Imprint device, imprint method, and method for manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide an imprint device that can prevent a substrate and a device from being damaged or stained by dechucking and can prevent a reduction in productivity.SOLUTION: An imprint device performs imprint processing of forming a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate by using a mold. The imprint device determines whether a structure of the imprint device is in contact with the substrate on the basis of a result of detection of an abnormality in separating the mold and the substrate from each other, and controls the position of the structure on the basis of a result of the determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

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] As the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices and MEMS increases, imprinting technology, which can form fine patterns (structures) on the order of a few nanometers on a substrate, is attracting attention in addition to conventional photolithography technology. Imprinting technology is a microfabrication technology in which an uncured imprinting material is supplied (applied) onto a substrate, and the imprinting material is brought into contact with a mold to form a pattern of the imprinting material on the substrate that corresponds to the fine uneven pattern formed on the mold.

[0003] In imprint technology, a photo-curing method is one of the methods for curing an imprint material. In the photo-curing method, the imprint material is supplied to a shot area on a substrate, and is brought into contact with a mold, and then irradiated with light to cure the imprint material. The mold is then separated from the cured imprint material, forming a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate.

[0004] In an imprinting device that employs imprinting technology, when the mold is detached (released) from the hardened imprinting material on the substrate, a large stress is instantaneously applied to the interface between the mold and the imprinting material (the surface where the mold and the imprinting material are in contact). Such stress causes distortion in the pattern of the imprinting material formed on the substrate, resulting in problems such as pattern defects. It also causes problems such as the mold not being able to be properly detached from the imprinting material, making it impossible to hold the mold or the substrate in their respective holding parts (chucks) (so-called de-chucking).

[0005] Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which the control of the drive mechanism is changed so that dechucking can be suppressed when dechucking is predicted based on the vacuum suction pressure for holding the substrate or mold during demolding (Patent Document 1).Also, a technique has been proposed in which the demolding operation is changed to suppress dechucking when dechucking is predicted based on information on the contact state during imprinting (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-047002 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-6379 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When such dechucking occurs on the substrate, the lifted substrate may come into contact with the components of the apparatus around the substrate, which may result in damage or contamination of the substrate and the components of the apparatus. For example, when the substrate comes into contact with an imprint material applicator, which is an example of an apparatus component, particles or imprint material residue on the surface of the imprint material applicator may adhere to the substrate, or a film already applied on the substrate may be damaged.

[0008] In addition, it is possible that the uncured imprint material on the substrate surface may adhere to the discharge part of the coating device, causing discharge failure. In this case, it is necessary to stop the imprint process and perform recovery work such as reworking the substrate and cleaning, repairing, or replacing parts of the coating device. These operations take time, resulting in a significant decrease in productivity.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an imprint apparatus that can prevent damage or contamination of the substrate or apparatus due to dechucking and suppress a decrease in productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In consideration of the above problems, the imprinting apparatus of the present invention is an imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process using a mold to form a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate, and has: a detection means that detects abnormalities when separating the mold and the substrate; a judgment means that judges whether or not a structure of the imprinting apparatus will come into contact with the substrate based on the detection result of the detection means; and a control means that controls the position of the structure based on the judgment result of the judgment means. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that can prevent damage or contamination of the substrate or the apparatus due to dechucking and suppress a decrease in productivity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a lot process. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart illustrating details of an imprint process. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating each process in the flowchart of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating contact between a substrate and a component of the device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the operation of the present invention; [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of a demolding process. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the retraction drive of the components of the apparatus. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of a contact determination process. [Figure 10] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a method for calculating a relative distance between a substrate and a component of an apparatus. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a dechucking cancellation process. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a dechucking cancellation process. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of a contact determination process. [Figure 14] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing contact determination information for each shot position. FIG. [Figure 15] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the distribution of contact determination information for each shot position on a substrate. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of a demolding process. [Figure 17] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0014] First Embodiment 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imprinting apparatus. The imprinting apparatus in this embodiment is a processing apparatus used in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, which transfers the concave-convex pattern of a mold, which is an original plate, to a substrate to be processed, and is an apparatus that employs a photocuring method among imprinting techniques. In the following figures, the Z axis is taken parallel to the axis of irradiation of ultraviolet light onto the mold, the X axis is taken in the direction in which the substrate moves within a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis is taken perpendicular to the X axis for explanation.

[0015] The imprint apparatus 1 is a lithography apparatus used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, etc., and is configured to sequentially form patterns in multiple shot areas of a substrate by repeating a cycle of imprint processing. The imprint apparatus 1 hardens the imprint material (curable composition) while bringing a mold on which a pattern has been formed into contact with an imprint material supplied (applied) to the substrate, and transfers the pattern onto the substrate by separating the mold from the hardened imprint material.

[0016] That is, the imprint process for each shot area of ​​the substrate includes a supply process, an imprint process, a curing process, and a release process. The supply process is a process of supplying an imprint material onto the substrate. The imprint process is a process of bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate. By bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, i.e., by pressing the mold against the imprint material, the imprint material fills the pattern area of ​​the mold (recesses of the pattern). The curing process is a process of curing the imprint material while the mold is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate. The release process is a process of separating the mold from the hardened imprint material on the substrate.

[0017] The imprint apparatus 1 comprises an illumination system unit 2, a mold 3, an imprint head 4, a substrate 5, a substrate stage 6, a coating device 7 (imprint material coating device), a mold transport device 11, a substrate transport device 12, and a unit control device 10.

[0018] The illumination unit 2 is an illumination means that irradiates the mold 3 with ultraviolet light 17 during the imprint process. This illumination unit 2 is composed of a light source and multiple optical elements that adjust the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source to light appropriate for imprinting. The ultraviolet light 17 irradiated from the illumination unit 2 is reflected by a half mirror 18 located directly above the imprint head 4, passes through the mold 3, and hardens the imprint material 14 on the substrate.

[0019] The mold 3 is a mold in which a predetermined concave-convex pattern is formed three-dimensionally on the surface facing the substrate 5. The imprint head 4 is a holding device for holding and fixing the mold 3. The imprint head 4 has a Z drive mechanism for pressing the mold against the substrate while holding the mold. It also has a tilt correction drive mechanism for tilting the entire mold according to the tilt of the substrate or mold. The mold 3 can be made of metal, silicon (Si), various resins, various ceramics, or the like. However, when a photocurable resin material or the like is used as the imprint material, a light-transmitting material such as quartz, sapphire, or transparent resin is used.

[0020] A TTM (Through The Mold) scope 13 is provided above the half mirror 18 above the mold 3. The TTM scope 13 is an alignment scope having an optical system and an imaging system for observing the alignment marks provided on the substrate 5 and the alignment marks provided on the mold 3. The TTM scope 13 can measure the X and Y deviations between the shot on the substrate 5 and the mold 3. The TTM scope 13 is arranged at a position that does not interfere with the irradiation of ultraviolet light 17 by measuring the marks on the mold 3 and the substrate 5 through the half mirror 18. By arranging multiple TTM scopes 13, multiple marks can be measured simultaneously, and not only deviations in the XY directions but also measurements in the rotation direction and magnification direction can be made. The TTM scope 13 is generally arranged at the four corners of the pattern area. In addition, it is preferable that the TTM scope 13 has a mechanism for driving in the XY directions. This is because various cases are assumed for the design coordinates of the marks depending on the design of the pattern of the mold 3. When multiple TTM scopes 13 are arranged, it is preferable that each is driven independently in the XY direction. The optical system of the TTM scope 13 includes a light source that emits light to irradiate the mark, a wavelength filter that selects the wavelength of the light emitted from the light source, and an ND filter that adjusts the intensity of the light from the light source. The imaging system of the TTM scope 13 includes a light receiving element such as an image sensor.

[0021] The substrate stage 6 is a holding means for the substrate 5 that holds the substrate 5 by vacuum suction and is freely movable within the XY plane. The substrate stage 6 is desirably provided with a rotation drive mechanism about the Z axis. Furthermore, by providing a rotation mechanism in the Z direction or about the X and Y axes, the Z drive or tilt correction drive mechanism of the imprint head 4 may be substituted.

[0022] A mold height sensor 9 capable of measuring the surface of the mold is mounted on the substrate stage 6. Each position on the mold surface can be measured while the substrate stage is driven along the XY plane.

[0023] The substrate stage 6 is driven along a substrate stage surface plate 15. In this case, the reference for the Z direction and inclination when the substrate stage is driven in the XY directions is the substrate stage surface plate 15. The substrate stage surface plate 15 is structured to be insulated from vibrations from the floor by a substrate stage surface plate mount 16. In the example of the imprint apparatus 1 in FIG. 1, the entire apparatus is constructed on this mount, resulting in a structure that is not affected by vibrations from the floor.

[0024] The substrate height sensor 8 is a sensor capable of measuring the substrate height by measuring the surface of the substrate 5. It is equipped with a drive mechanism in the Y direction and is capable of retracting from above the substrate stage 6. By driving the substrate stage 6 in the X and Y directions, it is possible to measure the height of each position on the substrate 5.

[0025] The imprint material is required to have fluidity when filling the mold 3 with a pattern, and to be solid so as to retain its shape after the imprint process. For this reason, photocurable resin materials, thermosetting resin materials, thermoplastic resin materials, and the like can be used for the curable composition. In particular, photocurable resin materials do not require temperature changes in the curing process, and there is little change in the position and shape of the pattern formed on the substrate due to thermal expansion and contraction of each member of the mold 3, the substrate 5, and the imprint apparatus 1, making them suitable for manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like.

[0026] The imprint material can be supplied onto the substrate within the imprint device using an application device 7 such as a pneumatic, mechanical, or inkjet type, and as shown in Figure 1, it is equipped with a drive mechanism in the Y direction and can be moved away from above the substrate stage 6.

[0027] The OAS (Off Axis Scope) 19 is a detection mechanism (detection device) for measuring marks on a substrate. It is possible to measure marks on the substrate by driving the substrate stage 6 in the X and Y directions. It also has a driving mechanism in the Y direction, and can be moved away from the substrate stage 6. The OAS 19 has looser placement restrictions than the TTM scope 13, so it is easy to mount an optically advantageous scope. It is also possible to increase the field of view and measurement resolution.

[0028] The mold transport device 11 is a transport means that transports the mold 3 and places the mold 3 on the imprint head 4. The substrate transport device 12 is a transport means that transports the substrate 5 and places the substrate 5 on the substrate stage 6.

[0029] The control device 10 is a control means for controlling the operation of each component unit of the imprint apparatus 1 and acquiring sensor values, etc. The control device 10 is composed of a computer, sequencer, etc. (not shown) that has a storage means (memory) and is connected to each unit of the imprint apparatus 1 by a line.

[0030] As long as the above-mentioned functions are satisfied, the configuration of the imprint apparatus 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1. For example, when the mold 3 and the substrate 5 are brought into contact with each other via the curable composition, the imprint apparatus 1 may be configured to move the substrate 5 rather than the mold 3, or may be configured to move both the substrate 5 and the mold 3. In addition, the curing unit may be disposed on the substrate 5 side rather than the mold 3 side.

[0031] Next, an imprint method using the imprint apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 2. The process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 2 is realized by the control device 10 controlling each component of the imprint apparatus 1.

[0032] In S101, the control device 10 causes the mold transport device 11 to transport the mold 3 to be used next, and causes it to be mounted on the imprint head 4. At this time, the mold 3 is chucked to the imprint head 4 by vacuum suction or the like.

[0033] In the next step S102, the control device 10 causes the mold height sensor 9 to measure the surface of the mold 3. Information on these measurement results is used by the control device 10 to determine the amount of drive of the imprint head 4 in the Z direction during imprinting. In addition, by measuring the surface heights of multiple points on the surface of the mold 3, the inclination of the surface of the mold 3 is calculated and used to determine a target inclination for inclining the imprint head 4 so that the surfaces of the mold 3 and substrate 5 are parallel.

[0034] Next, in S103, the control device 10 measures the positional deviation when the mold 3 is mounted by measuring the marks of the mold 3 with the TTM scope 13. Specifically, the XY position of the TTM scope 13 is driven based on the design information of the mark arrangement, so that the marks move into the field of view of the TTM scope 13. In this state, the mark position is measured and the deviation from the design coordinates is calculated, thereby making it possible to calculate the amount of positional deviation when the mold 3 is mounted.

[0035] In S104, the control device 10 causes the substrate transport device 12 to mount the substrate 5 to be used on the substrate stage 6. At this time, the substrate 5 is chucked to the substrate stage 6 by vacuum vacuum or the like.

[0036] In the next step S105, the control device 10 causes the substrate height sensor 8 to measure the surface shape of the substrate 5. The information on these measurements is used by the control device 10 to calculate the height and tilt of the shot on the substrate. Specifically, from the information on these measurements and the information on the mold height and tilt, the amount of drive of the imprint head 4 in the Z direction during imprinting and the target value for tilting the imprint head 4 so that the mold and the substrate surfaces are parallel are calculated.

[0037] Next, in S106, the control device 10 measures the marks on the substrate 5 using the OAS 19, thereby measuring the positional deviation when the substrate 5 was mounted. By measuring at least one point in each of the X and Y directions of the alignment marks arranged on each shot that has been transferred onto the substrate 5, it is possible to measure the amount of deviation in the X and Y directions when the substrate 5 was mounted. Furthermore, by measuring two or more points, it becomes possible to measure the rotation of the substrate 5. By measuring even more marks, it becomes possible to calculate the arrangement information of the shots on the substrate 5 from calculation processing such as function approximation.

[0038] In S107, the control device 10 executes imprint processing for one shot. Details will be described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0039] In S108, the control device 10 judges whether the imprint processing of the substrate 5 has been completed, and if there is an unprocessed shot area, S107 is repeated to perform the imprint processing of all the shots.

[0040] When it is determined in S108 that the imprint processing of all shots has been completed, the processing of this substrate is completed, and the substrate is carried out by the substrate transport device 12. In S109, if there is an unprocessed substrate, the control device 10 repeats the process for the next substrate, starting from transporting the substrate 5 in S104. When the processing of all substrates is completed, the lot processing is completed. Thereafter, the mold 3 is carried out by the mold transport device 11 as necessary.

[0041] Next, the details of the one-shot imprint process in S107 will be described with reference to the imprint process flow chart of FIG. 3 and the conceptual diagram of the imprint process of FIG.

[0042] In S201, the control device 10 applies an imprint material 14 (curable composition) to the shot area to be imprinted by the application device 7 (FIG. 4(A)). This is applied to the substrate surface as very small drops using an inkjet head or the like. The locations and number of drops to be placed within the shot are determined in advance depending on the pattern to be imprinted, etc.

[0043] After the imprint 14 is applied onto the shot, in S202, the control device 10 drives the substrate stage 6 so that the shot is located directly below the mold 3 (FIG. 4(B)).

[0044] Next, in S203, the control device 10 drives the imprint head 4 in the -Z direction to press the mold 3 against the imprint material 14 applied to the shot (FIG. 4(C)).

[0045] Next, in S204, the control device 10 simultaneously observes the mark 20 on the mold 3 and the mark 21 in the shot on the substrate using the TTM scope 13, and measures the amount of relative deviation between them. By driving the substrate stage 6 by the amount of deviation, the amount of deviation can be made as small as possible.

[0046] In S205, the control device 10 waits in a contact state until the imprint material 14 is sufficiently filled into the concave and convex portions of the mold 3. During this waiting time, the measurement of the amount of deviation and the driving in S204 may be repeated. Alternatively, the process may transition to S206 after waiting for the later of the time when the measurement result in S204 falls within the allowable range and the time when the imprint material 14 is filled in S205.

[0047] In S206, the control device 10 causes the illumination unit 2 to irradiate the ultraviolet light 17 to harden the imprint material 14.

[0048] In S207, the control device 10 lifts the imprint head 4 upward, and performs a mold release process (separation process) to peel off the mold 3 and the substrate 5. When the mold release process is normally completed, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 3 is transferred to the imprint material 14 on the shot area of ​​the substrate 5 (FIG. 4(D)). Details will be described later in the flowchart of FIG. 7.

[0049] In the demolding process in S207, a problem may occur in which the mold cannot be properly detached from the imprint material, and the mold and the substrate cannot be held by their respective holding parts (so-called dechucking).

[0050] When such dechucking occurs on the substrate, the lifted substrate may come into contact with the components of the apparatus around the substrate, which may result in damage or contamination of the substrate and the components of the apparatus. For example, when the substrate comes into contact with an imprint material applicator, which is an example of an apparatus component, particles or imprint material residue on the surface of the imprint material applicator may adhere to the substrate, or a film already applied on the substrate may be damaged.

[0051] In addition, it is possible that the uncured imprint material on the substrate surface may adhere to the discharge part of the coating device, causing discharge failure. In this case, it is necessary to stop the imprint process and perform recovery work such as reworking the substrate and cleaning, repairing, or replacing parts of the coating device. These operations take time, resulting in a significant decrease in productivity.

[0052] 5(A) and (B) will be used to explain the contact between the dechucked substrate and the apparatus components. The substrate surface is parallel to the XY plane, and the imprint head 4 is driven in the Z direction.

[0053] 5A shows a state after the imprint material 14 has been hardened (S206) and before the mold release process (S207). The mold 3 is pressed against the substrate 5, and a coating device 7, which is an example of an apparatus component, is positioned above the substrate surface.

[0054] From this state, the imprint head 4 is driven in the +Z direction, and the dechucked state is shown in Figure 5(B). By dechucking, the substrate 5 is peeled off from the substrate stage 6 and lifted in the +Z direction. Since the Z position of the coating device 7 is below the Z position of the lifted substrate 5, it comes into contact with the substrate 5.

[0055] It is possible to avoid contact by arranging the coating device 7 away from the imprint head 4. However, if the coating device 7 is arranged away from the imprint head 4 in the XY direction, the driving distance of the substrate stage 6 in the XY direction becomes longer when applying the imprint material 14, which results in a deterioration in productivity (throughput). Furthermore, if the Z position of the coating device 7 is set higher than the Z position of the substrate 5 when the imprint head 4 is released, the landing position of each drop varies during application of the imprint material 14, which results in a deterioration in the accuracy of pattern formation. In other words, in order to prevent deterioration of the device performance, it is necessary to arrange the coating device 7 at a Z position close to the imprint head 4 and close to the substrate 5. Therefore, even if the coating device 7 is arranged in this way, a mechanism is required to prevent contact between the substrate 5 and the device components when dechucking occurs.

[0056] It should be noted that the apparatus components that may come into contact with the substrate 5 during dechucking are not limited to the coating device 7. For example, the substrate height sensor 8 and OAS 19 are disposed near the substrate surface to perform measurements and observations with high accuracy. Therefore, the substrate height sensor 8 and OAS 19 are also apparatus components that may come into contact with the substrate 5 during dechucking.

[0057] On the other hand, a case where the substrate 5 and the device components do not come into contact with each other will be described with reference to Figures 5(C) and (D). Figure 5(C) shows the state after the imprint material 14 has hardened (S206) and before the release process (S207), similar to Figure 5(A). The coating device 7 is located outside the substrate surface.

[0058] From this state, the imprint head 4 is driven in the +Z direction to dechuck, as shown in Figure 5(D). The coating device 7 is not positioned above the substrate surface, and therefore does not come into contact with the substrate 5. Therefore, even if the coating device 7 is positioned at a Z position close to the imprint head 4 and close to the substrate 5, it may not be necessary to take any special steps to prevent contact between the substrate 5 and the components of the apparatus when dechucking occurs.

[0059] Next, an overview of the demolding operation in which such an avoidance process is performed will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6(A), when a state in which dechucking is likely to occur (a demolding operation abnormality) occurs during the demolding operation, the detection means 20 detects the demolding operation abnormality and obtains a detection value. An example of the detection means 20 for detecting the demolding operation abnormality is a force sensor. The force sensor detects the magnitude of the force acting in the +Z direction of the imprint head 4 during demolding. By obtaining the detection value of the force sensor in the control device 10, it is possible to determine whether or not a demolding operation abnormality has occurred. In general, when a demolding operation abnormality occurs, the magnitude of the force acting in the +Z direction of the imprint head 4 becomes larger than that in the case of normal demolding, and becomes closer to the magnitude of the holding force of the substrate 5. Therefore, if the detection value of the force sensor when it becomes closer to the holding force of the substrate 5 exceeds a predetermined value (threshold value), it can be determined that the demolding operation is abnormal.

[0060] As another method, a demolding operation abnormality may be determined based on the driving force for demolding of the imprint head 4. Normally, when dechucking occurs, the adhesive force between the substrate 5 and the mold 3 increases. Therefore, when the driving force for demolding of the imprint head 4 exceeds a specified value, it can be determined that a demolding operation abnormality has occurred.

[0061] Furthermore, a mold releasing operation abnormality may be judged based on the time required for mold releasing. This is possible by defining an upper limit on the driving force for mold releasing of the imprint head 4. If the driving force for mold releasing of the imprint head 4 reaches a predetermined upper limit, it takes time for mold releasing. Therefore, if mold releasing is not completed within a predetermined time (threshold), it can be judged that there is a mold releasing operation abnormality. To improve the accuracy of the judgment, the detection values ​​of the multiple mold releasing operation abnormalities described above may be combined to make the judgment.

[0062] The determination means 21 of the control device 10 determines whether or not the substrate 5 comes into contact with an apparatus component such as the coating device 7, based on the detection value acquired by the detection means 20. Examples of the apparatus component include the coating device 7 as well as processing units that perform processing on the substrate, such as the substrate height sensor 8 and the OAS 19.

[0063] When the determination means 21 determines that the substrate 5 and the equipment components will come into contact with each other, the control device 10 transmits a position control signal to the drive unit 24 to move the equipment components to avoid contact between the substrate 5 and the equipment components. The drive unit 24 drives the equipment components to retract based on the position control signal.

[0064] Note that the control device 10 does not have to control all of the retraction operations, and a control means 23 may be provided in the equipment components 7 as shown in Fig. 6(B). That is, when it is determined that the substrate 5 and the equipment components will come into contact with each other, the determination means 21 transmits a control instruction signal to the control means 23. The control means 23, which has received the control instruction signal, controls the drive unit 24. The drive unit 24 drives the equipment components to retract in order to avoid contact between the substrate 5 and the equipment components.

[0065] A method for preventing contact between the substrate 5 and the equipment components during dechucking is shown in the flowchart of the demolding process in Fig. 7 and the conceptual diagram of contact avoidance in Fig. 8. Here, a coating device 7 is used as an example of the equipment components for explanation.

[0066] In S301, the control device 10 starts monitoring for any abnormalities in the demolding operation, and in S302 starts lifting up the imprint head 4. In S303, the control device 10 determines whether or not lifting up of the imprint head 4 has been completed. If lifting up of the imprint head 4 has been completed, the control device 10 ends monitoring for any abnormalities in the demolding operation (S311), and ends the demolding process.

[0067] If the lifting of the imprint head 4 is not complete in S303, it is checked in S304 whether or not an abnormality in the demolding operation has been detected. The method for detecting an abnormality in the demolding operation is as described in Fig. 6. If an abnormality in the demolding operation has not been detected, the process returns to S303, and the processes of S303 and S304 are repeated until the lifting of the imprint head 4 is complete.

[0068] When an abnormality in the demolding operation is detected in S304, in S305, the control device 10 judges whether or not the substrate 5 comes into contact with the coating device 7. Details of the contact judgment process will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[0069] In S306, the control device 10 judges whether or not to perform the retraction drive of the coating device 7 based on the result of the contact judgment process S305. A situation in which the retraction drive is required will be described with reference to FIG.

[0070] 8 is a schematic diagram of the imprint apparatus 1 viewed from the +Z direction. First, the case where the retraction drive is performed will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0071] 8(A) shows the state before the coating device 7 is driven to retract, that is, the state when normal imprint processing is being performed. The coating device 7 is located above the substrate surface and is in a positional relationship where it contacts the dechucked substrate 5. In this state, it is necessary to drive the coating device 7 to retract.

[0072] 8(B) shows the state after the coating device 7 has been driven to the retreat position. The retreat position refers to a position where the substrate 5 and the resist coating device 7 do not come into contact with each other during dechucking. In other words, even if the coating device 7 has not yet reached the position where it is finally stopped, if the coating device 7 retreats to an area where it does not come into contact with the substrate 5, it is considered to have reached the retreat position.

[0073] The coating device 7 is moving in the +Y direction. To avoid contact with the substrate 5, the coating device 7 needs to be retracted outside the substrate surface, but the driving direction is not limited to this. For example, it may be driven in the -X direction. Also, if the coating device 7 is equipped with a drive mechanism for the Z direction, it may be retracted by driving it in the +Z direction. If there are no restrictions on the retraction direction due to the device configuration, it is preferable to retract the coating device 7 in a direction that allows it to be avoided in the shortest possible time.

[0074] Next, a case where the retraction drive is not performed will be described with reference to FIG.

[0075] 8(C) shows the state before the coating device 7 is retracted, that is, the state when normal imprint processing is being performed. The coating device 7 is located outside the substrate surface and is in a positional relationship where it does not come into contact with the dechucked substrate 5. Therefore, there is no need to retract the coating device 7. If it is in a positional relationship where it is certainly not in contact, it is preferable not to perform the retraction operation as much as possible, since there is a possibility that particles may be generated inside the device.

[0076] If it is determined in S306 that contact will occur, the process proceeds to S307, where the coating device 7 is driven to retreat. In S308, the controller 10 performs a dechuck elimination process. The details of the dechuck elimination process will be described later with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0077] It should be noted that the dechucking process is not essential to the practice of the invention. For example, the effects of the present invention can be achieved by replacing the substrate instead of the dechucking process. However, by performing the dechucking process, the imprint sequence can be resumed earlier than by replacing the substrate, which is more effective in preventing a decrease in productivity.

[0078] In S309, the control device 10 judges whether the coating device 7 has been driven to retract after the dechucking cancellation process. If the coating device 7 has not been driven to retract, monitoring of the release operation abnormality is ended in S311, and the release process is ended. On the other hand, if the coating device 7 has been driven to retract in S307, the coating device 7 is driven to the position before retraction (normal position) in S310 in preparation for coating of the imprint material 14 in the next shot. The timing of S310 is not limited to this, but in order not to reduce throughput, it is preferable to complete the drive before coating of the imprint material 14 begins in the imprint process of the next shot area. Then, monitoring of the release operation abnormality is ended in S311, and the release process is ended.

[0079] Note that the timing for starting monitoring for abnormalities in the demolding operation (S301) and ending monitoring for abnormalities in the demolding operation (S311) is not limited to this. Monitoring for abnormalities in the demolding operation may start (S301) before the start of lifting up the imprint head 4 (S302), and monitoring for abnormalities in the demolding operation may end (S311) after lifting up the imprint head 4 is completed (S303) or after the dechucking release process (S308). For example, monitoring for abnormalities in the demolding operation may be constantly performed during the imprint process of a shot, and monitoring may end when the imprint processes of all shots are completed.

[0080] Next, the contact determination process of S306 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the contact determination process. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of components of the imprint apparatus 1 viewed from the +Z direction. For simplicity, it is assumed here that the substrate surface of the substrate 5 is a perfect circle and parallel to the XY plane. It is also assumed that the contact surface of the coating device 7 that may come into contact with the substrate 5 is a plane parallel to the XY plane, with its short side parallel to the X axis and its long side parallel to the Y axis.

[0081] In S401, the control device 10 acquires the reference position and the substrate radius of the substrate as position information of the substrate 5. Here, the XY coordinates of the substrate center are acquired as the reference position.

[0082] In S402, the control device 10 acquires the reference position and dimensions of the coating device 7 as position information of the coating device 7. Specifically, the XY coordinates of the center of the coating device 7 are acquired as the reference position, and the lengths of the short and long sides of the contact surface are acquired as the dimensions. Note that the order of performing S401 and S402 does not matter.

[0083] Next, in S403, the control device 10 calculates the relative distance between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7. An example of the calculation of the relative distance and the contact determination will be described with reference to FIG.

[0084] First, the XY coordinates of each vertex are calculated from the center and dimensions of coating device 7. Next, the distance between each vertex and the substrate center is calculated from the XY coordinates of each vertex and the coordinates of the substrate center. The distance between the vertex closest to the substrate center and the substrate center is acquired as the relative distance L1 between substrate 5 and coating device 7.

[0085] Next, in S404, the control device 10 judges whether or not the coating device 7 is on the substrate surface. As shown in Fig. 10(A), when the substrate radius R is equal to or greater than the relative distance L1, it is judged that the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 will come into contact. As shown in Fig. 10(B), when the substrate radius R is less than the relative distance L1, it is judged that the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 will not come into contact.

[0086] The above is an example of the contact determination process. In practice, it is preferable to take into account the position error of the board, the assembly error of the device, etc., and to determine contact by comparing a value obtained by adding an error to the board radius R with the relative distance L1.

[0087] In S405, the control device 10 checks whether there are any other equipment components that may come into contact with the substrate 5. If there are no equipment components that may come into contact other than the coating device 7, the contact determination process ends. If there are other equipment components that may come into contact, the process of S402 to S404 is performed on those components.

[0088] FIG. 10C shows a case where a contactable apparatus component exists other than the coating device 7. In FIG. 10C, in addition to the coating device 7, the substrate height sensor 8 also exists as a contactable apparatus component. In this case, the processes of S402 to S404 are also performed for the substrate height sensor 8. That is, in S402, the reference position and dimensions of the substrate height sensor 8 are acquired, and in S403, the relative distance L2 between the substrate 5 and the substrate height sensor 8 is acquired. In S404, it is determined whether the substrate height sensor 8 is on the substrate surface. In FIG. 10C, since the substrate radius R is less than the relative distance L1, it is determined that the substrate 5 and the resist coating device 7 will not come into contact. On the other hand, since the substrate radius R is equal to or greater than the relative distance L2, it is determined that the substrate 5 and the substrate height sensor 8 will come into contact.

[0089] As described above, when there are a plurality of apparatus components that may come into contact with the substrate 5, the contact determination process is performed for each of them.

[0090] Next, the dechuck elimination process of S308 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. Fig. 11 is a flowchart of the dechuck elimination process. Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing the dechuck elimination process. Fig. 12(A) shows the state where the substrate 5 has been dechucked from the substrate stage 6.

[0091] In S501, the control device 10 checks whether the dechucked state can be released. Specifically, the substrate stage 6 needs to be in the same position as it was in during the one-shot imprint process in S107. If it is in the same position as during the imprint process, the substrate 5 can be held by the holding mechanism of the substrate stage 6 again simply by driving the imprint head 4 to the lower position. Conversely, if the substrate stage 6 has moved from the position it was in during the imprint process in S107, it is returned to the same position as it was in the imprint process in S107 if possible, and if not, the process ends with the dechuck release process having failed.

[0092] In S502, the control device 10 drives the imprint head 4 to the lower position. This may be the same as the contact position during the imprint process in S107. A conceptual diagram of this is shown in Figure 12(B). Since it has been confirmed in S501 that the substrate stage 6 has not moved, in this state the substrate 5 is in contact directly above the holding mechanism of the substrate stage 6.

[0093] In S503, the control device 10 adjusts the vacuum pressure of the holding mechanism of the substrate stage 6, and holds the substrate 5 again.

[0094] In S504, the control device 10 drives the imprint head 4 to the upper position to perform the mold releasing operation. Specifically, this may be the operations from S302 to S304 (FIG. 12C).

[0095] In S505, the control device 10 checks the vacuum pressure of the holding mechanism of the substrate stage 6 to determine whether the dechuck state has been resolved. If the vacuum pressure is normal, the mold release operation is successful, and the dechuck elimination process is deemed successful, and this process is terminated. If the vacuum pressure is not normal, the process is repeated from driving the imprint head 4 to the lower position in S502. At this time, it is preferable to set an upper limit on the number of repetitions in S506. This is because if the dechuck is not resolved even after multiple repetitions, there is a high possibility that some kind of trouble has occurred in the apparatus. If the number of repetitions reaches the upper limit, the process is terminated as a failure of the dechuck elimination process, and the apparatus is stopped due to an error. In addition, in cases where the dechuck elimination process is performed repeatedly, the conditions may be changed, such as by increasing the vacuum pressure for holding again in S503.

[0096] By the process of this embodiment as described above, when there is a sign of dechucking, the apparatus components that may come into contact with the substrate are retracted, thereby preventing the substrate from coming into contact with the apparatus components during dechucking. In other words, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that can prevent the substrate or the apparatus from being damaged or soiled by dechucking and suppress a decrease in productivity.

[0097] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically follows the first embodiment, and may follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below. In the first embodiment, the contact determination process is determined based on the relative distance between the substrate 5 and the device components, but in this embodiment, an example of performing the contact determination process based on the shot position on the substrate will be described.

[0098] Whether or not the coating device 7, which is one of the components of the apparatus, needs to be driven to retract is determined by the shot position on the substrate surface. Since the substrate stage 6 is driven in the XY directions according to the shot position, the relative position between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 in the XY plane also changes according to the shot position. In other words, as the shot position becomes farther from the coating device 7, the possibility of contact between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 increases, and therefore a retraction operation of the coating device 7 is required. According to this embodiment, contact is judged based on the shot position, so that the calculation of the relative distance in the mold release process can be omitted.

[0099] In order to make a contact judgment based on the shot position, it is necessary to have the control device 10 store in advance a contact judgment table that indicates the relationship between the shot position and the contact judgment information.

[0100] The shot position may be any number that indicates which shot on the substrate it is, such as an identification number like a shot number. The contact judgment information is information on either "contact" or "no contact." In addition, if there are multiple equipment components that may contact the substrate 5, a contact judgment table for each equipment component is required.

[0101] The contact determination process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0102] In S601, the control device 10 acquires the current shot position as position information of the substrate 5. Next, in S602, the control device 10 refers to a contact judgment table and acquires contact judgment information corresponding to the current shot position acquired in S601.

[0103] In S603, the control device 10 checks whether there are any other equipment components that may come into contact with the substrate 5. If there are no equipment components that may come into contact other than the coating device 7, the contact determination process ends. If there are other equipment components that may come into contact, the process returns to S602 for that component, and the table for that equipment component is referenced to obtain contact determination information.

[0104] Next, we will explain in detail how to determine contact judgment information from the positional relationship between each shot position on the XY plane and the coating device 7. Fig. 14 is a diagram looking down on the substrate surface from the +Z direction, and shows the positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 when a shot is performed at a certain position.

[0105] 14(A) shows the positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 when a shot is performed at the shot position a shown in black. Since the coating device 7 is located outside the substrate surface, the contact judgment information corresponding to the position a is "no contact."

[0106] From the state shown in Fig. 14(A), the substrate stage 6 is driven in the -X direction to move the substrate 5, as shown in Fig. 14(B). The shot position moves from position a to position b. Since the coating device 7 is positioned above the substrate surface, the contact judgment information corresponding to position b is "contact".

[0107] The contact judgment information for each shot is shown in the distribution diagram of Figure 15. The shots indicated by diagonal lines on the substrate are shots judged to be in contact, and the white shots are shots judged to be no contact. As the shot position becomes farther from the coating device 7, the substrate 5 and coating device 7 become closer. Therefore, the shot positions in the XY plane where the substrate and coating device 7 come into contact are distributed as shown in Figure 15(A).

[0108] Furthermore, by making a contact judgment based on the shot position, it becomes easy to make a contact judgment that takes into account information other than the relative positions in the XY plane between the substrate 5 and the coating device 7. For example, it is possible to make a contact judgment that takes into account the bending of the substrate 5 during dechucking.

[0109] In the first embodiment, the contact determination process is performed assuming that the substrate surface is lifted in the +Z direction while remaining parallel to the XY plane. However, in reality, the substrate bends and does not become parallel to the XY plane. This is because a substrate is generally a thin disk shape and bends due to its own weight when dechucking. In particular, when the shot position is close to the edge of the substrate, the substrate is likely to bend. The substrate bends, causing the Z position of the substrate surface directly below the processing unit 22 to drop, and there are cases in which the processing unit 22 is on the substrate surface but does not come into contact with the substrate 5 even after dechucking.

[0110] In such a case, it is advisable to correct Fig. 15(A) to a distribution that takes into account the shot position and the bending of the substrate during dechucking. As a result of taking into account the bending of the substrate 5, if the contact judgment information for the shot position where the Z position of the processing section 22 is higher than the Z position of the substrate 5 is rewritten to "no contact", the distribution of Fig. 15(A) will be rewritten as Fig. 15(B).

[0111] Figure 15(B) is an example of contact judgment information that takes into account the correction of the Z position due to the bending of the substrate during dechucking. Each shot in the rightmost column in the figure is an area where the amount of bending of the substrate is large, and the contact judgment information is replaced with "no contact". In this way, by creating a contact judgment table that takes into account the difference in Z position, the retract drive can be minimized, which greatly reduces the effect of suppressing the decrease in productivity.

[0112] By the process of this embodiment as described above, when there is a sign of dechucking, it is possible to determine whether or not the substrate 5 and the coating device 7 will come into contact with each other based on the shot position on the substrate, and to evacuate device components that may come into contact with the substrate. This makes it possible to prevent the substrate from coming into contact with device components during dechucking. In other words, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that can prevent the substrate or device from being damaged or soiled by dechucking, and suppress a decrease in productivity.

[0113] <Third embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically follows the first embodiment, and may follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below. In the first embodiment, an example is described in which the substrate 5 is lifted after the retraction drive of the device components is completed, but in this embodiment, a case is described in which the retraction drive of the device components is not completed between the detection of an abnormality in the demolding operation and the lifting of the substrate 5.

[0114] As shown in the first embodiment, when a predetermined value is set for the detection value of the force sensor that detects the demolding operation abnormality to determine the demolding operation abnormality, it is known that it takes several seconds from the detection of the demolding operation abnormality to the actual lifting of the substrate 5. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the device components are controlled to have sufficient time to be driven to evacuate. However, there may be cases where the device components cannot be completely driven to evacuate before the substrate 5 is lifted after the demolding operation abnormality is detected. For example, if the device components are located near the center of the substrate surface, the driving distance to the evacuation position becomes long, so the evacuation drive takes time. In addition, if a mold 3 with a deep concave-convex pattern is used or a predetermined value (upper limit of the demolding force) is not specified for the detection value of the force sensor, a large demolding force may be applied, shortening the time from the detection of the demolding operation abnormality to dechucking. In this way, if the evacuation drive takes time, or if the time available for the evacuation drive is short, it may not be possible to complete the evacuation drive of the device components before contacting the substrate 5. In this embodiment, a method for preventing contact between the substrate 5 and the apparatus components in such a case by temporarily stopping the demolding operation until the retraction drive of the apparatus components is completed will be described.

[0115] The mold release process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0116] The processes from S701 to S706 are similar to the processes from S301 to S306 in FIG. 7, and the processes from S709 to S713 are similar to the processes from S307 to S311 in FIG. 7, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0117] If the control device 10 determines in S706 that contact will occur, the process proceeds to S707, where it determines whether the retraction operation will be completed in time. For example, if the distance from the current position of the coating device 7 to the target retraction position exceeds a predetermined distance, it determines that the retraction drive will not be completed in time. If it determines in S707 that the retraction drive will be completed in time, the raising of the imprint head 4 is not stopped, and the coating device 7 is driven to retract in S709. On the other hand, if it determines in S707 that the retraction drive will not be completed in time, the raising of the imprint head 4 is stopped in S708. Thereafter, the coating device 7 is driven to retract in S709.

[0118] In this manner, in this embodiment, if the retraction operation is not completed in time, the lifting of the imprint head 4 is stopped, thereby making it possible to avoid contact between the substrate 5 and the components of the apparatus. Furthermore, by stopping the lifting of the imprint head 4 only when the retraction operation is not completed in time, it is possible to minimize the decrease in throughput. Note that if it is clear that the retraction drive time for the coating device 7 cannot be secured, the determination of whether the retraction drive in S707 will be completed in time may be omitted, and the lifting of the imprint head 4 may be immediately stopped (S708). For example, this may be the case when it is determined that the retraction drive will require a long time due to constraints on the drive components and drive control.

[0119] The above-described process in this embodiment can prevent the substrate from coming into contact with components of the apparatus during dechucking. In other words, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that can prevent the substrate or apparatus from being damaged or soiled by dechucking and suppress a decrease in productivity.

[0120] Regarding the manufacture of goods The pattern of the cured material formed using the imprint apparatus 1 described above is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles.

[0121] The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit element include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include a mold for imprinting. The pattern of the cured product is used as it is, or is used temporarily as a resist mask, as at least a part of the constituent member of the article. After etching or ion implantation is performed in the processing step of the substrate, the resist mask is removed.

[0122] Next, a method for manufacturing an article will be described with reference to Fig. 17, 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. First, as shown in Fig. 17(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.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 17(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. 17(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.

[0124] 17(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 pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0125] As shown in Fig. 17(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. 17(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.

[0126] The method for manufacturing an article also includes a step of forming a pattern on the imprint material supplied (applied) to a substrate using the above-mentioned imprint device (imprint method), and a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the step. Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). It can be said that the method for manufacturing an article of this embodiment is more advantageous than conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that 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.

[0127] <Summary of the embodiment> The disclosure herein includes the following control methods, molding apparatus, and methods for manufacturing articles.

[0128] (Item 1) An imprinting apparatus for performing an imprinting process for forming a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a detection means for detecting an abnormality when the mold and the substrate are separated; a determination unit that determines whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus comes into contact with the substrate based on a detection result of the detection unit; a control means for controlling a position of the structure based on a result of the determination by the determination means; An imprint apparatus comprising:

[0129] (Item 2) 2. The imprint apparatus according to item 1, wherein the control means controls the position of the structure so as to retract the structure when a determination result indicates that the structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate.

[0130] (Item 3) the control means performs control so as to perform a resolution process for resolving the abnormality when it is detected that an abnormality has occurred in the detection result; The imprint apparatus described in item 1, characterized in that when a determination result indicates that a structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate, the imprint apparatus is controlled to perform the resolution process while controlling the position of the structure to be retracted.

[0131] (Item 4) A plurality of shot areas are provided on the substrate, 4. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the control unit controls the imprint processing so as to sequentially perform the imprint processing on each of the plurality of shot areas.

[0132] (Item 5) 5. The imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the detection means detects an abnormality during separation based on a separation force when separating the mold and the substrate.

[0133] (Item 6) The imprint apparatus of any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the detection means detects an abnormality during separation based on the time required for separation of the mold and the substrate.

[0134] (Item 7) The imprint apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the judgment means judges whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate based on the position where the imprint processing of the substrate is performed and the relative position of the structure.

[0135] (Item 8) The imprint apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 7, characterized in that the structure is at least one of an application device that applies a curable composition onto the substrate and an inspection device that inspects a mark on the substrate.

[0136] (Item 9) An imprinting method using an imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process for forming a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold. a detection step of detecting an abnormality when separating the mold and the substrate; a determination step of determining whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus contacts the substrate based on a detection result of the detection step; a control step of controlling a position of the structure based on a result of the determination step; The imprint method comprising:

[0137] (Item 10) Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8; processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed; A method for manufacturing an article using the processed substrate.

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process for forming a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a detection means for detecting an abnormality when the mold and the substrate are separated; a determination unit that determines whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus comes into contact with the substrate based on a detection result of the detection unit; a control means for controlling a position of the structure based on a result of the determination by the determination means; An imprint apparatus comprising:

2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control means controls a position of the structure so as to retract the structure when it is determined that the structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate.

3. the control means controls to perform a resolution process to resolve the abnormality when it is detected that an abnormality has occurred in the detection result, The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a determination result indicates that a structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate, the apparatus is controlled to perform the resolution process while controlling the position of the structure to be retracted.

4. A plurality of shot areas are provided on the substrate, 2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the imprint processing so as to sequentially perform the imprint processing on each of the plurality of shot areas.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection means detects an abnormality occurring during separation based on a separation force occurring when the mold and the substrate are separated.

6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality during separation based on a time required for separation of the mold and the substrate.

7. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus will come into contact with the substrate based on a relative position between a position of the substrate where the imprint processing is performed and the structure.

8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the structure is at least one of an application device that applies a curable composition onto the substrate and an inspection device that inspects a mark on the substrate.

9. An imprinting method using an imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process to form a pattern of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold. a detection step of detecting an abnormality when separating the mold and the substrate; a determination step of determining whether or not a structure of the imprint apparatus contacts the substrate based on a detection result of the detection step; a control step of controlling a position of the structure based on a result of the determination step; The imprint method comprising:

10. forming a pattern on a substrate by using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8; processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed; A method for manufacturing an article using the processed substrate.

Images