Imprint apparatus, imprint method, and method for manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide an imprint apparatus, an imprint method, and a method for manufacturing an article that are capable of improving registration accuracy and yield.SOLUTION: An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on a board using a mold includes a mold holding unit for holding the mold, a board holding unit for holding the board, a substrate deformation mechanism for deforming a part of the board held by the board holding unit in a direction toward or away from the mold, a hardening unit for hardening an imprint material on the board, and a control unit for controlling the driving of the mold holding unit, the board holding unit, the board deformation mechanism, and the hardening unit. The control unit controls the alignment of the board and the mold in a state where the imprint material on the board is in contact with the mold, and the hardening of the imprint material on the board by the hardening unit after the alignment, and changes the deformation state of a part of the board by the alignment and the hardening using the board deformation mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Imprint technology, which uses a mold to shape an imprint material (curable composition) on a substrate, is known as a lithography technology for manufacturing semiconductor devices, etc. In an imprint device using the imprint technology, the imprint material is cured while the mold is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate, and a pattern of the imprint material can be formed on the substrate by separating the mold from the cured imprint material.

[0003] In an imprinting apparatus, it is required to align the pattern area, where the pattern of the mold is formed, with high accuracy to the transfer area (shot area) of the substrate, and to transfer the pattern without missing any part of the pattern. This causes many problems, especially in the missing shot area on the periphery of the substrate.

[0004] Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which the pressure of the substrate holding part is changed when the mold and substrate come into contact with each other in the defective shot area on the outer periphery of the substrate, thereby deforming the outer periphery of the substrate, thereby reducing poor contact between the mold and substrate and improving pattern transfer accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6313840 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the conventional technology, when adjusting the overlay of the mold and the missing shot area on the outer periphery of the substrate, there are cases where no imprint material is placed in an area of ​​a certain width from the outermost periphery of the substrate, or where the amount of imprint material placed is less than in the inner area. In such cases, friction resistance increases when aligning the mold and substrate, which can deteriorate the overlay accuracy.

[0007] Furthermore, at the outermost periphery of the imprint material applied to the outer periphery of the substrate, when the mold and substrate are separated, the imprint material at the outermost periphery may peel off from the substrate and adhere to the mold, which may cause transfer abnormalities in the next shot or later.

[0008] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprinting method, an imprinting apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article that are advantageous in terms of overlay accuracy and suppression of transfer abnormalities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the object, an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: An imprinting apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, comprising: A mold holding unit that holds a mold; A substrate holder for holding a substrate; a substrate deformation mechanism that deforms a portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder in a direction toward or away from a mold; a curing unit that cures the imprint material on the substrate; a control unit that controls driving of the mold holding unit, the substrate holding unit, the substrate deformation mechanism, and the hardening unit, The control unit is Controlling alignment of the substrate and the mold in a state in which the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold, and hardening of the imprint material on the substrate by the hardening unit; The substrate deformation mechanism changes a deformation state of a portion of the substrate during the alignment and the curing. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprinting method, an imprinting apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article that are advantageous in terms of overlay accuracy and suppression of transfer abnormalities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2A to 2C are views for explaining a substrate holding unit and an imprint method according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem with the conventional technology. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are views for explaining an imprint method according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imprint apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a top view of a substrate holding portion according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] 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.

[0013] First Embodiment 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 100 according to one aspect of the present invention. The imprinting apparatus 100 is a type of 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 imprinting apparatus 100 performs an imprinting process that forms a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold. Specifically, the imprinting apparatus 100 brings uncured imprinting material supplied (placed) on the substrate into contact with the mold, and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material to form a cured pattern to which the pattern of the mold has been transferred.

[0014] The imprint material is a 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 light, ultraviolet rays, and the like.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] In this embodiment, the imprinting apparatus 100 employs a configuration having a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to cure the imprinting material as a curing unit for the imprinting material, but is not limited to this. For example, the imprinting apparatus 100 can also employ a thermal curing method for curing the imprinting material by applying heat as a curing method for the imprinting material.

[0020] 1, the imprint apparatus 100 has a pre-alignment unit 7, a dispenser 8, an off-axis alignment measurement system 9, and an alignment measurement system 10. The imprint apparatus 100 also has a light transmitting member 13, a control unit 14, a console unit 15, an irradiation unit 16 as a curing unit that cures the imprint material, a filling monitor 17, a mold stage 5, and a substrate stage 60.

[0021] The irradiation unit 16 irradiates light (e.g., ultraviolet light) onto the imprint material on the substrate through a mold 3. The irradiation unit 16 includes, for example, a light source unit 161 that emits light for hardening the imprint material on the substrate, and an optical member 162 for guiding the light emitted from the light source unit 161 to the imprint material on the substrate. The optical member 162 includes an optical element for adjusting the light emitted from the light source unit 161 to light appropriate for the imprint process.

[0022] The mold 3 has a rectangular outer peripheral shape. A three-dimensional pattern 3a is formed on the surface (pattern surface) of the mold 3 facing the substrate 1. The mold 3 is made of a material that can transmit light (ultraviolet rays) from the irradiation unit 16, such as quartz glass. The mold 3 includes a cavity (recess) 3b for facilitating deformation of the pattern 3a. The cavity 3b has a circular planar shape, and its depth (thickness) is set appropriately according to the shape and material of the mold 3.

[0023] A light transmitting member 13 is disposed above the cavity 3b. The light transmitting member 13 is a member for making a space 12 surrounded by the cavity 3b and a part of an opening region provided in the mold stage 5 into a sealed space. By adjusting the pressure in the space 12 via a pressure adjusting device (not shown) connected to the space 12, the pattern 3a of the mold 3 can be deformed, for example, the pattern 3a of the mold 3 can be deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate side.

[0024] The mold stage 5 includes a mold holding part 51 that holds the mold 3 by vacuum suction force or electrostatic force, a mold driving part 52 that drives the mold holding part 51 in the Z direction (the up and down direction in FIG. 1), and a mold deformation mechanism 53. The mold holding part 51, the mold driving part 52, and the mold stage 5 are provided at their centers with an opening region for irradiating the light from the irradiation part 16 to the imprint material on the substrate.

[0025] The mold driving unit 52 includes an actuator such as a voice coil motor or an air cylinder. The mold driving unit 52 drives the mold holding unit 51 (the mold 3 held by it) in the Z direction to bring the mold 3 into contact with the imprint material on the substrate or to separate the mold 3 from the imprint material on the substrate. The mold driving unit 52 may have a function to drive the mold holding unit 51 not only in the Z direction but also in the X direction or Y direction (i.e., a function to adjust the position of the mold 3 in the X direction or Y direction). Furthermore, the mold driving unit 52 may have a function to adjust the position of the mold holding unit 51 in the θZ direction or a function to adjust the tilt of the mold holding unit 51.

[0026] The mold deformation mechanism 53 applies an external force or displacement to the side surface of the mold 3 held by the mold holding part 51, thereby deforming the mold 3. That is, it is possible to deform the pattern 3a of the mold 3 and correct the shape of the mold 3. The mold deformation mechanism 53 includes, for example, a plurality of actuators, and is configured to apply pressure to a plurality of points on each side surface of the mold 3.

[0027] A plurality of shot areas are arranged in a matrix on the substrate 1. Here, the shot area means an area (transfer area) to which the pattern 3a of the mold 3 is transferred in one imprint process. In this embodiment, in order to maximize the effective area of ​​the substrate 1 (the total area of ​​the areas to which the pattern 3a of the mold 3 is transferred), the imprint process is performed not only on the shot areas inside the substrate 1 but also on peripheral shot areas including the periphery of the substrate 1. The peripheral shot area is a shot area that is partially missing (protruding from the periphery of the substrate 1), and is also called a missing shot area.

[0028] The substrate stage 60 includes a substrate holder 2 that holds the substrate 1, and a substrate driver 61 that drives the substrate holder 2 (substrate 1 held by the substrate holder 2) in the X and Y directions. The substrate driver 61 may include, for example, a linear motor and may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse motion drive system and a fine motion drive system. The substrate driver 61 may also have a function of driving the substrate holder 2 not only in the X and Y directions but also in the Z direction (i.e., a function of adjusting the position of the substrate 1 in the Z direction). Furthermore, the substrate driver 61 may have a function of adjusting the position of the substrate holder 2 in the θZ direction and a function of adjusting the tilt of the substrate holder 2.

[0029] The pre-alignment unit 7 includes a pre-alignment stage (not shown) on which the substrate 1 is mounted, and a pre-alignment sensor (not shown) that measures the position of the substrate 1 mounted on the pre-alignment stage. The pre-alignment sensor measures the position of the substrate 1 by detecting a notch or an orientation flat provided on the substrate 1. The pre-alignment stage is driven based on the measurement result of the pre-alignment sensor, and the substrate 1 mounted on the pre-alignment stage is transferred to a transfer hand (not shown) at that position. The transfer hand then places the substrate 1 on the substrate holding unit 2. Note that instead of driving the pre-alignment stage, the position (receiving position) of the transfer hand that receives the substrate 1 from the pre-alignment stage or the position of the substrate holding unit 2 that receives the substrate 1 from the transfer hand may be changed based on the measurement result of the pre-alignment sensor.

[0030] In this embodiment, the position of the substrate stage 60 is measured using an encoder system including a scale provided on the housing and a head (optical device) provided on the substrate driving unit 61, but is not limited to this. For example, the position of the substrate stage 60 may be measured using an interferometer system including a laser interferometer provided on the housing and a reflecting mirror provided on the substrate driving unit 61.

[0031] The off-axis alignment measurement system 9 and the alignment measurement system 10 are used for pre-alignment measurement to measure the relative position between the mold 3 and the substrate 1 (each shot area). The off-axis alignment measurement system 9 and the alignment measurement system 10 individually measure the positions of the substrate 1 and the mold 3 based on the device coordinates, respectively, under the control of the control unit 14. The alignment measurement system 10 measures the position of the mold 3 based on the position reference of the alignment measurement system 10 by detecting (observing) a mark provided on the mold 3. Meanwhile, the off-axis alignment measurement system 9 measures the position of the substrate 1 (each shot area) based on the position reference of the substrate holding unit 2 by detecting a plurality of marks provided on the substrate 1 held by the substrate holding unit 2. Then, a statistical calculation process (global alignment) is performed to estimate the position coordinates of all the shot areas of the substrate 1.

[0032] Furthermore, the alignment measurement system 10 measures the positional deviation in the X and Y directions between the alignment mark provided on the substrate 1 and the alignment mark provided on the mold 3 (i.e., the positional deviation between the substrate 1 and the mold 3). Under the control of the control unit 14, the position of the substrate stage 60 is adjusted based on the positional deviation measured by the alignment measurement system 10, thereby overlapping (aligning) the mold 3 (pattern 3a) and the substrate 1 (shot area).

[0033] The dispenser 8 has a function of disposing (supplying) the imprint material on the substrate. The dispenser 8, for example, ejects droplets of the imprint material onto each shot region on the substrate. The dispenser 8 may dispose the imprint material individually onto each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, or may dispose the imprint material collectively onto several shot regions.

[0034] The filling monitor 17 (spread camera) observes the contact state between the imprint material placed (supplied) on the substrate (in its shot area) and the mold 3. By observing the contact state between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold 3 with the filling monitor 17, it is possible to identify defective areas caused by particles or non-filling of the imprint material. The filling monitor 17 includes, for example, a light source, an imaging element, and an optical system. The light source may be an LED or the like that emits light of a wavelength to which the imprint material is not sensitive, and the imaging element may be a two-dimensional sensor such as a CCD sensor. The optical system includes an illumination system that uniformly illuminates the substrate 1 (in its shot area) with light from the light source, and an imaging system that optically conjugates the substrate 1 and the imaging element.

[0035] The control unit 14 is configured, for example, by a computer including a CPU, a memory, and the like, and operates the imprint apparatus 100 by comprehensively controlling each unit of the imprint apparatus 100 in accordance with a program stored in the memory.

[0036] In this embodiment, the control unit 14 controls the imprint process, which uses the mold 3 to form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate (transfers the pattern 3a of the mold 3 to the imprint material on the substrate), and processes related thereto. Here, the imprint process typically includes a placement step, a contact step, a filling step, a curing step, and a release step. The placement step is a step of placing (supplying) the imprint material on the substrate. The contact step is a step of bringing the imprint material on the substrate into contact with the mold 3. The filling step is a step of filling the pattern 3a of the mold 3 with the imprint material while the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold 3. The curing step is a step of curing the imprint material while the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold 3. The release step is a step of separating the mold 3 from the cured imprint material on the substrate.

[0037] The console unit 15 includes a computer equipped with input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display, and is an interface for sharing information between the imprint apparatus 100 (control unit 14) and a user. The console unit 15 outputs (transmits) information related to the imprint process input by the user to the control unit 14. The information related to the imprint process input to the console unit 15 is recorded in the imprint apparatus 100 as a log, and can be confirmed before and after the imprint process. Here, the information related to the imprint process includes an imprint recipe describing various imprint conditions when forming a pattern of the imprint material on a substrate. The imprint recipe includes, for example, a force (pressing force (imprinting force)) to be applied to the mold 3 when the mold 3 and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, a shot layout indicating the arrangement of shot areas on the substrate, a drop pattern indicating the arrangement of droplets of the imprint material to be placed on the substrate, and the like.

[0038] 2(c) to 2(e) are cross-sectional views of the substrate holding unit 2 shown in FIG. 2(b) taken along line AA, showing only a portion corresponding to the shot region 11 on the substrate. As a substrate deformation mechanism possessed by the substrate holding unit 2, a plurality of holding regions 22a, 22b, and 22c are provided, which are connected to the pressure adjusting unit 26 via pipes 23a, 23b, and 23c, respectively. The pressure adjusting unit 26 has a function of adjusting the pressure of the spaces SPa, SPb, and SPc between each of the plurality of holding regions 22a, 22b, and 22c and the substrate 1 (the shot region 11). In other words, the pressure adjusting unit 26 has a function of adjusting the pressure applied to the rear surface of the substrate 1 in each of the plurality of holding regions 22a, 22b, and 22c. In this embodiment, the pressures of the spaces SPa, SPb, and Spc between each of the plurality of holding regions 22a, 22b, and 22c and the substrate 1 are independently controlled via the pressure adjusting unit 26 under the control of the control unit 14.

[0039] For example, Fig. 2(d) shows a state in which the pressures in the spaces SPa, SPb, and Spc between the substrate 1 and each of the multiple holding regions 22a, 22b, and 22c are controlled so that the substrate 1 is flat. Fig. 2(e) shows a state in which the pressure in the space SPa between the holding region 22a and the substrate 1 is changed from the state shown in Fig. 2(d) to the positive pressure side, and a part (end) of the substrate 1 is deformed upward. Fig. 2(c) shows a state in which the pressure in the space SPa between the holding region 22a and the substrate 1 is changed from the state shown in Fig. 2(d) to the negative pressure side, and a part (end) of the substrate 1 is deformed downward.

[0040] In this way, by controlling the pressure of the spaces SPa, SPb, and Spc between the substrate 1 and each of the multiple holding areas 22a, 22b, and 22c in the substrate holding unit 2, it is possible to change the partial shape of the substrate 1 relatively freely. Therefore, in this embodiment, using such a function, improvement of the overlay accuracy between the mold 3 (pattern 3a) and the substrate 1 (shot area 11) is realized and suppression of transfer abnormality is realized. That is, when performing alignment with the imprint material on the substrate and the mold in contact with each other, the control unit 14 performs control to deform a part of the substrate by the substrate deformation mechanism. Note that the overlay accuracy between the mold 3 and the substrate 1 can be measured, for example, using the alignment measurement system 10, or can be measured using an overlay inspection device that is an external device of the imprint apparatus 100. Similarly, pattern transfer abnormality can be measured, for example, using the filling monitor 17, or can be measured using a defect inspection device that is an external device of the imprint apparatus 100.

[0041] Next, the problems with the conventional imprint method will be explained using Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a1), (a2), and (a3) ​​show the state where the overlay accuracy deteriorates in the conventional technology, and Fig. 3(b1), (b2), and (b3) show the state where the pattern transfer abnormality occurs in the conventional technology.

[0042] Fig. 3(a1) shows a state in which the outer periphery of the mold 3 and the substrate 1 are in contact with each other via the imprint material 4, and 4a shows a region in the peripheral region of the substrate 1 where the substrate 1 and the mold 3 are closer than usual. In the peripheral region 4a of the substrate 1, the imprint material may become thin or may be absent. Fig. 3(a2) shows a state in which the mold 3 and the substrate 1 have been released.

[0043] FIG. 3(a3) shows the amount of relative position error between the alignment mark of the mold 3 and the alignment mark of the substrate 1 at each time when alignment control is performed in the state of FIG. 3(a1).

[0044] 3(a1), in region 4a, the frictional resistance between the mold 3 and substrate 1 increases due to the substrate 1 and mold 3 coming closer together, the imprint material becoming thinner, or there being no imprint material, and as a result, a situation occurs in which the substrate stage 60 cannot move relative to the mold 3 with the normal stage driving force. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(a3), the vibration average value of the relative position error amount of the alignment mark cannot be reduced from 3 to 0, and the overlay accuracy deteriorates.

[0045] 3(a3) indicates residual vibration in controlling the positions of the mold 3 and the substrate 1. This can be reduced by, for example, hardening the imprint material.

[0046] On the other hand, Figure 3 (b1), (b2), and (b3) show the factors that cause pattern transfer anomalies.

[0047] FIG. 3(b1) shows a state where the outer periphery of the mold 3 and the substrate 1 are in contact with each other via the imprint material 4, and FIG. 3(a2) shows a state where the mold 3 and the substrate 1 are released. FIG. 3(b3) shows the relative position error amount between the alignment mark of the mold 3 and the alignment mark of the substrate 1 at each time in the state of FIG. 3(b1). When the outer periphery of the substrate 1 is sufficiently filled with the imprint material 4 as shown in FIG. 3(b1), the frictional resistance between the imprint material 4 and the substrate 1 is small, and the substrate stage 60 can move relative to the mold 3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(b3), the relative position error amount of the alignment mark can be reduced, and the overlay accuracy is improved. However, at the time of release in (b2), a part 4b of the imprint material on the outer periphery of the substrate 1 is peeled off and adheres to the mold 3. This occurs due to improper filling of the imprint material into the mold, which depends on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, the surface condition of the substrate and the mold, the pattern structure of the substrate and the mold, the characteristics of the imprint material, the adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate, and the support structure of the substrate holder for the substrate. When this peeling occurs, the excess imprint material that has peeled off adheres to and is transferred onto the substrate in the next shot, making this shot an abnormal transfer shot. If the imprint material that has adhered to the mold does not peel off in the next shot, shots with abnormal pattern transfer will continue until it peels off. This is a factor that significantly reduces the yield.

[0048] 4(c1) to (c5) are diagrams for explaining an example of this embodiment. In FIG. 4(c1), the shape of the substrate is controlled to bend downward (in the direction away from the mold) using the shape control function of the substrate deformation mechanism so that the frictional resistance between the mold and the substrate does not increase at the outer periphery of the substrate. This enables the relative alignment between the mold and the substrate as shown in (c4). FIG. 4(c2) shows a state in which the outer periphery of the substrate is deformed in a direction approaching the mold, and the operation starts when the relative position error on the horizontal axis 5 in FIG. 4(c4) meets an arbitrary threshold value. That is, the substrate deformation mechanism controls the deformation in real time during alignment. As a result, the deformation state of a part of the substrate is changed by alignment and curing. This operation can suppress insufficient filling of the imprint material into the mold and improve pattern transfer abnormality due to peeling.

[0049] Furthermore, Fig. 4 (c5) explains a case where the amount of substrate deformation is controlled according to the amplitude of the alignment waveform. At the start of alignment, the substrate is bent (c1) to reduce the frictional resistance between the mold and the substrate, and as the error decreases, shape control is performed to bring the substrate closer to the mold. When the error reaches a threshold value, the substrate is further deformed in a direction to bring it closer to the mold, further reducing the error. This makes it possible to achieve a high level of overlay accuracy and pattern transfer.

[0050] It is also preferable to obtain in advance the alignment error caused by deformation of the substrate. In this case, the amount of alignment error during alignment before curing and the amount of alignment error measured after curing may be measured by imprinting using a different substrate, and alignment may be performed based on the amount of alignment error obtained in advance.

[0051] Next, the imprint sequence of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In S101, a mold is loaded into the imprint apparatus, and in S102, a substrate is loaded. In S103, information such as the shot layout and imprint conditions to be imprinted is acquired, and in S104, substrate deformation control information for each shot is acquired. The information in S104 may be uniquely determined from shot layout information, or may use result data of a previous imprint or simulation. In S105, the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact, and the mold is filled with the imprint material. In S106, alignment is performed so that the relative position error between the alignment marks of the mold and the substrate is reduced, and substrate deformation control is performed from the point in time when a desired alignment threshold is reached.

[0052] In S107, the outer periphery of the substrate is deformed in a direction that brings the mold and the outer periphery of the substrate closer together. This allows the imprint material to be filled up to the outer periphery of the substrate, and prevents the imprint material from peeling off when the substrate is released. Thereafter, in S108, the imprint material is photocured, and the substrate is released in S109. After imprinting on the entire surface of the substrate is completed in S110, the substrate is removed in S111.

[0053] The above-mentioned imprint sequence is effective when performing imprinting including a missing shot region where a part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while protruding from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, as a shot region on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material. In other words, it is preferable that the imprint method changes the deformation state of a part of the substrate in the missing shot region between the alignment step and the hardening step.

[0054] Furthermore, during the alignment process and hardening process in the missing shot region, the outer peripheral end and the mold are deformed in a direction separating them from each other during the alignment process, and the outer peripheral end and the mold are deformed in a direction approaching each other during the hardening process, thereby reducing frictional resistance during alignment and reducing peeling of the hardened product when released from the mold.

[0055] Furthermore, it is preferable that the shot area on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprinting material includes a complete shot area where the mold is in contact with all partial areas of the substrate, that is, in the multiple shot areas on the substrate where imprinting is performed, both defective shot areas and complete shot areas exist.In this case, it is preferable that when aligning and curing the complete shot area, the deformation state of a part of the substrate is not changed by the alignment and curing, and the change in deformation state of the present invention is made only to the defective shot area.

[0056] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6(a) and (b) are top views of a substrate holder, showing an example of a substrate holder structure. In Fig. 6(a), the control area is divided into smaller areas than the shot area so that the shape of the substrate can be controlled in detail. This allows precise control of the substrate shape only in the desired range within the missing shot area.

[0057] In Fig. 6(b), the substrate is divided radially from the center into ring shapes, which is more detailed than in Fig. 2(b). This enables more precise shape control and improves shape control responsiveness when using a control method that utilizes pressure, etc.

[0058] The substrate control method of this embodiment is not limited to pressure or electrostatic force supplied from the substrate holding part, but may also be a method in which the substrate shape is changed by the substrate holding part itself being deformed by pressure or the like, or deformation control by actuator drive, etc.

[0059] 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 gist of the present invention.

[0060] (Third embodiment, method for manufacturing an article) The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprinting apparatus 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 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 FPGAs. Examples of the molds include molds for imprinting.

[0061] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as at least a part of a constituent member of the above-mentioned article, or is used temporarily as a resist pattern. After etching or ion implantation is performed in a processing step of the substrate, the resist pattern is removed.

[0062] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 7(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared, and then a photocurable material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which multiple droplets of the photocurable material 3z are applied onto the substrate is shown.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 7(b), the mold 4z for imprinting is placed with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed facing the photocurable material 3z on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 7(c), the substrate 1z to which the photocurable material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The photocurable material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold 4z as curing energy, the photocurable material 3z is cured.

[0064] 7(d), after the photocurable material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the photocurable material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In this cured product pattern, the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, and the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, that is, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 7(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant pattern, 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. 7(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.

[0066] <Summary of the embodiment> The disclosure herein includes an imprinting apparatus, an imprinting method, and an article manufacturing method.

[0067] (Item 1) An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate using a mold, comprising: A mold holding unit that holds a mold; A substrate holder for holding a substrate; a substrate deformation mechanism that deforms a portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder in a direction toward or away from the mold; a curing unit that cures the imprint material on the substrate; a control unit that controls driving of the mold holding unit, the substrate holding unit, the substrate deformation mechanism, and the hardening unit, The control unit is controlling alignment of the substrate and the mold in a state in which the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold, and hardening of the imprint material on the substrate by the hardening unit after the alignment; An imprint apparatus comprising: a substrate deformation mechanism that changes a deformation state of a portion of the substrate between the alignment and the curing.

[0068] (Item 2) a shot region on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a cutout shot region where a part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while protruding from an outer peripheral edge of the substrate; The control unit is changing a deformation state of a part of the substrate in the missing shot region by the alignment and the curing using the substrate deformation mechanism; 2. An imprinting apparatus as described in item 1.

[0069] (Item 3) The control unit, during the alignment and the curing in the missing shot area, In the alignment, the outer peripheral end portion and the mold are deformed in a direction away from each other by the substrate deformation mechanism, 3. The imprint apparatus according to item 2, wherein during the curing, the outer circumferential edge and the mold are deformed in a direction toward each other by the substrate deformation mechanism.

[0070] (Item 4) a shot area on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a complete shot area where the mold is brought into contact with all of a partial area of ​​the substrate; The control unit, during the alignment and the curing in the complete shot area, The alignment and the curing do not change the deformation state of a portion of the substrate. 4. The imprinting apparatus according to item 3.

[0071] (Item 5) 5. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the alignment is performed based on an amount of alignment error that occurs during curing that is obtained in advance.

[0072] (Item 6) 6. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the substrate deformation mechanism is based on a holding pressure of the substrate holding part that suction-holds the back surface of the substrate.

[0073] (Item 7) 7. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the substrate deformation mechanism is any one of a plurality of actuator mechanisms, a pressure application mechanism that applies pressure to the rear surface of the substrate, or a plurality of electrostatic adsorption mechanisms that are capable of electrostatic adsorption to a plurality of divided regions of the rear surface of the substrate.

[0074] (Item 8) 8. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein, during the alignment, an amount of deformation of the substrate is controlled in real time based on an alignment measurement value measured.

[0075] (Item 9) 1. A method of imprinting to form a pattern on a substrate using a mold, comprising the steps of: a step of aligning the substrate and the mold in a state where the imprint material on the substrate and the mold are in contact with each other; curing the imprint material on the substrate after the alignment step; deforming a portion of the substrate in a direction toward or away from the mold; having The deformation state of the part of the substrate is changed in the alignment step and the curing step. 1. An imprint method comprising:

[0076] (Item 10) a shot region on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a cutout shot region where a part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while protruding from an outer peripheral edge of the substrate; In the missing shot area, a deformation state of a part of the substrate is changed by the alignment step and the hardening step. 10. The imprinting method according to item 9.

[0077] (Item 11) In the alignment step and the hardening step in the missing shot area, In the positioning step, the outer peripheral end portion and the mold are deformed in a direction away from each other, Item 11. The imprinting method according to item 10, wherein in the hardening step, the outer circumferential end and the mold are deformed in a direction in which they approach each other.

[0078] (Item 12) a shot area on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a complete shot area where the mold is brought into contact with all of a partial area of ​​the substrate; During the alignment and curing of the complete shot area, The alignment and the curing do not change the deformation state of a portion of the substrate. Item 12. The imprinting method according to item 11.

[0079] (Item 13) Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8; processing the substrate using the pattern; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising:

[0080] (Item 14) Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint method according to any one of items 9 to 12; processing the substrate using the pattern; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1 Board 2 Board holding part Type 3 4 Imprint material

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate using a mold, comprising: A mold holding unit that holds a mold; A substrate holder for holding a substrate; a substrate deformation mechanism that deforms a portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder in a direction toward or away from the mold; a curing unit that cures the imprint material on the substrate; a control unit that controls driving of the mold holding unit, the substrate holding unit, the substrate deformation mechanism, and the hardening unit, The control unit is controlling alignment of the substrate and the mold in a state in which the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold, and hardening of the imprint material on the substrate by the hardening unit after the alignment; An imprint apparatus comprising: a substrate deformation mechanism that changes a deformation state of a portion of the substrate between the alignment and the curing.

2. a shot region on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a cutout shot region where a part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while protruding from an outer peripheral edge of the substrate; The control unit is changing a deformation state of a part of the substrate in the missing shot region by the alignment and the curing using the substrate deformation mechanism; The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit, during the alignment and the curing in the missing shot area, In the alignment, the outer peripheral end portion and the mold are deformed in a direction away from each other by the substrate deformation mechanism, The imprint apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, during the curing, the outer circumferential edge and the mold are deformed in a direction in which they approach each other by the substrate deformation mechanism.

4. a shot area on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a complete shot area where the mold is brought into contact with all of a partial area of ​​the substrate; The control unit, during the alignment and the curing in the complete shot area, The alignment and the curing do not change the deformation state of a portion of the substrate. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment is performed based on an amount of alignment error that occurs during curing that is acquired in advance.

6. 2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate deformation mechanism is based on a holding pressure of the substrate holding part that suction-holds the rear surface of the substrate.

7. 2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate deformation mechanism is any one of a plurality of actuator mechanisms, a pressure application mechanism that applies pressure to the rear surface of the substrate, or a plurality of electrostatic adsorption mechanisms that are capable of electrostatically adsorbing a plurality of regions on the rear surface of the substrate in a divided manner.

8. 2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, during the alignment, an amount of deformation of the substrate is controlled in real time based on an alignment measurement value that is measured.

9. 1. A method of imprinting to form a pattern on a substrate using a mold, comprising the steps of: a step of aligning the substrate and the mold while the imprint material on the substrate is in contact with the mold; curing the imprint material on the substrate after the alignment step; deforming a portion of the substrate in a direction toward or away from the mold; having The deformation state of the part of the substrate is changed in the alignment step and the curing step.

1. An imprint method comprising:

10. a shot region on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a cutout shot region where a part of the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material while protruding from an outer peripheral edge of the substrate; In the missing shot region, a deformation state of a part of the substrate is changed by the alignment step and the hardening step. The imprint method according to claim 9 .

11. In the alignment step and the hardening step in the missing shot area, In the positioning step, the outer peripheral end portion and the mold are deformed in a direction away from each other, The imprint method according to claim 10 , wherein in the hardening step, the outer circumferential edge and the mold are deformed in a direction in which they approach each other.

12. a shot area on the substrate where the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material includes a complete shot area where the mold is brought into contact with all of a partial area of ​​the substrate; During the alignment and curing of the complete shot area, The alignment and the curing do not change the deformation state of a portion of the substrate. The imprint method according to claim 11.

13. forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to claim 1; processing the substrate using the pattern; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising:

14. Forming a pattern on a substrate by using the imprint method according to any one of claims 9 to 12; processing the substrate using the pattern; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising:

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