Method for using and fabricating imprint template with mesa sidewall coating

Abstract

To provide a method for fabricating a template.SOLUTION: A method includes a step of receiving a template with a mesa. The template has a first coating on the mesa, a recessed surface, and mesa sidewalls connecting the recessed surface to the mesa. A first cured formable material layer is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewalls, and the recessed surface by using first shaping processing. An improvement comprises the steps of: forming a second cured formable material layer on the first cured formable material layer on the recessed surface by using second shaping processing; removing the first cured formable material layer and the first coating on the mesa, and a portion of the second cured formable material layer on the sidewalls and the recessed surface; and removing the first cured formable material layer and the second cured formable material layer from the mesa sidewalls and the recessed surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to photomechanical shaping systems (e.g., nanoimprint lithography and inkjet adaptive planarization). In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods of using and manufacturing nanoimprint templates having mesa sidewall coatings for use in photomechanical shaping systems.

Background Art

[0002] Nanofabrication involves the manufacture of very small structures having features on the order of 100 nanometers or less. One application that nanofabrication has had a major impact on is the manufacture of integrated circuits. The semiconductor processing industry continues to strive for greater production yields while increasing the number of circuits per unit area formed on a substrate. Improvements in nanofabrication include providing one or both of greater process control and throughput improvements while allowing for a continued reduction in the minimum feature size of the structures being formed.

[0003] One nanofabrication technique used today is generally referred to as nanoimprint lithography. Nanoimprint lithography is useful in a variety of applications including, for example, manufacturing one or more layers of an integrated device by shaping a film on a substrate. Examples of integrated devices include, but are not limited to, CMOS logic, microprocessors, NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, DRAM memory, MRAM, 3D cross-point memory, Re-RAM, Fe-RAM, STT-RAM, MEMS, and the like. Exemplary nanoimprint lithography systems and processes are described in detail in a number of publications such as U.S. Patent No. 8,349,241, U.S. Patent No. 8,066,930, and U.S. Patent No. 6,936,194. All of these are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0004] The nanoimprint lithography techniques disclosed in each of the above patents describe forming a film on a substrate by forming a relief pattern in a formable (polymerizable) layer. The shape of this film can then be used to transfer a pattern corresponding to the relief pattern to the underlying substrate, on it, in it, and on top of it.

[0005] The forming process uses a template that is separated from the substrate. A formable liquid is applied onto the substrate. When the template is brought into contact with the formable liquid deposited as a droplet pattern, the formable liquid spreads and fills the space between the template and the substrate. The formable liquid is cured to form a film having a shape (pattern) that conforms to the forming surface of the template. After curing, the template is separated from the cured layer so that the template and the substrate are spaced apart.

[0006] Thereafter, the substrate and the cured layer can be subjected to known steps and processes for device (article) manufacturing, including, for example, curing, oxidation, layer formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, formable material removal, dicing, bonding, and packaging. For example, the pattern on the cured layer can be subjected to an etching process that transfers the pattern to the substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The first embodiment can be a method for manufacturing a template. The method for manufacturing a template can include a step of receiving a template having a mesa. The template has a first coating on the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa. Using a first shaping process, a first cured formable material layer is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface. An improvement to the method for manufacturing a template is a step of forming a second cured formable material layer on the first cured formable material layer on the concave surface using a second shaping process, and a step of removing the first cured formable material layer on the mesa and the first coating, and a part of the second cured formable material layer on the sidewall and the concave surface. The method can further include a step of removing the first cured formable material layer and the second cured formable material layer from the mesa sidewall and the concave surface.

[0008] On one aspect of the first embodiment, the second shaping process can include supplying a plurality of droplets of formable material onto the first cured formable material layer on the concave surface.

[0009] On one aspect of the first embodiment, the second shaping process can include a step of bringing the first cured formable material layer on the mesa into contact with a blank template.

[0010] On one aspect of the first embodiment, the second shaping process can include a step of curing the uncured formable material to form the second cured formable material layer.

[0011] On one aspect of the first embodiment, the second shaping process is performed M times, where M is an integer greater than 2.

[0012] On one aspect of the first embodiment, M can be 5.

[0013] In one aspect of the first embodiment, the first shaping process may be different from the second shaping process.

[0014] In one aspect of the first embodiment, the first coating may be a 10 nm thick chromium layer deposited using an atomic layer deposition process.

[0015] In one aspect of the first embodiment, the mesa may include a feature patterned under the first coating.

[0016] In one aspect of the first embodiment, the step of removing the first cured formable material layer and the first coating on the mesa and a part of the second cured formable material layer on the sidewall and the concave surface may include exposing the first cured formable material layer and the chromium on the mesa and the second cured formable material layer on the sidewall and the concave surface to a first etchant during a first etching period.

[0017] The first embodiment may further include a step of depositing a plurality of droplets of a formable material on the mesa after the first coating is removed from the mesa, a step of contacting the plurality of droplets of the formable material on the mesa with a first patterned template, a step of exposing the plurality of droplets of the formable material under the template to actinic rays to form a patterned layer, and a step of exposing the patterned layer and the mesa to a second etchant for forming a pattern in the mesa.

[0018] The first embodiment may further include a step of depositing a hard mask on the mesa before depositing the plurality of droplets of the formable material on the mesa.

[0019] The first embodiment is a method of forming a film on a substrate using a template fabricated by the method of the first embodiment, the method comprising: contacting a formable material on the substrate with the template; exposing the formable material under the template to actinic radiation; and separating the template from the formable material.

[0020] The first embodiment can be a method of manufacturing an article from a substrate in which a layer is formed according to the method of the first embodiment, the method comprising: processing the substrate; and forming the article from the processed substrate.

[0021] The second embodiment can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for a template manufacturing system. The template manufacturing system receives a template having a mesa, the template having a first coating on the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa. A first cured formable material layer is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface using a first shaping process. Improvements to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium include forming a second cured formable material layer on the first cured formable material layer on the concave surface using a second shaping process; removing the first cured formable material layer on the mesa and the first coating and a portion of the second cured formable material layer on the sidewall and the concave surface; and removing the first cured formable material layer and the second cured formable material layer from the mesa sidewall and the concave surface, the improvements including instructions for these steps.

[0022] The third embodiment can be a controller of a template manufacturing apparatus configured to receive a template having a mesa. The template has a first coating on the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa. Using a first shaping process, a first cured formable material is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface. An improvement to the controller is to send instructions to a template replication tool to form a second cured formable material layer on the first cured formable material layer on the concave surface using a second shaping process, and to send instructions to an etching tool to remove the first cured formable material layer and the first coating on the mesa and a part of the second cured formable material layer on the sidewall and the concave surface, and to send instructions to an etching tool to remove the first cured formable material layer and the second cured formable material layer from the mesa sidewall and the concave surface.

[0023] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent by reading the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the provided claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] To enable a detailed understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, a more specific description of the embodiments of the present invention can be obtained by referring to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only show typical embodiments of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention, and the present invention can recognize other equally effective embodiments.

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[0035] Throughout the drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals and characters are used to indicate similar features, elements, components, or parts of the illustrated embodiments. Further, although the present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the drawings, it is made in relation to exemplary embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described exemplary embodiments without departing from the true scope of the disclosure of the subject matter defined by the appended claims.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0036] Nanoimprint lithography technology can use a template with mesas to shape a moldable material in multiple regions on a substrate. This is done by bringing the moldable material into contact with the mesas and curing the moldable material with actinic rays under the mesas. The moldable material can spread beyond the mesas, which may form overhangs. The applicant has found that it is desirable to prevent the overhangs from curing. The applicant has found that, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0095286 A1, an effective way to prevent the overhangs from curing is to coat the mesa sidewalls of the template with a material that absorbs actinic rays. The applicant has found that this method is not 100% effective, and small pinholes are formed during the coating, and overhangs may be formed. What is needed is a method of applying the coating so that pinholes are not formed.

[0037] Forming system FIG. 1 is a diagram of a forming system 100 (e.g., a nanoimprint lithography system or an inkjet adaptive planarization system) in which an embodiment can be implemented. The forming system 100 is used to manufacture an imprinted (formed) film on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 can be coupled to a substrate chuck 104. The substrate chuck 104 can be one or more of a vacuum chuck, a pin-type chuck, a groove-type chuck, an electrostatic chuck, an electromagnetic chuck, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0038] The substrate 102 and the substrate chuck 104 can be further supported by a substrate positioning stage 106. The substrate positioning stage 106 can provide translational movement, rotational movement, or both along one or more of the position axes x, y, z, and the rotation axes θ, ψ, φ. The substrate positioning stage 106, the substrate 102, and the substrate chuck 104 can also be positioned on a base (not shown). The substrate positioning stage may be part of a positioning system. In an alternative embodiment, the substrate chuck 104 may be attached to the base.

[0039] Spaced apart from the substrate 102 is a template 108 (also referred to as a superstrate). The template 108 can include a body having a mesa 110 that extends toward the substrate 102 on the front side of the template 108. The mesa 110 can have a shaping surface 112 on the surface that is also the front side of the template 108. The shaping surface 112, also referred to as a pattern surface, is the surface of the template that shapes the moldable material 124. In one embodiment, the shaping surface 112 is flat and is used to planarize the moldable material. Alternatively, the template 108 may be configured without the mesa 110, in which case the surface of the template facing the substrate 102 is equal to the mesa 110, the shaping surface 112 is the surface of the template facing the substrate 102, and the mesa sidewall is the sidewall of the template 108.

[0040] The template 108 can be composed of a material including, but not limited to, one or more of fused silica, quartz, silicon, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, borosilicate glass, fluorocarbon polymers, metals, hardened sapphire, etc. The shaping surface 112 has features defined by a plurality of template recesses 114 and template protrusions 116. The shaping surface 112 defines a pattern that serves as a basis for the pattern to be formed on the substrate 102. In another embodiment, the shaping surface 112 has no features, in which case a flat surface is formed on the substrate. In an alternative embodiment, the shaping surface 112 has no features, is the same size as the substrate, and a flat surface is formed across the entire substrate.

[0041] Template 108 can be coupled to template chuck 118. Template chuck 118 can be one or more of a vacuum chuck, a pin-type chuck, a groove-type chuck, an electrostatic chuck, an electromagnetic chuck, and other similar chuck types, but is not limited thereto. Template chuck 118 can be configured to apply to template 108 one or more of stress, pressure, and strain that vary across template 108. Template chuck 118 can include a template magnification control system 121. Template magnification control system 121 can include a piezoelectric actuator (or other actuator) that can press, stretch, or both press and stretch different portions of template 108. Template chuck 118 can include a system such as a zone-based vacuum chuck, an actuator array, a pressure bladder, etc., which can apply a pressure difference to the back surface of the template to bend and deform the template.

[0042] Template chuck 118 can be coupled to a forming head 120 that is part of a positioning system. Forming head 120 can be movably coupled to a bridge. Forming head 120 can include one or more actuators such as a voice coil motor, a piezoelectric motor, a linear motor, a nut, and a screw motor, and these actuators are configured to move template chuck 118 relative to the substrate in at least the z-axis direction and potentially other directions (e.g., position axes x, y, and rotation axes θ, ψ, φ).

[0043] The shaping system 100 may further include a fluid dispenser 122. The fluid dispenser 122 may also be movably coupled to the bridge. In one embodiment, the fluid dispenser 122 and the shaping head 120 share one or more or all of the positioning components. In an alternative embodiment, the fluid dispenser 122 and the shaping head 120 move independently of each other. The fluid dispenser 122 can be used to deposit a liquid formable material 124 (e.g., a polymerizable material) in a droplet pattern on the substrate 102. Additional formable material 124 can also be added to the substrate 102 using one or more techniques such as droplet dispensing, spin coating, dip coating, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), thin film deposition, thick film deposition, etc. before the formable material 124 is deposited on the substrate 102. The formable material 124 can be dispensed on the substrate 102 before, after, or both before and after a desired volume is defined between the shaping surface 112 and the substrate 102, depending on design considerations. The formable material 124 can include a mixture containing monomers as described in U.S. Patent No. 7,157,036 and U.S. Patent No. 8,076,386. The contents of both documents are hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.

[0044] Different fluid dispensers 122 can use different techniques to dispense the formable material 124. If the formable material 124 is ejectable, an inkjet type dispenser can be used to eject the formable material. For example, thermal inkjet, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based inkjet, valve jet, and piezoelectric inkjet are common techniques for supplying ejectable liquids.

[0045] The shaping system 100 may further comprise a curing system that induces a phase change of the liquid-formable material into a solid material whose upper surface is determined by the shape of the shaping surface 112. The curing system may include at least one radiation source 126 that directs chemical energy along an exposure path 128. The shaping head and substrate positioning stage 106 may be configured to position the template 108 and the substrate 102 in alignment with the exposure path 128. The radiation source 126 sends chemical energy along the exposure path 128 after the template 108 contacts the formable material 124. FIG. 1 shows the exposure path 128 when the template 108 is not in contact with the formable material 124, and it is shown that way for illustrative purposes so that the relative positions of the individual components can be easily identified. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the exposure path 128 does not substantially change when the template 108 contacts the formable material 124. In one embodiment, the chemical energy is directed to reach the formable material 124 under the template 108 through both the template chuck 118 and the template 108. In one embodiment, the chemical energy generated by the radiation source 126 is UV light that induces polymerization of monomers in the formable material 124.

[0046] The shaping system 100 may further include a field camera 136 arranged to view the spread of the formable material 124 after the template 108 contacts the formable material 124. In FIG. 1, the optical axis of the imaging field of view of the field camera is indicated by a dashed line. As shown in FIG. 1, the shaping system 100 may include one or more optical components (such as dichroic mirrors, beam combiners, prisms, lenses, mirrors, etc.) that combine the actinic rays with the light detected by the field camera. The field camera 136 may be configured to detect the spread of the formable material under the template 108. Although the optical axis of the field camera 136 shown in FIG. 1 is linear, it may be bent by one or more optical components. The field camera 136 may include one or more of a CCD, a sensor array, a line camera, and a photodetector configured to collect light having a wavelength that exhibits a contrast between the area under the template 108 in contact with the formable material and the area under the template 108 not in contact with the formable material 124. The field camera 136 may be configured to collect a monochromatic image of visible light. The field camera 136 may be configured to provide an image of the spread of the formable material 124 under the template 108 and to track the imprint (shaping) process to provide separation of the template 108 from the cured formable material. The field camera 136 may also be configured to measure interference fringes that change as the formable material 124 spreads between the gaps between the shaping surface 112 and the substrate surface 130.

[0047] The shaping system 100 may further include a droplet inspection system 138 that is separate from the field camera 136. The droplet inspection system 138 may include one or more of a CCD, a camera, a line camera, and a photodetector. The droplet inspection system 138 may include one or more optical components such as a lens, a mirror, an optical diaphragm, an aperture, a filter, a prism, a polarizer, a window, an adaptive optical system, and a light source. The droplet inspection system 138 may be arranged to inspect droplets before the shaping surface 112 contacts the formable material 124 on the substrate 102. In an alternative embodiment, the field camera 136 may be configured as the droplet inspection system 138 and used before the shaping surface 112 contacts the formable material 124.

[0048] The shaping system 100 may further include a thermal radiation source 134 configured to provide a spatial distribution of thermal radiation to one or both of the template 108 and the substrate 102. The thermal radiation source 134 may heat one or both of the substrate 102 and the template 108 without solidifying the formable material 124 and may include one or more thermo-electromagnetic radiation sources. The thermal radiation source 134 may include a spatial light modulator (SLM) such as a digital micromirror device (DMD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or a liquid crystal device (LCD) to modulate the spatio-temporal distribution of the thermal radiation. The shaping system 100 may further include one or more optical components used to combine actinic radiation, thermal radiation, and radiation collected by the field camera 136 on a single optical path that intersects the imprint region when the template 108 contacts the formable material 124 on the substrate 102. The thermal radiation source 134 can send thermal radiation along a thermal radiation path (shown as two thick dark lines in FIG. 1) after the template 108 contacts the formable material 124. FIG. 1 shows the thermal radiation path when the template 108 is not in contact with the formable material 124, which is shown for illustrative purposes so that the relative positions of the individual components can be easily identified. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the thermal radiation path will not substantially change when the template 108 contacts the formable material 124. In FIG. 1, the thermal radiation path is shown as terminating at the template 108, but it could also terminate at the substrate 102. In an alternative embodiment, the thermal radiation source 134 is beneath the substrate 102 and the thermal radiation path is not combined with actinic radiation and visible light.

[0049] Before the formable material 124 is supplied onto the substrate, a substrate coating 132 may be applied to the substrate 102. In one embodiment, the substrate coating 132 can be an adhesion layer. In one embodiment, the substrate coating 132 may be applied to the substrate 102 before the substrate is loaded onto the substrate chuck 104. In an alternative embodiment, the substrate coating 132 can be applied to the substrate 102 while the substrate 102 is on the substrate chuck 104. In one embodiment, the substrate coating 132 can be applied by spin coating, dip coating, drop dispense, slot dispense, etc. In one embodiment, the substrate 102 can be a semiconductor wafer. In another embodiment, the substrate 102 can be a blank template (replica blank) that can be used to create a daughter template after imprinting.

[0050] The imprinting system 100 can include an imprint area atmosphere control system that includes one or both of a gas system and a vacuum system, an example of which is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010 / 0096764 and 2019 / 0101823. The atmosphere control system can include one or more of pumps, valves, solenoids, gas sources, gas piping, etc., which are configured to flow one or more different gases at different times and in different regions. The atmosphere control system can be connected to a first gas transport system that transports gas to and from the edge of the substrate 102 and controls the gas flow at the edge of the substrate 102 to control the imprint area atmosphere. The atmosphere control system can be connected to a second gas transport system that transports gas to and from the edge of the template 108 and controls the gas flow at the edge of the template 108 to control the imprint area atmosphere. The atmosphere control system can be connected to a third gas transport system that transports gas to and from the top of the template 108 and controls the gas flow through the template 108 to control the imprint area atmosphere. One or more of the first, second, and third gas transport systems can be used in combination or separately to control the gas flow within and around the imprint area.

[0051] The forming system 100 can be adjusted, controlled, and commanded by one or more processors 140 (controllers) that communicate with one or more components and subsystems such as a substrate chuck 104, a substrate positioning stage 106, a template chuck 118, a forming head 120, a fluid dispenser 122, a radiation source 126, a heat radiation source 134, a field camera 136, an imprint area atmosphere control system, and a droplet inspection system 138. The processor 140 can operate based on instructions in a computer-readable program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory 142. The processor 140 can be one or more of a CPU, MPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, DSP, and a general-purpose computer, or can include them. The processor 140 can be a dedicated controller or a general-purpose computing device adapted to be a controller. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable memory include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, hard drive, network-connected storage (NAS), intranet-connected non-transitory computer-readable storage devices, and internet-connected non-transitory computer-readable storage devices. The controller 140 can be included in the forming system 100a and can include a plurality of processors that communicate with the forming system 100a. The processor 140 can communicate with a networked computer 140a on which analysis is performed and control files such as droplet patterns are generated. In one embodiment, one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) 141 presented to an operator or user are provided on one or both of a display that communicates with the networked computer 140a and the processor 140.

[0052] Either or both of the shaping head 120 and the substrate positioning stage 106 vary the distance between the mesa 110 and the substrate 102 to define a desired space (a physically bounded three-dimensional extent) filled with the formable material 124. For example, the shaping head 120 can apply a force to the template 108 such that the mesa 110 contacts the formable material 124. After the desired volume is filled with the formable material 124, the radiation source 126 generates actinic radiation (e.g., UV, 248 nm, 280 nm, 350 nm, 365 nm, 395 nm, 400 nm, 405 nm, 435 nm, etc.) to cause a chemical reaction such as curing, solidifying, crosslinking, etc. in the formable material 124. The formable material 134 also conforms to the shapes of the substrate surface 130 and the shaping surface 112 and defines a patterned layer on the substrate 102. The formable material 124 is cured while the template 108 is in contact with the formable material 124 to form a pattern layer on the substrate 102. Thus, the shaping system 100 uses a shaping process to form a pattern layer having recesses and protrusions that are the inverse of the pattern within the shaping surface 112. In an alternative embodiment, the shaping system 100 uses a shaping process to form a flat layer having a featureless shaping surface 112.

[0053] The shaping process can be repeated in a plurality of imprint regions (also simply called fields or shots) that are spread over the substrate surface 130. Each of the imprint regions can be the same size as the mesa 110 or the same size as the pattern region of the mesa 110. The pattern region of the mesa 110 is the region of the shaping surface 112 and is used to imprint a pattern on the substrate 102, and this pattern is either a feature of the device or is used in a subsequent process to form a feature of the device. The pattern region of the mesa 110 can include, but does not have to include, a mass flow rate variation feature (fluid control feature) used to prevent the formation of overhangs at the edges of the imprint region. In an alternative embodiment, the substrate 102 has only one imprint region that is the same size as the substrate 102 or the region of the substrate 102 patterned by the mesa 110. In an alternative embodiment, the imprint regions overlap. Some of the imprint regions can be partial imprint regions that intersect the boundary of the substrate 102.

[0054] The patterned layer can be formed to have a residual layer with a residual layer thickness (RLT) that is the minimum thickness of the moldable material 124 between the substrate surface 130 and the shaping surface 112 in each imprint region. The patterned layer can also include one or more features such as protrusions that extend over the residual layer having a thickness. These protrusions coincide with the recesses 114 of the mesa 110.

[0055] Template FIG. 2A is a diagram of a template 108 (not to scale) that can be used in one embodiment. The shaping surface 112 can be on the mesa 110 (identified by the dashed box in FIG. 2A). The mesa 110 is surrounded by the concave surface 244 on the front side of the template. The mesa 110 has a mesa height h T and the mesa height Tcan be between 1 and 200 μm. The mesa sidewall 246 connects the concave surface 244 to the molding surface 112 of the mesa 110. The mesa sidewall 246 surrounds the mesa 110. In embodiments where the mesa is round or has rounded corners, the mesa sidewall 246 refers to a single mesa sidewall that is a continuous wall without corners. In one embodiment, the mesa sidewall 246 can have one or more of a vertical profile, an inclined profile, a curved profile, a stepped profile, an S-shaped profile, a convex profile, or a combination of these profiles. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a template 108 (not to scale) showing the mesa edge 210e. FIG. 2B shows that the intersection of the mesa sidewall 246 and the concave surface 244 can have some curvature due to the process of etching away material from a template precursor to form the mesa 110 on the template 108. The template 108 can have a square plane with a template width w T as shown in FIGS. 2A - 2B. In an alternative embodiment, the template width w T is a characteristic width, and the planar shape of the template 108 can be rectangular, parallelogram, polygonal, or circular, or some other shape. The template width w T can be between 10 and 450 millimeters.

[0056] Molding process FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing an article (device) including a molding process 300 executed by a molding system 100. The molding process 300 can be used to form a pattern on a moldable material 124 over one or more imprint regions (also called pattern regions or shot regions). The molding process 300 can be repeatedly executed on a plurality of substrates 102 by the molding system 100. The processor 140 can be used to control the molding process 300.

[0057] In another embodiment, the molding process 300 is used to planarize the substrate 102. In this case, the molding surface 112 can be featureless and can be the same size as or larger than the substrate 102.

[0058] The start of the shaping process 300 may include a template mounting step of mounting the template 108 on the template chuck 118 by the template transfer mechanism. The shaping process 300 may also include a substrate mounting step, and the processor 140 can mount the substrate 102 on the substrate chuck 104 by the substrate transfer mechanism. The substrate may have one or more coatings and structures. The order in which the template 108 and the substrate 102 are mounted on the shaping system 100 is not particularly limited, and the template 108 and the substrate 102 may be mounted sequentially or simultaneously.

[0059] In the positioning step, the processor 140 can move the imprint area i (the index i can be initially set to 1) of the substrate 102 to the fluid supply position under the fluid dispenser 122 on one or both of the substrate positioning stage 106 and the dispenser positioning stage. The substrate 102 may be divided into N imprint areas, and each imprint area is identified by the shaping area index i. Here, N is the number of shaping areas, and is a positive integer of a real number such as 1, 10, 62, 75, 84, 100 {N ∈ Z +}. In the supply step S302, the processor 140 causes the fluid dispenser 122 to supply the formable material based on the droplet pattern on the imprint area. In one embodiment, the fluid dispenser 122 supplies the formable material 124 as a plurality of droplets. The fluid dispenser 122 may include one or more nozzles. The fluid dispenser 122 can simultaneously eject the formable material 124 from one or more nozzles. While the fluid dispenser is ejecting the formable material 124, the imprint area can be moved relative to the fluid dispenser 122. Therefore, the time when a part of the droplets lands on the substrate can vary over the imprint area i. The supply step S302 can be executed for each imprint area i during the supply period Td.

[0060] In one embodiment, during the dispensing step S302, the formable material 124 is dispensed onto the substrate 102 according to a droplet pattern. The droplet pattern may include one or more information such as the locations at which to deposit the droplets of formable material, the volume of the droplets of formable material, the type of formable material, shape parameters of the droplets of formable material, etc. In one embodiment, the droplet pattern may only include the volume of the droplets dispensed and the locations at which to deposit the droplets.

[0061] After the droplet is dispensed, a contacting step is initiated in which the processor 140 causes one or both of the substrate positioning stage 106 and the template positioning stage to contact the molding surface 112 of the template 108 with the formable material 124 at a particular imprint area. The contacting step S304 begins after the dispensing period Td and has a contacting period T that begins with the initial contact of the molding surface 112 with the formable material 124. contact In one embodiment, the template chuck 118 may be subjected to a contact period T contact The template 108 is configured to bend such that only a portion of the forming surface 112 contacts a portion of the formable material at the beginning of the contact period T contact ends when template 108 is no longer bent by template chuck 118. The degree to which molding surface 112 is curved relative to substrate surface 130 can be estimated using field camera 136 (spread camera). Field camera 136 may be configured to record interference fringes due to reflectance from at least molding surface 112 and substrate surface 130. The greater the distance between adjacent interference fringes, the greater the degree to which molding surface 112 is curved.

[0062] During the filling process S306, the formable material 124 spreads towards the edge of the imprint area and the mesa sidewall 246. The edge of the imprint area can be defined by the mesa sidewall 246. How the formable material 124 spreads and fills the mesa can be observed via the field camera 136 and used to track the progress of the fluid front end of the formable material. In one embodiment, the filling process S306 is carried out during the filling period T f which is carried out during the filling period T f which starts when the contact process S304 ends. The filling period T f ends with the start of the curing period T c In one embodiment, during the filling period T f the back pressure and the force applied to the template are kept substantially constant. In this context, substantially constant means within the control tolerance of the forming device 100, for example, the back pressure variation and the force variation can be less than 0.1% of the set value.

[0063] In the curing process S308, the processor 140 can send commands to the radiation source 126 to send a curing illumination pattern of actinic rays through the template 108, the mesa 110, and the forming surface 112 during the curing period T c The curing illumination pattern provides sufficient energy to cure (polymerize) the formable material 124 under the forming surface 112. The curing period T c is the period during which the formable material under the template receives actinic rays having sufficient strength to solidify (cure) the formable material. In an alternative embodiment, the formable material 124 is exposed to a gelation illumination pattern of actinic rays before the curing period T c and the curing period T c does not cure the formable material but increases the viscosity of the formable material.

[0064] In the separation process S310, the processor 140 uses one or more of the substrate chuck 104, the substrate positioning stage 106, the template chuck 118, and the forming head 120 during the separation period T sSeparate the molding surface 112 of the template 108 from the cured moldable material on the substrate 102. If there are additional imprint areas to be imprinted, the process returns to step S302. In an alternative embodiment, during step S302, the supply of the moldable material 124 is received in two or more imprint areas, and the process returns to step S302 or S304.

[0065] In one embodiment, after the molding process 300 is completed, additional semiconductor manufacturing processes are performed on the substrate 102 in process step S312 to fabricate a manufactured article (e.g., a semiconductor device). In one embodiment, each imprint area includes a plurality of devices.

[0066] The further semiconductor manufacturing process in process step S312 may include an etching process for transferring a relief image corresponding to a pattern in the patterned layer or the inversion of that pattern to the substrate. The further process in process step S312 may also include known processes and processes for article manufacturing, such as inspection, curing, oxidation, layer formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, removal of the moldable material, dicing, bonding, packaging, mounting, circuit board assembly, etc. The substrate 102 can be processed to manufacture a plurality of articles (devices).

[0067] Template Replication System FIG. 4 is a diagram of a template replication system 400 which is an example of the shaping system 100. The template replication system 400 is executed using a master template 408. The master template 408 may include template recesses 114 and template protrusions 116, but does not necessarily include the mesa 110. The substrate for the template replication system is a blank template 402 having a mesa 410, which is held by a blank template chuck 404 that is substantially the same as the template chuck 118, except that the chuck surface of the blank template chuck faces the chuck surface of the template chuck. The template replication system may include a blank template magnification control system 421 that is substantially the same as the template magnification control system 121. The blank template may have a template coating 432. The template coating may include a plurality of layers such as a hard mask layer and an adhesion layer. The fluid dispenser 122 can deposit droplets of the formable material 124 onto the template coating 432. The template replication system 400 may include a heat radiation source only when the master template 408 expands at a different speed from the blank template 402.

[0068] The template replication process uses the shaping process 300 but is performed only once. The step S312 of the template replication process may include etching, cleaning, inspection, and formation of a coating on the mesa sidewall. In an alternative embodiment, a coating is formed on the mesa sidewall of the blank template before the shaping process 300 is executed.

[0069] Overflow FIGS. 5A-5L are diagrams of a template 108 used in the imprint process 300. FIG. 5A is a diagram of the template 108 over the formable material 124 after the supply period T d and before the contact period T contact FIG. 5B is the contact period T during which the droplets of the formable material coalesce to form a formable material film 524a that fills the space between the template 108 and the substrate 102. contactShows template 108 towards the end. The formable material film 524a is cured to form a cured pattern layer 524b under the template 108. FIG. 5C is a view of the template 108 on the cured pattern layer 524b after the separation period T s It is a figure of the template 108 on the cured pattern layer 524b after.

[0070] However, due to the filling process, as shown in FIG. 5D, some of the formable material 124 is pushed out beyond the mesa sidewall 246 of the mesa 110, and a liquid overflow 524c can be formed. When the formable material film 524a is cured, the liquid overflow 524c adjacent to the mesa sidewall 221 is also cured to form a cured overflow 524d that can adhere to the mesa sidewall 221. Then, when the template 108 is separated from the cured pattern layer 524b, the cured overflow 524d adjacent to the mesa sidewall 246 may adhere to the template 108 and then contaminate the next process.

[0071] The applicant has found that when a mesa sidewall coating 548 is applied to the mesa sidewall 246, the performance of the template 108 is improved. The mesa sidewall coating 548 can include one or more of a metal, a hydrophobic coating, a gas absorption coating, a conductive coating, a cured coating, a radiation absorption coating, and a radiation reflection coating. As shown in FIG. 5F, the liquid overflow 524c is still formed as shown adjacent to the mesa sidewall 246 of the template 308.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 5H, the template 108 separates from the cured pattern layer 524b, and the formable material does not remain on the template 108. During the curing step S308, the mesa sidewall coating 548 can prevent actinic rays from reaching the liquid overflow 524c while the formable material film 244 is changed into the cured pattern layer 246. Any liquid overflow 524c on the mesa sidewall coating 548 is not cured and can instead be evaporated. As shown in FIG. 5H, when the template 108 separates from the cured pattern layer 524b, the cured pattern layer 246 remains on the substrate 102, but there is no overflow remaining on the template 108. There may be liquid overflow 524c remaining on the substrate 102 or the template 108, but it will eventually evaporate.

[0073] Mesa Sidewall Coating Test The quality of the mesa sidewall coating 548 is very important for the performance of the shaping system 100. The applicant has developed a method for testing the quality of the mesa sidewall coating 548. The test method includes depositing droplets of the formable material 124 within the imprint area on the substrate and on the imprint area edge directly under the mesa, as shown in FIG. 5I. Then, the template 108 is brought into contact with the formable material that forms the formable material film 524a, and liquid overflow 524c is intentionally formed at every location along the imprint area edge. When the formable material film 524a under the template 108 is cured to form the cured pattern layer 524b and the mesa sidewall coating 548 is of high quality, the liquid overflow 524c is not cured and remains along the imprint area edge as shown in FIG. 5J. Then, the template 108 separates from the cured pattern layer 524b, and as shown in FIG. 5K, the liquid overflow 524c tends to remain on the substrate. Over time, the liquid overflow 524c shrinks by evaporation, as shown in FIG. 5L.

[0074] Next, the imprinted film is inspected for overhang. Figure 5M is a micrograph of the edge of the imprinted region of the cured pattern layer 524b obtained with a 20X microscope of a mesa sidewall coating 548 manufactured by a prior art process described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0095286 A1. Figure 5M shows a cured overhang 524d on the edge of the imprinted region. The applicant has found that these cured overhangs 524d correlate with small pinholes 548p in the mesa sidewall coating 548, as shown in Figure 5N. Figure 5N is a micrograph of the concave surface 244 near the mesa sidewall 244 of a template manufactured by a prior art process. The chromium coating does not cover the entire concave surface. There may be small gaps 544g in the chromium area on the concave surface, which is not a problem as long as the small gaps 544g do not contact the mesa sidewall 246, in which case pinholes are formed. These cured overhangs 524d do not always occur, but occur frequently enough to have a slight impact on the yield of the final product. Figure 5O is a micrograph of the edge of the imprinted region of the cured pattern layer 524b obtained with a 20X microscope of a mesa sidewall coating 548 manufactured by the applicant's new manufacturing process. The black dots and circles in the cured pattern layer 524b of Figures 5M and 5O are artifacts of the method of testing the quality of the mesa sidewall coating 548. Overhangs can occur, but they occur much less frequently with templates manufactured by the applicant's new manufacturing process. The applicant has found that when using the new manufacturing process to fabricate templates with mesa sidewall coatings, the overhang performance is significantly improved. This overhang performance is verified by intentionally forming overhangs and inspecting the film as described above. Figure 5P is a micrograph of the concave surface 244 near the mesa sidewall 244 of a template manufactured by the process of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5P, the mesa sidewall coating also covers a portion 548r of the concave surface 244. The chromium coating does not cover the entire concave surface 244. There may be small gaps 544g in the chromium area on the concave surface.The applicant has found that this process does not generate pinholes because the small gap does not contact the mesa sidewall.

[0075] Mesa Sidewall Coating Method The applicant has developed a new mesa sidewall coating method 600, which is illustrated by the flowchart of FIG. 6A, to improve the conventional methods of coating mesa sidewalls. The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include a receiving step S602. The receiving step S602 may include receiving a patterned template 708 as shown in FIG. 7A. The patterned template 708 may include alignment marks 750. In an alternative embodiment, the template 708 is an unpatterned template or a glass plate without features having the mesa 110. The receiving step S602 may also include the processor receiving information regarding the patterned template 708, such as the position of the alignment marks, the position of the mesa relative to the alignment marks 750, and the shape of the mesa 110.

[0076] The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include a first coating step S604. The first coating step S604 may include depositing a first coating 752 on the mesa 110, the mesa sidewall 246, and the concave surface 244 as shown in FIG. 7B. The first coating 752 may be a light-shielding layer. In one embodiment, the first coating 752 may include one or more of chromium, molybdenum, tantalum, silicon, tungsten, titanium, aluminum, iron oxide, titanium, and silver halide emulsion. The deposition can be performed using known methods such as atomic layer deposition, sputtering, and evaporation. The first coating 752 may have a thickness of 5 to 200 nm.

[0077] The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include a first shaping process S606. Details of the first shaping process S606 are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0095286 A1. By this citation, the content of the said document is incorporated herein. The intermediate product of the first shaping process is a first cured formable material layer 754a as shown in FIGS. 7C - D. The parameters of the first shaping process S606 are adjusted to ensure that there are no unfilled defects at the top of the mesa and that the droplet concentration exceeds a threshold value. The parameters of the first shaping step S606 are also such that the first cured formable material layer 754a has a first thickness t 1 of the cured formable material on the mesa 110 including the features of the mesa, and a second thickness t 2 of the cured formable material on the mesa 110 including the features of the mesa, an overhang of the cured formable material on the mesa sidewall 246, and a third thickness t 3 of the cured formable material on the concave surface 244. In an alternative embodiment, there is no cured formable material on the concave surface 244. In an alternative embodiment, there is cured formable material only on a portion of the concave surface 244.

[0078] The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include a second shaping process S608. The second shaping process S608 is a process of forming a second cured formable material layer 754b on the concave surface 244 such that the total thickness of the cured formable material on the concave surface 244 is a fourth thickness t 4 .

[0079] The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include a reference test step S610. The reference test step S610 is a test that correlates with the tested or predicted overhang performance of the template. The overhang performance means the statistical possibility that overhangs are formed during the imprint process over the life of the template. This overhang performance can be based on an experimental test of the template to obtain an image as shown in FIGS. 5M - N. Examples of the reference test include the number of times M of the second forming process S608, and another example of the reference test includes the total thickness of the cured formable material on the concave surface 244. If the template fails the reference test step S610, the mesa sidewall coating method 600 returns to the second forming process S608, and as shown in FIG. 7E, an additional layer 754c of cured formable material is formed on the template. If the template passes the reference test step S610, the mesa sidewall coating method 600 proceeds to the etching step S612. The number of times M can be 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, or 15 times, or the number of times necessary to prevent the formation of overhangs. The number of times M can be adjusted based on other criteria such as overhang performance or the total thickness of the cured formable material on the concave surface 244.

[0080] The mesa sidewall coating method 600 may include an etching step S612. The etching step S612 includes a plurality of etching sub - steps. The first etching sub - step may include removing the cured formable material from the mesa as shown in FIG. 7F. The first etching sub - step can be an isotropic etching process or an anisotropic etching process. The first etching sub - step may include exposing the cured formable material to one or more of liquid, gas, and plasma for a period of time such that the chromium on the mesa is exposed. The first etching sub - step may be performed for a certain period of time or until all of the chromium on the mesa is exposed. A side effect of the first etching sub - step is that since the cured formable material on the template is etched and at the same time the cured formable material on the concave surface is etched, as shown in FIG. 7F, the cured formable material 754d on the concave surface has a fourth thickness t4 to be a new fifth thickness t that is less than 5 . In one embodiment, the fifth thickness t 5 is the fourth thickness t 4 and the second thickness t 2 correlates. In an exemplary embodiment, the fifth thickness t 5 is the fourth thickness t 4 minus the second thickness t 2 such that t 5 ≒ t 4 - t 2 ).

[0081] The etching step S612 includes a second etching sub-step. The second etching sub-step can be an isotropic etching process or an anisotropic etching process. The second etching sub-step can include exposing the first coating 752 to one or more of a liquid, a gas, and a plasma for a period of time such that the patterned features and alignment marks under the chromium on the mesa are exposed. In the second etching sub-step, an etching difference occurs between the first coating 752, the material of the mesa, and the cured formable material 754d on the concave surface 244 and the mesa sidewall 246. In the second etching sub-step, there can also be an etching difference between the alignment mark 750 and the first coating 752. The alignment mark 750 may have a protective coating or may be made of a material different from the first coating 752. After the second etching sub-step, the first coating 752 is removed from the mesa and the cured formable material 754d has a sixth thickness t 5 that is less than 6 . By removing the first coating 752, a portion of the cured formable material 754d is also removed and the cured formable material 754d has a new sixth thickness t 6 . The fourth thickness t 4 is selected such that sufficient formable material remains on the mesa sidewall to protect the first coating on the mesa sidewall.

[0082] The etching process S612 includes a third etching sub-process that may be a descum process. The third etching sub-process includes removing substantially all of the remaining formable material and leaving a template having a first coating on the mesa sidewalls that do not have pinholes or other openings close to the mesa sidewalls. The patterning template 708 includes features having a maximum depth d. The maximum depth can be from 1 to 250 nm. In a first embodiment, the mesa may be surrounded by a step having a maximum depth d that surrounds the mesa. In a second embodiment, the first coating does not extend to the top of the mesa but extends from the top of the mesa to near the maximum depth d.

[0083] First shaping process The first shaping process S606 is summarized in FIG. 6B. The first shaping process S606 may include a first supply step S616. The first supply step S616 includes supplying droplets of the formable material 124 onto the mesa 110 and the concave surface 244 of the template 108. The droplets of the formable material 124 are supplied in a droplet pattern such that the first cured layer of formable material 754a has a first thickness t of the cured formable material on the mesa 110 above the feature of the mesa 1 , a second thickness t of the cured formable material on the mesa 110 including the feature of the mesa 2 , no unfilled defects on the top of the mesa, a cured overhang of the cured formable material on the mesa sidewalls 246, and a third thickness t of the cured formable material on the concave surface 244. 3 In an alternative embodiment, the droplets of the formable material 124 are not supplied onto the concave surface 244 or are supplied only onto a part of the concave surface 244.

[0084] The first shaping process S606 may include a first contact step S618. The first contact step S618 may include contacting the liquid formable material 124 on the mesa with a blank template. The first contact step S618 is performed such that the formable material spreads and fills the features on the mesa and an overhang is formed on the mesa sidewalls.

[0085] The first shaping process S606 may include a first curing step S620. The first curing step S620 may include exposing the formable material 124 to curing energy. The curing energy may be actinic rays, thermal energy, or chemical energy, or any other method of curing, solidifying, or crosslinking the formable material to form the first cured formable material layer 754a. In one embodiment, the first cured formable material layer 754a includes the material on the mesa 110, the overhang on the mesa sidewall 266, and the material on the concave surface 244. In one embodiment, the first cured formable material layer 754a includes the material on the mesa 110, the overhang on the mesa sidewall 266, and a portion of the material on the concave surface 244. In one embodiment, the first cured formable material layer 754a includes the material on the mesa 110 and the overhang on the mesa sidewall 266. In one embodiment, the first cured formable material layer 754a includes the material on the mesa 110.

[0086] Second shaping process The second shaping process S608 is summarized in FIG. 6C. The second shaping process S608 may include a second supply step S622. The second supply step S616 includes supplying droplets of the formable material 124 onto the concave surface 244 of the template 108 as shown in FIG. 8A. The droplets of the formable material are supplied in a droplet pattern such that a thick layer of the formable material 124 is formed. The droplets of the formable material may be on top of the first cured formable material layer 754a. When forming a thick layer of the formable material 124, a vapor 824 of the formable material is also formed on top of the template. This vapor 824 of the formable material may cause unintended variations in the thickness of the formable material on the mesa 110.

[0087] The second shaping process S608 may include a second contact step S624. The second contact step S618 may include contacting the first cured formable material layer 754a on the mesa with a blank template as shown in FIG. 8B. The second contact step S624 is performed such that the vapor of the formable material above the mesa is trapped between the blank template and the formable material layer 754a and spreads to form a substantially uniform layer.

[0088] The second shaping process S608 may include a second curing step S626. The second curing step S626 may include exposing the formable material 124 to curing energy. The curing energy may be actinic rays, thermal energy, or chemical energy, or any other method of curing, solidifying, or cross-linking the formable material to form a second cured formable material layer 754b as shown in FIG. 8C. The second shaping process S608 can be repeated to produce additional cured formable material on the concave surface as shown in FIG. 8D.

[0089] Upon consideration of this description, further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this specification should be construed only as illustrative. It should be understood that the forms shown and described herein are to be construed as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and specific features may be utilized independently, all of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art after enjoying the advantages of this specification.

Claims

1. 1. A method of manufacturing a template, comprising: receiving a template having a mesa, the template having a first coating over the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa; and forming a first layer of hardened moldable material over the first coating over the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface using a first molding process; the method comprising: forming a second layer of hardened moldable material on the first layer of hardened moldable material on the concave surface using a second molding process; removing the first hardened moldable material layer and the first coating over the mesa and a portion of the second hardened moldable material layer over the sidewall and the concave surface; removing the first layer of hardened moldable material and the second layer of hardened moldable material from the mesa sidewalls and the concave surface; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second molding process includes dispensing a plurality of droplets of moldable material onto the first hardened layer of moldable material on the concave surface.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second molding process includes contacting the first layer of hardened moldable material over the mesas with a blank template.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second molding process includes curing an uncured moldable material to form the second layer of cured moldable material.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second shaping process is performed M times, where M is an integer greater than two.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein M is 5.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first molding process is different from the second molding process.

8. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first coating is a 10 nm thick layer of chromium deposited using an atomic layer deposition process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mesa comprises a patterned feature beneath the first coating.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein removing the first hardened moldable material layer and the first coating over the mesa and a portion of the second hardened moldable material layer over the sidewalls and the concave surface comprises exposing the first hardened moldable material layer and the chromium over the mesa and the second hardened moldable material layer over the sidewalls and the concave surface to a first etchant for a first etching time period.

11. depositing a plurality of droplets of a moldable material onto the mesa after the first coating has been removed from the mesa; contacting the plurality of droplets of moldable material on the mesas with a first patterned template; exposing a plurality of droplets of the formable material beneath the template to actinic radiation to form a patterned layer; exposing the patterned layer and the mesa to a second etchant to form a pattern in the mesa; 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

12. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising depositing a hard mask over the mesa prior to depositing the plurality of droplets of moldable material over the mesa.

13. 13. A method of shaping a film on a substrate using a template made using the method of claim 1, comprising the steps of: contacting a formable material on the substrate with a template; exposing the formable material beneath the template to actinic radiation; separating the template from the moldable material; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. A method for producing an article from a substrate having a layer formed according to the method of claim 13, comprising the steps of: processing the substrate; forming the article from the processed substrate; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

15. 1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for a template fabrication system, the template fabrication system receiving a template having a mesa, the template having a first coating on the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa, and a first hardened layer of moldable material is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface using a first molding process, the storage medium comprising: forming a second layer of hardened moldable material on the first layer of hardened moldable material on the concave surface using a second molding process; removing the first hardened moldable material layer and the first coating over the mesa and a portion of the second hardened moldable material layer over the sidewall and the concave surface; removing the first layer of hardened moldable material and the second layer of hardened moldable material from the mesa sidewalls and the concave surface; 23. A storage medium comprising instructions for:

16. 1. A controller for a template fabrication apparatus configured to receive a template having a mesa, the template having a first coating on the mesa, a concave surface, and a mesa sidewall connecting the concave surface to the mesa, and a first hardened moldable material is formed on the first coating on the mesa, the mesa sidewall, and the concave surface using a first molding process, the controller comprising: sending instructions to a template replication tool to form a second layer of hardened moldable material on the first layer of hardened moldable material on the concave surface using a second molding process; sending instructions to an etching tool to remove the first hardened formable material layer and the first coating over the mesa and a portion of the second hardened formable material layer over the sidewall and the concave surface; sending instructions to an etching tool to remove the first and second hardened moldable material layers from the mesa sidewalls and the concave surface; A controller comprising:

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