Film forming method, article manufacturing method, and film forming device

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for forming a film of a curable composition having a good film thickness distribution in a space between a mold and a substrate.SOLUTION: A film forming method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, includes: an arrangement step of arranging a plurality of droplets of the curable composition discretely on the substrate; a standby step of, after the arrangement step, standing by until each of the plurality of droplets is coupled to adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent included in the liquid film is volatilized; a contact step of, after the standby step, bringing the liquid film and the mold into contact with each other; a curing step of, after the contact step, curing the liquid film to form a cured film; and a mold releasing step of, after the curing step, separating the mold from the cured film. The standby step includes forming an air current including the flow of gas parallel to a surface of the substrate, and bringing the air current into contact with the liquid film.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In semiconductor devices, MEMS, and the like, the demand for miniaturization is increasing, and imprinting technology (photoimprinting technology) has attracted attention as a microfabrication technology. In imprinting technology, a mold having a fine concave-convex pattern formed on its surface is brought into contact with a curable composition supplied (applied) onto a substrate, and the curable composition is cured in that state. In this way, the pattern of the mold is transferred to a cured film of the curable composition, and a pattern is formed on the substrate. With imprinting technology, a fine pattern (structure) on the order of several nanometers can be formed on the substrate.

[0003] In addition, in the photolithography process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, it is also necessary to planarize the substrate. For example, in extreme ultraviolet exposure technology (EUV), which is a photolithography technology that has been attracting attention in recent years, the focal depth at which a projected image is formed becomes shallow as the size is reduced, so the unevenness of the surface of the substrate to which the curable composition is applied must be suppressed to several tens of nm or less. In the imprint technology, flatness to the same extent as that of EUV is required to improve the filling property and line width accuracy of the curable composition. As a flattening technology, a technology is known in which droplets of a curable composition in an amount corresponding to the unevenness are discretely dropped onto a substrate having unevenness, and the curable composition is cured in a state where a mold having a flat surface is brought into contact with the substrate to obtain a flat surface.

[0004] In these techniques, in order to shorten the time required to fill the space between the mold and the substrate with the curable composition, a technique is known in which a curable composition is used in which droplets of the curable composition combine to form a liquid film before the mold and the curable composition on the substrate are brought into contact with each other (see Patent Document 1). In such a process using a curable composition, a step of volatilizing the solvent contained in the curable composition is required before the mold is brought into contact with the curable composition. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-188736 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in conventional processes, depending on the environment in which the solvent contained in the curable composition evaporates, significant thickness unevenness may occur in the liquid film of the curable composition formed on the substrate.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems in the conventional technology, and an exemplary object of the present invention is to provide a technology that is advantageous for forming a film of a curable composition having a good film thickness distribution in the space between a mold and a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a film formation method as one aspect of the present invention is a film formation method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, the film formation method comprising: an arrangement step of discretely arranging a plurality of droplets of the curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets combine with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film evaporates after the arrangement step; a contact step of bringing the liquid film into contact with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contact step; and a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step, wherein an airflow including a gas flow parallel to a surface of the substrate is formed in the waiting step, and the airflow is brought into contact with the liquid film.

[0009] Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous for forming a film of a curable composition having a good film thickness distribution in the space between a mold and a substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a pattern forming method according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a waiting step in the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a waiting step in a comparative example. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a waiting step in a comparative example. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing measurement points of film thickness for a sample. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0013] The pattern forming method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1(a) to FIG. 1(g). The cured film formed by the present invention is preferably a film having a pattern of 1 nm to 10 mm, more preferably a film having a pattern of 10 nm to 100 μm. In general, a film forming method for forming a film having a nano-sized pattern (uneven structure) (1 nm to 100 nm) using light is called a photoimprint method. The film forming method of the present invention uses the photoimprint method to form a film of a curable composition in the space between a mold and a substrate. However, the curable composition may be cured by other energy (e.g., heat, electromagnetic waves). In addition, the film forming method of the present invention may be implemented as a method for forming a film having a pattern, i.e., a pattern forming method, or a method for forming a film without a pattern (e.g., a planarized film), i.e., a planarized film forming method.

[0014] Hereinafter, an example in which the film forming method of the present invention is applied to a pattern forming method will be described. The pattern forming method includes, for example, a disposing step, a waiting step, a contact step, a curing step, and a demolding step. The disposing step is a step of disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition discretely on an underlayer formed on a substrate. The waiting step is a step of waiting until the droplets of the curable composition are bonded to each other (i.e., the plurality of droplets of the curable composition are bonded to adjacent droplets) and the solvent contained in the curable composition is evaporated. The contact step is a step of contacting the curable composition on the substrate with a mold. The curing step is a step of curing the curable composition on the substrate. The demolding step is a step of separating the mold from the cured film of the curable composition on the substrate. The waiting step is performed after the disposing step, the contact step is performed after the waiting step, the curing step is performed after the contact step, and the demolding step is performed after the curing step.

[0015] <Placement process> In the disposing step, as shown in FIG. 1(a), droplets 102 of the curable composition are discretely disposed on a substrate 101 held by a stage 100. A substrate having a base layer laminated thereon may be used as the substrate 101. The surface of the substrate 101 may be subjected to a surface treatment such as a silane coupling treatment, a silazane treatment, or the formation of an organic thin film to improve adhesion to the curable composition.

[0016] The inkjet method is particularly preferred as a method for disposing the droplets 102 of the curable composition on the substrate. The droplets 102 of the curable composition are preferably disposed densely on the region of the substrate 101 facing the region where the recesses constituting the pattern of the mold 106 are densely present, and sparsely on the region of the substrate 101 facing the region where the recesses constituting the pattern of the mold 106 are sparsely present. This allows the cured film 108 (residual film) of the curable composition formed on the substrate 101, which will be described later, to be controlled to a uniform thickness regardless of the density of the pattern of the mold 106.

[0017] <Standby process> In this embodiment, a waiting step is provided after the disposing step and before the contacting step. In the waiting step, the droplets 102 of the curable composition begin to spread in a planar manner, as shown in FIG. 1(b) as a schematic diagram. Then, adjacent droplets of the curable composition are combined to form a substantially continuous liquid film 103, as shown in FIG. 1(c) as a schematic diagram. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(d) as a schematic diagram, the liquid film 103 becomes a liquid film 104 that does not flow easily in a planar manner by waiting until the solvent 105 contained in the liquid film 103 evaporates. Thus, the waiting step includes a first step in which the liquid film 103 covers the entire area of ​​the substrate 101 (the shot area where the film is to be formed), and a second step in which the liquid film 103 covers the entire area of ​​the substrate 101 after the first step and waits until the solvent 105 contained in the liquid film 103 evaporates. It is preferable that the remaining amount of the solvent in the liquid film 104 after the waiting step is 10% by volume or less, assuming that the total weight of the components other than the solvent is 100% by volume. If the amount of the solvent remaining in the liquid film 104 is more than 10% by volume, the mechanical properties of the cured film may be reduced.

[0018] In addition, in the present embodiment, in the waiting step, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the solvent 105 contained in the liquid film 103 is evaporated, an airflow 111 including a gas flow parallel to the surface (surface) of the substrate 101 is formed, and the airflow 111 is brought into contact with the liquid film 103. The liquid film 103 comes into contact with (is exposed to) the airflow 111, so that the evaporation rate of the solvent 105 evaporating from the liquid film 103 becomes uniform within the surface. This is because the airflow 111 can suppress the occurrence of retention (in-surface unevenness in the amount of vapor) in the space above the solvent 105 evaporated from the liquid film 103, which leads to unevenness in the evaporation rate. Here, in order to keep the amount of vapor in the space above the liquid film 103 constant, the airflow 111 is preferably an airflow without localized eddy currents, for example, an airflow with a slow flow rate and a laminar flow with a Reynolds number equal to or less than a certain value. When the solvent 105 evaporates from the liquid film 103 exposed to the air flow 111, a liquid film 104 that does not flow easily in a plane is obtained as described above, and such liquid film 104 follows the initial distribution of the droplets 102 arranged at a required density in each region as shown in FIG. 2(b). Therefore, the in-plane distribution of the finally formed cured film 108 (residual film) is good. In other words, a film (cured film) of the curable composition having a good film thickness distribution can be formed in the space between the mold 106 and the substrate 101.

[0019] On the other hand, as a comparative example, a case where the liquid film 103 is not in contact with (is not exposed to) the air flow 111 when the solvent 105 contained in the liquid film 103 is evaporated in the waiting step will be described. FIG. 3(a) shows a state where a structure 110 of a film forming device exists in a space (opposing surface) above the liquid film 103 of the curable composition, and an air flow 111 including a gas flow parallel to the surface (surface) of the substrate 101 is not formed (there is no air flow 111). Here, the structure 110 exists at a position sufficiently distant from the liquid film 103, and the distance between the liquid film 103 and the structure 110 is a distance that does not affect the concentration of the solvent 105 volatilized from the liquid film 103, so that the volatilization rate of the solvent 105 is influenced by the structure 110. Specifically, the volatilization rate of the solvent 105 volatilized from the liquid film 103 becomes non-uniform within the surface due to the structure 110 existing in the space above the liquid film 103. In this way, when the evaporation rate of the solvent 105 is uneven, the liquid film 103 may move to an area where the evaporation (rate) of the solvent 105 is slow, depending on the type of the curable composition and the solvent 105. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the liquid film 104 from which the solvent 105 has evaporated does not follow the initial distribution of the droplets 102, and has a distribution different from that of the liquid film 103 before the solvent 105 evaporates. Therefore, it is not possible to form a film (cured film) of the curable composition having a good film thickness distribution in the space between the mold 106 and the substrate 101.

[0020] As a further comparative example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a waiting step will be described in which a flat plate such as a mold 106 is present in the space above the liquid film 103 of the curable composition, and an air flow 111 including a gas flow parallel to the surface of the substrate 101 is not formed. Even in this case, the mold 106 present in the space above the liquid film 103 makes the evaporation rate of the solvent 105 volatilizing from the liquid film 103 non-uniform within the surface, causing unevenness in the evaporation rate of the solvent 105, and the evaporation rate of the solvent 105 becomes faster toward the periphery. Therefore, depending on the type of the curable composition and the solvent 105, the liquid film 103 moves to the region where the solvent 105 volatilizes slowly, that is, from the periphery to the inside. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the liquid film 104 from which the solvent 105 has volatilized has a thinner film thickness on the periphery, and the distribution of the liquid film 103 before the solvent 105 volatilized cannot be maintained. Therefore, it is not possible to form a film (cured film) of the curable composition having a good film thickness distribution in the space between the mold 106 and the substrate 101.

[0021] In the waiting step, the time for which the airflow 111 including the gas flow parallel to the surface of the substrate 101 is exposed to the liquid film 103 including the solvent 105 is preferably determined based on the volatilization rate (evaporation rate) of the solvent 105. Since the time required for volatilization differs depending on the solvent 105 included in the liquid film 103 (curable composition), the productivity can be improved by determining (adjusting) the time for which the airflow 111 is exposed to the liquid film 103 according to the volatilization rate of the solvent 105. To give a specific numerical example, in the waiting step, it is preferable to expose the airflow 111 to the liquid film 103 for 0.5 seconds or more and 10 seconds or less. In the combination of the curable composition and the solvent 105 that completes the volatilization in less than 0.5 seconds, the droplets 102 do not spread sufficiently, and the liquid film 103 cannot be formed. On the other hand, in the combination of the curable composition and the solvent 105 that completes the volatilization in less than 10 seconds, the productivity decreases.

[0022] In the waiting step, when forming the airflow 111 including a gas flow parallel to the surface (surface) of the substrate 101, the stage 100 holding the substrate 101 may be driven in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 101. In other words, in the waiting step, driving the stage 100 holding the substrate 101 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 101 until the solvent 105 contained in the liquid film 103 volatilizes also constitutes one aspect of the present invention. By driving the stage 100 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 101, the liquid film 103 formed on the substrate 101 can be moved relative to the surrounding gas to form the airflow 111. In this way, by using the stage 100 holding the substrate 101, it is possible to make the airflow 111 come into contact with the liquid film 103 without providing a dedicated mechanism for forming (generating) the airflow 111, which is advantageous in terms of simplifying the device configuration. However, the present invention does not exclude the provision of a dedicated mechanism for forming the airflow 111.

[0023] In addition, in the waiting step, when the airflow 111 is formed by driving the stage 100 holding the substrate 101, it is preferable to drive the stage 100 in at least two different directions in the plane of the substrate 101. As a result, the airflow 111 has multiple directions, and the volatilization of the solvent 105 becomes more uniform due to an averaging effect, and the in-plane distribution of the cured film 108 (residual film) finally formed becomes even better. It is preferable that the at least two directions in which the stage 100 is driven to form the airflow 111 include two mutually opposite directions. For example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), it is particularly preferable that the driving direction of the stage 100 is a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1. As a result, regardless of the time required for the airflow 111 to contact the liquid film 103, it is possible to narrow the driving range of the stage 100, and the device can be made smaller. Furthermore, by driving the stage 100 back and forth in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 multiple times, it is possible to narrow the driving range of the stage 100 while achieving a higher averaging effect regarding the volatilization of the solvent 105.

[0024] <Contact process> In the contacting step, as shown in FIG. 1(e), a substantially continuous liquid film 104 of the curable composition from which the solvent 105 has been removed is brought into contact with the mold 106. The contacting step includes a step of changing a state in which the curable composition on the substrate and the mold 106 are not in contact with each other to a state in which they are in contact with each other, and a step of maintaining the state in which they are in contact with each other. As a result, the liquid of the curable composition is filled into the recesses of the fine pattern on the surface of the mold 106, and the liquid becomes a liquid film that fills the fine pattern of the mold 106.

[0025] When the curing step includes a light irradiation step, a mold made of a light-transmitting material is used as the mold 106 in consideration of this. Specific examples of the material constituting the mold 106 include glass, quartz, light-transmitting resins such as PMMA and polycarbonate resins, transparent metal deposition films, flexible films such as polydimethylsiloxane, light-curing films, and metal films. However, when a light-transmitting resin is used as the material constituting the mold 106, a resin that is not dissolved in the components contained in the curable composition is selected. Quartz is suitable as a material constituting the mold 106 because it has a small thermal expansion coefficient and small pattern distortion.

[0026] The contact step can be carried out under any of the conditions of air, reduced pressure, and inert gas atmosphere, but reduced pressure and inert gas atmospheres are preferred because they can prevent the influence of oxygen and moisture on the curing reaction. Specific examples of inert gases used when the contact step is carried out under an inert gas atmosphere include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium, argon, various fluorocarbon gases, and mixtures thereof. When the contact step is carried out under a specific gas atmosphere, including air, the preferred pressure is 0.0001 atm or more and 10 atm or less.

[0027] <Curing process> In the curing step, as shown in FIG. 1(f), the curable composition is irradiated with irradiation light 107 as curing energy to cure the curable composition and form a cured film. In the curing step, for example, the curable composition is irradiated with irradiation light 107 through a mold 106. More specifically, the curable composition filled in the fine pattern of the mold 106 is irradiated with irradiation light 107 through the mold 106. As a result, the curable composition filled in the fine pattern of the mold 106 is cured to form a cured film 108 having a pattern.

[0028] The irradiation light 107 is selected according to the wavelength sensitivity of the curable composition. Specifically, the irradiation light 107 is appropriately selected from ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 150 nm or more and 400 nm or less, X-rays, electron beams, and the like. It is particularly preferable that the irradiation light 107 is ultraviolet light. This is because many of the compounds commercially available as curing assistants (photopolymerization initiators) are sensitive to ultraviolet light. Examples of light sources that emit ultraviolet light include high-pressure mercury lamps, ultra-high-pressure mercury lamps, low-pressure mercury lamps, deep-UV lamps, carbon arc lamps, chemical lamps, metal halide lamps, xenon lamps, KrF excimer lasers, ArF excimer lasers, F 2 Examples of the light source include a laser. However, as a light source that emits ultraviolet light, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp is particularly preferred. The number of light sources may be one or more. Also, the light may be irradiated to the entire area of ​​the curable composition filled in the fine pattern of the mold, or only a part of the area (a limited area). Also, the light irradiation may be performed intermittently multiple times to the entire area of ​​the substrate, or may be performed continuously to the entire area of ​​the substrate. Furthermore, the light may be irradiated to a first area of ​​the substrate in the first irradiation process, and the light may be irradiated to a second area different from the first area of ​​the substrate in the second irradiation process.

[0029] <Mold release process> In the demolding step, as shown in FIG. 1(g), the mold 106 is separated from the cured film 108. By separating the patterned cured film 108 from the mold 106, the cured film 108 having a pattern that is an inversion of the fine pattern of the mold 106 is obtained in a free-standing state. Here, the cured film remains in the recesses of the patterned cured film 108. Such a film is called a residual film.

[0030] The method of separating the mold 106 from the cured film 108 having the pattern is not particularly limited as long as a part of the cured film 108 having the pattern is not physically damaged during the separation. For example, the substrate 101 may be fixed and the mold 106 may be moved away from the substrate 101. The mold 106 may be fixed and the substrate 101 may be moved away from the mold 106. The mold 106 may be separated from the cured film 108 having the pattern by moving both the mold 106 and the substrate 101 in opposite directions.

[0031] A series of steps (manufacturing process) including the above-mentioned placement step, waiting step, contact step, curing step, and demolding step, in this order, can produce a cured film having a desired uneven pattern shape (a pattern shape that follows the uneven shape of the mold 106) in a desired position.

[0032] <Example 1> Using an inkjet method, liquid (droplets) containing a curable composition and a solvent were placed on a substrate. Immediately after the liquid was placed on the substrate, a stage holding the substrate was driven to move back and forth over a distance (stroke) of 170 mm for 3 seconds. Next, a mold made of quartz was brought into contact with the liquid placed on the substrate, and after 5 seconds, a UV lamp was used to illuminate the substrate at 10,000 W / m 2 The liquid was cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet light for 0.2 seconds, and a cured film was formed. Then, the mold was separated from the cured film formed on the substrate, and Sample 1 was prepared.

[0033] Sample 2 was produced using the same manufacturing method as Sample 1, except for the waiting step, in which the stage holding the substrate was not moved and the substrate was left waiting under the mold for 30 seconds.

[0034] Table 1 below shows the results of measuring the film thickness at five measurement points a, b, c, d, and e shown in FIG. 5 for each of Sample 1 and Sample 2 (samples) using a film thickness measuring device.

[0035] [Table 1]

[0036] Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that in Sample 2, the film thickness at four outer periphery points (measurement points a, b, c, and d) is thinner than the film thickness at one central point (measurement point e). On the other hand, in Sample 1, it can be seen that there is less difference in film thickness between the four outer periphery points and the central point. Also, from 3σ, it can be seen that Sample 1 is better than Sample 2 in terms of in-plane film thickness variation.

[0037] Hereinafter, the film forming apparatus FMA as one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the film forming apparatus FMA. The film forming apparatus FMA is an apparatus that forms a film of a curable composition in the space between a mold 106 and a substrate 101. When the mold 106 includes a pattern, the film forming apparatus FMA is embodied as an imprinting apparatus that forms a cured film having a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the mold 106. When the mold 106 includes a flat surface, the film forming apparatus FMA is embodied as a planarizing apparatus that forms a cured film having a surface following the flat surface of the mold 106.

[0038] The film forming apparatus FMA has a holding unit HU that holds the mold 106, a stage 100 that holds the substrate 101, and a control unit CU. The imprint apparatus IMP also has, for example, a supply unit including a dispenser for disposing (supplying) the curable composition onto the substrate, a bridge surface plate for holding the holding unit HU, a base surface plate for holding the stage 100, and the like.

[0039] The holding unit HU is a holding mechanism that holds the mold 106. The holding unit HU includes, for example, a chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically attracts the mold 106, and a mold driving unit that drives the chuck. The mold driving unit drives (moves) the chuck that attracts the mold 106, i.e., the mold 106, in the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, and θZ direction.

[0040] The stage 100 is a holding mechanism that holds the substrate 101. The stage 100, for example, vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the substrate 101 via a chuck, and is driven by a substrate driving unit. The substrate driving unit drives the stage 100 that holds the substrate 101, i.e., the substrate 101, in the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, and θZ direction.

[0041] The control unit CU is composed of an information processing device (computer) including a CPU, a memory, and the like. The control unit CU generally controls each part of the film forming apparatus FMA according to a program stored in the storage unit to operate the film forming apparatus FMA. The control unit CU controls a process of forming a film of a curable composition in a space between the mold 106 and the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the control unit CU performs the above-mentioned film forming method in the film forming apparatus FMA. Particularly in the waiting step, the control unit CU forms an airflow 111 including a gas flow parallel to the surface (surface) of the substrate 101, and causes the airflow 111 to contact the liquid film 103 formed on the substrate 101. At this time, the control unit CU forms the airflow 111, for example, by driving the stage 100 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 101.

[0042] The cured film (cured product pattern) formed using the film forming apparatus FMA is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The articles are electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, or molds. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of molds include molds for imprinting. Examples of optical elements include quantum dot structures, subwavelength antireflection structures, light extraction structures such as LEDs, photonic crystals, wire grid polarizers for ultraviolet regions, structural birefringence wave plates, diffraction gratings, and metalenses.

[0043] The cured film formed by the film forming apparatus FMA is used as it is as at least a part of the component of the above-mentioned article, or is used temporarily as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation is performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

[0044] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 7(a), a substrate such as a silicon wafer with a workpiece such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprint material is applied to the surface of the workpiece by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the state in which the imprint material in the form of multiple droplets is applied to the substrate is shown.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 7(b), the imprinting mold is placed so that the side on which the concave and convex patterns are formed faces the imprinting material on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 7(c), the substrate on which the imprinting material has been applied is brought into contact with the mold, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material fills the gap between the mold and the workpiece. When light is irradiated through the mold in this state as hardening energy, the imprinting material hardens.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 7(d), when the imprint material is cured and then the mold and the substrate are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material is formed on the substrate. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding patterns of the mold are transferred to the imprint material.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 7(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the portions of the surface of the workpiece where there is no cured material or where only a thin portion remains are removed to form grooves. As shown in Fig. 7(f), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having grooves formed on the surface of the workpiece can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may 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.

[0048] The disclosure of the present specification includes the following film forming method, article manufacturing method, and film forming apparatus.

[0049] (Item 1) A film-forming method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, comprising the steps of: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; having In the waiting step, an air flow including a gas flow parallel to a surface of the substrate is formed, and the air flow is brought into contact with the liquid film. A film forming method comprising the steps of:

[0050] (Item 2) 2. The method for forming a film according to item 1, wherein in the waiting step, the air current is allowed to come into contact with the liquid film for a period of 0.5 seconds to 10 seconds.

[0051] (Item 3) 3. The film forming method according to item 1 or 2, wherein in the waiting step, the air flow is formed by driving a stage that holds the substrate in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate.

[0052] (Item 4) 4. The film forming method according to item 3, wherein in the waiting step, the airflow is formed by driving the stage in at least two directions different from each other within the surface of the substrate.

[0053] (Item 5) 5. The film forming method according to item 4, wherein the at least two directions include two directions opposite to each other.

[0054] (Item 6) 3. The film forming method according to item 1 or 2, wherein in the waiting step, the air flow is formed by driving a stage that holds the substrate to reciprocate multiple times in a first direction parallel to a surface of the substrate and a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0055] (Item 7) the substrate includes a shot area on which the film is to be formed; The waiting step includes: a first step until the liquid film covers the entire shot area; A second step of waiting until the solvent contained in the liquid film covering the entire area is evaporated after the first step; Including, 7. The film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 6,

[0056] (Item 8) 8. The film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein in the waiting step, the air flow is caused to come into contact with the liquid film so that the evaporation rate of the solvent becomes uniform within the plane.

[0057] (Item 9) 9. The film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the air flow includes a laminar flow.

[0058] (Item 10) The mold includes a pattern; In the contacting step, the pattern of the mold is brought into contact with the liquid film, In the curing step, a cured film having a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the mold is formed. 10. The film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 9,

[0059] (Item 11) the mold includes a flat surface; In the contacting step, the flat surface of the mold is brought into contact with the liquid film, In the curing step, a cured film having a surface conforming to the flat surface of the mold is formed. 10. The film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 9,

[0060] (Item 12) A film-forming method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, comprising the steps of: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; having In the waiting step, a stage that holds the substrate is driven in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate until the solvent evaporates. A film forming method comprising the steps of:

[0061] (Item 13) A forming step of forming a film of a curable composition on a substrate by using the film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 12; a processing step of processing the substrate on which the film is formed in the forming step; a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing process; A method for producing an article, comprising:

[0062] (Item 14) A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, A control unit for controlling the film forming process, The process comprises: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; Including, The control unit, in the waiting step, forms an air flow including a gas flow parallel to a surface of the substrate and causes the air flow to contact the liquid film. A film forming apparatus comprising:

[0063] (Item 15) The substrate holder further includes a stage for holding the substrate, Item 15. The film forming apparatus according to item 14, wherein the control unit forms the air flow by driving the stage in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate in the waiting step.

[0064] 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]

[0065] 100: stage 101: substrate 102: droplet 103, 104: liquid film 105: solvent 106: mold 108: hardened film

Claims

1. A film-forming method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, comprising the steps of: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; having In the waiting step, an air flow including a gas flow parallel to a surface of the substrate is formed, and the air flow is brought into contact with the liquid film. A film forming method comprising the steps of:

2. 2. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the waiting step, the air current is allowed to come into contact with the liquid film for a period of 0.5 to 10 seconds.

3. 2. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the waiting step, the air flow is formed by driving a stage that holds the substrate in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate.

4. 4. The film forming method according to claim 3, wherein in the waiting step, the airflow is formed by driving the stage in at least two directions different from each other within the surface of the substrate.

5. The film forming method according to claim 4 , wherein the at least two directions include two directions opposite to each other.

6. 2. The film forming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the waiting process, the air flow is formed by driving a stage holding the substrate back and forth multiple times in a first direction parallel to a surface of the substrate and a second direction opposite to the first direction.

7. the substrate includes a shot area on which the film is to be formed; The waiting step includes: a first step until the liquid film covers the entire shot area; a second step of waiting until the solvent contained in the liquid film covering the entire area is evaporated after the first step; Including, The film forming method according to claim 1 .

8. 2. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the waiting step, the air current is caused to come into contact with the liquid film so that a volatilization rate of the solvent becomes uniform within the surface.

9. The film forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the air flow includes a laminar flow.

10. The mold includes a pattern; In the contacting step, the pattern of the mold is brought into contact with the liquid film, In the curing step, a cured film having a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the mold is formed. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

11. the mold includes a flat surface; In the contacting step, the flat surface of the mold is brought into contact with the liquid film, In the curing step, a cured film having a surface conforming to the flat surface of the mold is formed. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

12. A film-forming method for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, comprising the steps of: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; having In the waiting step, a stage that holds the substrate is driven in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate until the solvent evaporates. A film forming method comprising the steps of:

13. A forming step of forming a film of a curable composition on a substrate by using the film forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; a processing step of processing the substrate on which the film is formed in the forming step; a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing process; A method for producing an article, comprising:

14. A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a curable composition in a space between a mold and a substrate, A control unit for controlling the film forming process, The process comprises: a disposing step of discretely disposing a plurality of droplets of a curable composition on the substrate; a waiting step of waiting until the plurality of droplets are combined with adjacent droplets to form a liquid film and a solvent contained in the liquid film is evaporated after the disposing step; a contacting step of contacting the liquid film with the mold after the waiting step; a curing step of curing the liquid film to form a cured film after the contacting step; a demolding step of separating the mold from the cured film after the curing step; Including, The control unit, in the waiting step, forms an air flow including a gas flow parallel to a surface of the substrate and causes the air flow to contact the liquid film. A film forming apparatus comprising:

15. The substrate holder further includes a stage for holding the substrate, 15. The film forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control unit forms the air flow by driving the stage in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate in the waiting step.

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