Imprint device, imprint method, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technology advantageous for reducing changes in alignment results due to changes in irradiation conditions of light for a curable composition.SOLUTION: An imprint device that forms a pattern made of a cured object of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold includes an alignment mechanism that aligns a shot area of the substrate and a pattern area of the mold, a curing unit that radiates light onto the curable composition between the shot area and the pattern area and cures the curable composition, and a control unit that changes alignment control information of the alignment mechanism in response to changes in the irradiation conditions of the light by the curing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There is known an imprint technique that uses a mold (template) to form a pattern made of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate. Patent Document 1 describes compensating for magnification error by deforming the mold. Patent Document 2 describes changing the illuminance of light from an exposure source while aligning the substrate and the template. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2008-504141 [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-50313 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A change in the light irradiation conditions for the curable composition may change the alignment result between the substrate and the mold. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an advantageous technique for reducing the change in the alignment result caused by the change in the light irradiation conditions for the curable composition. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to an imprinting apparatus that uses a mold to form a pattern consisting of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate, the imprinting apparatus comprising: an alignment mechanism that aligns a shot area of ​​the substrate with a pattern area of ​​the mold; a curing unit that irradiates light onto the curable composition between the shot area and the pattern area to cure the curable composition; and a control unit that changes control information for the alignment by the alignment mechanism in response to changes in light irradiation conditions by the curing unit. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, an advantageous technique is provided for reducing changes in alignment results caused by changes in light irradiation conditions for a curable composition. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mold deformation mechanism. [Diagram 3] 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence of the imprint apparatus. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing an example of mold shape control by a mold deformation mechanism. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of allocation of illuminance to shot numbers. [Figure 7] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of characteristic information showing the relationship between light irradiation conditions and alignment error (overlay error). [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of an alignment operation in which an alignment correction amount determined in response to a change in irradiation conditions is reflected in an alignment target value. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] 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.

[0009] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 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 the rotation around the X-axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are 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. Furthermore, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis means control or drive regarding the rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, the rotation around an axis parallel to the Y axis, and the rotation around an axis parallel to the Z axis, respectively. Furthermore, the position is information that can be specified based on the coordinates of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and the orientation is information that can be specified by the values ​​of the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis. Positioning means controlling the position and / or orientation. Alignment may include controlling the position and / or attitude of at least one of the substrate and the mold so as to reduce an alignment error (overlay error) between the shot area of ​​the substrate and the pattern area of ​​the mold, and may also include control for correcting or changing the shape of at least one of the shot area of ​​the substrate and the pattern area of ​​the mold.

[0010] 1 shows the configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The imprint apparatus 1 can be configured to form a pattern consisting of a cured product of a curable composition 16 on a substrate 15 using a mold 17. The imprint apparatus 1 can include, for example, a substrate driving mechanism 11, a mold driving mechanism 5, a dispenser 14, an alignment measuring instrument 18, a curing unit 2, and a control unit 20.

[0011] The substrate 15 may be, for example, a single crystal silicon wafer or an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) wafer, but may be another substrate. A curable composition as an imprint material may be supplied, disposed, or applied to the treatment surface of the substrate 15 by the dispenser 14.

[0012] The substrate driving mechanism 11 holds and drives the substrate 15. The mold driving mechanism 5 holds and drives the mold 17. The substrate driving mechanism 11 and the mold driving mechanism 5 may constitute a relative driving mechanism 30 that drives the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17 relatively. The relative driving of the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17 by the relative driving mechanism 30 may include driving for contact of the pattern region of the mold 17 with the curable composition 16 on the substrate 15 and separation of the mold 17 from the cured product of the curable composition 16. The relative driving mechanism 30 may constitute an alignment mechanism AA that aligns the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17.

[0013] The substrate driving mechanism 11 may include a substrate stage 12 including a substrate holder (not shown) for holding the substrate 15, and a substrate driving actuator 13 for driving the substrate stage 12 to drive the substrate 15. The substrate driving mechanism 11 may be configured to drive the substrate 15 about a plurality of axes (e.g., three axes of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the θZ-axis, preferably six axes of the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis). The mold driving mechanism 5 may include a mold holding part 7 for holding the mold 17, and a mold driving actuator 6 for driving the mold 17 by driving the mold holding part 7. The mold driving mechanism 5 may be configured to drive the mold 17 about a plurality of axes (e.g., three axes of the Z-axis, the θX-axis, and the θY-axis, preferably six axes of the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis).

[0014] The imprint apparatus 1 may include a mold deformation mechanism 8 that deforms the mold 17. The mold deformation mechanism 8 may deform the mold 17, for example, by applying force to the side surface of the mold 17. The mold deformation mechanism 8 may constitute a part of the alignment mechanism AA. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of the mold deformation mechanism 8. The imprint apparatus 1 may further include a substrate deformation unit that deforms a shot area of ​​the substrate 15 by applying a heat distribution to the substrate 15 using infrared light or the like, and such a substrate deformation unit may also constitute a part of the alignment mechanism AA.

[0015] The dispenser 14 is a device for supplying, disposing, or applying the curable composition 16 to the substrate 15. The dispenser 14 has a discharge nozzle (not shown), and can be configured to discharge (e.g., drip) the curable composition 16 from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate 15. The dispenser 14 is not essential, and when the imprint apparatus 1 does not include the dispenser 14, the substrate 15 on which the curable composition 16 is disposed can be provided to the imprint apparatus 1 by an external dispenser.

[0016] The curable composition is cured by applying energy for curing, which is light in this embodiment. The light as the energy for curing may have a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, and may be, for example, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, or the like. The curable composition contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal mold release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The curable composition may be arranged on a substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The curable composition may also be supplied on a substrate in the form of a film by a spin coater or a slit coater. The viscosity of the curable composition (viscosity at 25° C.) may be, for example, 1 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s.

[0017] The curing unit 2 may be configured to irradiate the curable composition 16 with light 3 to cure the curable composition 16. More specifically, the curing unit 2 may irradiate the curable composition 16 between the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17 with light 3 after alignment by the alignment mechanism AA to cure the curable composition 16. The curing unit 2 may start irradiating the curable composition 16 between the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17 with light 3 before the alignment by the alignment mechanism AA is completed. The curing unit 2 may include, for example, a light source 4 that generates light 3 for curing the curable composition 16, and an adjustment unit 9 that adjusts the irradiation conditions of the light 3 on the curable composition 16 (for example, illuminance, exposure amount, illuminance distribution in the shot region). For example, an ultraviolet lamp, an ultraviolet LED, a laser, or the like may be adopted as the light source 4. The adjustment unit 9 may have a function of changing the input energy to the light source 4 (for example, the input power to the lamp, the input current to the LED). Alternatively, the adjustment unit 9 may use an ND filter or the like capable of changing the illuminance of the light 3. Alternatively, the adjustment unit 9 may include, for example, a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) arranged in the optical path of the light 3 in order to change the illuminance distribution in the shot area of ​​the substrate.

[0018] The alignment measurement instrument 18 may have an alignment scope. The alignment scope may include an optical system, an imaging unit (e.g., a CCD camera), and an illumination unit. In order to measure the shape of the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and the shape of the pattern area of ​​the mold 17, the alignment measurement instrument 18 may measure the relative positions of a plurality of substrate-side marks 26 provided in the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and a plurality of mold-side marks 25 provided in the mold 17. The substrate-side marks 26 and the mold-side marks 25 may be called alignment marks. The substrate-side marks 26 and the mold-side marks 25 may constitute a mark pair. Usually, by measuring the relative position (positional deviation) between the substrate-side marks 26 and the mold-side marks 25 for each of the plurality of mark pairs, an alignment error (overlay error) between the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 17 can be detected. The alignment error may include a shape difference between the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 17. Alternatively, the alignment error may include a magnification difference between the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17. Alternatively, the alignment error may include, for example, positional deviation information in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ-axis direction, and shape difference information such as a magnification deviation or a trapezoidal deviation between the shot region of the substrate 15 and the pattern region of the mold 17.

[0019] The alignment measurement instrument 18 may have multiple alignment scopes to simultaneously measure multiple mark pairs. The positions of the mark pairs may depend on, for example, the size of the shot area, the device pattern design, etc. Therefore, the alignment measurement instrument 18 may have a driving mechanism for moving the alignment scope so that mark pairs arranged at various positions can be observed. The illumination unit incorporated in the alignment scope may include, for example, at least one of a halogen lamp, an LED, a laser, etc. Alignment measurement light 19 from the illumination unit illuminates the mark pairs, and an image formed by the light from the mark pairs may be captured by the imaging unit.

[0020] The control unit 20 can control the operation and adjustment of the above-mentioned multiple components of the imprint apparatus 1. The control unit 20 can be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation of Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation of Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (abbreviation of Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a general-purpose or dedicated computer with a program embedded therein, or a combination of all or part of these. As will be described in detail later, the control unit 20 can change the control information for alignment by the alignment mechanism AA in response to changes in the irradiation conditions of light by the curing unit 2.

[0021] In addition to the above, the imprint apparatus 1 may include a base plate 21 for supporting the substrate driving mechanism 11, a support plate 23 for supporting the mold driving mechanism 5, and columns 22 for supporting the support plate 23.

[0022] 3 shows an operational sequence for forming a pattern made of a cured product of the curable composition 16 on a plurality of substrates 15 constituting one lot in the imprint apparatus 1. This operational sequence is controlled by the control unit 20. In this example, the same mold 17 is used for the plurality of substrates 15 constituting one lot.

[0023] In step S1, the control unit 20 controls a mold transport mechanism (not shown) to load the mold 17 onto the mold driving mechanism 5, and causes the mold holding unit 7 to hold the mold 17. Next, in step S2, the control unit 20 adjusts the position of the alignment scope of the alignment measurement instrument 18 so that the mark pair to be measured falls within the measurement field of the alignment scope. In step S3, the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) to load the substrate 15 onto the substrate stage 12, and causes the substrate stage 12 to hold the substrate 15.

[0024] Next, in step S4, the control unit 20 controls the supply of the curable composition 16 onto the shot area of ​​the substrate 15. This can be done by discharging the curable composition 16 from the dispenser 14 while driving the substrate 15 to scan by the substrate driving mechanism 11. Next, in step S5, the control unit 20 controls the relative driving mechanism 30 so as to bring the curable composition 16 onto the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 into contact with the pattern area of ​​the mold 17. Also, in step S5, the control unit 20 controls the alignment mechanism AA so as to perform an alignment operation between the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 17. The alignment operation is an operation in which an alignment error is detected using the alignment measuring instrument 18 while the alignment error is reduced by the alignment mechanism AA. The detection of the alignment error can include detecting the positional deviation and shape difference between the shot area and the pattern area by measuring the relative position between the substrate side mark 26 and the mold side mark 25 for each of the multiple mark pairs using the alignment measuring instrument 18. The alignment operation in step S5 may be continued until it is determined in step S6 that a predetermined filling time has elapsed. The predetermined filling time may be a time determined such that the curable composition 16 is sufficiently filled into the space defined between the surface of the shot area of ​​the substrate 15 and the surface of the pattern area of ​​the mold 17.

[0025] After a predetermined filling time has elapsed, in step S7, the control unit 20 controls the curing unit 2 so that the curable composition 16 between the substrate 15 and the mold 17 is irradiated with light 3, thereby curing the curable composition 16. Also, in step S7, the control unit 20 controls the relative drive mechanism 30 so that the mold 17 is separated from the cured product of the curable composition 16. As a result, the cured product of the curable composition 16 to which the pattern of the pattern region of the mold 17 has been transferred remains on the shot region of the substrate 15.

[0026] In step S8, control unit 20 determines whether the processes of steps S4 to S7 have been performed on all shot areas of substrate 15, and if an unprocessed shot area remains, control unit 20 performs the processes of steps S4 to S7 on the unprocessed shot area. On the other hand, if the processes of steps S4 to S7 have been performed on all shot areas, substrate 15 is unloaded from substrate stage 12 in step S9.

[0027] In step S10, control unit 20 determines whether the processes of steps S3 to S8 have been performed on all substrates 15 to be processed, and performs the processes of steps S3 to S8 on the unprocessed substrates 15 if any substrates 15 remain. On the other hand, if the processes of steps S3 to S8 have been performed on all substrates 15, mold 17 is unloaded from mold holding unit 7 in step S10, and the process shown in FIG. 3 ends.

[0028] 4 shows a schematic diagram of the shape control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8 of the alignment mechanism AA as an example of the control of the alignment operation by the alignment mechanism AA in steps S5 to S7 in FIG. 3. Here, as a specific example, the magnification control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8 will be described, which can be understood as an example of the shape control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents the magnification difference between the pattern region of the mold 17 and the shot region of the substrate 15, and the horizontal axis represents time. The magnification difference can be detected by measuring the relative deviation between the mold-side mark 25 and the substrate-side mark 26 for a plurality of mark pairs using the alignment measurement device 18.

[0029] At time T=T0, the magnification difference is the initial magnification difference M0. From this state, the magnification difference is reduced to the target magnification difference M1 before the start of step S7 (before the irradiation of light 3) by executing steps S5 and S6. Specifically, the control unit 20 controls the mold deformation mechanism 8 so that the magnification difference detected by the alignment measuring device 18 matches the target magnification difference M1, and adjusts the magnification of the mold 17. In addition, at times T0 to T1 in FIG. 4, in parallel with the operation of reducing the magnification difference to the target magnification difference M1, the curable composition 16 is filled into the space between the shot region and the pattern region. After a predetermined filling time has elapsed, steps S5 and S6 may end.

[0030] Next, in step S7, the curing unit 2 irradiates the curable composition 16 with the curing light 3. Here, the change in the alignment state (magnification difference) under two irradiation conditions, specifically, two illuminances I1 and I2 (I1>I2), will be described as an example. First, the case where the illuminance of the curing light 3 is I1 will be described. In FIG. 4, the change in the magnification difference when the illuminance is I1 is shown by a solid line. At time T1, the curing unit 2 starts irradiating the curable composition 16 with the curing light 3. This can be achieved, for example, by using a shutter mechanism that can switch the optical path of the light 3 from a blocking state to a non-blocking state, or by controlling the light source 4 from an off state to a on state. At time T2, the curing unit 2 ends irradiating the curable composition 16 with the curing light 3. This can be achieved, for example, by using a shutter mechanism that can switch the optical path of the light 3 from a non-blocking state to a blocking state, or by controlling the light source 4 from a on state to a off state. The irradiation time of the light 3 is (T2-T1). The irradiation time (T2-T1) can be determined by the exposure dose required to sufficiently cure the curable composition 16 and the illuminance I1 of the light 3. The magnification difference M1 at time T1 changes to M2 at time T2 due to the irradiation of the light 3 to the curable composition 16. This change can occur due to a phenomenon called cure shrinkage of the curable composition 16. Then, M2 becomes the final shot magnification by imprint. Since the curable composition 16 is cured by the irradiation operation of the light 3 in step S7, the mold 17 cannot be sufficiently deformed by the mold deformation mechanism 8 in step S7. Therefore, the target magnification difference M1 in steps S5 and S6 can be determined in consideration of the fluctuation due to the cure shrinkage of the curable composition 16 so that the final magnification difference (alignment error, overlay error) becomes M2.

[0031] Next, a case where the illuminance of the curing light 3 is I2 will be described. In FIG. 4, the change in the magnification difference when the illuminance is I2 is indicated by a broken line. The process (adjustment) of changing the illuminance can be performed, for example, for the purpose of reducing alignment errors. In addition, the illuminance can change due to deterioration of the light source 4 over time. In the operation from time T0 to T1, the light 3 is not irradiated to the curable composition 16, so the change in the magnification difference when the illuminance is I2 is the same as when the illuminance is I1. When the illuminance is I2, the light 3 can be irradiated to the curable composition 16 during the period from time T1 to T3. The reason why the irradiation time is different between when the illuminance is I1 and when the illuminance is I1 is that the exposure amount required for curing the curable composition 16 is constant regardless of the illuminance, while the illuminance has changed. Due to the irradiation time (T3-T1) when the illuminance is I2, the magnification difference (alignment error, overlay error) that was M1 at time T1 changes to M3 at time T3. The final magnification difference M3 when the illuminance is I2 and the final magnification difference M2 when the illuminance is I1 are different values. The reason why the final magnification difference (alignment error, overlay error) changes with the change in illuminance is because the cure shrinkage rate of the curable composition 16 during curing differs depending on the illuminance and exposure amount of the light 3.

[0032] There is a possibility that the yield will decrease if the magnification difference (alignment error, overlay error) changes due to a change in the illuminance of the light 3 irradiated to the curable composition 16. Therefore, it is desirable for the imprint apparatus 1 to be insensitive to a change in the alignment error (in the above example, the magnification difference) relative to a change in the light irradiation conditions (in the above example, the illuminance) by the curing unit 2.

[0033] Therefore, the control unit 20 may change the control information for alignment by the alignment mechanism AA in response to a change in the irradiation conditions of the light 3 by the curing unit 2. A change in the irradiation conditions of the light 3 by the curing unit 2 may be caused by a process of intentionally adjusting the irradiation conditions of the light 3 by the control unit 20 or other components, or may be caused unintentionally due to deterioration of the light source 4, etc. The former intentional adjustment may be made through, for example, an adjustment function (adjustment unit 9) that adjusts the illuminance of the light 3 in the case where the curing unit 2 has the adjustment function. Alternatively, the intentional adjustment may be made by the control unit 20 selecting an irradiation mode in the case where the curing unit 2 has a plurality of selectable irradiation modes.

[0034] In this embodiment, characteristic information indicating the relationship between the irradiation conditions of the light 3 on the curable composition 16 and the alignment error is generated in advance. The process for generating the characteristic information may be executed by, for example, the control unit 20. The control unit 20 may then change (or determine) the control information for the alignment by the alignment mechanism AA based on the characteristic information and the irradiation conditions when executing the process sequence shown in Fig. 3. Alternatively, the control unit 20 may change the control information for the alignment by the alignment mechanism AA based on the characteristic information in response to a change in the irradiation conditions when executing the operation sequence shown in Fig. 3.

[0035] The generation of the characteristic information will be described below by way of example. First, the control unit 20 forms a sample by performing an imprint process on a shot area of ​​the substrate 15 under each irradiation condition while changing the irradiation conditions of the light 3 on the curable composition 16, for example, by changing the command value given to the adjustment unit 9. Here, the imprint process is a process for forming a pattern made of a cured product of the curable composition 16. Thereafter, an alignment error or overlay error (for example, magnification difference) in each sample can be detected using the alignment measurement device 18 in the imprint device 1 or by an external inspection device. The control unit 20 can generate characteristic information by processing the detection results obtained in this manner.

[0036] In one example, a substrate 15 having a plurality of shot areas is prepared as shown in Fig. 5, and imprint processing can be performed at each of a plurality of illuminances determined to sufficiently cover the range of illuminances that can be used in the imprint processing for the actual production. Here, in Fig. 5, each shot area is shown as a rectangle, and shot numbers 1, 2, 3, ...N, N+1, N+2, ... are given as the identification ID of the shot area. In Fig. 6, the illuminances applied to the imprint processing of each shot area of ​​the substrate 15 illustrated in Fig. 5 are illustrated as I0, I0+ΔI, .... In the example illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the number of shot areas is M, and the illuminance change width ΔI is determined by evenly dividing the range of illuminances that can be used in the imprint processing for the actual production (hereinafter, illuminance range) by M. I0 is the minimum illuminance in the illuminance range, and in the shot area with shot number 1, after alignment in the imprint process, the curable composition 16 is irradiated with the curing light 3 at the minimum illuminance I0 to cure the curable composition 16. In the shot area with shot number 2, after alignment in the imprint process, the curable composition 16 is irradiated with the curing light 3 at the minimum illuminance I0+ΔI to cure the curable composition 16.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of characteristic information 27 obtained by measuring the substrate 15 on which the imprint process for each shot area has been performed as described above using the alignment measuring device 18 in the imprint apparatus 1 or by an external inspection device. In the example of FIG. 7, the irradiation condition is the illuminance (set illuminance), and the alignment error is the magnification difference. The characteristic information 27 can be stored in the memory of the control unit 20. The characteristic information 27 can be generated or prepared for each type of curable composition 16 that can be used in the imprint process. This is because the cure shrinkage rate differs depending on the type of curable composition 16. The characteristic information 27 can be generated or prepared for each specification or identification ID of the mold 17 that can be used in the imprint process. This is because the alignment error for the irradiation condition differs depending on the specification or identification ID of the mold 17.

[0038] The imprint process for production will be described below by way of example. Here, as an example, an imprint apparatus 1 in which the control information of the alignment by the alignment mechanism AA is adjusted (optimized) in an initial state in which the illuminance of the light 3 irradiated to the curable composition is set to I1 is considered. Also, a case in which the illuminance of the light 3 changes from I1 to I2 after the initial state is considered. The change from I1 to I2 may be caused intentionally or unintentionally. The control unit 20 can refer to the characteristic information 27 and determine the alignment correction amount (correction amount of the alignment control information) based on the difference (M3-M2) between the magnification differences M2 and M3 corresponding to the illuminances I1 and I2 before and after the change in illuminance. In a broader sense, the control unit 20 can refer to the characteristic information 27 and determine the alignment correction amount (correction amount of the alignment control information) based on the difference (M3-M2) between the alignment error before the change in the irradiation conditions and the alignment error after the change in the irradiation conditions. The alignment correction amount is determined so that the alignment error (overlay error) between the shot area and the pattern area (cured product of the curable composition 16) at time T3 (that is, after curing) falls within a permissible range (here, magnification difference M2).

[0039] When determining the alignment correction amount, there may be cases where the illuminance value set in the recipe (a control file for controlling the imprint process) does not exist in the characteristic information 27. In such cases, the alignment correction amount may be determined using data that is closest to the illuminance value set in the recipe among the multiple data included in the characteristic information 27. Alternatively, the alignment correction amount may be determined by complementing two or more pieces of data that are close to the illuminance value set in the recipe among the multiple data included in the characteristic information 27.

[0040] FIG. 8 shows an example of alignment operation when the alignment correction amount determined according to the change in irradiation conditions is reflected in the alignment target value (alignment control information). FIG. 8 shows a shape control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8 of the alignment mechanism AA as an example of alignment control by the alignment mechanism AA when the illuminance of the light 3 is I2. Here, as a specific example, the magnification control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8 will be described, which can be understood as an example of the shape control of the mold 17 by the mold deformation mechanism 8. The vertical axis represents the magnification difference (also understood as the alignment error or overlay error) between the pattern area of ​​the mold 17 and the shot area of ​​the substrate 15, and the horizontal axis represents time. In FIG. 8, the dashed line shows the change in the magnification difference in the alignment in the comparative example, that is, when the alignment correction of this embodiment is not performed at the illuminance I2, which is the same as the dashed line in FIG. 4. In the comparative example, the magnification difference at the end of the imprint process, that is, at time T3 (magnification difference after curing) is M3, which is different from the magnification difference M2 (see FIG. 4) at the end of the imprint process when the illuminance is I1.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control unit 20 changes the target magnification difference (target alignment error) at the end time T1 of the alignment process of steps S5 and S6, i.e., the alignment control information, from M1 to M4 based on the above-mentioned alignment correction amount. Then, the control unit 20 controls the alignment by the alignment mechanism AA based on the changed target magnification difference M4. The target magnification difference M4 can be determined as, for example, M4=M1-(M3-M2). The alignment in this embodiment is shown by a dashed line in FIG. 8. The magnification difference at the end of step S7 (time T3), i.e., after curing, is the same value as the final magnification difference M2 during imprinting at the illuminance I1 in FIG. 4.

[0042] As described above, the control unit 20 performs alignment correction using the characteristic information 27 in response to changes in the irradiation conditions of the light 3 by the curing unit 2. In other words, the control unit 20 changes the control information (here, the target magnification difference M4) for alignment by the alignment mechanism AA in response to changes in the irradiation conditions of the light 3 by the curing unit 2. This makes it possible to reduce changes in alignment error (usually an increase in alignment error) due to changes in irradiation conditions, and suppress a decrease in yield.

[0043] Hereinafter, as a modified example, another method for determining the alignment correction amount will be described by way of example. The change in the alignment error (magnification difference) illustrated in FIG. 4 is detected by measuring the relative deviation between the mold-side mark 25 and the substrate-side mark 26 for a plurality of pairs of marks using the alignment measurement device 18. Therefore, the magnification difference M3 at the end time T3 of step S7 when the illuminance of the light 3 is I2 can be measured using the alignment measurement device 18. That is, the magnification difference M3 and the magnification difference M2 at the end time T3 of the imprint process can be measured using the alignment deviation amount M3. The target magnification difference M4 can be calculated as M4=M1-(M3-M2) as described above. Therefore, for example, in a production lot, a sample is formed by performing a trial imprint process using at least one shot area of ​​at least one substrate, and the magnification difference of the sample is measured using the alignment measurement device 18. The alignment correction amount can be determined using the difference between the magnification difference obtained by this and the original target magnification difference. In the imprint processing of the remaining shot areas of the substrate, alignment that satisfies the target magnification difference can be realized by reflecting this alignment correction amount. This method has the advantage that it does not require processing for obtaining characteristic information in advance.

[0044] Up to this point, an example has been described in which the illuminance is mainly focused on as the irradiation condition of the light 3 on the curable composition 16. However, even when the irradiation conditions other than the illuminance of the light 3 irradiated to the curable composition 16, for example, the exposure dose, change, the alignment correction amount (alignment control information) can be determined by the same process. When the exposure dose changes, the energy incident on the substrate 15 and the mold 17 changes, so the amount of heat given to the substrate 15 and the mold 17 changes. This changes the amount of deformation of the substrate 15 and the mold 17 due to heat, and the alignment error (magnification difference) may also change. For such a change in the magnification difference, the alignment correction amount can be determined by the above method, and the alignment can be controlled based on the alignment correction amount. The exposure dose can be changed, for example, by changing the irradiation time of the light 3 on the curable composition, or by changing the illuminance by the adjustment unit 9 without changing the irradiation time.

[0045] Furthermore, even when the illuminance distribution of the light 3 in the shot area is changed, the alignment correction amount can be determined by the above method, and the alignment can be controlled based on the alignment correction amount. By adjusting the illuminance distribution of the light 3 in the shot area, a heat distribution corresponding to the illuminance distribution can be formed in the shot area. This changes the amount of deformation of the substrate 15 and the mold 17 due to heat, and the alignment error (magnification difference) can be changed. By adjusting the illuminance distribution in the shot area, the high-order components of the shape of the shot area can be adjusted. This can also reduce the alignment error in the high-order components. In this case, too, the alignment correction amount can be determined by the above method, and the alignment can be controlled based on the alignment correction amount. Note that, when the alignment error when the illuminance distribution is changed is measured using the alignment measurement instrument 18, it is desirable to provide the alignment measurement instrument 18 with the number of alignment scopes corresponding to the measured high-order components.

[0046] The pattern of the cured product formed by 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, and molds. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of the molds include molds for imprinting.

[0047] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as at least a part of a component of the article, or is used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation in a substrate processing step.

[0048] Next, an article manufacturing method will be described, in which a pattern is formed on a substrate by an imprinting device, the substrate on which the pattern is formed is processed, and an article is manufactured from the processed substrate. As shown in Fig. 9(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprinting material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which the imprinting material 3z in the form of multiple droplets is applied onto the substrate is shown.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 9(b), the imprinting mold 4z is placed so that the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed faces the imprinting material 3z on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 9(c), the substrate 1z to which the imprinting material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z in this state as energy for hardening, the imprinting material 3z hardens.

[0050] 9(d), after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding patterns of the mold 4z are transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 9(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 layer remains is removed, forming a groove 5z. As shown in Fig. 9(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.

[0052] The present specification and drawings include the following disclosure. (Item 1) An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern made of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold, comprising: an alignment mechanism that aligns a shot area of ​​the substrate with a pattern area of ​​the mold; a curing section that irradiates the curable composition between the shot region and the pattern region with light to cure the curable composition; a control unit that changes control information of the alignment by the alignment mechanism in response to a change in a light irradiation condition by the curing unit; An imprint apparatus comprising: (Item 2) The control unit is configured to perform a process that causes a change in the irradiation condition, The control unit changes the control information in response to the change in the irradiation condition due to the processing. 2. The imprint apparatus according to item 1, (Item 3) The alignment includes reducing a shape difference between the shot area and the pattern area. 3. The imprint apparatus according to item 1 or 2, (Item 4) The alignment includes reducing a magnification difference between the shot area and the pattern area. 3. The imprint apparatus according to item 1 or 2, (Item 5) the control information includes a target alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area at the end of the alignment by the alignment mechanism. 5. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4, (Item 6) the control unit changes the target alignment error at the end of the alignment based on a difference between an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing under the irradiation conditions before the change and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after the change under the irradiation conditions after the change. 6. The imprint apparatus according to item 5, characterized in that (Item 7) The control unit changes the control information based on characteristic information prepared in advance, The characteristic information is information indicating a relationship between the irradiation conditions and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing. 7. The imprint apparatus according to item 5 or 6, (Item 8) A change in the irradiation conditions changes a cure shrinkage rate during curing of the curable composition, the control unit changes the target alignment error at the end of the alignment by the alignment mechanism so as to reduce a fluctuation in the overlay error caused by a change in the cure shrinkage rate. 8. The imprinting apparatus according to item 7, (Item 9) The irradiation conditions include conditions related to illuminance. 9. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, (Item 10) The irradiation conditions include conditions related to the exposure dose. 9. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, (Item 11) An imprint method comprising: an alignment step of aligning a shot region of a substrate with a pattern region of a mold; and a curing step of irradiating a curable composition between the shot region and the pattern region with light to cure the curable composition after the alignment step, a changing step of changing control information for controlling the alignment in the alignment step in response to a change in a light irradiation condition in the curing step; 1. An imprint method comprising: (Item 12) Further comprising an adjustment step of performing a process to cause a change in the irradiation conditions; In the change step, the control information is changed in response to the change in the irradiation condition due to the processing. 12. The imprint method according to item 11, (Item 13) The alignment includes reducing a shape difference between the shot area and the pattern area. 13. The imprint method according to item 11 or 12, (Item 14) The alignment includes reducing a magnification difference between the shot area and the pattern area. 13. The imprint method according to item 11 or 12, (Item 15) the control information includes a target alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area at the end of the alignment process; 13. The imprint method according to any one of items 11 to 1, (Item 16) In the changing step, the target alignment error at the end of the alignment is changed based on a difference between an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing under the irradiation conditions before the change and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after the change under the irradiation conditions after the change. 16. The imprint method according to item 15, (Item 17) In the changing step, the control information is changed based on characteristic information prepared in advance; The characteristic information is information indicating a relationship between the irradiation conditions and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing. 17. The imprint method according to item 15 or 16, (Item 18) A change in the irradiation conditions changes a cure shrinkage rate during curing of the curable composition, In the changing step, the target alignment error at the end of the alignment step is changed so as to reduce a fluctuation in the overlay error caused by a change in the cure shrinkage rate. 18. The imprint method according to item 17, (Item 19) The irradiation conditions include conditions related to illuminance. 19. The imprint method according to any one of items 11 to 18, (Item 20) The irradiation conditions include conditions related to the exposure dose. 19. The imprint method according to any one of items 11 to 18, (Item 21) An imprinting step of forming a pattern made of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate by the imprinting method according to any one of items 11 to 20; a processing step of obtaining an article by processing the substrate that has undergone the imprinting step; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

[0053] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1: imprint apparatus, AA: alignment mechanism, 2: curing unit, 15: substrate, 16: curable composition, 17: mold, 20: control unit

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern made of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold, comprising: an alignment mechanism that aligns a shot area of ​​the substrate with a pattern area of ​​the mold; a curing section that irradiates the curable composition between the shot region and the pattern region with light to cure the curable composition; a control unit that changes control information of the alignment by the alignment mechanism in response to a change in a light irradiation condition by the curing unit; An imprint apparatus comprising:

2. The control unit is configured to perform a process that causes a change in the irradiation condition, The control unit changes the control information in response to the change in the irradiation condition due to the processing. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The alignment includes reducing a shape difference between the shot area and the pattern area. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. The alignment includes reducing a magnification difference between the shot area and the pattern area. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. the control information includes a target alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area at the end of the alignment by the alignment mechanism. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. the control unit changes the target alignment error at the end of the alignment based on a difference between an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing under the irradiation conditions before the change and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after the change under the irradiation conditions after the change. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5 .

7. The control unit changes the control information based on characteristic information prepared in advance, The characteristic information is information indicating a relationship between the irradiation conditions and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5 .

8. A cure shrinkage rate of the curable composition changes when the curing conditions are changed, the control unit changes the target alignment error at the end of the alignment by the alignment mechanism so as to reduce a fluctuation in the overlay error caused by a change in the cure shrinkage rate. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7 .

9. The irradiation conditions include conditions related to illuminance. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The irradiation conditions include conditions related to the exposure dose. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. An imprint method comprising: an alignment step of aligning a shot region of a substrate with a pattern region of a mold; and a curing step of irradiating a curable composition between the shot region and the pattern region with light to cure the curable composition after the alignment step, a changing step of changing control information for controlling the alignment in the alignment step in response to a change in a light irradiation condition in the curing step; 1. An imprint method comprising:

12. The method further includes performing an adjustment step of performing a process that causes a change in the irradiation conditions, In the change step, the control information is changed in response to the change in the irradiation condition due to the processing. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

13. The alignment includes reducing a shape difference between the shot area and the pattern area. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

14. The alignment includes reducing a magnification difference between the shot area and the pattern area. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

15. the control information includes a target alignment error between the shot area and the pattern area at the end of the alignment process. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

16. In the changing step, the target alignment error at the end of the alignment is changed based on a difference between an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing under the irradiation conditions before the change and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after the change under the irradiation conditions after the change. The imprint method according to claim 15 .

17. In the changing step, the control information is changed based on characteristic information prepared in advance; The characteristic information is information indicating a relationship between the irradiation conditions and an overlay error occurring between the shot area and the curable composition after curing. The imprint method according to claim 15 .

18. A cure shrinkage rate of the curable composition changes when the curing conditions are changed, In the changing step, the target alignment error at the end of the alignment step is changed so as to reduce a fluctuation in the overlay error caused by a change in the cure shrinkage rate. The imprint method according to claim 17 .

19. The irradiation conditions include conditions related to illuminance. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

20. The irradiation conditions include conditions related to the exposure dose. The imprint method according to claim 11 .

21. An imprinting step of forming a pattern made of a cured product of a curable composition on a substrate by the imprinting method according to any one of claims 11 to 20; a processing step of obtaining an article by processing the substrate that has undergone the imprinting step; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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