JP7495815B2 - Imprinting apparatus and method for manufacturing an article - Google Patents

Description

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

The imprinting device brings the top of a shot area on a substrate into contact with the imprinting material and the pattern area of a mold, performs an alignment operation between the shot area and the pattern area, and then performs a curing operation to harden the imprinting material. This forms a pattern made of the hardened imprinting material. If the relative vibration between the substrate and the mold does not subside during the alignment operation, the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area cannot be kept within an acceptable range. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that increases the viscoelasticity (viscosity) of the resin (imprinting material) by performing a preliminary exposure during the alignment operation, thereby improving the alignment accuracy.

JP 2016-58735 A

However, in conventional imprinting devices, preliminary exposure is simply performed under conditions that are set in advance and common to all shot areas. Therefore, in conventional imprinting devices, even if there is variation in the progress of the alignment operation between multiple shot areas, this is not reflected in the control of the preliminary exposure, and the preliminary exposure may be performed improperly. For example, if the preliminary exposure is excessive, or if the preliminary exposure is performed earlier than the appropriate timing, it may not be possible to align the shot area and the pattern area with high precision.

The present invention was made in response to the recognition of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that is advantageous for aligning the shot on the substrate with the pattern area of the mold.

One aspect of the present invention relates to an imprinting apparatus that performs an alignment operation between an imprinting material on a shot area of a substrate and a pattern area of a mold in a contact state between the shot area and the pattern area, and then performs a curing operation to harden the imprinting material. The imprinting apparatus includes a viscosity adjustment unit that increases the viscosity of the imprinting material during the alignment operation , a shape correction unit that corrects the shape of at least one of the shot area and the pattern area, and a control unit that changes a parameter value that controls the viscosity adjustment unit in accordance with changes in control information for controlling the alignment operation in the contact state , and the control unit performs control to alternately repeat an operation of increasing the viscosity of the imprinting material by the viscosity adjustment unit without correcting the shape by the shape correction unit, and an operation of correcting the shape by the shape correction unit without increasing the viscosity of the imprinting material by the viscosity adjustment unit .

The present invention provides a technique that is advantageous for aligning shots on a substrate with pattern areas on a mold.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of marks. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating components of an alignment error. FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating an example of a change in alignment error. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an alignment operation. 5A to 5C are views illustrating the procedure of an imprint process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment. 10A to 10C are views illustrating a procedure of an imprint process according to a second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment. 13A to 13C are views illustrating a procedure of an imprint process according to a third embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing an article.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

The imprint apparatus IMP of the first embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1(a) shows one configuration example of the imprint apparatus IMP, and FIG. 1(b) shows another configuration example of the imprint apparatus IMP. The imprint apparatus IMP can be configured to perform an alignment operation between the shot area and the pattern area of the substrate 1 in a contact state in which the imprint material on the shot area is in contact with the pattern area of the mold 2, and then perform a curing operation to harden the imprint material. The substrate 1 can have at least one, and typically multiple, shot areas. The shot area is an area to which a pattern in the pattern area of the mold 2 is transferred. The pattern in the pattern area of the mold 2 can have a recess.

As the imprint material, a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that is cured by applying energy for curing is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. can be used. The electromagnetic waves can be, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, such as infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet rays. The curable composition can be a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal mold release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The imprint material can be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The imprint material may also be supplied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25°C) may be, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less. Examples of materials that can be used for the substrate include glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors (Si, GaN, SiC, etc.), resins, etc. If necessary, a member made of a material different from the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate. The substrate may be, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass.

The imprinting apparatus 1 may include a substrate driving mechanism 11 that holds and drives the substrate 1, and a mold driving mechanism 3 that holds and drives the mold 2. The substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 constitute a relative driving mechanism that drives at least one of the substrate 1 and the mold 2 so that the relative positions of the substrate 1 and the mold 2 are adjusted. The adjustment of the relative position by the relative driving mechanism may include contact of the pattern area of the mold 2 with the imprint material on the substrate 1, and driving for separation of the mold 2 from the hardened imprint material (pattern of the hardened material). The adjustment of the relative position by the relative driving mechanism may also include alignment of the shot area of the substrate 1 with the pattern area of the mold 2. The substrate driving mechanism 11 may be configured to drive the substrate 1 about multiple axes (for example, three axes of the X axis, Y axis, and θZ axis, preferably six axes of the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θX axis, θY axis, and θZ axis). The mold driving mechanism 3 may include a mold deformation mechanism 12 that deforms the mold 2. The mold deformation mechanism 12 can deform the mold 2, for example, by applying a force to the side of the mold 2. The mold drive mechanism 3 can be configured to drive the mold 2 about multiple axes (for example, three axes: the Z axis, the θX axis, and the θY axis, and preferably six axes: the X axis, the Y axis, the Z axis, the θX axis, the θY axis, and the θZ axis).

The imprint apparatus IMP may include one or more measuring instruments 6 for measuring an alignment error between a shot area of the substrate 1 and a pattern area of the mold 2. The measuring instruments 6 may be used to detect the relative position of a mark 5 provided in the shot area of the substrate 1 and a mark 4 provided in the mold 4. The imprint apparatus IMP may include a control unit 30. The control unit 30 may detect an alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area based on the relative position detected for each of a plurality of mark pairs (each mark pair is composed of a mark 5 and a mark 4). An imaging optical system 8 may be disposed between the measuring instruments 6 and the mold 2.

The imprint device IMP may include an energy irradiation unit 20. The energy irradiation unit 20 irradiates the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 with energy for hardening. In this embodiment, the energy for hardening is the exposure light 7. However, the energy for hardening may be other energy. The energy irradiation unit 20 may include a viscosity adjustment unit 21 that increases the viscosity of the imprint material so that the relative vibration between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 is reduced in the alignment operation, and a hardening unit 22 that hardens the imprint material after the alignment operation. The viscosity adjustment unit 21 may irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7 so as to increase the viscosity of the imprint material. The hardening unit 22 may irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7 so as to harden the imprint material after the alignment operation. The wavelength of the exposure light 7 irradiated to the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 and the wavelength of the exposure light 7 irradiated to the imprint material by the hardening unit 22 may be different from each other, may be the same as each other, or may have a partially common wavelength band. The viscosity adjusting unit 21 and the hardening unit 22 may share some or all of their components.

The imprint apparatus IMP may include a shape correction unit 25 that irradiates the substrate 1 with shape correction light 9 that corrects the shape of the substrate 1. The imprint apparatus IMP may include a dispenser (not shown) that supplies or places imprint material in the shot area of the substrate 1.

The control unit 30 can control the substrate driving mechanism 11, the mold driving mechanism 3, the measuring device 6, the energy irradiation unit 20, the shape correction unit 25, the dispenser, etc. The control unit 30 can change the parameter value that controls the viscosity adjustment unit 21 according to a change in the control information for controlling the alignment operation in a contact state in which the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 and the pattern area of the mold 2 are in contact with each other. The control unit 30 can be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with a built-in program, or a combination of all or part of these.

In FIG. 2(a), marks 4a to 4h provided in the pattern region PR of the mold 2 are shown as an example. In FIG. 2(b), marks 5a to 5h provided in the shot region SR of the substrate 1 are shown as an example. In the example shown in FIG. 2(a) and (b), the pattern region PR and the shot region SR include six chip regions. Each of the marks 4a to 4h is disposed at one of the four corners of the pattern region PR. Each of the marks 5a to 5h is disposed at one of the four corners of the shot region SR. Marks 4a, 4b, 4e, 4f, 5a, 5b, 5e, and 5f are marks for measuring the position in the X direction. Marks 4c, 4d, 4g, 4h, 5c, 5d, 5g, and 5h are marks for measuring the position in the Y direction.

When the pattern region PR of the mold 2 is brought into contact with the imprint material on the shot region SR of the substrate 1, the relative positions of the substrate 1 and the mold 2 can be adjusted so that the marks 4a to 4h are close to the marks 5a to 5h, respectively. Therefore, by detecting the relative positions of each of the marks 4a to 4h and the corresponding marks among the marks 5a to 5h using the measuring device 6, the relative positions and shape differences between the shot region SR and the pattern region PR, that is, the alignment error, can be measured. Here, by arranging more marks, the shape difference between the shot region SR and the pattern region PR can be measured up to higher order components. In the example shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), four marks are used for the measurement in the X direction, and four marks are used for the measurement in the Y direction. With these marks, five components of the alignment error, namely, positional deviation, rotation, magnification, trapezoid, and twist, can be measured, as exemplified in Figure 3.

3(a) illustrates an alignment error related to a positional deviation (shift) between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR in the X and/or Y directions. FIG. 3(b) illustrates an alignment error related to a rotation between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR. FIG. 3(c) illustrates an alignment error related to a magnification between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR. FIG. 3(d) illustrates an alignment error related to a trapezoid between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR. FIG. 3(e) illustrates an alignment error related to a twist between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR. Although not shown in FIG. 3, there may also be other components of alignment errors (bow, barrel, pincushion) between the shot area SP and the pattern area PR.

The control unit 30 can deform the shape of the shot region SR of the substrate 1 by the shape correction unit 25 so that the difference in shape between the shot region SR of the substrate 1 and the pattern region PR of the mold 2 is reduced. The shape correction unit 25 can form a temperature distribution on the substrate 1, for example, by irradiating the substrate 1 with shape correction light 9, thereby deforming the shot region SR of the substrate 1. The control unit 30 can determine the illuminance distribution of the shape correction light 9 required to bring the shape of the shot region SR closer to the shape of the pattern region PR, based on the alignment error (shape difference) measured using the measuring instrument 6.

The control unit 30 can deform the shape of the pattern region PR of the mold 2 by the mold deformation mechanism 12 so that the difference in shape between the shot region SR of the substrate 1 and the pattern region PR of the mold 2 is reduced. The mold deformation mechanism 12 can deform the mold 2, for example, by applying a force to the side of the mold 2. The control unit 30 can obtain data in advance that indicates the relationship between the drive amount of the mold deformation mechanism 12 (the force that the mold deformation mechanism 12 applies to the side of the mold 2) and the deformation amount of the pattern region PR, and store it in a memory or the like. The control unit 30 can determine the deformation amount of the pattern region PR required to make the shape of the pattern region PR closer to the shape of the shot region SR, based on the alignment error (shape difference) measured using the measuring device 6. The control unit 30 can then determine the drive amount of the mold deformation mechanism 12 that corresponds to the determined deformation amount of the pattern region PR, based on the data stored in the memory.

As described above, the imprint device IMP performs an alignment operation in a contact state in which the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 is in contact with the pattern area of the mold 2, and can correct the shapes of the shot area SR and the pattern area PR during this alignment operation.

The alignment operation will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Reference numeral 401 illustrates an example of a change in alignment error in imprint processing for a shot area of the substrate 1. An alignment operation is performed in a contact state in which the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 and the pattern area of the mold 2 are in contact with each other, and then a curing operation is performed, and then the mold 2 is separated from the cured imprint material. Reference numeral 402 is an enlarged view of the rectangular area in reference numeral 401. When the rectangular area is viewed macroscopically, the alignment error is sufficiently small, but when viewed in the range of about several nm, it can be seen that there is a relative vibration between the substrate 1 and the mold 2. This is due to the substrate 1 and/or the mold 2 vibrating minutely. If the imprint material is cured in a state in which there is a relative vibration between the substrate 1 and the mold 2, the state in which there is a positional deviation due to the vibration between the shot area and the pattern area can be fixed. Therefore, as shown by reference numeral 403, the viscosity of the imprint material can be increased by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 so that the relative vibration between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 is reduced in the alignment operation.

However, there may be variation in the progress of the alignment operation between multiple shot regions. Therefore, the appropriate value of the irradiation amount (exposure amount) of the exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21, or the appropriate timing of the irradiation of the exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21, may differ between multiple shot regions. For example, if the irradiation amount of the exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 is greater than the appropriate value, or if the irradiation of the exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 is earlier than the appropriate timing, it may not be possible to align the shot region and the pattern region with high accuracy. Alternatively, even if the alignment error becomes sufficiently small immediately after the start of the alignment operation, waiting for the irradiation of the exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 is disadvantageous in terms of improving throughput.

The control unit 30 may be configured to change a parameter value for controlling the viscosity adjustment unit 21 in response to a change in control information for controlling an alignment operation in a contact state in which the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 is in contact with the pattern area of the mold 2. Here, the control information may be, for example, an alignment error measured using a measuring instrument 6. The parameter value may be a value for controlling the viscosity adjustment unit 21 (for example, a command value for the viscosity adjustment unit 21). The control information may change, for example, over time, and the control unit 30 may change the parameter value so that the intensity of the exposure light 7 changes in response to the control information that changes over time. The control unit 30 may change the parameter value so that the viscosity adjustment unit 21 continuously irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light 7.

In another example, the control unit 30 may change the parameter values so that the exposure light 7 is irradiated onto the imprint material as multiple pulsed lights. The control unit 30 may control at least one of the intensity, irradiation time width, and irradiation interval of each of the multiple pulsed lights.

Figure 5 illustrates an alignment operation in this embodiment. Here, Figure 5(a) illustrates a change in alignment error in imprint processing for a shot area of the substrate 1. The arrow in Figure 5(a) indicates the timing of irradiation of the exposure light irradiated to the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 during the alignment operation. Figure 5(b) illustrates a change in the integrated value (integrated exposure amount) of the light amount of the exposure light 7 irradiated to the imprint material. Figure 5(c) illustrates the timing of irradiation of the exposure light 7 to the imprint material and the intensity of the exposure light 7. Figure 5(d) illustrates the timing of irradiation of the shape correction light 9 to the substrate 1. In the example of Figure 5, when the exposure light 7 is irradiated to the imprint material, the shape correction light 9 is not irradiated to the substrate 1, and when the shape correction light 9 is irradiated to the substrate 1, the exposure light 7 is not irradiated to the imprint material. However, the irradiation of the exposure light 7 to the imprint material and the irradiation of the shape correction light 9 to the substrate 1 may be performed simultaneously.

Figure 6 illustrates the procedure of the imprint process for each shot area in this embodiment. In step S601, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 so that the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 comes into contact with the pattern area of the mold 2. In step S602, the control unit 30 uses the measuring device 6 to measure the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area. In step S603, based on the alignment error (control information) measured in step S602, the control unit 30 determines an exposure parameter value as a parameter value for controlling the viscosity adjustment unit 21 and sends it to the viscosity adjustment unit 21. This exposure parameter value may include at least one of a value indicating the timing at which the viscosity adjustment unit 21 irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light 7 and a value indicating the intensity of the exposure light 7 irradiated by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 to the imprint material. The viscosity adjustment unit 21 may irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7 according to the exposure parameter value sent from the control unit 30.

In step S604, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 based on the alignment error measured in step S602 so as to reduce the alignment error. In step S605, the control unit 30 uses the measuring device 6 to measure the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area. In step S606, the control unit 30 determines whether to accommodate the alignment operation, specifically, whether the alignment error measured in step S605 is within an allowable range. If the alignment error measured in step S605 is within an allowable range, the control unit 30 ends the alignment operation, and in step S607, the hardening unit 22 irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light 7 to harden the imprint material. Here, the control unit 30 can be configured to control the timing of hardening the imprint material after the viscosity adjustment unit 21 adjusts the viscosity according to a change in the control information (e.g., the alignment error).

On the other hand, if the alignment error measured in step S605 is not within the allowable range, the control unit 30 executes steps S603 to S606 again. The arrows in FIG. 5A correspond to the operation in step S603 in which the control unit 30 determines exposure parameter values as parameter values for controlling the viscosity adjustment unit 21, sends them to the viscosity adjustment unit 21, and the viscosity adjustment unit 21 irradiates the imprint material with exposure light 7.

In step S603, the control unit 30 may determine the exposure parameter values so that the viscosity adjustment unit 21 does not irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7. For example, if the alignment error is greater than a preset reference value, increasing the viscosity of the imprint material may make it difficult to drive at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 so as to reduce the alignment error. Therefore, if the alignment error is greater than a preset reference value, the control unit 30 may determine the exposure parameter values so that the viscosity adjustment unit 21 does not irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7. In such a case, the viscosity adjustment unit 21 will not irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7 until the alignment error falls below the preset reference value.

It is also possible to control the hardening operation by the hardening unit 22 so that it is not performed until the alignment error falls below a preset reference value. In this case, the hardening operation is performed after the alignment error has become sufficiently small, thereby ensuring the alignment accuracy. Accordingly, the effect of the correction mechanism of each correction function (such as shape correction of the shot area) can be prevented from being reduced by shifting the implementation timing. For example, a method can be used in which the implementation timing of each correction mechanism is shifted accordingly when the alignment error falls below a reference value or exposure by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 is earlier or later than expected. Such an imprinting device can include a hardening unit that hardens the imprinting material, a shape correction unit that corrects the shape of at least one of the shot area and the pattern area, and a viscosity adjustment unit that increases the viscosity of the imprinting material. In addition, such an imprinting device can include a control unit that changes a parameter value that controls at least one of the hardening unit, the shape correction unit, and the viscosity adjustment unit in response to a change in control information for controlling the alignment operation in the contact state.

An example of the shape correction unit is a configuration that corrects the shape of the shot area. For example, this configuration adjusts the intensity distribution of light emitted from a light source (not shown) and irradiates the substrate with the light. To adjust the intensity distribution of light, an aperture may be used, or multiple filters with different transmittances and/or a device such as a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) may be used. The substrate absorbs light and undergoes thermal expansion. At this time, the area irradiated with strong light expands significantly, while the area irradiated with weak light expands less. This can be used to control the shot shape of the substrate. Another example is a shape correction mechanism that deforms the shape of the mold by applying pressure from the side of the mold. By providing multiple points on each side that apply pressure to the side of the mold, it is possible to deform the mold into shapes such as skew and trapezoid, in addition to simple magnification. These corrections may be made based on the results of measuring the shot shape difference between the mold and the substrate. Also, if the shape difference is stable, corrections may be made based on the shape difference measured in advance. By performing these in parallel with the alignment operation, shot shape correction can be performed along with relative positioning.

If the alignment error measured immediately after the alignment operation for one shot area is started is sufficiently small, the imprint material can be quickly irradiated with exposure light 7 by the viscosity adjustment unit 21, thereby increasing the viscosity of the imprint material. In this case, the alignment error can be quickly brought within an acceptable range and the subsequent curing operation by the curing unit 22 can be performed, thereby improving throughput. In this case, too, by accelerating the timing of the implementation of various correction functions depending on the time to accelerate the curing operation by the curing unit 22, it is possible to accelerate the curing operation while preventing a decrease in overlay accuracy.

The second embodiment will be described below. Matters not mentioned as the second embodiment may follow the first embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates the relationship between the force (horizontal axis) applied between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 so that the substrate 1 and the mold 2 are moved relative to each other by at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3, and the amount of relative movement between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 due to the force (vertical axis). Hereinafter, this relationship will be called the driving characteristic. Although it is difficult to directly measure the shear force acting between the substrate 1 and the mold 2, the force written on the horizontal axis can be used as an index having a relatively strong correlation with the shear force. Usually, the relationship between the force and the amount of relative movement due to the force is linear and may depend on the characteristics of the imprint material, the distance between the substrate 1 and the mold 2, and the like. The line including point A indicates that the shear force acting between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 is small, that is, even if the force applied between the plate 1 and the mold 2 is small, the relative movement between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 occurs. The line including point B indicates that the shear force acting between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 is large; in other words, if the force applied between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 is not large, relative movement between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 will occur.

Figure 8 illustrates an example of the procedure of imprint processing for each shot area in the second embodiment. In step S801, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 so that the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 comes into contact with the pattern area of the mold 2. In step S802, the control unit 30 uses the measuring device 6 to measure the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area. In step S803, based on the alignment error (control information) measured in step S802, the control unit 30 determines an exposure parameter value as a parameter value for controlling the viscosity adjustment unit 21 and sends it to the viscosity adjustment unit 21. This exposure parameter value may include at least one of a value indicating the timing at which the viscosity adjustment unit 21 irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light 7 and a value indicating the intensity of the exposure light 7 irradiated by the viscosity adjustment unit 21 to the imprint material. The viscosity adjustment unit 21 may irradiate the imprint material with the exposure light 7 according to the exposure parameter value sent from the control unit 30.

In step S804, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 so as to reduce the alignment error based on the alignment error measured in step S802. Also, in step S804, the control unit 30 monitors the driving characteristics (the force applied between the substrate 1 and the mold 2, and the relative movement between the substrate 1 and the mold 2 due to that force) by at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3.

In step S805, the control unit 30 uses the measuring device 6 to measure the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area. In step S806, the control unit 30 determines whether to accommodate the alignment operation, specifically, whether the alignment error measured in step S805 is within the allowable range. If the alignment error measured in step S805 is within the allowable range, the control unit 30 ends the alignment operation, and in step S807, the hardening unit 22 controls the hardening unit 22 so that the hardening unit 22 irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light 7 to harden the imprint material. Here, the control unit 30 can be configured to control the timing of hardening the imprint material after the viscosity adjustment unit 21 adjusts the viscosity according to a change in the control information (e.g., alignment error). On the other hand, if the alignment error measured in step S805 is not within the allowable range, the control unit 30 executes steps S803 to S806 again.

In step S803, which is executed after step S806, the control unit 30 determines the exposure parameter value based on the result monitored in step S804. Specifically, the control unit 30 determines the exposure parameter value based on the result monitored in step S804, i.e., the driving characteristic (characteristic determined by force and amount of movement (line in FIG. 7)). More specifically, the control unit 30 can determine the exposure parameter value so that the closer the result monitored in step S804 is to a line including A, the greater the amount of exposure. Conversely, the control unit 30 can determine the exposure parameter value so that the closer the result monitored in step S804 is to a line including B, the smaller the amount of exposure. In other words, the control unit 30 can determine the parameter value based on the force required to relatively move the substrate 1 and the mold 2, in addition to the change in the control information (e.g., alignment error).

The third embodiment will be described below. Matters not mentioned as the third embodiment may follow the first or second embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates an alignment operation in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the control unit 30 may be configured to generate a profile indicating the temporal change in parameter values that control the viscosity adjustment unit 21 based on the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area during a predetermined period from the start of the alignment operation (hereinafter referred to as the initial alignment error). The viscosity adjustment unit 21 may operate according to the profile.

The control unit 30 may be configured to generate alignment control information for controlling the alignment between the shot area and the pattern area based on an initial alignment error, and to generate the profile based on the alignment control information. Alternatively, the control unit 30 may be configured to generate, in addition to the profile, alignment control information for controlling the alignment between the shot area and the pattern area based on the initial alignment error. In FIG. 9, the "predicted transition of alignment error" is the predicted transition of alignment error when alignment is performed according to the alignment control information.

Figure 10 illustrates an example of the procedure for imprint processing for each shot area in the third embodiment. In step S1001, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 so that the imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1 comes into contact with the pattern area of the mold 2. In step S1002, the control unit 30 uses the measuring device 6 to measure the alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area. This alignment error is an initial alignment error measured within a predetermined period of time from the start of the alignment operation.

In step S1003, the control unit 30 generates alignment control information for controlling the alignment between the shot area and the pattern area based on the initial alignment error measured in step S1002. The control unit 30 can generate alignment control information corresponding to the initial alignment error measured in step S1002, for example, by referring to a database that stores information indicating the relationship between the initial alignment error and the corresponding alignment control information. In step S1004, the control unit 30 generates a profile (exposure profile) indicating the temporal change in the parameter value that controls the viscosity adjustment unit 21 based on the alignment control information generated in step S1003, and sends it to the viscosity adjustment unit 21. The viscosity adjustment unit 21 can irradiate the exposure light 7 to the imprint material according to the exposure profile sent from the control unit 30.

In step S1005, the control unit 30 drives at least one of the substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 3 based on the alignment control information generated in step S103 to reduce alignment errors. In step S1006, the control unit 30 controls the curing unit 22 to irradiate the imprint material with exposure light 7 and harden the imprint material.

The alignment control may involve measuring the alignment error and repeating the driving operation based on the measured alignment error at high speed as described in the first and second embodiments, or may involve driving only using control information created based on the initial alignment error as described above.

The pattern of the cured material formed using the imprinting device is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The articles include electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, and molds. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGAs. Examples of molds include molds for imprinting.

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

Next, an article manufacturing method will be described in which a pattern is formed on a substrate using an imprinting device, the substrate on which the pattern has been formed is processed, and an article is manufactured from the processed substrate. As shown in FIG. 11(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprinting material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the state in which the imprinting material 3z in the form of multiple droplets has been applied onto the substrate is shown.

As shown in FIG. 11(b), the imprinting mold 4z is placed with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed facing the imprinting material 3z on the substrate. As shown in FIG. 11(c), the substrate 1z to which the imprinting material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z in this state as hardening energy, the imprinting material 3z hardens.

As shown in FIG. 11(d), after the imprint material 3z is hardened, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the hardened imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. This hardened pattern has a shape in which the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the hardened material, and the convex portions of the mold correspond to the concave portions of the hardened material, i.e., the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

As shown in FIG. 11(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the portions of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured material or where only a thin layer remains are removed, forming grooves 5z. As shown in FIG. 11(f), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article is obtained in which grooves 5z are formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may also be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

IMP: Imprinting device, 1: Substrate, 2: Mold, 20: Energy irradiation unit, 21: Viscosity adjustment unit, 30: Control unit

Claims (16)

1. An imprinting apparatus that performs an alignment operation between an imprint material on a shot area of a substrate and a pattern area of a mold in a contact state between the shot area and the pattern area, and then performs a curing operation to harden the imprint material,
a viscosity adjusting unit that increases the viscosity of the imprint material during the alignment operation;
a shape correction unit that corrects the shape of at least one of the shot area and the pattern area;
a control unit that changes a parameter value that controls the viscosity adjusting unit in response to a change in control information for controlling the alignment operation in the contact state ,
the control unit performs control so as to alternately repeat an operation of increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit without correcting the shape by the shape correction unit, and an operation of correcting the shape by the shape correction unit without increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit.
1. An imprint apparatus comprising: a measuring device for measuring an alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area,
The control information includes the alignment error.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 . The viscosity adjusting unit irradiates the imprint material with exposure light,
the parameter value includes a value for controlling irradiation of the imprint material with exposure light by the viscosity adjusting unit,
3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is a laser beam source. the control unit changes the parameter value so that the intensity of the exposure light changes in response to the control information that changes over time.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 . the control unit changes the parameter value so that the viscosity adjusting unit continuously irradiates the imprint material with the exposure light.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 . the control unit changes the parameter values so that the exposure light is irradiated onto the imprint material as a plurality of pulsed lights.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 . The control unit controls at least one of an intensity, an irradiation time width, and an irradiation interval of each of the plurality of pulsed lights.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 6 . The control unit determines the parameter value based on a force required to relatively move the substrate and the mold in addition to the change in the control information.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 . the control unit controls a timing for curing the imprint material after the viscosity is adjusted by the viscosity adjusting unit in response to a change in the control information.
9. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, 1. An imprinting apparatus that performs an alignment operation between an imprint material on a shot area of a substrate and a pattern area of a mold in a contact state between the shot area and the pattern area, and then performs a curing operation to harden the imprint material,
a viscosity adjusting unit that increases the viscosity of the imprint material during the alignment operation;
a shape correction unit that corrects the shape of at least one of the shot area and the pattern area;
a control unit that generates a profile indicating a temporal change in a parameter value that controls the viscosity adjustment unit based on an alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area during a predetermined period from the start of the alignment operation,
The viscosity adjusting unit operates according to the profile,
the control unit performs control so as to alternately repeat an operation of increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit without correcting the shape by the shape correction unit, and an operation of correcting the shape by the shape correction unit without increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit.
1. An imprint apparatus comprising: the control unit generates alignment control information for controlling alignment between the shot area and the pattern area based on the alignment error during the predetermined period, and generates the profile based on the alignment control information.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 10 . the control unit generates, in addition to the profile, alignment control information for controlling alignment between the shot area and the pattern area, based on the alignment error during the predetermined period.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 10 . 1. An imprinting apparatus that performs an alignment operation between an imprint material on a shot area of a substrate and a pattern area of a mold in a contact state between the shot area and the pattern area, and then performs a curing operation to harden the imprint material,
a hardening unit that hardens the imprint material; a shape correction unit that corrects a shape of at least one of the shot region and the pattern region; and a viscosity adjustment unit that increases a viscosity of the imprint material.
a control unit that changes a parameter value that controls at least one of the hardening unit, the shape correction unit, and the viscosity adjustment unit in response to a change in control information for controlling the alignment operation in the contact state ,
the control unit performs control so as to alternately repeat an operation of increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit without correcting the shape by the shape correction unit, and an operation of correcting the shape by the shape correction unit without increasing the viscosity of the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit.
1. An imprint apparatus comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13;
a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the step;
and obtaining an article from the substrate on which the processing has been performed. the shape correction unit irradiates the substrate with shape correction light for correcting the shape of the substrate;
The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13. the control unit performs control so that the exposure light irradiated to the imprint material by the viscosity adjustment unit and the shape correction light irradiated to the substrate by the shape correction unit are alternately irradiated to the substrate.
The imprint apparatus according to claim 15 .

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