Imprinting apparatus, imprinting method, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus, an imprint method, and an article manufacturing method. The imprint apparatus performs an imprint process for shaping an imprint material by using a mold. The apparatus includes a controller that obtains first height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a first substrate, and a measurement device that obtains second height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a second substrate. The controller controls the imprint process based on a corrected height distribution information obtained by removing a first component from the first height distribution information and a second component, the first component being an approximation function of an order not greater than a first predetermined order for approximating the first height distribution information, the second component being an approximation function of an order not greater than a second predetermined order for approximating the second height distribution information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an embossing apparatus, an embossing method, and a method for manufacturing articles. Background Technology

[0002] In an imprinting apparatus, the pattern of the mold is transferred to the imprinting material by curing the imprinting material disposed on a substrate while it is in contact with the mold. In a nanoimprinting apparatus, it is important to ensure that the mold and the imprinting material on the substrate are parallel to each other. Figure 2A and Figure 2B An enlarged view is shown in a state where the substrate 5 and the mold 3 are not parallel, and the imprinting material 14 on the injection areas 20 of the mold 3 and the substrate 5 are in contact with each other. Due to the non-parallelism of the substrate 5 and the mold 3, area 21 of the substrate 5 is not filled with the imprinting material 14, and the imprinting material 14 has overflowed into another area 22 outside the injection area 20. The non-parallelism of the substrate 5 and the mold 3 results in uneven thickness of the imprinting material 14. This has negative effects such as reduced linewidth uniformity and reduced yield. Furthermore, the fact that the spacing between the substrate 5 and the mold 3 is not the target spacing also causes the thickness of the imprinting material 14 to deviate from the target thickness. This also has negative effects such as reduced linewidth uniformity and reduced yield.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-101201 discloses a nanoimprint apparatus that transfers patterns by pressing a mold onto an object to be processed, wherein control is performed to keep the pressing direction of the mold perpendicular to the pattern forming surface of the mold.

[0004] If the shape of the substrate surface can be specified, the tilt and / or height of the substrate in the injection region can be obtained, thereby enabling the acquisition of the relative tilt and / or relative spacing between the injection region and the mold. The substrate surface can have, for example, a quadratic surface shape. To obtain an approximate function representing the shape of the quadratic surface, the height of the substrate surface needs to be measured at at least six measurement points. To improve the approximation accuracy, it is preferable, for example, to determine the approximate function using the least squares method by setting the number of measurement points to seven to ten. However, increasing the number of measurement points will correspondingly increase the measurement time, thus reducing throughput. On the other hand, reducing the number of measurement points will hinder the accurate measurement of the substrate surface shape, making it impossible to accurately obtain the tilt of the injection region. Furthermore, since the substrate surface may have a shape of higher order than the quadratic function, it will take even longer to determine higher-order approximate functions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a technique that improves yield and throughput by accurately measuring the shape of a substrate surface in a short time.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides an imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process for forming an imprinting material using a mold. The imprinting apparatus includes: a controller configured to obtain first height distribution information indicating a height distribution on the surface of a first substrate; and a measuring device configured to obtain second height distribution information indicating a height distribution on the surface of a second substrate. The controller is further configured to control the imprinting process based on corrected height distribution information and a second component, wherein the corrected height distribution information is obtained by removing a first component from the first height distribution information. The first component is an approximation function of order no greater than a first predetermined order for approximating the first height distribution information, and the second component is an approximation function of order no greater than a second predetermined order for approximating the second height distribution information.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention provides an imprinting method that uses a mold to perform an imprinting process for forming an imprinting material on a substrate. The imprinting method includes: obtaining first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of a surface of a first substrate; obtaining second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of a surface of a second substrate; obtaining corrected height distribution information by removing a first component from the first height distribution information, the first component being an approximation function of order no greater than a first predetermined order for approximating the first height distribution information; obtaining a second component, the second component being an approximation function of order no greater than a second predetermined order for approximating the second height distribution information; and controlling the imprinting process on the second substrate based on the corrected height distribution information and the second component.

[0008] A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an article, the method comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate by an imprinting method as defined in the second aspect of the present invention; and obtaining an article by processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.

[0009] Further features of the invention will become clear from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the embossing apparatus according to an embodiment;

[0011] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This is an enlarged view showing the imprinting process when the substrate and the mold are not parallel to each other;

[0012] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the pattern formation process;

[0013] Figure 4 It is a diagram schematically illustrating the state changes of the embossing device during the pattern forming operation;

[0014] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 3 The flowchart shows the processing procedure of step S105.

[0015] Figure 6 It is shown schematically. Figure 5 The flowchart shows the main processing steps of the process.

[0016] Figure 7 It is shown schematically. Figure 5 The flowchart shows the main processing steps of the process.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a concept diagram of pre-alignment;

[0018] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing a substrate with a four-dimensional shape;

[0019] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of measurement points;

[0020] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing examples of failures;

[0021] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the calibration process;

[0022] Figure 13 It is shown schematically. Figure 12 The diagram shows the main process of the calibration procedure.

[0023] Figure 14 It is a replacement Figure 5 The flowchart shown in the flowchart illustrates the process to be performed according to the process of the first embodiment;

[0024] Figure 15 It is shown schematically. Figure 14 The flowchart shows the main processing steps of the process; and

[0025] Figures 16A to 16F It is a diagram showing the method of manufacturing an item. Detailed Implementation

[0026] In the following description, embodiments will be illustrated in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Please note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. Several features are described in the embodiments, but the invention is not limited to requiring all of these features, and multiple such features can be suitably combined. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given the same or similar constructions, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0027] Figure 1 The arrangement of the imprinting apparatus 1 is shown. The imprinting apparatus 1 can be configured to perform an imprinting process that uses a mold to shape an imprinting material on a substrate. As the imprinting material, a curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) to be cured by receiving curing energy is used. Electromagnetic waves or heat can be used as the curing energy. The electromagnetic waves can be, for example, light selected from the wavelength range of 10 nm or greater to 1 mm or less, such as infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light. The curable composition can be a composition that is cured by light irradiation or heating. In the composition, the photocurable composition that is cured by light irradiation contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may also contain a solvent or a non-polymerizable compound as needed. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one material selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The imprinting material can be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting multiple droplets. The imprinting material can be supplied as a film to the substrate by a spin coater or a slot coater. The viscosity (viscosity at 25°C) of the imprinting material can be, for example, greater than or equal to 1 mPa·s to less than or equal to 100 mPa·s. Materials used as substrates can include, for example, glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors, resins, etc. Depending on the requirements, components made of a different material from the substrate can be disposed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate can be, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass.

[0028] In the specification and accompanying drawings, directions are indicated in the XYZ coordinate system, where the direction parallel to the surface of substrate 5 is defined as the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes of the XYZ coordinate system are the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively. Rotation about the X-axis, rotation about the Y-axis, and rotation about the Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or drive regarding the X, Y, and Z axes refers to control or drive regarding the directions parallel to the X-axis, parallel to the Y-axis, and parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. Furthermore, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis refers to control or drive regarding rotation about the axis parallel to the X-axis, rotation about the axis parallel to the Y-axis, and rotation about the axis parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. Additionally, position is information that can be specified based on coordinates on the X, Y, and Z axes, and orientation is information that can be specified by values ​​on the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis. Positioning refers to controlling position and / or orientation. Alignment may include controlling the position and / or orientation of at least one of the substrate 5 and the mold 3, thereby reducing alignment errors (overlap errors) between the injection area of ​​the substrate 5 and the patterned area of ​​the mold 3. Additionally, alignment may include control for correcting or altering the shape of at least one of the injection area of ​​the substrate 5 and the patterned area of ​​the mold 3.

[0029] The imprinting apparatus 1 may include, for example, a curing unit 2, an imprinting head 4, a substrate positioning mechanism 30, a distributor 7, a mold conveying mechanism 11, a substrate conveying mechanism 12, a TTM (Through The Mask) scope 13, and a controller 10. Additionally, the imprinting apparatus 1 may include a mold height sensor 9 and a substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8.

[0030] The curing unit 2 cures the imprinting material 14 disposed on the substrate 5 by irradiating the imprinting material 14 with curing energy (e.g., light such as ultraviolet light) 17 via the mold 3. The imprinting head 4 is a mold drive mechanism that holds and drives the mold 3. The mold 3 includes a patterned area, and a pattern to be transferred onto the imprinting material 14 on the substrate 5 is formed in the patterned area. The imprinting head 4 can be configured to drive the mold 3 around multiple axes (e.g., three axes including the Z-axis, θX-axis, and θY-axis, and more preferably six axes including the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis). Driven around the θX-axis and θY-axis, this indicates control over the tilt of the mold 3 or its patterned area.

[0031] The TTM observer 13 can be arranged on the impression head 4. The TTM observer 13 can be configured to observe or measure alignment marks arranged on the substrate 5 and alignment marks formed on the mold 3. The TTM observer 13 may include, for example, an optical system and a camera system. The TTM observer 13 can measure the alignment error (e.g., the offset in the X and Y directions) between the impression area of ​​the substrate 5 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3.

[0032] The substrate positioning mechanism 30 may include a substrate stage 6 for holding the substrate 5 and a stage driving mechanism 19 for driving the substrate stage 6. The substrate stage 6 may be driven by the stage driving mechanism 19 around multiple axes (e.g., three axes including the Z-axis, θX-axis, and θY-axis, and more preferably six axes including the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis). As a result, the substrate 5 may be driven or positioned around multiple axes.

[0033] The substrate stage 6 may include a mold height sensor 9 for measuring the height or tilt of the patterned area of ​​the mold 3. While driving the substrate stage 6 along the XY plane, the mold height sensor 9 can measure the height of multiple measurement points of the mold 3 (patterned area), and the tilt or shape of the mold 3 (patterned area) can be measured based on the obtained measurement results. The substrate stage 6 may be driven along the platform 15 by a stage drive mechanism 19. The platform 15 may be supported by a platform mount 16 to isolate vibrations from the floor. Figure 1 In the embossing apparatus 1 shown in the example arrangement, in addition to the platform 15, the curing unit 2, the embossing head 4, the dispenser 7, the substrate height sensor 8, etc. are also supported by the platform support 16.

[0034] The substrate height sensor 8 can be used to measure the height distribution or shape of the surface of the substrate 5. While the substrate stage 6 is being driven in the XY direction, the height of each of the multiple measurement points of the substrate 5 can be measured by the substrate height sensor 8, and the height distribution or shape of the surface of the substrate 5 can be measured based on the obtained measurement results.

[0035] Dispenser 7 can be configured to supply or arrange uncured imprinting material 14 onto substrate 5. Mold transport mechanism 11 can transport mold 3 to and from imprinting head 4. Substrate transport mechanism 12 can transport substrate 5 to and from substrate stage 6. Controller 10 can be formed, for example, of a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose computer with embedded programs, or a combination of all or part of these components. Controller 10 can be configured to control curing unit 2, imprinting head 4, substrate positioning mechanism 30, dispenser 7, mold transport mechanism 11, substrate transport mechanism 12, and TTM observer 13.

[0036] The following will refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The pattern forming operation performed by the imprinting apparatus 1 is described. The controller 10 controls the execution of the pattern forming operation. The pattern forming operation includes processing of at least one substrate 5. The processing of each substrate 5 includes multiple imprinting processes, and each imprinting process may include a process for forming a pattern on an injection area selected from multiple injection areas on the substrate 5. Figure 3 A flowchart of the pattern forming process is shown. Figure 4 The diagram schematically illustrates the changes in the state of the imprinting apparatus during the pattern-forming operation. (Indicates...) Figure 4 The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, as shown, correspond to those indicating... Figure 3 The accompanying figure labels show the process.

[0037] First, in step S101, the mold 3 is conveyed to the impression head 4 by the mold conveying mechanism 11 and held by the impression head 4. In step S102, the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 is used to measure the tilt of the patterned area of ​​the mold 3. By measuring the height of the patterned area of ​​the mold 3 based on at least two measuring points with different X coordinate values ​​and at least two measuring points with different Y coordinate values, the tilt relative to the θX axis and the tilt relative to the θY axis can be measured. To improve measurement accuracy through averaging or to measure quadratic or higher-order surfaces, the height of the patterned area of ​​the mold 3 can be measured by measuring three to five measuring points with different X coordinate values ​​and three to five measuring points with different Y coordinate values. The number of measuring points can be determined based on throughput and measurement accuracy.

[0038] Next, in step S103, the substrate 5 can be transported to the substrate stage 6 by the substrate transport mechanism 12 and held by the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S104, the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 can be used to measure the shape of the surface of the substrate 5. To approximate the surface of the substrate 5 as a linear function (i.e., a plane), it is necessary to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 by measuring at least three measurement points not arranged in a single column. To improve measurement accuracy based on the averaging effect, it is preferable to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 by measuring five to seven measurement points. To approximate the surface of the substrate 5 as a quadratic function, it is necessary to measure the surface of the substrate 5 by measuring even more measurement points. Note that the timing of the mold 3 being transported to the imprint head 4 and the timing of the substrate 5 being transported to the substrate stage 6 are sufficient before the processing in steps S102 and S104, respectively.

[0039] In step S105, the controller 10 can calculate or determine the tilt and / or height of a selected injection region from among a plurality of injection regions of the substrate 5, which is the injection region in which a pattern will be immediately formed (hereinafter referred to as the "injection region to be processed"). The tilt of the injection region to be processed is based on the tilt relative to the θX-axis and the tilt relative to the θY-axis. The tilt of the injection region to be processed can be calculated or determined based on the position of the injection region to be processed on the substrate 5 and the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 measured in the process of step S104. This process will be described in detail later.

[0040] In step S106, the relative orientation between the substrate 5 and the mold 3 can be controlled by the substrate positioning mechanism 30 and / or the imprint head 4 according to the tilt angle calculated or determined in step S105, so that the injection area to be processed will be parallel to the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. In one example, the imprint head 4 can control the tilt angle of the mold 3, so that the injection area to be processed will be parallel to the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6497938 can be applied here to control the relative orientation between the injection area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. In another example, the substrate positioning mechanism 30 can control the tilt angle of the substrate 5, so that the injection area to be processed will be parallel to the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. Moreover, in step S106, the relative position between the substrate 5 and the mold 3 can be controlled by the substrate positioning mechanism 30 and / or the imprint head 4 according to the height calculated in step S105, so that the interval between the injection area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 becomes the target interval.

[0041] In step S107, the dispenser 7 can arrange the imprinting material 14 onto the injection area to be processed. Note that the imprinting material 14 can be continuously applied to multiple injection areas by the dispenser 7, and if it is determined in step S107 that the imprinting material 14 has been arranged on the injection area to be processed, the processing of step S107 is skipped. In step S108, the imprinting head 4 and / or the substrate positioning mechanism 30 are controlled to bring the imprinting material 14 on the injection area to be processed into contact with the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. In step S108, the TTM observer 13 can be used to align the mold 3 with the injection area to be processed. Furthermore, in step S108, after the recess of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 and the space between the pattern area and the injection area to be processed have been filled with the imprinting material 14, the curing unit 2 will irradiate the imprinting material on the injection area to be processed with curing energy. As a result, the pattern of the patterned area of ​​the mold 3 is transferred onto the imprinting material 14, and the pattern made from the cured product of the imprinting material 14 is formed on the injection area to be processed. In step S109, the imprinting head 4 and / or the substrate positioning mechanism 30 are controlled to separate the patterned area of ​​the mold 3 from the cured imprinting material 14 on the injection area to be processed.

[0042] In step S110, the controller 10 determines whether the imprinting process has been completed for all imprinting areas of the substrate 5. If there are remaining imprinting areas that have not yet been imprinted, the controller 10 selects a new imprinting area to be processed from these areas and performs the processing steps S105 to S109 on that area. On the other hand, if there are no remaining imprinting areas that have not yet been imprinted, the controller 10 determines in step S111 whether the processing of all substrates forming this batch has been completed. If it is determined that the processing of all substrates has not been completed, the controller 10 performs the processing steps S103 to S109 to process the next substrate.

[0043] As an example of approximating the shape of the surface of substrate 5 by a function of arbitrary order, an example of approximating the shape of the surface of substrate 5 by a quadratic function (quadratic surface) will be described below.

[0044] A quadratic function (quadratic surface) can be expressed as:

[0045] Wz=Dz+Dx·X+Dy·X+Dxx·X 2 +Dxy·X·Y+Dyy·Y 2 ...(1)

[0046] Where (X, Y) are the coordinates indicating the position on substrate 5, Wz is the height of the surface of substrate 5 at (X, Y), Dz is the zeroth-order coefficient, Dx and Dy are first-order coefficients, and Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy are second-order coefficients. In this way, the quadratic function is expressed as a polynomial with six coefficients. To determine these six coefficients, the height of the surface of substrate 5 needs to be measured by measuring at least six measurement points. However, to improve the accuracy of each coefficient, it is preferable to measure the height of the surface of substrate 5 by measuring more than six measurement points and using the least squares method.

[0047] To more precisely specify the shape of the surface of substrate 5, it is preferable to approximate the shape using a higher-order function, such as a cubic or quartic function. If the shape is approximated using a cubic function, ten coefficients need to be determined, thus requiring at least ten measurement points. Similarly, if the shape is approximated using a quartic function, 15 coefficients need to be determined, thus requiring at least 15 measurement points. In these cases, even more measurement points can be measured to use the least squares method. However, since more measurement points are needed in this way to measure the height of the surface of substrate 5 in order to accurately specify the shape of the surface of substrate 5, the throughput is reduced.

[0048] The following describes a method for obtaining the tilt of the injection region to be processed based on an approximate function (surface) of the shape of the surface of the substrate 5. Although an example of the function of approximating the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 being expressed by Equation (1) (i.e., a quadratic function) will be described here, the order of the function used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 can be other orders.

[0049] To obtain the tilt of the injection region to be processed based on an approximate function of the shape of the surface of the approximate substrate 5, the tilt of the tangent of this approximate function, i.e., the partial derivative of the approximate function, can be obtained. Let (X,Y) be the coordinates of the center position of the injection region to be processed, then the tilt relative to the θY axis and the tilt relative to the θX axis are given by the following formulas:

[0050]

[0051]

[0052] Additionally, the height at the center of the injection zone to be treated is given by the following formula:

[0053] Height=Dz+Dx·X+Dy·Y+Dxx·X 2 +Dxy·X·Y+Dyy·Y 2 ...(4)

[0054] Please note that in order to obtain the height and inclination of the injection region to be treated by using the height measurements at each of the multiple measurement points in the injection region, a linear plane (linear function) is obtained through least squares approximation, thereby obtaining...

[0055] Wz=Dz+Dx·X+Dy·Y...(5)

[0056] And calculate

[0057] Inclination relative to the θY axis = Dx...(6)

[0058] Inclination relative to the θX-axis = Dy...(7)

[0059] Height = Dz + Dx·X + Dy·Y...(8)

[0060] Refer to the following text Figure 5 and Figure 6 The first embodiment is described. Figure 5 It shows Figure 3 The flowchart shows the processing steps of step S105 (measurement processing of the injection area to be processed). Figure 5 It also shows in Figure 3 The flowchart shows the process to be performed before the previous process (measurement process on the previous substrate). Figure 6 schematically shown Figure 5 The main processing of the flowchart. Figure 6 The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of the process shown correspond to Figure 5 The accompanying figure labels show the process.

[0061] The surface of substrate 5 can have a curved shape that can be approximated by a second-order or higher-order (third-order or higher-order) function. For example, the second-order or higher-order components can be common components among multiple substrates 5 formed in the same batch. This is because substrates 5 belonging to the same batch undergo the same processing. On the other hand, among multiple substrates 5 formed in the same batch, the zero-order (height) and first-order (tilt) components tend to vary. This may be due to factors such as arrangement errors of the individual substrates 5 on the substrate stage 6.

[0062] For example, the previous substrate 5a is the first substrate in a batch, and the substrate 5 to be processed can be the second substrate or a subsequent substrate in the same batch. First, the measurement of the previous substrate 5a will be described. The measurement process of the previous substrate 5a may include steps S201 to S204. If the previous substrate 5a is the first substrate in the batch, then in Figure 3The process of step S201 is executed in step S103 of the flowchart shown, and the processes of steps S203 and S204 can be executed in step S104. Additionally, the process of step S204 can be executed in step S105.

[0063] In step S201, the previous substrate (first substrate) 5a can be transported to the substrate stage 6 by the substrate transport mechanism 12 and held by the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S202, the substrate height sensor 8 is used to measure the shape of the surface of the previous substrate 5a. More specifically, in step S202, the substrate height sensor 8 can be used to measure the height of the surface of the previous substrate 5a by measuring multiple (a first number) measurement points. As a result, the controller 10 can obtain first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the previous substrate 5a. This state is schematically shown in schematic diagram 60B. Here, the number of measurement points (the first number) can be determined according to the order of the approximation function used to approximate the shape of the surface of the previous substrate 5a. In step S203, the controller 10 can store the measurement results obtained in step S202 in a storage device. In step S204, the controller 10 can calculate the tilt of the injection area to be processed based on the measurement results stored in step S203.

[0064] The following describes the measurements of the substrate 5 to be processed. First, on... Figure 3 In step S104, the substrate height sensor 8 can be used to measure the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 (second substrate) to be processed. More specifically, in step S104, the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 can be used to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed by measuring multiple (second number) measuring points. This state is schematically shown in schematic diagram 60E. As a result, the controller 10 can obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed. Typically, the number of measuring points used to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 (second substrate) to be processed (second number) is less than the number of measuring points used to measure the height of the surface of the previous substrate (first substrate) 5a (first number).

[0065] Next, in step S301, the controller 10 determines a second component based on the second height distribution information obtained in step S104. This second component is a second predetermined order or lower order approximation function used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed. Here, although the second component, as a second predetermined order or lower order approximation function, can be, for example, a second-order or lower-order component, a first-order component, or a zero-order component, it is not limited to this. Note that, considering the balance between measurement accuracy and throughput, it is preferable to set a quadratic function as the second component.

[0066] In schematic diagram 60E, the second component is exemplarily represented by dashed lines. This second component is a second predetermined order or lower order approximation function used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed. The number of measurement points (second quantity) in the processing of step S104 can be determined based on the order of the approximation function (second component) determined in step S301. For example, if the approximation function (second component) is a linear function representing a linear plane, at least three measurement points not on a straight line will be required, and four or five measurement points can be set to reduce measurement error. The approximation function (second component) can be determined, for example, by least squares based on the second height distribution information obtained in step S104.

[0067] In step S302, the controller 10 obtains the second tilt component (tilt based on the second component) of the injection region to be processed based on the approximation function (second component) determined in step S301 and the position of the injection region to be processed on the substrate 5. Here, if the approximation function (second component) used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed is a linear plane (linear function), as in the example of schematic diagram 60E, the second tilt component will be the same regardless of the position of the injection region. If the approximation function (second component) used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed is a quadratic surface (quadratic function), the second tilt component of the injection region can be calculated by using equations (2) and (3). Schematic diagram 60F schematically shows the second tilt component of the injection region to be processed on the substrate 5 to be processed.

[0068] Next, in step S303, the controller 10 reads the first height distribution information of the previous substrate 5a stored in step S203. In step S304, the controller 10 determines a first component based on the first height distribution information read in step S303. This first component is an approximation function of a first predetermined order or lower order used to approximate the shape of the surface of the previous substrate 5a. Preferably, the order of the approximation function (first component) used to approximate the shape of the surface of the previous substrate (first substrate) 5a is the same as the order of the approximation function (second component) used to approximate the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed (second substrate) determined in step S301. In other words, preferably, the second predetermined order is the same as the first predetermined order. However, if there is an order that is not necessary for determining the tilt of the injection region to be processed, the second predetermined order may be different from the first predetermined order.

[0069] In the example of schematic diagram 60B, the first predetermined order or lower order approximation function (first component) used to approximate the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a is a linear function (linear plane) and is represented by dashed lines. The approximation function used to approximate the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a can be obtained based on all the first height distribution information (i.e., the height information of each measurement point), or it can be obtained based on the height information of the same measurement points as shown in schematic diagram 60E. If a linear plane is to be obtained from the height information of each measurement point, the approximation function can be calculated using a quadratic surface instead of by approximating a linear plane, and using the zero-order and first-order terms or coefficients obtained from the approximation function. In other words, the controller 10 can obtain the first predetermined order or lower order component by extracting the first predetermined order or lower order component from the first height distribution information that approximates the height distribution of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a.

[0070] In step S305, the controller 10 generates corrected height distribution information by removing the components (first components) of the first predetermined order or lower order approximation function determined from the first height distribution information in step S304. This can also be understood as extracting components of orders exceeding the first predetermined order from the first height distribution information. Components exceeding the first predetermined order are schematically shown in schematic diagram 60C.

[0071] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, for ease of description, the reference numerals for the first component of the preceding substrate 5a shown in schematic diagram 60A are reversed compared to those for the substrate 5 shown in schematic diagram 60D. Therefore, in step S305, if the linear component is not removed from the first height distribution information of the preceding substrate 5a, the linear components of schematic diagram 60A and schematic diagram 60D will cancel each other out. As a result, the linear component will be zero, and only the quadratic component will be calculated. More precisely, the shape of schematic diagram 60D needs to be reproduced. Therefore, the processing in step S305 is required, and a first predetermined order or lower order component (the first component) is removed from the first height distribution information of the preceding substrate 5a.

[0072] In step S306, the controller 10 obtains a first tilt component (tilt based on the first component) of the injection region of the substrate 5 to be processed based on the corrected height distribution information and the position of the injection region arranged at the same location as the injection region of the substrate 5 to be processed. This can be calculated based on a function and the coordinates of the center of the injection region, which is obtained by partially deriving an approximation function for approximating the corrected height distribution information. More preferably, in step S202, measurements are taken at fine intervals to include multiple measurement points in the injection region, and the injection region is approximated in step S306 using a linear plane by using the measurements of the multiple measurement points included in the injection region. This is as shown in equations (6) and (7). Since at least two measurement points are also included in the injection region in the example shown in schematic diagram 60C, these measurement points can be used for linear approximation. The tilt of each injection region in the three injection regions is illustrated in schematic diagram 60C. Note that schematic diagram 60C is merely a conceptual diagram. Since each injection region is small enough relative to the substrate 5a, there is no problem with accuracy even if the injection region is approximated by using a linear plane.

[0073] In step S307, the controller 10 obtains the tilt of the injection region to be processed based on a first tilt component of the injection region and a second tilt component of the injection region to be processed. The first tilt component of the injection region is obtained in step S306 based on the measurement results of the previous substrate 5a, and the second tilt component of the injection region to be processed is obtained in step S302 based on the measurement results of the substrate 5 to be processed. More specifically, the controller 10 obtains the tilt of the injection region to be processed by adding the first tilt component of the injection region obtained based on the measurement results of the previous substrate 5a to the second tilt component of the injection region to be processed obtained based on the measurement results of the substrate 5 to be processed. The tilt of the injection region to be processed obtained in this way is schematically shown in schematic diagram 60G.

[0074] Figure 6This is merely a simplified example for ease of understanding the process, and the invention is not limited to such an example. The first and second predetermined orders can be arbitrarily set. For example, in the height measurement of the previous substrate surface in step S202, measurements can be taken at intervals smaller than the size of the injection area shown in schematic diagram 60B, allowing the surface of the previous substrate to be approximated by a surface containing cubic, quartic, or fifth-order or higher-order components. Alternatively, in the height measurement of the substrate surface to be processed in step S104, measuring more than six measurement points on the substrate to be processed will allow the shape of the substrate surface to be approximated by a quadratic surface in step S301. In this case, the quadratic surface components (zeroth, first, and second-order coefficients) can be removed from the measurement values ​​of the previous substrate in step S305. Similarly, by measuring more than ten measurement points in step S104, the shape of the substrate surface to be processed can be approximated using a cubic surface in step S301. In this case, the cubic surface components (zeroth, first, second, and third-order coefficients) can be removed from the measurement values ​​of the previous substrate in step S305. Since adding measurement points in step S104 reduces throughput, it is preferable, in general use, to set the number of measurement points to six or seven in step S104 and to perform a function approximation of the highest quadratic surface in step S301. As described above, since measuring the previous substrate in step S202 does not affect throughput, it is preferable to measure the measurement points with a spacing smaller than the size of the injection region; that is, ideally, the grid has a spacing of 1 to several millimeters and is sufficient to cover higher-order components.

[0075] In step S202, the preceding substrate to be measured does not necessarily have to be the first substrate from the same batch as the substrate to be processed, but can be multiple substrates from the same batch. In this case, multiple substrates can be measured, and the average of the obtained measurements can be used. Alternatively, if the imprinting process is to be performed continuously on multiple substrates, the processing in step S202 can be performed by setting at least one of the first substrates as the preceding substrate.

[0076] Figure 5 The processing shown is merely an example, and the order of processing can be switched without contradiction. For example, since it is not necessary to process each injection region using steps S301, S303, S304, and S305, these processes can be performed as part of the processing in step S104, or immediately after step S104. Alternatively, if the coordinate values ​​of all injection regions are known in advance, the tilt of each injection region can be calculated immediately after the processing in step S104 and stored in a storage device, and the tilt retrieved from the storage device can be used in step S106.

[0077] Furthermore, the information to be stored in the storage device in step S203 is not limited to the measurement values ​​of the previous substrate 5a. This information could be the result obtained by removing approximate function components in step S305, or it could be stored in the storage device after calculating all tilt values ​​to be calculated in step S306. However, more generally, in Figure 6 The information obtained in step S202 can be stored in a storage device in step S203.

[0078] The operation of the first embodiment can be summarized as follows.

[0079] The controller 10 obtains first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate (previous substrate 5a) (step S303).

[0080] The controller 10 uses the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 to obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate (substrate 5) (step S104).

[0081] The controller 10 obtains the corrected height distribution information by removing a first component from the first height distribution information. The first component is an approximation function of a first predetermined order or lower order used to approximate the first height distribution information (steps S304 and S305).

[0082] The controller 10 controls the imprinting process based on the second component and the corrected height distribution information. The second component is a second predetermined order or lower order approximation function used to approximate the second height distribution information (steps S301, S302, S306, S307 and S106).

[0083] The second embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, at least one substrate from the substrates at the beginning of the batch can be used as the preceding substrate (first substrate). In the second embodiment, an ultra-flat substrate 5b is used as the preceding substrate (first substrate). The ultra-flat substrate 5b is a substrate with a flatness higher than that of the substrate 5 to be processed. The second embodiment is advantageous when factors related to the imprinting apparatus 1 (e.g., the shape of the substrate chuck 18 and the shape component of the stage plate 15, which serves as the movement reference for the substrate stage 6) have a greater influence than the surface shape of the substrate 5 to be processed. Figure 7 An example is shown where the shape of the clamping surface of the substrate chuck 18 contains a large quadratic component. Although in Figure 7 The shape of the clamping surface of the substrate chuck 18 is shown in an exaggerated manner, but it is difficult to precisely flatten the entire clamping surface of the substrate chuck, which extends, for example, to φ300 mm. Therefore, the clamping surface can at least have this component.

[0084] Schematic diagram 70B schematically illustrates a state where the clamping surface of the substrate chuck 18 includes a quadratic component and the ultraflat substrate 5b has been clamped to the clamping surface. Since the shape of the ultraflat substrate 5b follows the shape of the clamping surface of the substrate chuck 18, the surface shape of the ultraflat substrate 5b also includes a quadratic component. Schematic diagram 70E schematically illustrates a state where the substrate 5 to be processed has been clamped to the clamping surface of the same substrate chuck 18. As schematically shown in schematic diagram 70D, the linear component of the substrate 5 to be processed may differ from the linear component of the ultraflat substrate 5b shown in schematic diagram 70A.

[0085] In this example, the method used to accurately obtain the tilt of the injection zone is similar to... Figure 5 The method shown in the flowchart is the same. The ultraflat substrate 5b in schematic diagram 70A can be set as the previous substrate, and the shape of the surface can be measured in step S202. As a result, for example, as schematically shown in schematic diagram 70B, the shape of the quadratic surface can be measured. The substrate 5 to be processed in schematic diagram 70D can also be determined according to... Figure 5 The process described in the flowchart is measured in step S104. Here, for example, as schematically shown in diagram 70E, the measurement can be performed to measure the linear component.

[0086] In steps S304 and S305, the linear component of the surface of the superflat substrate 5b, which serves as the preceding substrate, is removed from the height distribution information of that surface. Note that an example without linear components is shown in schematic diagram 70B. However, since first-order and lower-order components are removed in step S305, it will not cause a problem even if linear components exist and the linear components schematically shown in schematic diagram 70E will ultimately be used. Schematic diagram 70C schematically shows the result obtained by removing first-order and lower-order components from the height distribution information of schematic diagram 70B, and the first tilt component of the injection region can be obtained from this result in step S306.

[0087] In step S301, a first-order or lower-order component is calculated based on the height distribution information schematically shown in diagram 70E. This result is schematically shown in diagram 70F. In step S302, a second tilt component of the injection region to be processed is obtained from the first-order or lower-order component calculated in step S301. In step S307, the first tilt component obtained in step S306 is added to the second tilt component obtained in step S302 to obtain the tilt of the injection region to be processed. This result is schematically shown in diagram 70G.

[0088] That is, performing a process similar to that in the first embodiment will allow for precise acquisition of the tilt of the injection region as a result. The difference from the first embodiment lies in whether the first tilt component depends on the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a or on the shape of the surface of the substrate chuck 18. Although the shape of a surface comprising two elements is typically measured using a substrate height sensor 8, it can also be determined based on… Figure 5 The flowchart process accurately measures the tilt of the injection region of the substrate to be processed, without taking this fact into account.

[0089] During the adjustment of the imprinting apparatus 1, the process from steps S201 to S203 for measuring higher-order components of factors related to the imprinting apparatus 1 essentially only needs to be performed once. Optionally, these processes can be performed when the substrate chuck 18 is to be replaced or during maintenance of the imprinting apparatus 1. If a batch change occurs in the first embodiment, the process from steps S201 to S203 needs to be performed again on the previous substrate. However, as long as the process does not require consideration of the tilt of the injection area, it is sufficient to perform only the second embodiment. If the first and second embodiments are to be performed alternately according to batches, multiple storage areas for storing the results in step S203 can be arranged, and the storage areas can be switched according to each batch.

[0090] The third embodiment will be described below. Essentially, steps S201 to S203 only need to be performed once for each individual batch. However, if a considerable amount of time has elapsed since the start of steps S201 to S203, the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 to be processed may have changed from the shape of the surface of the previous substrate 5a. In this case, steps S201 to S203 can be performed again. However, performing step S202 will require a corresponding amount of time.

[0091] Therefore, in step S104, only the number of measurement points, for example, the first substrate 5 to be processed, can be increased. For example, although the zero-order and linear components can usually be measured by setting three measurement points, the highest quadratic component will be measured by setting six measurement points for at least the first substrate 5 to be processed. Subsequently, the coefficients of the quadratic components (corresponding to Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy in equation (1)) will also be used for subsequent substrates 5 to be processed. As a result, the tilt of the indentation region to be processed can be accurately determined without reducing the throughput of the second and subsequent substrates 5 to be processed. In this case, in step S305, the second-order or lower-order components (zero-order, linear, and quadratic components) will be removed from the measurement values ​​of the previous substrate 5a. As a result, the third-order or higher-order components will be obtained in the measurement of the previous substrate 5a in step S202, the quadratic components will be obtained by using the first substrate 5 to be processed, and the zero-order and linear components will be obtained during the imprinting process of the next substrate 5 to be processed.

[0092] This operation can be summarized as follows.

[0093] The controller 10 obtains first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate (previous substrate 5a) (step S303).

[0094] The controller 10 uses the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 to obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate (at least one of the plurality of substrates 5) (step S104).

[0095] The controller 10 uses the substrate height sensor (measuring device) 8 to obtain third height distribution information of the surface height distribution of the third substrate (the next substrate 5 among a plurality of substrates to be processed 5) (step S104).

[0096] The controller 10 obtains a second component for approximating the second height distribution information (including a component of a second predetermined order or lower and a component of an order higher than a third predetermined order, which is lower than the second predetermined order) (step S301).

[0097] The controller 10 obtains a third component (a function of a third predetermined order or lower) for approximating the third height distribution information (steps S301, S302, S304, S305, S306, S307 and S106).

[0098] Furthermore, the controller 10 can determine whether to inherit the coefficients of the approximate function from the first substrate 5. For example, consider a case where Dxy is assumed to be a coefficient that hardly changes across all substrates, while Dxx and Dyy are assumed to be coefficients determined for each substrate. In this case, the second-order coefficients Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy are all calculated by setting six measurement points for the first substrate. Subsequently, for the second substrate, only five measurement points are set, so that only the value determined in the processing of the first substrate is inherited for Dxy, and the values ​​of Dxx and Dyy are recalculated based on the obtained measurement values.

[0099] Since higher-order coefficients are more susceptible to measurement errors, it is generally preferable to increase the number of measurement points and use the least squares method. That is, even when there are five or six measurement points in each of the second and subsequent substrates to be processed, there may be cases where second-order coefficients are intentionally not calculated. In other words, the first substrate to be processed can be set to have approximately seven to ten measurement points, allowing for accurate acquisition of the corresponding coefficients, and the second-order coefficients Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy of the first substrate to be processed can be inherited by each of the second and subsequent substrates to be processed. For each of the second and subsequent substrates to be processed, only the linear components can be calculated using the least squares method based on five to six measurement points. Since using such a method makes it less susceptible to measurement errors from the substrate height sensor 8, it is expected to improve accuracy.

[0100] The number of measurement points can be increased not only for the first substrate to be processed, but also for multiple substrates or for every N (N is an integer of 2 or greater) substrates to be processed.

[0101] The fourth embodiment will be described below. Typically, prior to the imprinting process, pre-alignment can be performed using an alignment scope (not shown) to measure the arrangement (imprint layout) of multiple imprinting regions on the substrate 5. The alignment scope can have a larger... Figure 1 The TTM observer 13 has a wider field of view. As a result, even if placement errors occur when the substrate 5 is placed on the substrate stage 6, the marks placed on the substrate can be supplemented within the field of view of the aligner. In pre-alignment, the positions of multiple marks can typically be measured, and the injection layout can be calculated by function approximation.

[0102] Figure 8A conceptual diagram of pre-alignment is shown. Multiple injection regions of substrate 5, more specifically, in this example, six injection regions, have been selected as injection regions 23 to be measured. By arranging substrate height sensor 8 near the aligner, measurements can be performed by substrate height sensor 8 in parallel with pre-alignment (processing in step S104), thereby advantageously increasing throughput. While the aligner will need to measure alignment marks arranged on the substrate, substrate height sensor 8 can perform measurements essentially anywhere, as long as the reflective surface (i.e., the substrate) is present at the location to be measured.

[0103] Increasing the number of measurement points in step S104 will require increasing the number of measurement points used for pre-alignment measurement. Since pre-alignment measurement includes imaging via the camera element, image processing, etc., it essentially requires a corresponding amount of processing time. Therefore, increasing the number of measurement points will lead to a decrease in throughput.

[0104] As described above, the position to be measured by the substrate height sensor 8 can be any position within the surface of the substrate 5. Therefore, by measuring with the substrate height sensor 8 during movement from one pre-alignment measurement point to the next, the number of measurement points for height measurement can be increased. However, if the measurement is performed while the substrate stage 6 is accelerating or decelerating, the measurement may be affected by the tilt or height variation of the substrate stage 6. Therefore, preferably, the measurement is performed by the substrate height sensor 8 during a period when the substrate stage 6 moves at a constant speed or at the instant the speed changes from acceleration to deceleration. Typically, such an additional measurement point can be the midpoint between a set of pre-alignment measurement points. Such an additional measurement point 24 is as follows: Figure 8 As shown. In this example, there are six measurement points (simultaneous measurement points) used to measure the height simultaneously with the pre-alignment, and five height measurement points are measured during movement between one simultaneous measurement point and another. These measurements can be used for approximation by, for example, a higher-order function of a cubic function, or to improve the accuracy of the coefficient calculations by using the least squares method during the calculation of second-order coefficients.

[0105] Please note that the calculation of the higher-order components of the previous substrate 5a based on the measurement values ​​obtained in step S202 is similar to those calculations performed in the first and second embodiments.

[0106] The surface of the substrate 5, which has undergone various processes, tends to have a shape with a higher peripheral portion, i.e., a fourfold shape. Figure 9 A substrate 5 having a quartic shape is schematically shown. Even when the substrate 5 has such a shape, the spacing and measurement range of the measurement points in the process of step S202 can be appropriately set to determine higher-order components based on the measurement of the previous substrate 5a in the first embodiment.

[0107] However, even these higher-order components can often vary slightly for each substrate. In normal imprinting processes, this degree of variation may not be a problem in most cases. However, depending on the pattern to be transferred onto the imprinting material, even small variations in higher-order components can have a significant impact on the imprinting result.

[0108] While higher-order coefficients can be calculated by increasing the number of measurement points, as in the fourth embodiment, fourth-order coefficients would require at least 15 measurement points, and in practice, even more when using the least squares method. Furthermore, the measurement points would need to be arranged around the periphery of the substrate. Typically, pre-aligned measurement points are arranged to avoid the periphery of the substrate. In this case, the fourth embodiment would be difficult to implement.

[0109] As described above, measurements can be taken by the substrate height sensor 8 during the movement of the substrate stage 6. Therefore, the substrate stage 6 and the substrate height sensor 8 can be controlled so that, while the substrate stage 6 is moving, the height of the surface of the substrate 5 is measured from one end of the substrate 5 to the other along the diametrical direction of the substrate 5. For example, as... Figure 10 As shown, measurements can be performed on the column in each of the X and Y directions. In this example, 15 or more measurement points can be set. However, since the measurement points are arranged in a single column, it is impossible to calculate all the coefficients of the quartic surface. Coefficients that cannot be calculated by this measurement method can be obtained from the measurement results of step S202. When the measurement accuracy of the inclination of the injection region is critical, each substrate can be measured. Figure 10 The measurements illustrated herein demonstrate that, as a result, measurements can be performed more accurately while minimizing throughput degradation. The measurement examples given here are merely illustrative, and the invention is not limited thereto. For example, various cases can be considered, such as measurements performed only in the X direction, measurements performed only in the Y direction, and measurements performed also in the diagonal directions, etc.

[0110] The sixth embodiment will be described below. It can be performed in other apparatus separate from the imprinting apparatus 1. Figure 5 The processing steps S201 to S203 are shown. However, if the apparatus for measuring the previous substrate is different from the imprinting apparatus 1, it may have a negative impact on the determination of the tilt of the imprinting area. Figure 11 An example of failure is illustrated schematically. Assume that the substrate chuck 18a of other devices has a secondary shape as shown in schematic diagram 110B, and the substrate chuck 18 of the imprinting apparatus 1 has a linear shape as shown in schematic diagram 110E. In this case, if the operation according to... Figure 5In the process of processing the flowchart, the tilt of the injection area obtained in step S307 will be the tilt value that has already been affected by the secondary shape of the substrate chuck 18a of other devices. Figure 11 In the example, the actual required tilt of the injection area is the tilt shown in schematic diagram 110F.

[0111] When the processing of the previous substrate 5a performed in step S202 and the processing of the substrate 5 to be processed performed in step S104 are to be performed in the same device, such as Figure 7 As shown, even if the substrate chuck 18 has a secondary shape, the tilt of the injection region can be calculated without any problems. This is because the component caused by the shape of the clamping surface of the substrate chuck 18 is the same as that in the processing of the previous substrate 5a performed in step S202 and the processing of the substrate 5 to be processed performed in step S104.

[0112] Therefore, when the shape of the surface of the previous substrate 5a is to be measured in another device separate from the imprinting device 1, device factors, such as the difference between the shape of the substrate chuck 18a of the other device and the shape of the substrate chuck 18 of the imprinting device 1, can be measured in advance and reflected in the tilt calculation of the injection area. Figure 12 A flowchart of the calibration process according to the sixth embodiment is shown. Figure 13 The main process of the calibration procedure is illustrated schematically. The basic concept is that the shape of the surface of the same substrate 5 is measured by both the other device and the imprinting device 1, and the difference between the measurement results is calculated as a device factor, that is, as the difference between the shapes of the individual substrate chucks.

[0113] exist Figure 12 In step S401, the substrate 5 is transported to another device and held by the substrate chuck 18a. Although the substrate 5 can be any type of substrate in this case, an ultra-flat substrate is preferably used. In step S402, the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 is measured in a manner similar to that of step S202. This corresponds to schematic diagram 130B, and the measurement result is obtained as shown in schematic diagram 130C. In step S403, the measurement result is stored in a storage device in a manner similar to that of step S203.

[0114] The shape of the surface of the same substrate 5 is also measured in the imprinting apparatus 1. In step S501, the substrate 5 used in step S402 is conveyed to the imprinting apparatus 1 and held by the substrate chuck 18. In step S502, the substrate height sensor 8 is used to measure the shape of the surface of the substrate 5. This corresponds to schematic diagram 130E, and the measurement result is obtained as shown in schematic diagram 130F. Here, it is preferable that the arrangement of the measurement points in the measurement performed in step S502 is the same as the arrangement of the measurement points in the measurement performed in step S402. Since Figure 12 The processing shown is sufficient to be performed only when other devices are introduced or when the substrate chuck of other devices or imprinting devices is replaced, so throughput need not be considered.

[0115] In step S503, the measurement result (illustration 130C) of the shape of the surface of the substrate 5, measured by other devices and stored in the storage device in step S403, is read from the storage device of the imprinting apparatus 1. In step S504, the difference between the measurement result obtained in step S402 and the measurement result obtained in step S502 is calculated. Here, since the measurement point in the process of step S402 and the measurement point in the process of step S502 are at the same position on the substrate 5, it is sufficient to calculate the difference between the measurement values ​​of the same measurement point. The result of this difference is shown in illustration 130G and stored in the storage device in step S505. If multiple other devices are present, multiple storage areas can be prepared accordingly.

[0116] Please note that although it has been described that the measurement points in step S402 and step S502 are preferably arranged in the same position, the positions of these measurement points are also preferably the same as those of the measurement points in step S202. However, the invention is not limited thereto. If the positions of the measurement points are different, it is sufficient to calculate the difference between the measured values ​​of the plurality of measurement points in step S402 and the measurement values ​​of the measurement points whose positions are close to each other in step S502. If the difference between the positions of the individual measurement points cannot be tolerated, the difference between the approximate function of the substrate surface shape obtained from the measurement results of step S402 and the approximate function of the substrate surface shape obtained from the measurement results of step S502 can be calculated.

[0117] The following will refer to Figure 14 Description by using Figure 12 The method of controlling the imprinting process is to obtain the difference from the flowchart. Figure 14 An alternative to the first embodiment is shown. Figure 5 The flowchart shows the processes to be performed. Figure 15 The diagram schematically illustrates the changes in the state of the imprinting apparatus 1. (Indicates...) Figure 15 The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings depicting the process correspond to the symbols indicating... Figure 14 The accompanying figure labels show the process.

[0118] In step S601, the previous substrate (first substrate) 5a can be transported by the substrate transport mechanism 12 to the substrate chuck 18a of the other device and held by the substrate chuck 18a. In step S602, the substrate height sensor of the other device can be used to measure the height of the surface of the previous substrate 5a by measuring multiple (a first number) measurement points. As a result, first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the previous substrate 5a can be obtained. This process is similar to the process in step S202, except that the measurement is performed by another device. In addition, as mentioned above, it is preferable that the positions of the measurement points in this measurement are the same as those in steps S402 and S502. In step S603, the measurement results obtained in step S602 are stored in a storage device.

[0119] Although the imprinting process to be performed in imprinting apparatus 1 will be described below, details related to... Figure 3 The description of the process is similar to that of the previous process, and only the process of step S105 will be described. The processes of steps S301 to S303 are similar to those of the previous process. Figure 5 The processes in steps S301 to S303 of the flowchart are the same. In step S604, the controller 10 reads... Figure 12 The difference (illustration 150G) stored in the storage device in step S505 corresponds to the result of illustration 130G stored in the storage device. In step S605, the controller 10 uses the difference read in step S604 to correct the first height distribution information read from the storage device in step S303. More specifically, the controller 10 subtracts the difference (illustration 150G) read in step S604 from the first height distribution information (illustration 150C) read from the storage device in step S303. As a result, illustration 150H is obtained.

[0120] Although the processing in step S304 is related to Figure 5 The process is the same, but the goal of the arithmetic processing is the data obtained through step S605, i.e., the result obtained by removing device-related differences (Schematic 150H). The processing in steps S305 to S307 is similar to... Figure 5 The processes in steps S305 to S307 of the flowchart are the same. As a result, as shown in schematic diagram 150I, the tilt of the injection region to be processed is correctly calculated based on the shape of the surface of the substrate 5. Although in Figure 15 In the example, for ease of description, the substrate chuck and substrate do not include linear components, but including these components is of course not a problem.

[0121] The other devices described herein may be measuring devices that perform only measurement operations, or devices that are combined with measuring devices. Figure 3 The flowchart shows the processing of the imprinting device, which is separate from other imprinting devices.

[0122] The pattern of the cured product formed using an imprinting apparatus is permanently used on at least some of various articles or temporarily used during the manufacture of various articles. Articles include circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, molds, etc. Examples of circuit elements are volatile and non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, as well as semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGAs. Molds include imprinting molds, etc.

[0123] The pattern of the cured product is used directly as at least some of the constituent components of the aforementioned articles or temporarily as a resist mask. The resist mask is removed after etching or ion implantation during the substrate processing step.

[0124] The following describes a method for manufacturing an article, wherein an imprinting apparatus forms a pattern on a substrate, the patterned substrate is processed, and an article is manufactured from the processed substrate. Figure 16A As shown, a substrate 1z, such as a silicon wafer, is prepared, on which a processing material 2z, such as an insulator, is formed. Next, an imprinting material 3z is applied to the surface of the processing material 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the state in which the imprinting material 3z is applied to the substrate as multiple droplets is shown.

[0125] like Figure 16B As shown, one side of the mold 4z used for embossing with raised and recessed patterns is guided toward the embossing material 3z on the substrate and positioned so that it faces the embossing material 3z on the substrate. Figure 16C As shown, a substrate 1 to which imprinting material 3z is applied is brought into contact with a mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The gap between the mold 4z and the processing material 2z is filled with imprinting material 3z. In this state, when the imprinting material 3z is irradiated with light, which is the curing energy, through the mold 4z, the imprinting material 3z is cured.

[0126] like Figure 16D As shown, after the imprinting material 3z is cured, the mold 4z is separated from the substrate 1z, and a pattern of the cured product of the imprinting material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In the pattern of the cured product, the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured product. That is, the concave and convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred onto the imprinting material 3z.

[0127] like Figure 16EAs shown, when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etch resist mask, a portion of the surface of the processed material 2z, where the cured product is absent or remains thin, is removed to form a groove 5Z. As shown in 16F, when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article with grooves 5Z formed on the surface of the processed material 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured product is removed. However, instead of removing the pattern of the cured product after processing, it can be used, for example, as an interlayer dielectric film included in semiconductor elements, i.e., a constituent component of the article.

[0128] While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be given the broadest interpretation in order to cover all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An embossing apparatus that performs an embossing process for shaping an embossing material using a mold, the embossing apparatus comprising: A substrate stage, which is configured to hold the substrate; The impression head is configured to hold the mold; A dispenser, configured to dispense imprint material; The controller is configured to obtain first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate based on measurement results obtained from measuring the first substrate and stored in a storage device; as well as A measuring device configured to obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of a second substrate. The controller further (i) causes the dispenser to dispense the imprinting material onto the surface of the second substrate held by the substrate stage, (ii) controls the relative orientation between the second substrate and the mold in a manner that makes the injection area of ​​the second substrate parallel to the pattern area of ​​the mold, based on (iia) corrected height distribution information and (iib) a second component, wherein the corrected height distribution information is obtained by removing a first component from a first height distribution information, the first component being an approximation function of order no greater than a first predetermined order for approximating the first height distribution information, the second component being an approximation function of order no greater than a second predetermined order for approximating the second height distribution information obtained by using the measuring device, and (iii) while controlling the relative orientation between the second substrate and the mold, brings the mold held by the imprinting head into contact with the imprinting material on the second substrate.

2. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The controller uses the least squares method to obtain the first component based on the first height distribution information.

3. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The controller obtains an approximation function for approximating the first height distribution information, and obtains a first component based on the obtained approximation function for approximating the first height distribution information.

4. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The second component is a component of order no greater than 2.

5. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The second component is a linear component.

6. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The second component is the zeroth-order component.

7. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first height distribution information includes height information associated with a first number of measurement points on the surface of the first substrate. The second height distribution information includes height information associated with each of a second number of measurement points on the surface of the second substrate, and The second quantity is less than the first quantity.

8. The embossing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The second predetermined order is equal to the first predetermined order.

9. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The measuring device is also used to obtain third height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the third substrate. The second component includes components not greater than the second predetermined order and components higher than the third predetermined order, wherein the third predetermined order is lower than the second predetermined order, and The controller controls the imprinting process based on the third component, the second component, and the corrected height distribution information. The third component is an approximation function of order no greater than a third predetermined order used to approximate the third height distribution information.

10. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The controller controls the imprinting process on the second substrate based on the second component, the third component, and the corrected height distribution information.

11. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The controller obtains a component with an order no greater than a first predetermined order based on the second component, the corrected height distribution information, and the position of the injection region selected from multiple injection regions of the second substrate. The controller controls the imprinting process of the selected injection area based on components whose order is no greater than a first predetermined order, while controlling the selected injection area and the mold.

12. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, Based on the corrected height distribution information, the controller obtains a first tilt component of the injection region among the multiple injection regions of the first substrate, which is arranged at the same position as the selected injection region of the second substrate. The controller obtains the second tilt component of the selected injection region of the second substrate based on the second component, and The controller uses the first tilt component and the second tilt component to obtain the tilt of the selected injection region of the second substrate, as a component whose order is not greater than the first predetermined order.

13. An imprinting method comprising performing an imprinting process for forming an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold, the imprinting method comprising: Based on the measurement results obtained from measuring the first substrate and stored in the storage device, first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate is obtained; Second height distribution information, indicating the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate, is obtained by using a measuring device; Imprinting material is dispensed onto the surface of a second substrate held by a substrate stage; The relative orientation between the second substrate and the mold is controlled based on (a) the corrected height distribution information and (b) the second component, such that the injection region of the second substrate is parallel to the patterned region of the mold. The corrected height distribution information is obtained by removing a first component from first height distribution information obtained based on measurement results stored in a storage device. The first component is an approximation function of order no greater than a first predetermined order used to approximate the first height distribution information. The second component is an approximation function of order no greater than a second predetermined order used to approximate the second height distribution information obtained by using the measurement device. While controlling the relative orientation between the second substrate and the mold, the mold held by the impression head is brought into contact with the impression material on the second substrate.

14. The imprinting method according to claim 13, wherein, The first substrate and the second substrate are from the same batch.

15. The imprinting method according to claim 13, wherein, The first substrate is a substrate with a higher flatness than the second substrate.

16. The imprinting method according to claim 13, wherein, The first height distribution information and the second height distribution information are obtained by using the same measuring device.

17. The imprinting method according to claim 13, wherein, The second height distribution information is obtained by using a measuring device configured to perform the imprinting process, and the first height distribution information is obtained in other devices separate from the imprinting device.

18. The imprinting method according to claim 17, wherein, The imprinting apparatus and the other apparatus measure the shape of the surface of the same substrate and correct the first height distribution information based on the results obtained through the measurement.

19. The imprinting method according to claim 13, further comprising: Obtain third height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the third substrate; Obtain a third component, which is an approximation function of order no greater than a third predetermined order used to approximate the third height distribution information; and The imprinting process on the third substrate is controlled based on the second component, the third component, and the corrected height distribution information.

20. The imprinting method according to claim 13, wherein, The step of obtaining the second height distribution information, which indicates the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate, is performed in parallel with the pre-alignment for measuring the injection layout of the second substrate.

21. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: A pattern is formed on the substrate by the imprinting method as defined in claim 13; as well as The article is obtained by processing the patterned substrate.

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