Imprint method, imprint device, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To improve throughput by changing the timing at which alignment between a mold and a substrate is started depending on an area in which a pattern can be formed in a pattern forming region.SOLUTION: An imprint method in which a pattern of an imprint material is formed in a plurality of pattern forming regions on a substrate using a mold having a pattern portion includes a contacting step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material, and an alignment step of relatively aligning the mold and the pattern forming region on the basis of the positional relationship of alignment marks of each of the mold and the pattern forming region, and in the alignment step, the timing at which the alignment step is started relative to the contact step is changed depending on the area in which patterns can be formed in the plurality of pattern forming regions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As a lithography apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, MEMS, etc., an imprint apparatus that uses a mold to form an imprint material on a substrate is known. In the imprint apparatus, a liquid imprint material is supplied onto the substrate, the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, the imprint material is cured in this state, and the mold is peeled off from the cured imprint material. In this way, a pattern of the imprint material can be formed on the substrate.

[0003] In the imprint process, the mold and the substrate are aligned in a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other before the imprint material is hardened. In the imprint process, in order to hasten the completion of the alignment between the mold and the substrate, it is effective to shorten the time from when the alignment between the mold and the substrate can be performed to when the alignment starts.

[0004] Patent document 1 proposes a method for shortening the time required for alignment processing by lowering the pressure applied to the imprinting material when aligning a mold and a substrate compared to the pressure applied to the imprinting material when increasing the contact area between the mold and the imprinting material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4533358 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the imprinting process, if air bubbles remain between the mold and the substrate when the mold and the imprinting material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, defects will occur in the pattern of the imprinting material formed on the substrate. Therefore, when the central region of the pattern portion of the mold is brought into contact with the imprinting material by deforming the mold and / or the substrate to reduce the amount of remaining air bubbles, the contact is started at a position close to the central region or its adjacent portion in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate.

[0007] The multiple pattern formation regions on the substrate may include a rectangular region called a full field and a non-rectangular region called a partial field. The full field is a region whose outer shape is not limited by the edge of the substrate, and is a region in which the entire area of ​​the pattern portion having the uneven shape formed on the mold can be formed. The partial field is a region whose outer shape is limited by the edge of the substrate, and is a region in which a part of the area of ​​the pattern portion having the uneven shape formed on the mold can be formed. The partial field may have a shape that is partially along the edge of the substrate. That is, the partial field region is a region that includes the outer periphery of the substrate.

[0008] Here, compared to the full field, the partial field is characterized in that the area includes the outer periphery of the substrate, and therefore the deformation of the mold or substrate, or at least the shape that deforms the mold, becomes complex, and the contact posture may become unstable. This unstable state may cause fluctuations in the relative position between the mold and the substrate, and the timing at which the relative position between the mold and the substrate becomes stable after the imprint material on the substrate starts to contact the pattern portion differs between the partial field and the full field. Furthermore, alignment between the mold and the substrate must be performed after or in a stable state, otherwise events such as poor alignment may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to perform alignment after or in a stable state.

[0009] When the pattern part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material, pressure is applied to a specific surface of the mold. Then, after the pattern part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while pressure is still being applied to the mold, the pressure is gradually reduced (decompression process). When this decompression process is completed, the relative positions of the mold and the substrate are stabilized, so conventionally, alignment of the mold and the substrate was performed after this decompression process was completed, even in partial field and full field.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprinting method that improves throughput by changing the timing for starting alignment between a mold and a substrate depending on the area in which a pattern can be formed in a pattern formation region. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an imprinting method as one aspect of the present invention is an imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material in multiple pattern formation regions on a substrate using a mold having a pattern portion, the method comprising: a contacting step of bringing the mold and the imprinting material into contact with each other; and an alignment step of relatively aligning the mold and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship of alignment marks that the mold and the pattern formation region each have, and the alignment step is characterized in that the timing of starting the alignment step with respect to the contacting step is changed depending on the area in which patterns can be formed in the multiple pattern formation regions. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the timing for starting alignment between the mold and the substrate is changed depending on the area in the pattern formation region where a pattern can be formed, thereby making it possible to improve throughput. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a contact step of contacting the imprint material on the pattern formation region of the substrate in Example 1 with the pattern portion of the mold. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating exemplary allocation of pattern formation areas of a substrate in Example 1 and start timing of an alignment process. [Figure 4] 11 is a diagram illustrating the height of a mold holding part, the pressure in the cavity space, the pressing force, and the relative positional fluctuation between the mold and the substrate in the contact step of Example 1. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an exemplary operation flow of the imprint apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same members or elements, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0015] In the embodiment described below, the Z axis is taken to be parallel to the optical axis of the illumination system that irradiates the imprint material IM on the substrate 2 with irradiation light, and the X axis and Y axis are taken to be orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis. Also, the directions parallel to the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis in the XYZ coordinate system are taken to be the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and the rotation around the X axis, the rotation around the Y axis, and the rotation around the Z axis are taken to be θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or drive regarding the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis means control or drive regarding the direction parallel to the X axis, the direction parallel to the Y axis, and the direction parallel to the Z axis, respectively.

[0016] Furthermore, control or drive regarding the θX axis, the θY axis, and the θZ axis means control or drive regarding rotation about an axis parallel to the X axis, rotation about an axis parallel to the Y axis, and rotation about an axis parallel to the Z axis, respectively. Furthermore, position is information that can be specified based on coordinates of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, and orientation is information that can be specified by values ​​of the θX axis, the θY axis, and the θZ axis. Positioning means controlling the position and / or orientation. Alignment can include control of the position and / or orientation of at least one of the substrate 2 and the mold 1.

[0017] <Example 1> 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The imprint apparatus 100 is an apparatus that brings an imprint material IM arranged on a substrate 2 into contact with a pattern portion PP of a mold 1 and hardens the imprint material IM, thereby forming a pattern made of a cured product of the imprint material IM on the substrate 2. The imprint apparatus 100 is used, for example, in the manufacture of devices such as semiconductor devices. Note that in this embodiment, the imprint apparatus employs a photocuring method.

[0018] The imprint material IM is a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that is cured by application of energy for curing. The energy for curing may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like. The electromagnetic waves may be, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less, such as infrared rays, visible light, or ultraviolet rays. The curable composition may be a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating.

[0019] Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, and polymer components. The imprint material may be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The viscosity of the imprint material (viscosity at 25° C.) may be, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less. Examples of materials that can be used for the substrate 2 include glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors, and resins. If necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate 2.

[0020] The mold 1 is configured to include a diaphragm 110 and a support portion 111 that supports the diaphragm 110. The mold 1 has a rectangular outer periphery and a pattern portion (mesa portion) PP having a three-dimensional pattern (a concave-convex pattern to be transferred to the substrate 2, such as a circuit pattern) on a surface (pattern surface) facing the substrate 2. The mold 1 is made of a material that can transmit light, such as quartz.

[0021] The diaphragm 110 has a first surface S1 having a pattern portion PP, and a second surface S2 opposite to the first surface S1. The mold 1 has an open cavity 103 (hollow) on the second surface S2 side. However, this is not limiting, and the mold 1 may be configured so as not to have a cavity 103. The support portion 111 is held by a mold holding portion 10, which will be described later.

[0022] The substrate 2 is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate or an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate, and the surface to be processed is coated with an imprint material IM that is patterned by a pattern portion PP formed on the mold 1. The substrate 2 may also be various substrates such as a gallium arsenide wafer, a composite adhesive wafer, a glass wafer containing quartz as a material, a liquid crystal panel substrate, a reticle, etc. The outer shape may also be not only circular but also rectangular, etc.

[0023] The imprint apparatus 100 in this embodiment includes a mold holding unit 10, a structure 11, an irradiation unit 12, a base plate 13, a substrate driving mechanism 14, a substrate holding unit 15, a dispenser 16, a mold driving mechanism 17, a pressure control mechanism 20, an imaging unit 31, and a control unit 40.

[0024] The mold holding unit 10 has a mold driving mechanism (moving unit) 17 that moves the mold 1 while holding it. The mold holding unit 10 holds the mold 1 via a support unit 111 so that a space 19 is formed on the second surface S2 side of the diaphragm 110. The mold holding unit 10 can hold the mold 1 by attracting the outer circumferential area of ​​the surface of the mold 1 that is irradiated with the irradiation light by vacuum suction force or electrostatic force. The structure 11 supports the mold driving mechanism 17.

[0025] The irradiation unit (curing unit) 12 cures the imprint material IM on the substrate 2 by irradiating it with irradiation light such as ultraviolet light through a prism 30. Although not shown, the irradiation unit 12 may include an exposure light source, an optical element that adjusts the irradiation light irradiated from the exposure light source to light appropriate for imprinting, and a light shielding plate (masking blade) that limits the irradiation area (irradiation range) of the irradiation light irradiated from the exposure light source.

[0026] The substrate holding section 15 has a substrate driving mechanism (moving section) 14 that is capable of moving the substrate 2 in each axial direction while holding the substrate 2. The base surface plate 13 supports the substrate holding section 15 and the substrate driving mechanism 14.

[0027] The substrate driving mechanism 14 and the mold driving mechanism 17 are configured as a relative driving mechanism that drives at least one of the substrate 2 and the mold 1 so as to adjust the relative position between the substrate 2 and the mold 1. The adjustment of the relative position by the relative driving mechanism (the substrate driving mechanism 14 and the mold driving mechanism 17) includes driving for contact between the imprint material IM on the substrate 2 and the pattern portion PP of the mold 1, and for separating the hardened imprint material IM from the mold 1.

[0028] The substrate driving mechanism 14 can be configured to drive the substrate 2 about multiple axes (e.g., three axes, namely, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the θZ-axis, and preferably six axes, namely, the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis). The mold driving mechanism 17 can be configured to drive the mold 1 about multiple axes (e.g., three axes, namely, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, and the θY-axis, and preferably six axes, namely, the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis).

[0029] The dispenser (supply unit) 16 places (supplies) the imprint material IM in a pattern formation region (imprint region) on the substrate 2. The dispenser 16 can place the imprint material IM at a target position on the substrate 2, for example, by discharging the imprint material IM from the dispenser 16 while scanning the substrate 2 with the substrate driving mechanism 14.

[0030] The pressure control mechanism 20 can curve the diaphragm 110 by controlling the pressure on the second surface S2 (i.e., the pressure in the space 19) so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 has a convex shape toward the substrate 2. The curved diaphragm 110 returns to a flat state by reducing (decompressing) the pressure on the second surface S2. The pressure on the second surface S2 (the pressure in the space 19) is also called the cavity pressure.

[0031] The imaging unit 31 is configured to be one or more, and measures the relative positions of the alignment marks in the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 and the alignment mark of the mold 1 by capturing an image formed by the two alignment marks. The imaging unit 31 can be configured to capture the above-mentioned images via the prism 30.

[0032] The control unit 40 includes a CPU, a memory (storage unit), and the like, and is configured as at least one computer, and is connected to each component of the imprint apparatus 100 via a line. The control unit 40 also performs overall control of the operation adjustment of each component of the entire imprint apparatus 100 according to a program stored in the memory. That is, the control unit 40 controls the irradiation unit 12, the substrate driving mechanism 14, the dispenser 16, the mold driving mechanism 17, the pressure control mechanism 20, the imaging unit 31, and the like. The control unit 40 may be configured integrally with other parts of the imprint apparatus 100 (within a common housing). Furthermore, the control unit 40 may be configured separately from other parts of the imprint apparatus 100 (within a different housing), or may be installed in a location separate from the imprint apparatus 100 and controlled remotely.

[0033] The control unit 40 may be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array), or by an ASIC (abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or by a general-purpose computer with an embedded program, or by a combination of all or part of these.

[0034] The imprint process, which is a process for forming a pattern by the imprint material IM on a pattern formation region of the substrate 2 performed by the imprint apparatus 100 of this embodiment, may include a supply step, a contact step, an alignment step, a curing step, and a release step. This imprint process is performed for one pattern formation region in the order of the supply step, contact step, alignment step, curing step, and release step.

[0035] The supplying step (applying step, arranging step) is a step of supplying (applying, arranging) the imprint material IM to the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 by the dispenser 16. In the contacting step, the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 is brought into contact with the pattern portion PP of the mold 1, and then the contact region between the imprint material IM and the pattern portion PP is expanded to the entire area of ​​the pattern formation region. As a result, the imprint material IM is filled in the pattern portion PP of the mold 1. In the positioning step, the relative positions of the alignment mark of the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 and the alignment mark of the mold 1 are detected based on the image captured by the imaging unit 31, and the pattern formation region and the pattern portion PP are aligned based on the detection result. Note that this alignment is performed by the control unit 40 controlling the relative drive mechanism. In the curing step, the imprint material IM on the substrate 2 is irradiated with irradiation light (energy for curing) irradiated from the irradiation unit 12, and the imprint material IM is cured. As a result, a pattern consisting of a cured product of the imprint material IM is formed in the pattern formation region of the substrate 2. In the demolding step, the hardened imprint material IM and the mold 1 are separated by the relative drive mechanism 25.

[0036] In this manner, the imprint apparatus 100 of this embodiment performs the imprint process for each pattern formation region in the order of the supply step, contact step, alignment step, curing step, and release step, and forms a pattern with the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region of the substrate 2. Note that the imprint material IM may be disposed on the entire substrate 2 in advance before starting the imprint process, and in this case the contact step, alignment step, curing step, and release step, excluding the supply step, may be considered as the imprint process.

[0037] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a contact step in which the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 is brought into contact with the pattern portion PP of the mold 1. Figure 2(A) is a diagram showing a state in which pressure is being applied to the second surface S2 so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 assumes a convex shape toward the substrate 2. Figure 2(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the pattern portion PP is being brought into contact with the imprint material IM while maintaining the state of Figure 2(A). Figure 2(C) is a diagram showing a state in which the pressure has been reduced so that the pattern portion PP becomes flat.

[0038] The contact step in this embodiment includes a pressing step and a flattening step (pressure reduction step). The pressing step is a step of contacting the pattern portion PP with the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region, and applying pressure between the mold 1 and the pattern formation region to expand the contact area between the mold 1 and the imprint material IM. Also, referring to Fig. 2, the pressing step is a step from the state shown in Fig. 2(A) to the state shown in Fig. 2(B).

[0039] The planarization step (pressure reduction step) is a step of reducing the pressure (cavity pressure) applied to the second surface S2 so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 assumes a convex shape toward the substrate 2. By carrying out the planarization step, the pressure between the mold 1 and the pattern formation region can be reduced, and the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 can be made flat. Also, referring to FIG. 2, the planarization step is a step from the state of FIG. 2(B) to the state of FIG. 2(C).

[0040] The flow of the pressing step and the flattening step will be described with reference to Fig. 2. First, in the pressing step, as shown in Fig. 2(A), the control unit 40 controls the pressure control mechanism 20 to control the pressure on the second surface S2 of the mold 1 so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 assumes a convex shape toward the substrate 2. Then, with the diaphragm 110 in a curved (deformed) state, relative pressing of the pattern portion PP against the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 is started, thereby reaching the state shown in Fig. 2(B).

[0041] 2(B), the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to control the distance between the substrate 2 and the mold 1 and the force pressing the mold 1 against the imprint material IM on the substrate 2. Then, the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 is pressed relatively against the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region of the substrate 2, thereby expanding the contact area between the imprint material IM and the pattern portion PP.

[0042] Next, in the flattening process, the control unit 40 controls the pressure control mechanism 20 to reduce the cavity pressure and converge it to a first predetermined value. In addition, the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to reduce the pressing force of the pattern portion PP against the imprint material IM and converge it to a second predetermined value. This leads to the state shown in FIG. 2(C). At this time, the pattern portion PP (diaphragm 110) of the mold 1 is in a flat state. Note that the first and second predetermined values ​​are preferably zero, but may be values ​​close to zero instead of zero. In this way, the flattening process is performed after the pressing process is completed.

[0043] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of pattern formation regions on the substrate 2. In this embodiment, each pattern formation region on the substrate 2 is divided into a plurality of regions according to the area in which a pattern can be formed.

[0044] Here, the pattern formation region capable of forming the entire area of ​​the pattern portion PP formed on the mold 1 is classified as the first category. Furthermore, the pattern formation region capable of forming 50% or more but less than 100% of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP formed on the mold 1 is classified as the second category. Furthermore, the pattern formation region capable of forming less than 50% of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP formed on the mold 1 is classified as the third category. Thus, the pattern formation regions in this embodiment are divided into three categories.

[0045] The first classification pattern forming region in this embodiment is a rectangular region called a full field (FF). The full field is preferably a region in which the entire area of ​​the pattern portion PP can be formed, but it may be a region in which a proportion of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP that is equal to or greater than a predetermined value can be formed, rather than the entire area of ​​the pattern portion PP.

[0046] The pattern formation regions of the second and third categories are non-rectangular regions called partial fields (PF). The partial fields are regions in which a part (a predetermined value or less) of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP can be formed. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the full field, which is the pattern formation region of the first category, is a region that does not include the outer periphery of the substrate 2, and the partial field, which is the pattern formation region of the second and third categories, is a region that includes the outer periphery of the substrate 2.

[0047] It is assumed that the mold 1 and substrate 2 are pressed in a parallel state during the pressing process. In this case, in the pattern formation region of the first classification, the pattern portion PP starts to come into contact with the imprint material IM in a state where the outermost edge of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1, which has a convex shape in the Z direction, approximately coincides with the central area (geometric center) of the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate 2. The effective area is the area in which the pattern of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 can be formed.

[0048] Furthermore, in the second classification pattern formation region, the pattern portion PP starts to come into contact with the imprint material IM in a state where the outermost end of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 which has become convex is shifted from the central region in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate 2. Furthermore, in the third classification pattern formation region, the pattern portion PP starts to come into contact with the imprint material IM in a state where the outermost end of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 which has become convex is outside the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 or, even if it is on the pattern formation region, is close to the outer periphery of the substrate 2.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating examples of changes over time in the height of the mold holding part 10, the pressure in the cavity space, the pressing force, and the relative positional fluctuation between the pattern part PP of the mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 in the contact step. In Fig. 4, the horizontal axis shows the changes over time, and t1, t2, t3, and t4 illustrate the timing of the operation and processing of the imprint apparatus 100 over time.

[0050] The height and pressing force of the mold holding part 10 are controlled by the control part 40 controlling the driving of the mold driving mechanism 17. The height of the mold holding part 10 is indicated with the reference position in the Z-axis direction being 0 (zero). The height of the support part 111 of the mold 1 has a certain offset value with respect to the height of the mold holding part 10. The pressing force is a force generated by an actuator (not shown) possessed by the mold driving mechanism 17. As described above, the cavity pressure is controlled by the control part 40 controlling the pressure control mechanism 20.

[0051] First, the pressure in the cavity space is made positive so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 becomes a convex shape toward the substrate 2. Next, at timing t1, the mold holding part 10 starts moving (descending) from the reference position (standby position) toward the surface of the substrate 2. At timing t2, the moving speed (descending speed) of the mold holding part 10 is made slower than the speed from timing t1 to timing t2, and the pattern part PP of the mold 1 is brought into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate 2. Thereafter, the contact area between the imprint material IM and the pattern part PP is gradually expanded, and the imprint material IM is filled into the pattern part PP. From the start of timing t2 to around timing t3, the pressing force (absolute value) gradually increases due to the contact between the imprint material IM and the pattern part PP. Around timing t4, the cavity pressure converges to a first predetermined value, and the pressing force converges to a second predetermined value.

[0052] In the example of Fig. 4, the period from timing t2 to timing t3 is the pressing process, and the period from timing t3 to timing t4 is the flattening process. Therefore, the period from timing t1 to timing t4 is the contact process. Here, for example, the process before the start of timing t2 is defined as a separate process. Also, at timing t3, a time for maintaining the state may be provided. The time for maintaining the state at timing t3 is included in the flattening process, and this time is set in advance.

[0053] Here, for example, assume that in the pressing step of the third classification pattern formation area, the curved pattern portion PP of the mold 1 is brought into contact with the imprint material IM. In this case, as described above, the extreme end of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 starts to contact at a position close to the outer periphery of the substrate 2 even if it is outside the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 or on the pattern formation area. This may cause the shape that deforms at least one of the mold 1 or the substrate 2 to become complex, making the contact posture unstable. This unstable state may cause fluctuations in the relative positions of the mold 1 and the substrate 2.

[0054] The relative position variation (a) shown in Figure 4 illustrates the variation in the relative position between the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 during the contacting step of the pattern formation area of ​​the first classification. The relative position when the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 is flattened after the flattening step is shown as the reference position. During the pressing step, contact between the imprint material IM and the alignment mark that may be arranged on the periphery of the pattern formation area is completed at the end of the pressing step.

[0055] Furthermore, until the imprint material IM is in contact with the alignment mark to a certain extent (a predetermined amount or more of the imprint material IM is filled in the pattern portion PP), the relative position between the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 cannot be properly detected.

[0056] For this reason, detection of the relative position of the pattern formation region of the first classification becomes possible in the planarization process, which is the period from timing t3 to timing t4. During the planarization process in which the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 is returned to a flat state, in the case of the pattern formation of the first classification, the mold 1 and the substrate 2 are pressed together in a parallel state, and contact in a stable posture is maintained, so that fluctuations in the relative position are small.

[0057] In the pattern formation region of the second classification, when the mold 1 and the substrate 2 are pressed in a parallel state as in the first classification, the variation in the relative position may be the same as that in the pattern formation region of the first classification, depending on the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region, the deviation, etc. In addition, even if it is not the same, it will be smaller than the variation in the relative position in the pattern formation region of the third classification described later. In addition, in the pattern formation region of the second classification, when contact is started in a state in which the end of the pattern part PP of the mold 1, which has a convex shape, is shifted from the center region of the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 by a predetermined threshold value or more, the contact posture becomes unstable. In this case, the variation in the relative position becomes larger than that in the pattern formation region of the first classification. In this way, the pattern formation region of the second classification is a region in which the variation in the relative position may be small or large depending on the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region, the deviation, etc. In addition, the threshold value in this case is set in advance before starting the imprint process.

[0058] The relative position change (b) in Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a change in the relative position between the pattern portion PP of mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​substrate 2 in the contacting step of the pattern formation area of ​​the third classification. In the pressing step of the pattern formation area of ​​the third classification, contact begins at a position close to the outer periphery of substrate 2 even if the extreme end of the pattern portion PP of mold 1 is outside or on the pattern formation area of ​​substrate 2. Therefore, the shape that deforms mold 1 or substrate 2 becomes complex, and the contact posture can become unstable.

[0059] During the planarization process, when a pattern is formed in the pattern formation area of ​​the third classification, the contact state between the pattern part PP of the mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 becomes unstable. Therefore, the fluctuation in the relative position during the process in which the pattern part PP of the mold 1 is returned to a flat surface is larger than that in the pattern formation areas of the first and second classifications. The fluctuation in the relative position between the pattern part PP of the mold 1 and the pattern formation area of ​​the substrate 2 acts as one of the causes that hinders the control of the relative position in the alignment process.

[0060] It is preferable to start the alignment process from a state where the relative position variation is small and stable within an allowable range. That is, in a pattern formation region where the relative position variation from the planarization process is small as illustrated in the relative position variation (a) of Figure 4, the alignment process can be started during the planarization process. At this time, in the alignment process, alignment is performed while lowering the pressure in the cavity.

[0061] An imprint method in the imprint apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the imprint apparatus 100 according to this embodiment (the flow of an imprint processing for forming a pattern on a pattern formation region of a substrate 2 using an imprint material IM). Each operation (process) shown in the flowchart of Figure 5 is controlled by the control unit 40 executing a computer program. In the following description, each process (step) will be represented by adding an S to the beginning, and the notation of the process (step) will be omitted.

[0062] First, in S501, the control unit 40 determines the start timing of the alignment process in the pattern formation region to be the pattern formation target. The start timing of the alignment process is determined for each pattern formation region based on the classification identified by the control unit 40 or the like. That is, in S501, the start timing of the alignment process with respect to the contact process is determined according to the area in which the patterns of the multiple pattern formation regions can be formed, so that the start timing of the alignment process can be changed according to the area in which the patterns can be formed. Specifically, the start timing of the alignment process is determined to be whether to start after the planarization process is completed or during the planarization process according to the area in which the patterns of the multiple pattern formation regions can be formed.

[0063] Here, in identifying the pattern formation region, the control unit 40 identifies it as a pattern formation region of the first classification when the area of ​​the pattern formation region in which the pattern is formed is the entire area of ​​the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 as described above. When the area in which the pattern is formed is 50% or more but less than 100% of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP of the mold 1, it identifies it as a pattern formation region of the second classification. When the area in which the pattern is formed is less than 50% of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP of the mold 1, it identifies it as a pattern formation region of the third classification. In this process, the start timing of the alignment process is set for each pattern formation region based on the area of ​​the pattern formation region in which the pattern is formed. In addition, when identifying the pattern formation region of the first classification, an area in which the proportion of the area of ​​the pattern portion PP that can be formed is a predetermined value or more, rather than the entire area of ​​the pattern portion PP, may be classified as the first classification.

[0064] Here, the start timing of the alignment process is set so that, in the case of a pattern formation area identified as the first classification, the alignment process is started in parallel with the planarization process during the planarization process (pressure reduction process) in the contact process. In the case of a pattern formation area identified as the third classification, the alignment process is set so that the alignment process is started after the planarization process (pressure reduction process) is completed. In the case of a pattern formation area identified as the second classification, the alignment process is set by further referring to the setting of the pressing process.

[0065] In the setting of the pressing step, when the mold 1 and the substrate 2 are pressed in a parallel state similar to the pattern formation region identified as the first classification, the pressing step is set to start in parallel with the planarization step during the contact step. Note that, when the end of the pattern portion PP is brought into contact with the imprint material IM, if the deviation from the central region in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region is less than a predetermined threshold, the pressing step may be set to start in parallel with the planarization step during the contact step. Specifically, when the end of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 that has become a convex shape is not deviated from the central region in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 by a predetermined amount or more in at least either the X direction or the Y direction, the alignment step is started during the planarization step.

[0066] On the other hand, when the setting is such that the contact is started when the deviation from the central region in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value when the end of the pattern portion PP is brought into contact with the imprint material IM, the alignment step is set to start after the contact step (flattening step). Specifically, when the end of the pattern portion PP of the mold 1 that has become a convex shape is deviated from the central region in the effective area of ​​the pattern formation region of the substrate 2 by a predetermined amount or more in at least either the X direction or the Y direction, the alignment step is started after the flattening step is completed.

[0067] The start timing of the alignment process may be set in advance together with the layout setting of the substrate 2, based on the layout of the pattern formation region on the substrate 2 (allocation of the pattern formation region of the substrate 2). Also, the control unit 40 may calculate the area in which the pattern is formed in the target pattern formation region from the layout information of the pattern formation region, and set the start timing of the alignment process for each pattern formation region based on the area.

[0068] 3 also illustrates the start timing of the alignment process in each pattern formation region in the case where it is determined that the alignment process in the second classification pattern formation region is to be started in parallel with the planarization process during the planarization process. In the figure, P indicates a pattern formation region in which the alignment process is set to be started in parallel with the planarization process. In the figure, S indicates a pattern formation region in which the alignment process is set to be started after the contact process (planarization process).

[0069] Next, in S502, the control unit 40 controls the dispenser 16 to supply the imprint material IM to the pattern formation region of the substrate 2. Here, in this process, the imprint material IM is described as being supplied to one pattern formation region where a pattern will be formed. However, this is not limiting, and the imprint material IM may be changed so as to be continuously supplied to a plurality of pattern formation regions. Also, the imprint material IM may be supplied in advance to the entire surface of the substrate 2, in which case the process of S502 is omitted.

[0070] Next, in S503, the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to bring the pattern portion PP into contact with the imprint material IM on the pattern formation area, and applies pressure between the mold 1 and the pattern formation area to expand the contact area between the mold 1 and the imprint material IM (pressing process).

[0071] Next, in S504, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the alignment process and the flattening process are set to be performed in parallel in the pattern formation region where the pressing process was performed in S503, based on the start timing of the alignment process determined in S501. If the result of the determination is that the start timing of the alignment process is during the flattening process, that is, the setting is that the alignment process is started in parallel with the flattening process, the process proceeds to S505. On the other hand, if the start timing of the alignment process is not during the flattening process, that is, the alignment process is not started in parallel with the flattening process, the process proceeds to S506. In this way, the process proceeds to S506 when it is determined that the alignment process is to be started after the flattening process.

[0072] Next, in S505, the planarization process and the alignment process are started in parallel. S505 includes S505-1 and S505-2. Here, S505-1 is a planarization process in which the control unit 40 controls the pressure control mechanism 20 to reduce the pressure applied to the second surface S2 so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 has a convex shape toward the substrate 2. S505-2 is an alignment process in which the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to perform relative alignment between the mold 1 and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship between the alignment marks of the mold 1 and the pattern formation region. Here, the alignment process is started at any timing during the period in which the planarization process is being performed (during decompression). For example, the alignment process may be started after the planarization process is started, or may be started at the same time as the planarization process is started.

[0073] The alignment step of S505-2 may be terminated before the end of the planarization step if the relative position falls within the allowable range. However, even if the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 falls within the allowable range temporarily during the planarization step, it is desirable to continue at least until the planarization step is completed, since the disturbance caused by the planarization step acts, although it is small. It is also desirable to continue the alignment step until the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 falls within the allowable range even after the planarization step ends. Moreover, the relative position is controlled so as to be maintained even after the relative position falls within the allowable range.

[0074] Next, in S506, the control unit 40 controls the pressure control mechanism 20 to reduce the pressure applied to the second surface S2 so that the diaphragm 110 of the mold 1 has a convex shape toward the substrate 2 (flattening step). Note that the process of S506 is similar to the process of S505-1.

[0075] Next, in S507, the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to perform relative alignment between the mold 1 and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship between the alignment marks of the mold 1 and the pattern formation region (alignment step). Note that the process of S507 is the same as the process of S505-2.

[0076] Next, in S508, the control unit 40 controls the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate the imprint material IM on the pattern formation region with irradiation light and harden the imprint material IM (hardening step). Next, in S509, the control unit 40 controls the relative drive mechanism to separate the mold 1 from the imprint material IM (mold releasing step).

[0077] The above-mentioned processes from S501 to S509 are performed on all pattern formation regions on the substrate 2 where a pattern is to be formed. As a result, a pattern made of a cured product of the imprint material IM is formed on the substrate 2.

[0078] As described above, in the imprint apparatus 100 and imprint method of this embodiment, the timing for starting the alignment step with respect to the contact step can be changed depending on the area in which the patterns of the multiple pattern formation regions can be formed. This makes it possible to perform the planarization step and the alignment step in parallel depending on the area in which the patterns of the pattern formation regions can be formed, thereby shortening the overall processing time of the imprint process and improving throughput.

[0079] In this embodiment, the pattern formation regions are classified into three categories according to the area in which the pattern can be formed, and the timing of starting the alignment step with respect to the contact step is changed based on the classification. Here, the multiple pattern formation regions may be classified into at least two categories.

[0080] When classifying into two, for example, the area where the pattern formed in the pattern portion PP can be formed entirely or at least a predetermined value may be classified as the first classification, and the area where the pattern formed in the pattern portion PP can be formed at less than a predetermined value may be classified as the second classification. That is, the full-field area and the area other than the full-field area are separated. In this case, the alignment process starts during the flattening process in the first classification, and starts after the flattening process is completed in the second classification. Even if the area is classified into two, the full-field area and the area other than the full-field area, it is possible to shorten the overall processing time of the imprint process in the same way as above, and improve the throughput.

[0081] Furthermore, the start timing of the alignment process may be determined based on the ratio of the area of ​​the pattern in the pattern formation region without going through the above classification. That is, if the area of ​​the pattern in the pattern formation region is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the alignment process may be started during the planarization process, and if the area of ​​the pattern in the pattern formation region is less than the predetermined value, the alignment process may be started after the planarization process is completed.

[0082] <Example of article manufacturing method> The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes a step of forming a pattern on a composition applied to a substrate using the above-mentioned imprint apparatus 100 (a step of processing the substrate), and a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in this step. Furthermore, this manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, composition peeling, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to conventional methods.

[0083] The pattern of the cured material formed using the imprint apparatus 100 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, molds, etc. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGAs. Examples of molds include molds for substrate processing such as imprinting.

[0084] The pattern of the cured product may be used as it is as at least a part of a component of the article, or may be used temporarily as a composition mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation is performed in a substrate processing step.

[0085] Next, a specific method for manufacturing an article will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6(A), a substrate 1z such as a silicon substrate having a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then a composition 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which the composition 3z in the form of multiple droplets is applied onto the substrate 1z is shown.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 6(B), the mold 4z is placed so that the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed faces the composition 3z on the substrate 1z. As shown in FIG. 6(C), the substrate 1z to which the composition 3z is applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied (contact step). The composition 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z in this state as energy for curing, the composition 3z is cured (curing step). At this time, in this embodiment, it is possible to irradiate the composition with light at an irradiation amount that results in an optimal degree of photopolymerization based on the spectral sensitivity characteristics acquired within the device.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 6(D), after the composition 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the composition 3z is formed on the substrate 1z (pattern formation step, molding step). In this cured product pattern, the concave portions of the mold 4z correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, and the convex portions of the mold 4z correspond to the concave portions of the cured product, that is, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the composition 3z.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 6(E), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured material or where only a thin portion remains is removed, forming a groove 5z. As shown in FIG. 6(F), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a component of an article, without being removed after processing. Note that, although an example of using a mold for transferring a circuit pattern provided with a concave-convex pattern as the mold 4z has been described, it may also be a flat template having a flat portion without a concave-convex pattern.

[0089] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments may be combined to carry out the present invention.

[0090] Furthermore, a computer program that realizes part or all of the control in each of the above-described embodiments may be supplied to the imprint apparatus 100 or the like via a network or various storage media. Then, a computer (or a CPU, MPU, or the like) in the imprint apparatus 100 or the like may read and execute the program. In this case, the program and the storage medium on which the program is stored constitute the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 100 Imprinting device Type 1 2. Board PP pattern part IM Imprint material

Claims

1. An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material on a plurality of pattern forming regions on a substrate using a mold having a pattern portion, comprising: a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprinting material; an alignment step of relatively aligning the mold and the pattern forming region based on the positional relationship of alignment marks each of the mold and the pattern forming region has; In the alignment step, when the area where the pattern of the plurality of pattern forming regions can be formed is a second area wider than a first area, the timing of starting the alignment step with respect to the contact step is earlier than when the area is the first area. The imprinting method is characterized by this.

2. The imprinting method according to claim 1, wherein in the alignment step, the timing of starting the alignment step with respect to the contact step is changed according to the area where the pattern of the plurality of pattern forming regions can be formed.

3. The imprinting method according to claim 1, wherein the timing of starting the contact step is earlier than the timing of starting the alignment step.

4. The contact step includes a pressing step of bringing the pattern portion into contact with the imprinting material on the pattern forming region and applying pressure between the mold and the pattern forming region to expand the contact area between the mold and the imprinting material, and a depressurization step of reducing the pressure between the mold and the pattern forming region to make at least the pattern portion flat. The imprinting method according to claim 1 is characterized by including these.

5. The imprinting method according to claim 4, wherein the depressurization step is performed after the pressing step is completed.

6. The imprinting method according to claim 4, wherein in the alignment step, according to the area where the pattern of the plurality of pattern forming regions can be formed, it is changed whether to start after the depressurization step is completed or to start during the period of the depressurization step.

7. The imprinting method according to claim 6, wherein in the alignment step, when the ratio of the area of the pattern in the pattern forming region is a predetermined value or more, it starts during the period of the depressurization step.

8. The imprinting method according to claim 6, wherein the alignment step starts after the pressure reduction step is completed when the ratio of the area of the pattern in the pattern formation region is less than a predetermined value.

9. The imprinting method according to claim 4, wherein the alignment step starts during the pressure reduction step when, when the pattern portion is brought into contact with the imprinting material, the deviation between at least the central portion of the pattern portion and the central region in the effective area of the pattern formation region is less than a predetermined threshold value.

10. The imprinting method according to claim 4, wherein the alignment step starts after the pressure reduction step is completed when, when the pattern portion is brought into contact with the imprinting material, the deviation between at least the central portion of the pattern portion and the central region in the effective area of the pattern formation region is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

11. An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material in a plurality of pattern formation regions on a substrate using a mold having a pattern portion, a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprinting material; an alignment step of relatively aligning the mold and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship of alignment marks each of the mold and the pattern formation region has; and the contact step includes a pressing step of applying pressure between the pattern formation region to increase the contact area between the mold and the imprinting material, and a pressure reduction step of reducing the pressure between the mold and the pattern formation region to make at least the pattern portion flat, The imprinting method, wherein when the ratio of the area of the pattern in the pattern formation region is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the alignment step starts during the pressure reduction step.

12. An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprinting material in a plurality of pattern formation regions on a substrate using a mold having a pattern portion, a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprinting material; an alignment step of relatively aligning the mold and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship of alignment marks each of the mold and the pattern formation region has; and In the alignment step, the imprinting method is characterized in that the timing of starting the alignment step with respect to the contact step is changed according to the area where the patterns of the plurality of pattern formation regions can be formed.

13. An imprinting apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a plurality of pattern formation regions on a substrate by bringing into contact a mold having a pattern portion, a moving unit that relatively moves the mold and the substrate so that the pattern portion of the mold contacts the imprint material on the pattern formation region, and a control unit that controls the moving unit to perform relative alignment between the mold and the pattern formation region based on the positional relationship of alignment marks respectively provided on the mold and the pattern formation region. The control unit controls such that the timing of starting the relative alignment between the mold and the pattern formation region is earlier in the case of a second area that is wider than the first area than in the case where the area where the patterns of the plurality of pattern formation regions can be formed is the first area, with respect to the timing of bringing the mold into contact with the substrate. The imprinting apparatus is characterized by this.

14. After bringing the pattern portion into contact with the imprint material, the control unit reduces the pressure between the mold and the pattern formation region, The imprinting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, according to the area where the patterns of the plurality of pattern formation regions can be formed, the timing of starting the relative alignment between the mold and the pattern formation region is changed to start after reducing the pressure or to start during the period in which the pressure is being reduced.

15. A pattern forming step of forming the pattern on the substrate using the imprinting apparatus according to claim 13, a processing step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the pattern forming step, and a step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step. A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by including these steps.

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