Imprint device and method for manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for performing, accurately in a short time, inspection of imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold.SOLUTION: An imprint device has: a stage that holds and drives a substrate; a dispenser that arranges an imprint material on the substrate; an imaging unit that is provided above a mold and picks up an image of the substrate held on the stage with an imaging surface to acquire an image; and a control unit that controls processing related to inspection of imprint processing. In a plurality of states where a shot region is subpixel-shifted to the imaging surface according to the drive of the stage during the arrangement processing in the processing, the control unit causes the imaging unit to pick up an image of the shot region to acquire a plurality of first subpixel-shifted images corresponding to the plurality of states, respectively, and inspects the imprint processing based on the plurality of first subpixel-shifted images.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus and a method for manufacturing an article. [Background technology]

[0002] Imprint technology, which uses a mold to mold an imprint material on a substrate, is known as a lithography technology for manufacturing devices such as semiconductor elements. An imprint device that applies imprint technology can form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate by hardening the imprint material while the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other and then separating the mold from the hardened imprint material.

[0003] Meanwhile, techniques relating to the inspection of the imprint material pattern thus formed on a substrate have also been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for inspecting defects present in an imprint material pattern formed on a substrate. In this technique, a high-magnification microscope is used to inspect an area that is approximately 1 / 500 of the shot area (imprint area) on the substrate where the imprint material pattern is formed in one process (imprint process). Patent Document 2 also discloses a scanning microscope that uses sub-pixel shift technology, and image processing that can construct a high-resolution image (sub-pixel image). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6896036 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2013-542468 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the field of view (inspection field) of a high-magnification microscope is narrow, so it takes a long time to inspect the entire imprint area. Also, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, a huge memory area and computer computing power are required to process the entire sub-pixel image.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems with the conventional technology, and has an exemplary object to provide a technology that is advantageous for inspecting an imprint process that uses a mold to form a pattern of imprint material on a substrate in a short time and with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an imprint apparatus as one aspect of the present invention is an imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process to form a pattern of imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the imprint apparatus having: a stage that holds and drives the substrate; a dispenser that places the imprint material on the substrate; an imaging unit that is provided above the mold and images the substrate held on the stage on an imaging surface to obtain an image; and a control unit that controls a process related to inspection of the imprint process, the imprint process including a placement process including stage driving that drives the stage between a first position below the mold and a second position below the dispenser in order to place the imprint material in a shot region on the substrate, and the control unit, in the process, when the shot region is in a plurality of states sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface in accordance with the stage driving during the placement process, causes the imaging unit to image the shot region to obtain a plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images corresponding to each of the plurality of states, and inspects the imprint process based on the plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images.

[0008] Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous for inspecting an imprint process in which a pattern of an imprint material is formed on a substrate using a mold, in a short time and with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an inspection device in a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an inspection image acquired by an imaging section. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a simulated inspection image. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the positional relationship between an inspection image and sensor pixels in sub-pixel shift imaging. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing sub-pixels obtained by dividing one pixel into 1 / 10. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the positional relationship between an inspection image and sub-pixels in sub-pixel shift imaging. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 shows images of sub-pixels of a pixel. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the time from when deceleration of the substrate stage begins and the acceleration, velocity, and position of the substrate stage. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the time after the acceleration of the substrate stage is switched and the acceleration, velocity, and position of the substrate stage. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be 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 a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the 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 duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0012] First Embodiment 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an inspection device 100 in the first embodiment. The inspection device 100 is a device that inspects an inspection object 102, for example, inspects the inspection object 102 for the presence or absence of defects. The inspection device 100 has an imaging unit 101, an image storage unit 103, a stage 104, a position storage unit 105, and a control unit 106.

[0013] The imaging unit 101 includes, for example, a CCD camera, and captures an inspection image by capturing an image of the inspection object 102 on an imaging surface. In this embodiment, the inspection object 102 is assumed to be a plurality of identical articles, such as dies fabricated adjacent to each other on a semiconductor wafer or mass-produced parts, which have exactly the same appearance if they are non-defective. The image storage unit 103 includes, for example, a computer for image storage, and stores (stores) the inspection image captured by the imaging unit 101. The stage 104 is a stage that holds and drives the inspection object 102. In this embodiment, the stage 104 is configured to be capable of being driven in a direction parallel to the imaging surface (sensor surface) of the imaging unit 101. The position storage unit 105 includes, for example, a computer for position storage, and stores (stores) the position of the stage 104 when the imaging unit 101 captures the inspection object 102 as an inspection position. The control unit 106 controls each unit of the inspection device 100 to operate the inspection device 100. In this embodiment, the control unit 106 includes an analysis computer and has the function of analyzing the inspection images stored in the image memory unit 103 and the inspection positions stored in the position memory unit 105, and controlling processing related to the inspection of the inspection object 102.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an inspection image acquired by the imaging unit 101. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 101 acquires an inspection image as shown in Fig. 2 by imaging a 9 x 9 mm inspection area of ​​the inspection object 102 on an imaging surface configured with 300 x 300 pixels (picture elements). Therefore, the imaging unit 101 (imaging surface) has a spatial resolution of 30 µm.

[0015] Hereinafter, a method (processing related to the inspection of the inspection object 102) for identifying the position of a defect, for example, when a defect is detected (confirmed) in the inspection image shown in FIG. 2, with a spatial resolution of the imaging unit 101 (sensor spatial resolution) or less will be described. First, an image obtained by imaging the same non-defective product as the inspection object 102 with the imaging unit 101 is stored as a reference image in the image storage unit 103. Next, an image obtained by imaging the inspection object 102 with the imaging unit 101 under the same imaging conditions is stored as an inspection image in the image storage unit 103. Next, the difference between the reference image stored in the image storage unit 103 and the inspection image is evaluated, and if the difference is equal to or less than a judgment value (threshold value), the inspection object 102 is judged to be a non-defective product, and if the difference exceeds the judgment value, the inspection object 102 is judged to be a defective product. For defective products, sub-pixel shift image processing is performed on some images (pixels) in the vicinity of a portion where the difference between the reference image and the inspection image exceeds the judgment value, and the position of the defect is identified with a resolution of the sensor or less. This makes it possible to investigate the cause of the defect in detail, which contributes to improving the quality of the inspection object 102.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a simulated inspection image. As shown in FIG. 3, a pixel P 22 is a pixel where the difference between the reference image and the detected image exceeds the judgment value (i.e., a defect exists). 22 And pixel P 22 The eight pixels P around 11 , P 12 , P 13 , P 21 , P 23 , P 31 , P 32 and P 33Sub-pixel shift image processing is performed on a 3×3 pixel group (90×90 μm area) including

[0017] FIG. 3 shows a boundary BR of pixels (sensor pixels) on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 101 with respect to the inspection image. Here, the central pixel P 22 It is assumed that there is a defect DF with a side length of 1 μm, indicated by a black dot inside (the pixel). The luminance of the defect DF is set to a value 100 gradations lower (darker) than the luminance of the surrounding area (hereinafter referred to as "background") where no defect DF exists in an 8-bit, 256-gradation grayscale, and is set to a value 1600 gradations lower than the luminance of the background in a 12-bit, 4096-gradation grayscale. In this embodiment, a 12-bit data format is used to avoid the cancellation of digits, which will be described later.

[0018] In the inspection image shown in FIG. 3, the brightness of the background is 2400 (150 in 256 gradations), and the brightness of the defect DF is 800 (50 in 256 gradations). The higher the brightness, the whiter the image will be, and the lower the brightness, the blacker the image will be. 22 has a brightness of 800 and an area of ​​1 μm 2 (The background area is 899 μm excluding the area of ​​the defect DF.) 2 Therefore, the measurement value (sensor measurement value) is expressed by the following formula.

[0019]

number

[0020] This sensor measurement value corresponds to a luminance of 149.8889 in a 256-level data format. 22 The brightness of the pixel P that does not include the defect DF is reduced to 150. 11 , P 12 , P 13 , P 21 , P 23 , P 31 , P 32 and P 33 Since the brightness of pixel P is also 150, in the 8-bit format,22 Therefore, in this embodiment, the 12-bit data format is used as described above.

[0021] For the inspection image shown in FIG. 3, the sensor measurement value is expressed by the following formula. In the following formula, P ij indicates the pixel in the i-th row from the top and the j-th column from the left.

[0022]

number

[0023] For example, if the criterion for determining a defect DF is "2 or more gray scales lower than the background," then pixel P 22 There is a defect DF in the pixel P 11 , P 12 , P 13 , P 21 , P 23 , P 31 , P 32 and P 33 It is determined that there is no defective DF.

[0024] The inspection image usually contains about 2% noise (such as white noise), which corresponds to a luminance of 82 in 12-bit 4096 gradations, and is far larger than the criterion for determining the defect DF. Therefore, if left as is, the pixel P 22 It is not possible to detect the defect DF present in the

[0025] Therefore, in this embodiment, the same location of the inspection object 102 is continuously imaged, and the influence of noise is reduced by the averaging effect. Specifically, a general CCD camera capable of capturing 200 images per second is used as the imaging unit 101, and the same location of the inspection object 102 is continuously imaged for 50 seconds, and 10,000 images obtained are averaged to obtain an inspection image. As a result, the noise contained in the inspection image is reduced to 1 / 100, and the brightness becomes about 0.82, so that the pixel P 22In practice, the same averaging effect can be obtained by increasing the sensor accumulation time by 10,000 times, rather than increasing the number of times the inspection object 102 is imaged. In the following, the averaging of the inspection images by continuously imaging the same location of the inspection object 102 or by extending the sensor accumulation time, is referred to as "averaging imaging".

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, 1 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging is performed. Specifically, an arbitrary location of the target for 1 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging is averaged, and then the stage 104 holding the target is driven by 1 / 10 pixel in the diagonal direction, and an averaged image is taken of a new location of the target (a location shifted by 1 / 10 pixel). Such averaging imaging and driving of the stage 104 are repeated 10 times for each of the inspection target 102 and a non-defective product (reference target) identical to the inspection target 102. As a result, 10 averaged reference images and 10 averaged inspection images are obtained.

[0027] In this embodiment, in order to reduce the computation load, the pixel P where the defect DF is detected is selected instead of the entire 300×300 pixel image. 22 And pixel P 22 Subpixel image processing is performed on only the eight pixels surrounding and the nine pixels including.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection image (FIG. 3) and the sensor pixels in sub-pixel shift imaging. In FIG. 4, the value k / 10 (k: an integer from -5 to 5) indicates the drive amount (sub-pixel shift amount) in the diagonal direction relative to the original position (0 / 10). In sub-pixel shift imaging, the sensor measurement values ​​at each pixel of the imaging unit 101 are shown below. In the following equation, S k P ij indicates the pixel in the i-th row from the top and the j-th column from the left in k / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging. Note that the brightness of the area outside the inspection image (area outside the inspection image) is set to 2400, just like the background.

[0029]

number

[0030] Referring to FIG. 4, in the case of −5 / 10 subpixel shift imaging to −1 / 10 subpixel shift imaging, the defect DF is the pixel P 32 In the 0 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging to the 2 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging, the defect DF exists at the central pixel P 22 It can be seen that it exists in pixel P 32 From pixel P 22 In the 3 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging to the 5 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging, the defect DF is the pixel P 21 It can be seen that it exists in pixel P 22 From pixel P 21 (The process moves to step 3.) This phenomenon can also be confirmed from the sensor measurement values ​​described above. For ease of understanding, the pixels where the defective DF exists and the corresponding sensor measurement values ​​are shaded.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a pixel, e.g., pixel P 22 The subpixel in the i-th row from the top and the j-th column from the left is SS i,j Referring to FIG. 5, the defect DF is a subpixel SS 10,3 However, the sensor measurement value S0P 22 From the above, the defect DF is pixel P 22 However, the defect location within the pixel (the defect DF is located at pixel P 22 Here, we cannot know where the pixel is located in the upper left subpixel SS 1,1 Focus on.

[0032] Figure 6 shows the inspection image (Figure 3) and the sub-pixel SS 1,1 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the sub-pixel SS and the sub-pixel shift imaging from −5 / 10 to 0 / 10. 1,1is pixel P 22 The 1 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging to the 5 / 10 sub-pixel shift imaging contributes to the measurement of sub-pixel SS. 1,1 is pixel P 11 This can be expressed in the first line of the right-hand side of the following equation. Other sub-pixels can be expressed in a similar way. Note that here too, pixels with defects DF are shaded.

[0033]

number

[0034]

number

[0035]

number

[0036]

number

[0037]

number

[0038]

number

[0039]

number

[0040]

number

[0041]

number

[0042]

number

[0043] Substituting the sensor measurement value into the above formula, the subpixel SS i,j The luminance accumulation value is expressed by the following formula.

[0044]

number

[0045] FIG. 7 shows the pixel P when the minimum and maximum cumulative luminance values ​​are converted to 0 and 255, respectively. 22 Subpixel SS i,j FIG. 1 shows an image of the subpixel SS i,j The converted cumulative luminance values ​​are shown below.

[0046]

number

[0047] The image shown in FIG. 7 and the subpixel SS i,j As can be seen from the converted value of the luminance accumulation value of the subpixel SS 10,3 The subpixel in the 10th row from the top and the 3rd column from the left is the darkest, suggesting the presence of a defect DF. In this embodiment, a simple accumulation of sensor measurement values ​​is used to construct the subpixel image. Therefore, a ghost-like pattern caused by the pixel size occurs in the subpixel image starting from the defect DF, but this can be removed by filtering.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, by performing sub-pixel image processing on the inspection image acquired by imaging the inspection object 102, it is possible to detect (identify) defects present in the inspection object 102 (their positions) at or below the spatial resolution of the imaging unit 101. Furthermore, in this embodiment, instead of performing sub-pixel image processing on the entire inspection image, the inspection image is compared with a reference image, and sub-pixel image processing is performed only on pixels where defects exist and pixels surrounding the pixels where defects exist. This reduces the computational load in inspecting the inspection object 102, and shortens the time required for inspection.

[0049] <Second embodiment> 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 200 in the second embodiment. The imprint apparatus 200 is a lithography apparatus that is employed in a lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for devices such as semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, and magnetic storage media as articles, and forms a pattern on a substrate. The imprint apparatus 200 performs an imprint process that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold. Specifically, the imprint apparatus 200 brings uncured imprint material supplied (placed) on the substrate into contact with the mold, and imparts energy for curing to the imprint material, thereby forming a pattern of a cured material to which the pattern of the mold has been transferred.

[0050] The imprint material is a material (curable composition) that is cured by applying energy for curing. The energy for curing may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like. The electromagnetic waves include, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, specifically infrared rays, visible rays, ultraviolet rays, and the like.

[0051] The curable composition is a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. 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, a polymer component, and the like.

[0052] The imprint material may be applied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. The imprint material may also be applied in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid jet head. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25° C.) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

[0053] The substrate may be made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc., and may have a member made of a material different from that of the substrate formed on its surface as required. Specifically, the substrate may be made of a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, etc.

[0054] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface on which the substrate is placed is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and rotation around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0055] In this embodiment, the imprinting apparatus 200 employs a photo-curing method in which the imprinting material is cured by irradiating it with light, but the method is not limited to this. For example, the imprinting apparatus 200 can also employ a thermal curing method in which the imprinting material is cured by applying heat, as the method for curing the imprinting material.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8, the imprint apparatus 200 has an imaging unit 201, an image memory unit 203, a substrate stage 204, a position memory unit 205, a control unit 206, a dispenser 207, a main body structure 208, an imprint head 210, and an irradiation unit 211.

[0057] The imaging unit 201 includes, for example, a CCD camera or a CMOS camera, and is provided above the mold 209. The imaging unit 201 captures an image of a substrate 202, such as a semiconductor wafer, to be inspected, on an imaging surface to obtain an inspection image. The imaging unit 201 is also called a spread camera. The image storage unit 203 includes, for example, a computer for image storage, and stores (stores) the inspection image obtained by the imaging unit 201. The substrate stage 204 is a stage that holds and drives the substrate 202. In this embodiment, the substrate stage 204 is configured to be drivable in directions (X direction and Y direction) parallel to the imaging surface (sensor surface) of the imaging unit 201. The position of the substrate stage 204 can be controlled with an accuracy of 1 nm or less under the control of the control unit 206, so that the imaging unit 201 can accurately capture any location (area) of the substrate 202 in the subpixel shift imaging. The position storage unit 205 includes, for example, a computer for storing positions, and stores (preserves) as an inspection position the position of the substrate stage 204 when the imaging unit 201 images the substrate 202. The control unit 206 controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 200 to operate the imprint apparatus 200. In this embodiment, the control unit 206 includes a computer for analysis, and has a function of analyzing the inspection image stored in the image storage unit 203 and the inspection position stored in the position storage unit 205, and controlling processing related to the inspection of the imprint process.

[0058] The dispenser 207 is provided in the main body structure 208, and has a function of disposing (supplying) an imprint material, specifically, droplets of the imprint material, onto a substrate. In this embodiment, the dispenser 207 is provided at a position away from the imprint head 210 that holds the mold 209, for example, at a position away from the imprint head 210 in the X direction, Y direction, or both the X and Y directions. The operation of disposing the imprint material from the dispenser 207 onto the substrate is controlled by the control unit 206, taking into consideration position information of the substrate stage 204.

[0059] The pattern 209 is an original plate also called a mold, a template, or a mask, and is held by an imprint head 210. The imprint head 210 is provided on a main body structure 208, and configured to be drivable in the vertical direction (Z direction). The vertical driving of the imprint head 210 is controlled by a control unit 206, taking into account position information of the substrate stage 204.

[0060] A pattern (e.g., a circuit pattern) to be transferred to the imprint material on the substrate is formed on the surface of the mold 209, i.e., the pattern surface of the mold 209 on the substrate side. By lowering the imprint head 210 holding the mold 209, the pattern surface of the mold 209 comes into contact (close contact) with the imprint material on the substrate. Just before the pattern surface of the mold 209 comes into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, the shape of the mold 209 is controlled so that the central portion of the pattern surface has a convex shape on the substrate side. As a result, the central portion (convex portion) of the pattern surface of the mold 209 comes into contact with the imprint material first, and then the contact area between the pattern surface of the mold 209 and the imprint material spreads outward toward the outside of the pattern surface.

[0061] The irradiation unit 211 irradiates the imprint material on the substrate with light (e.g., ultraviolet light) via the mold 209 while the mold 209 and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, thereby hardening the imprint material on the substrate. After the irradiation unit 211 irradiates the imprint material on the substrate with light, the imprint head 210 is raised to separate the mold 209 from the hardened imprint material on the substrate. This causes the pattern of the mold 209 to be transferred to the imprint material on the substrate. The irradiation of light from the irradiation unit 211 to the imprint material on the substrate is controlled by the control unit 206. Furthermore, a DMD (Digital Micro Device) may be incorporated in the irradiation unit 211. In this case, the irradiation unit 211 can irradiate light via the DMD to the imprint material on the substrate with finer spatial resolution.

[0062] The patterns formed on the pattern surface of the mold 209 include a mixture of patterns with line widths ranging from 50 nm or less to several hundred times that width. In imprint processing, the time (filling time) required to fill the pattern (recesses) of the mold 209 with the imprint material is one of the elements that accounts for a large portion of the processing time, so shortening the filling time greatly contributes to improving productivity. In recent years, there has been a demand to keep the filling time to around 1 second. However, if shortening the filling time results in insufficient filling of the imprint material into the pattern of the mold 209, this can cause defects in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate.

[0063] Furthermore, when forming a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate, the imprint material may overflow outside the shot region (imprint region) of the substrate 202 at the periphery of the shot region (hereinafter referred to as "overflow"). For example, when forming a pattern of the imprint material having a height of about 50 nm (perpendicular to the line width (Z direction)) on the substrate, overflow of the imprint material with a height of several hundred nm may occur. In such a case, the overflow of the imprint material causes a large difference in the remaining film thickness of the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate, and the etching characteristics are deteriorated. Note that even if the overflow of the imprint material is small, for example, the imprint material overflowing outside the shot region may adhere to and accumulate on the mold 209 (side surface) and eventually fall onto the substrate as a large lump (particle). This not only deteriorates the etching characteristics but also inhibits the formation of a pattern on the substrate. Furthermore, if the mold 209 comes into contact with the particles that have fallen onto the substrate, the mold 209 may be damaged.

[0064] Therefore, in this embodiment, at least one of the following inspection objects (A) and (B) is inspected as an inspection of the imprint process. (A) Presence or absence of defects in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate (in the shot area) (B) Presence or absence of the imprint material protruding outside the shot area on the substrate (outside the area where the imprint material pattern is to be formed). In such a process related to the inspection of the imprint process, similarly to the first embodiment, averaging imaging by the imaging unit 201 and sub-pixel driving of the substrate stage 204 are repeated to obtain a plurality of sub-pixel shift images, and sub-pixel image processing is performed.

[0065] For example, the imprint process includes a placement process including stage driving for driving the substrate stage 204 between a first position below the mold 209 and a second position below the dispenser 207 in order to place an imprint material in a shot area on the substrate. Thus, in the imprint process, there are multiple opportunities for the shot area on the substrate to be in a sub-pixel shifted state relative to the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201 in response to the stage driving during the placement process. Thus, when such multiple states occur, the imaging unit 201 captures an image of the shot area on the substrate to obtain multiple sub-pixel shift images (first sub-pixel shift images) corresponding to each state. Then, based on the multiple sub-pixel shift images obtained by the imaging unit 201, the imprint process, specifically, at least one of the above-mentioned inspection objects (A) and (B) is inspected.

[0066] Note that the sub-pixel image processing for multiple sub-pixel shifted images is the same as in the first embodiment, so below, sub-pixel shift imaging including averaging imaging in the imaging section 201 and sub-pixel driving of the substrate stage 204 will be described.

[0067] In this embodiment, the so-called J-FIL method is adopted as a method for disposing droplets of the imprint material in a shot area on a substrate. In the J-FIL method, the substrate stage 204 holding the substrate 202 is driven to reciprocate so that the shot area on the substrate (the position (target position) where the droplets of the imprint material are to be disposed) passes through a second position below the dispenser 207. At this time, the droplets of the imprint material are discharged from the dispenser 207 so that the droplets land at the target position on the substrate, thereby disposing the droplets of the imprint material in the shot area on the substrate.

[0068] The stage driving during the placement process is completed when the shot area on the substrate on which the imprint material has been placed returns to directly below the mold 209, i.e., directly below the imaging unit 201. In other words, the stage driving during the placement process includes a first drive that drives the substrate stage 204 holding the substrate 202 on which droplets of the imprint material have been placed in the shot area from a second position below the dispenser 207 to a first position below the mold 209.

[0069] When the shot area on the substrate on which the imprint material is placed returns to directly below the mold 209 or the imaging unit 201, the droplets of the imprint material have a diameter of about 100 μm, depending on the imprint conditions. Therefore, if the imaging unit 201 (imaging surface) has a spatial resolution of about 30 μm, it is possible to fully recognize the presence or absence of droplets of the imprint material placed in the shot area on the substrate.

[0070] Therefore, during the first drive of the stage drive of the arrangement process, specifically, immediately before the completion of the first drive, the shot area on the substrate is in a state where it is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201, and sub-pixel shift imaging is performed by utilizing this state. Here, the target of the sub-pixel shift imaging is a shot area on the substrate where droplets of the imprint material are arranged, among the multiple shot areas on the substrate. Specifically, during the first drive, while the substrate stage 204 is decelerated to stop the substrate stage 204 at a first position below the mold 209, the sub-pixel shift imaging is performed by utilizing a state where the speed of the substrate stage 204 gradually approaches zero. In this embodiment, while the substrate stage 204 is decelerating and before the substrate stage 204 stops, the sub-pixel shift imaging is performed while the substrate stage 204 is driven so as to diagonally cross one pixel constituting the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201. At this time, the speed of the substrate stage 204 and the frame rate of the imaging unit 201 are set according to the spatial resolution required in the sub-pixel shift image processing and the size and brightness of the inspection target. In addition, driving the substrate stage 204 so as to diagonally cross one pixel that constitutes the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201 means driving the substrate stage 204 in a third direction that intersects with the mutually orthogonal first and second directions that define the size of the one pixel.

[0071] For example, with respect to a first position below the mold 209, the substrate stage 204 moves at a speed of 1 m / s and at a speed of −10 m / s 2 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c) respectively show the time (elapsed time) [s] from when the deceleration of the substrate stage 204 started and the acceleration [m / s 2 9(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the acceleration [m / s], velocity [m / s], and position [m]. Note that, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the acceleration of the substrate stage 204 does not actually become a minimum value instantaneously, but here, for the sake of simplicity, it is shown to become a minimum value instantaneously.

[0072] -10 m / s for a period of 0.0999 s after the deceleration of the substrate stage 204 started2 When this acceleration is applied, the speed of the substrate stage 204 is decelerated from 1 m / s to 0.001 m / s (1000 μm / s). At this point, as shown in FIG. 9(b) and FIG. 9(c), the substrate stage 204 appears to be almost stationary, but in reality, the substrate stage 204 is being driven on the order of μm.

[0073] Here, in order to slowly decelerate the substrate stage 204, the acceleration given to the substrate stage 204 is set to −10 m / s 2 From -0.01m / s 2 (10000μm / s 2 ) when the acceleration applied to the substrate stage 204 is switched, the acceleration of the substrate stage 204 becomes very small. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the acceleration of the substrate stage 204 appears to be zero, but is not actually zero, and is -0.01 m / s as described above. 2 This causes the substrate stage 204 to come to a stop at a gentle speed.

[0074] 10(a), 10(b), and 10(c) show the case where the acceleration of the substrate stage 204 is −0.01 m / s 2 and the time (elapsed time) [s] since the switching to the substrate stage 204 and the acceleration [m / s 2 10(c) shows the relationship between the distance [m / s], velocity [m / s] and position [m]. Also in FIG. 10(c), the timing (imaging time) at which sub-pixel shift imaging is performed is shown as a marker indicated by a white circle. The timing at which sub-pixel shift imaging is performed is at 5 ms intervals, which coincides with the image acquisition timing when the frame rate of the imaging unit 201 is set to 200 fps. The timing (imaging time) at which sub-pixel shift imaging is performed, the velocity of the substrate stage 204, and the position of the substrate stage 204 in this embodiment are shown in Table 1 below.

[0075] [Table 1]

[0076] 10(b), 10(c) and Table 1, sub-pixel shift imaging is performed during extremely gradual deceleration just before the substrate stage 204 comes to a complete standstill, specifically, while the speed of the substrate stage 204 is 0.001 m / s or less. This makes it possible to acquire a sub-pixel shift image of 5 μm or less. Note that although one axis (e.g., the X-axis) has been described here, the same is true for the other axes (e.g., the Y-axis). This makes it possible to perform sub-pixel shift imaging while driving the substrate stage 204 so as to diagonally cross one pixel constituting the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201.

[0077] The sub-pixel shift image acquired by the sub-pixel shift imaging performed during the first drive of the stage drive in the placement process includes an image of the droplets (array) of the imprint material arranged in the shot area on the substrate. Therefore, based on the deviation between the actual positions of the droplets of the imprint material obtained from the sub-pixel shift image and the target positions of the droplets of the imprint material, the presence or absence of the imprint material protruding out of the shot area where the pattern is to be formed is inspected.

[0078] In addition to the placement process, the imprint process also includes a contact process, a curing process, and a demolding process. The contact process is a process in which the imprint material on the substrate is brought into contact with the mold 209. The curing process is a process in which the imprint material on the substrate is cured while being in contact with the mold 209. The demolding process is a process in which the mold 209 is separated from the hardened imprint material on the substrate.

[0079] When such a series of processes (imprint processes) is performed on one of the multiple shot areas on the substrate, the imprint processes are performed (repeated) on the shot areas adjacent to the one shot area. In other words, a placement process is started to place droplets of the imprint material on a new shot area on the substrate. Therefore, the stage drive during the placement process includes a second drive that drives the substrate stage 204, which holds the substrate 202 on which a pattern is formed in at least one shot area on the substrate, from a first position below the mold 209 to a second position below the dispenser 207.

[0080] Therefore, during the second drive of the stage drive of the arrangement process, sub-pixel shift imaging is performed by utilizing a situation in which the shot area on the substrate where the pattern is formed is in a plurality of sub-pixel shifted states with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201. Here, the target of the sub-pixel shift imaging is the shot area on the substrate where the pattern of the imprint material is formed, among the plurality of shot areas on the substrate. Specifically, immediately after the start of the second drive, while the substrate stage 204 is being accelerated to drive the substrate stage 204 that is stationary at the first position below the mold 209 (at the beginning of the second drive), sub-pixel shift imaging is performed. In this embodiment, while the speed of the substrate stage 204 is gradually (gently) increasing from zero, that is, while the speed of the substrate stage 204 is 0.001 m / s or less. At this time, sub-pixel shift imaging is performed while the substrate stage 204 is driven so as to diagonally cross one pixel constituting the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201, as in the first drive. The speed of the substrate stage 204 and the frame rate of the imaging unit 201 are set according to the spatial resolution required in the sub-pixel shift image processing and the size and brightness of the object to be inspected.

[0081] The sub-pixel shift image acquired by the sub-pixel shift imaging performed during the second drive of the stage drive in the placement process includes an image of the pattern of the imprint material formed in the shot area on the substrate. Therefore, based on the sub-pixel shift image including the image of the pattern of the imprint material, at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the pattern and the presence or absence of the imprint material protruding out of the shot area in which the pattern is formed is inspected.

[0082] As described above, according to this embodiment, by applying the sub-pixel shift imaging (sub-pixel image processing) described in the first embodiment, it is possible to perform the inspection of the imprint process with a resolution higher than the spatial resolution of the imaging unit 201. Note that the inspection of the imprint process includes the presence or absence of defects in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate and the presence or absence of overflow of the imprint material, as described above. Therefore, the positions of defects in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate and the positions of overflow of the imprint material can be detected (identified) with a spatial resolution equal to or lower than that of the imaging unit 201.

[0083] In addition, in this embodiment, subpixel shift imaging is performed when the shot area on the substrate is in a plurality of states in which it is subpixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201 in response to the stage drive during the imprint process, specifically, the placement process. Therefore, stage drive or the like for inspecting the imprint process is not required, and the time required for inspecting the imprint process can be shortened. In other words, the imprint process can be inspected as part of the imprint process. Note that instead of performing subpixel image processing on the entire image acquired by the imaging unit 201, subpixel image processing may be performed only on pixels where defects or overflows exist and the surrounding pixels by comparing with the reference image. This reduces the computation load in the inspection of the imprint process, and the time required for the inspection of the imprint process can be further shortened.

[0084] The result of the inspection of the imprint process is reflected in the adjustment of the imprint conditions in the imprint process. For example, the control unit 206 adjusts, as the imprint conditions, at least one of the position and the amount of the droplets of the imprint material to be placed on the substrate by the dispenser 207, based on the result of the inspection of the imprint process. Specifically, when a defect exists in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate, the position of the droplets of the imprint material to be placed on the substrate is adjusted so that the droplets of the imprint material are placed near the defect. When the imprint material protrudes, the control unit 206 adjusts so that the droplets of the imprint material are not placed near the position of the protrusion, or the amount of the droplets of the imprint material placed near the position of the protrusion is reduced. The control unit 206 may adjust, as the imprint conditions, at least one of the position and the intensity of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 211 to the imprint material on the substrate, based on the result of the inspection of the imprint process. At this time, at least one of the conditions of the position and intensity of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 211 to the imprint material on the substrate is adjusted so as to prevent defects from occurring in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate or to prevent overflow of the imprint material. Note that a DMD included in the irradiation unit 211 may be used to adjust the position and intensity of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 211 to the imprint material on the substrate. In this way, by repeatedly adjusting the imprint conditions according to the results of the inspection of the imprint process, defects occurring in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate and overflow of the imprint material can be effectively suppressed.

[0085] The image acquired by the imaging unit 201 may include (an image of) the pattern of the mold 209. In such a case, the shot area on the substrate may be imaged by the imaging unit 201 with the mold 209 removed from the imprint head 210. This enables more accurate sub-pixel image processing. Furthermore, even if an area adjacent to a shot area on the substrate that is the target of inspection for imprint processing is included in the image acquired by the imaging unit 201, it is possible to exclude the area from the area in which sub-pixel image processing is performed, thereby making it possible to improve the efficiency of the sub-pixel image processing.

[0086] <Third embodiment> 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 200A according to one aspect of the present invention. The imprint apparatus 200A has a similar configuration to the imprint apparatus 200, but further includes a first laser displacement meter 301, a second laser displacement meter 303, an illuminance meter 302, a first camera unit 304, and a second camera unit 305.

[0087] The first laser displacement meter 301 is provided on the substrate stage 204, and has a function of measuring the displacement to the surface (pattern surface) of the mold 209 held by the imprint head 210. By measuring the displacement to the surface of the mold 209 with the first laser displacement meter 301 while driving the substrate stage 204, the surface shape of the mold 209 can be obtained.

[0088] The second laser displacement meter 303 is provided in the main body structure 208, and has a function of measuring the displacement up to the surface of the substrate 202 held by the substrate stage 204. By measuring the displacement up to the surface of the substrate 202 with the second laser displacement meter 303 while driving the substrate stage 204, the surface shape of the substrate 202 can be obtained.

[0089] The illuminance meter 302 is provided on the substrate stage 204 and has a function of measuring the illuminance of light irradiated from the irradiation unit 211. By measuring the illuminance with the illuminance meter 302 while driving the substrate stage 204, it is possible to obtain the illuminance distribution of the light on the substrate.

[0090] The spot diameter of the measurement light of the first laser displacement meter 301 and the second laser displacement meter 303 is usually several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the light receiving surface of the illuminance meter 302 are usually several hundreds of μm to several mm. If the measurements by the first laser displacement meter 301, the second laser displacement meter 303, and the illuminance meter 302 are regarded as an image of one pixel, it is possible to apply the sub-pixel image processing described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the first laser displacement meter 301 and the second laser displacement meter 303 can obtain the surface shape of the mold 209 and the substrate 202 with a spatial resolution equal to or smaller than the spot diameter of the measurement light, and the illuminance meter 302 can obtain the illuminance distribution of the light on the substrate with a spatial resolution equal to or smaller than the light receiving area.

[0091] The first camera unit 304 is provided in the main body structure 208 and includes a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or the like. In this embodiment, the first camera unit 304 functions as a mark imaging unit that captures an image of an alignment mark provided on the substrate 202 at a mark imaging surface at high magnification to obtain an image. The image obtained by the first camera unit 304 is used for alignment (positioning) of the substrate 202.

[0092] The second camera unit 305 has a similar configuration to the first camera unit 304, and follows the same optical path as the optical path of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 211. The second camera unit 305 functions as a mark imaging unit that captures images of the alignment marks provided on the mold 209 and the substrate 202 on the mark imaging surface during the imprint process to acquire images. The images acquired by the second camera unit 305 are used for alignment between the mold 209 and the substrate 202.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305 are also used to inspect defects present in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate. At this time, by applying subpixel image processing, it becomes possible to inspect defects present in the pattern of the imprint material formed on the substrate with high spatial resolution. Specifically, the substrate stage 204 holding the substrate 202 on which the pattern of the imprint material is formed is driven relative to the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305. Then, when the pattern of the imprint material (shot area) is in a plurality of states in which it is subpixel shifted with respect to the mark imaging surface of the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305, subpixel shift imaging is performed by the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305. As a result, a plurality of subpixel shift images (second subpixel shift images) corresponding to each of a plurality of states in which the pattern of the imprint material is subpixel shifted with respect to the mark imaging surface of the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305 are acquired. Based on the sub-pixel shift image, at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate 202 and the presence or absence of the imprint material protruding outside the shot area in which the imprint material pattern is to be formed is inspected.

[0094] In this way, by applying the sub-pixel shift imaging (sub-pixel image processing) described in the first embodiment, it is possible to inspect the imprint process with a resolution higher than the spatial resolution of the first camera unit 304 and the second camera unit 305.

[0095] Furthermore, the imaging unit 201 may be used to inspect defects present in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate over a wide range. Then, for a portion where a defect in the imprint material pattern is confirmed (detected), the portion is inspected in detail by applying sub-pixel image processing using, for example, the high-magnification first camera unit 304. This makes it possible to inspect defects present in the imprint material pattern formed on the substrate with a resolution higher than the spatial resolution of the first camera unit 304.

[0096] It is also possible to apply sub-pixel image processing to the alignment of the substrate 202 using the first camera unit 304 and the alignment of the mold 209 and the substrate 202 using the second camera unit 305.

[0097] <Fourth embodiment> The pattern of the cured material formed by using the imprint apparatus 200 or 200A 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 the 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 FPGA. Examples of the molds include molds for imprinting.

[0098] The pattern of the cured product may be used as it is as at least a part of the component of the above-mentioned article, or may be used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation is performed in a substrate processing step.

[0099] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 12(a), a substrate such as a silicon wafer with a workpiece such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprint material is applied to the surface of the workpiece by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the state in which the imprint material in the form of multiple droplets is applied to the substrate is shown.

[0100] As shown in Fig. 12(b), the imprinting mold is placed with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed facing the imprinting material on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 12(c), the substrate on which the imprinting material has been applied is brought into contact with the mold, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material fills the gap between the mold and the workpiece. When light is irradiated through the mold in this state as hardening energy, the imprinting material hardens.

[0101] As shown in Fig. 12(d), when the imprint material is cured and then the mold and the substrate are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material is formed on the substrate. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding patterns of the mold are transferred to the imprint material.

[0102] As shown in Fig. 12(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 where there is no cured material or where only a thin portion remains are removed to form grooves. As shown in Fig. 12(f), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having grooves formed on the surface of the workpiece can be obtained. 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, i.e., a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

[0103] The disclosure of the present specification includes the following imprint apparatus and method for manufacturing an article.

[0104] (Item 1) An imprinting apparatus for performing an imprinting process to form a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, a stage that holds and drives the substrate; a dispenser for disposing the imprint material on the substrate; an imaging unit provided above the mold and configured to capture an image of the substrate held on the stage with an imaging surface; A control unit that controls a process related to the inspection of the imprint process, the imprint process includes a placement process including a stage actuation process for actuating the stage between a first position below the mold and a second position below the dispenser to place the imprint material in a shot area on the substrate; the control unit, during the processing, when the shot area is in a plurality of states where it is sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface in accordance with the stage driving during the placement processing, causes the imaging unit to image the shot area to obtain a plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images corresponding to each of the plurality of states, and inspects the imprint processing based on the plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images.

[0105] (Item 2) The dispenser deposits droplets of the imprint material onto a shot area on the substrate; the stage driving includes a first driving for driving the stage, which holds the substrate on which the droplets of the imprint material are arranged in the shot area, from the second position to the first position; 2. The imprint apparatus of item 1, wherein the plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot area is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the first drive.

[0106] (Item 3) The imprint apparatus described in item 2, characterized in that the multiple states include multiple states in which the shot area is sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface while the stage is decelerating to stop the stage at the first position during the first drive.

[0107] (Item 4) The imprint apparatus of item 2 or 3, characterized in that the multiple states include multiple states in which the shot area is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface while the speed of the stage is 0.001 m / s or less during the first drive.

[0108] (Item 5) 5. The imprint apparatus according to item 3 or 4, characterized in that while the stage is decelerating, the stage is driven in a direction intersecting a first direction and a second direction which are perpendicular to each other and which define the size of one pixel that constitutes the imaging surface.

[0109] (Item 6) The imprinting apparatus described in any one of items 2 to 5, characterized in that the control unit inspects whether or not the imprinting material extends outside the area on the substrate where the pattern is to be formed, based on a deviation between the position of the droplet of the imprinting material placed on the substrate obtained from the multiple first sub-pixel shift images and the target position of the droplet of the imprinting material to be placed on the substrate.

[0110] (Item 7) the substrate includes a plurality of shot areas; the stage driving includes a second driving for driving the stage, which holds the substrate on which the pattern is formed in at least one shot area among the plurality of shot areas, from the first position to the second position; 7. The imprint apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the at least one shot area is sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface during the second drive.

[0111] (Item 8) The imprint apparatus of item 7, characterized in that the multiple states include multiple states in which the at least one shot area is sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface while the stage is accelerating to drive the stage, which is stationary at the first position, during the second drive.

[0112] (Item 9) The imprint apparatus of item 8, wherein the plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the at least one shot area is sub-pixel shifted relative to the imaging surface while the speed of the stage is 0.001 m / s or less during the second drive.

[0113] (Item 10) 10. The imprint apparatus of item 8 or 9, characterized in that while the stage is decelerating, the stage is driven in a direction intersecting a first direction and a second direction which are perpendicular to each other and which define the size of one pixel that constitutes the imaging surface.

[0114] (Item 11) The imprinting apparatus described in any one of items 7 to 10, characterized in that the control unit inspects at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the pattern formed in the at least one shot area and the presence or absence of the imprinting material protruding outside the at least one shot area based on the multiple first sub-pixel shift images.

[0115] (Item 12) the stage driving includes a third driving for driving the stage in a direction intersecting a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other and define a size of one pixel that constitutes the imaging surface, 2. The imprint apparatus of item 1, wherein the plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot area is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the third driving.

[0116] (Item 13) the control unit adjusts imprint conditions in the imprint process based on a result of the inspection of the imprint process; 13. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 12, characterized in that the imprint conditions include at least one of conditions regarding the position and amount of droplets of the imprint material to be placed on the substrate by the dispenser.

[0117] (Item 14) Further comprising an irradiation unit that irradiates light onto the imprint material on the substrate, the control unit adjusts imprint conditions in the imprint process based on a result of the inspection of the imprint process; An imprinting apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 13, characterized in that the imprinting conditions include at least one of the conditions of the position and intensity of light irradiated from the irradiation unit to the imprinting material on the substrate.

[0118] (Item 15) a mark imaging unit that captures an image of a mark provided on the substrate with a mark imaging surface, 15. The imprinting apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 14, characterized in that, while driving the stage holding the substrate on which the pattern is formed, when the pattern is in a plurality of states in which it is sub-pixel shifted relative to the mark imaging surface, the pattern formed on the substrate is imaged by the mark imaging unit to obtain a plurality of second sub-pixel shifted images corresponding to each of the plurality of states, and based on the plurality of second sub-pixel shifted images, at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the pattern formed on the substrate and the presence or absence of the imprinting material protruding outside a shot area in which the pattern is to be formed is inspected.

[0119] (Item 16) Item 16. The imprint apparatus according to item 15, wherein the mark imaging unit captures images of the mark provided on the substrate and the mark provided on the mold on the mark imaging plane to obtain images.

[0120] (Item 17) Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 16; processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the process; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising the steps of:

[0121] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 200, 200A: Imprinting device 201: Imaging unit 202: Substrate 209: Mold 206: Control unit

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a stage that holds and drives the substrate; a dispenser that disposes the imprint material on the substrate; an imaging unit provided above the mold, which images the substrate held by the stage on an imaging surface to obtain an image; a control unit that controls processing related to inspection of the imprint process, wherein the imprint process includes an arrangement process that includes driving the stage between a first position below the mold and a second position below the dispenser in order to dispose the imprint material in a shot region on the substrate, wherein the control unit, in response to driving of the stage during the arrangement process, causes the imaging unit to image the shot region when the shot region is in a plurality of states in which it is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface, and obtains a plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images corresponding to each of the plurality of states, and inspects the imprint process based on the plurality of first sub-pixel shifted images. An imprint apparatus characterized by this.

2. The dispenser disposes droplets of the imprint material in a shot region on the substrate, wherein the stage drive includes a first drive that drives the stage holding the substrate on which droplets of the imprint material are disposed from the second position to the first position, wherein the plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot region is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the first drive. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot region is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during deceleration of the stage in order to stop the stage at the first position during the first drive. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot region is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the first drive when the speed of the stage becomes 0.001 m / s or less. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by this.

5. While the stage is decelerating, the stage is driven in a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction that are orthogonal to each other and define the size of one pixel constituting the imaging surface. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

6. Based on the deviation between the position of the droplet of the imprint material disposed on the substrate obtained from the plurality of first sub-pixel shift images and the target position of the droplet of the imprint material to be disposed on the substrate, the control unit inspects whether there is any overflow of the imprint material outside the region where the pattern is to be formed on the substrate. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that.

7. The substrate includes a plurality of shot regions. The stage driving includes a second driving for driving the stage holding the substrate on which the pattern is formed in at least one of the plurality of shot regions from the first position to the second position. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which at least one of the shot regions is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the second driving. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

8. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which at least one of the shot regions is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface while accelerating the stage to drive the stage stationary at the first position during the second driving. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which at least one of the shot regions is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface while the speed of the stage is 0.001 m / s or less during the second driving. The imprint apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. While the stage is decelerating, the stage is driven in a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction that are orthogonal to each other and define the size of one pixel constituting the imaging surface. The imprint apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

11. The control unit inspects at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the pattern formed in the at least one shot area and the presence or absence of the imprint material protruding outside the at least one shot area based on the plurality of first sub-pixel shift images. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the imprint apparatus is characterized in that.

12. The stage driving includes a third driving for driving the stage in a direction intersecting a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other that define the size of one pixel constituting the imaging surface. The plurality of states include a plurality of states in which the shot area is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the imaging surface during the third driving. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is characterized in that.

13. The control unit adjusts the imprint conditions in the imprint process based on the result of the inspection of the imprint process. The imprint conditions include at least one of the conditions of the position and amount of the droplets of the imprint material to be disposed on the substrate by the dispenser. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is characterized in that.

14. The apparatus further includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light onto the imprint material on the substrate. The control unit adjusts the imprint conditions in the imprint process based on the result of the inspection of the imprint process. The imprint conditions include at least one of the conditions of the position and intensity of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit onto the imprint material on the substrate. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is characterized in that.

15. The apparatus further includes a mark imaging unit that images a mark provided on the substrate on a mark imaging surface to obtain an image. While driving the stage holding the substrate on which the pattern is formed, when the pattern is in a plurality of states in which the pattern is sub-pixel shifted with respect to the mark imaging surface, the mark imaging unit images the pattern formed on the substrate to obtain a plurality of second sub-pixel shift images corresponding to each of the plurality of states, and based on the plurality of second sub-pixel shift images, inspects at least one of the presence or absence of defects in the pattern formed on the substrate and the presence or absence of the imprint material protruding outside the shot area where the pattern is to be formed. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is characterized in that.

16. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the mark imaging unit acquires an image by imaging a mark provided on the substrate and a mark provided on the mold on the mark imaging surface.

17. A step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16; A step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the above step; A step of manufacturing an article from the processed substrate; A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by comprising the above steps.

Images