. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: The irradiated light used to increase the viscosity of the composition on the substrate passes through the mold to irradiate the optical system of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold in such a way that the end of the mold is included in the irradiated area; A control unit that controls the aforementioned optical system; The peripheral area includes: a first area and a second area where the composition is less protruding than the first area when the mold is brought into contact with the composition; The control unit controls the optical system so that the intensity of the irradiation light to the composition corresponding to the position of the first region is higher than the intensity of the irradiation light to the composition corresponding to the position of the second region. The molding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the optical system includes a digital micro-mirror device that changes the intensity of the irradiated light between the first area and the second area constituting the peripheral area. The molding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the molding apparatus includes: a light irradiation system that irradiates the composition contacting the mold with hardening light for hardening the composition form through the mold; The light irradiation system irradiates light to the entire area where the mold and the composition are in contact with the mold for positioning the mold and the substrate. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: The irradiated light used to increase the viscosity of the composition on the substrate passes through the mold to irradiate the optical system of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold in such a way that the end of the mold is included in the irradiated area; A control unit that controls the aforementioned optical system; The aforementioned peripheral area includes: a first area containing an alignment mark, and a second area different from the aforementioned first area; The control unit controls the optical system so that the intensity of the irradiation light to the composition corresponding to the position of the first region is lower than the intensity of the irradiation light to the composition corresponding to the position of the second region. The molding apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the optical system includes a digital micro-mirror device that changes the intensity of the irradiated light between the first area and the second area constituting the peripheral area. The molding apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the molding apparatus includes: a light irradiation system that irradiates the composition contacting the mold with hardening light for hardening the composition shape through the mold; The light irradiation system irradiates light to the entire area where the mold and the composition are in contact with the mold for positioning the mold and the substrate. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: A heating part that raises the viscosity of the composition at the position of the peripheral area in such a way that the end of the mold is included in the area that promotes the viscosity of the composition on the substrate; The control part that controls the aforementioned heating part; The peripheral area includes: a first area and a second area where the composition is less protruding than the first area when the mold is brought into contact with the composition; The control unit controls the heating unit so that the amount of heat per unit area given to the composition corresponding to the position of the first region is greater than the amount of heat per unit area given to the composition corresponding to the position of the second region. A forming device that uses a mold to form a composition on a substrate, and has: A heating part that raises the viscosity of the composition at the position of the peripheral area in such a way that the end of the mold is included in the area that promotes the viscosity of the composition on the substrate; The control part that controls the aforementioned heating part; The aforementioned peripheral area includes: a first area containing an alignment mark, and a second area different from the aforementioned first area; The control unit controls the heating unit so that the amount of heat per unit area given to the composition corresponding to the position of the first region is less than the amount of heat per unit area given to the composition corresponding to the position of the second region. A method of manufacturing an article, comprising: using the forming device described in any one of claims 1 to 16 to shape a composition on a substrate and form a planarization layer; The process of forming a pattern on the aforementioned planarization layer. A forming method that uses a mold to shape the composition on the substrate, which has: The process of bringing the aforementioned type into contact with the aforementioned composition; In the state where the mold is brought into contact with the composition, the mold is used to irradiate the composition in the peripheral area of the mold so that the end of the mold is included in the irradiation area to make the composition stick. Projects that increase the sexuality of light; In the aforementioned irradiation process, the irradiation time of the irradiated light on the composition contacting the first area in the peripheral area is earlier than the time when the irradiated light pair is later than the first area and the peripheral area. The time point of irradiation of the composition in contact with the aforementioned second region in. A forming method that uses a mold to shape the composition on the substrate, which has: The process of bringing the aforementioned type into contact with the aforementioned composition; In a state where the mold is brought into contact with the composition, the end of the mold is included in the region that increases the viscosity of the composition on the substrate, thereby increasing the viscosity of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold engineering; In the process of increasing the viscosity, the time point of increasing the viscosity of the composition in contact with the first area in the surrounding area is earlier than the time point later than the first area and the time in the surrounding area. The time point of the viscosity of the composition in contact with the second area. A forming method that uses a mold to shape the composition on the substrate, which has: The process of bringing the aforementioned type into contact with the aforementioned composition; In the state where the mold is brought into contact with the composition, the mold is used to irradiate the composition in the peripheral area of the mold so that the end of the mold is included in the irradiated area. Projects that irradiate light; The process of irradiating the curing light used to harden the composition contacting the mold through the mold; In the process of irradiating the irradiation light, the irradiation time of the irradiation light to the composition contacting the first area in the peripheral area is earlier than the irradiation light pair at a later time than the first area and the surrounding area. The time point of irradiation of the composition in contact with the second area in the area. A forming method that uses a mold to shape the composition on the substrate, which has: The process of bringing the aforementioned type into contact with the aforementioned composition; In the state where the mold is brought into contact with the composition, the mold is used to irradiate the composition in the peripheral area of the mold so that the end of the mold is included in the irradiated area. Projects that irradiate light; In the aforementioned irradiation process, the intensity of the irradiation light on the composition contacting the first area in the peripheral area is higher than the irradiation light pair and the second area where the composition is less protruding than the first area The strength of the composition in contact. A forming method that uses a mold to shape the composition on the substrate, which has: The process of bringing the aforementioned type into contact with the aforementioned composition; In a state where the mold is brought into contact with the composition, the end of the mold is included in the region that increases the viscosity of the composition on the substrate, thereby increasing the viscosity of the composition in the peripheral area of the mold engineering; In the process of increasing the viscosity, the amount of heat per unit area given to the composition in contact with the first region in the peripheral region is greater than that of the second component, which is harder to protrude than the first region. The amount of heat per unit area imparted by the composition of the zone contact. A method of manufacturing an article, comprising: using the forming method described in any one of claims 18 to 22 to shape a composition on a substrate and form a planarization layer; The process of forming a pattern on the aforementioned planarization layer.

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