Method of measuring edge eccentricity while wafer is on pre-aligner

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: in order to guarantee the performance during imprint of a semiconductor wafer, it is necessary to learn where a boundary of an underlying area is.SOLUTION: Provided is a method of determining a boundary of a substrate on a pre-aligner, the method including the steps of: loading the substrate formed with a film onto the pre-aligner; measuring a substrate edge of the substrate; determining a substrate center of the substrate on the basis of the substrate edge; measuring a film edge of the film on the substrate; and determining a film edge shape of the film edge relative to the substrate center on the basis of the measurement of the film edge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for measuring edge eccentricity while a semiconductor wafer is on a pre-alignment apparatus for generating a droplet pattern for imprint lithography and inkjet-based adaptive planarization, and in particular, the method relates to determining boundaries of regions on a semiconductor wafer to be imprinted in order to generate a trimmed droplet pattern.

Background Art

[0002] Nanofabrication involves the manufacture of very small structures having features on the order of 100 nanometers or less. One application of nanofabrication 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 greater process control and increasing throughput while allowing for a continuous reduction in the minimum feature size of the structures being formed.

[0003] Some nanomanufacturing techniques are 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. Examples of integrated devices include 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.

[0004] Some nanoimprint lithography techniques form a feature pattern in a layer of formable material (which is polymerizable) and transfer a pattern corresponding to the feature pattern into or onto a substrate below. The patterning process uses a template spaced from the substrate, and a formable liquid is applied between the template and the substrate. The formable liquid is cured to form a cured layer having a pattern conforming to the shape of the surface of the template that contacts the formable liquid. After curing, the template is separated from the cured layer so that the template and the substrate are spaced apart. Next, the substrate and the cured layer are subjected to an additional process such as an etching process to transfer a relief image corresponding to the pattern in the cured layer into or onto the substrate.

[0005] Furthermore, planarization techniques are useful in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. For example, a process for fabricating a semiconductor device can include repeatedly adding material to a substrate and removing material from the substrate. This process can produce a layered substrate having irregular height variations (i.e., relief patterns), and as more layers are added, the height variations of the substrate can increase. The height variations can adversely affect the ability to add additional layers to the layered substrate. Further, a semiconductor substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer) itself is not necessarily perfectly flat and can have initial surface height variations (i.e., relief patterns). One technique for addressing height variations is to planarize the substrate during the stacking procedure. A planarization technique, sometimes called inkjet-based adaptive planarization (IAP), includes dispensing a variable droplet pattern of a polymerizable material between the substrate and a superstrate, where the droplet pattern varies according to the relief pattern of the substrate. The superstrate is then contacted with the polymerizable material, after which the material is polymerized on the substrate and the superstrate is removed.

[0006] The material on the semiconductor wafer can also be described as a film layer. When generating a droplet pattern for imprinting, the eccentricity of the film layer on the semiconductor wafer must be considered. An incorrect droplet pattern poses risks of mask damage during overlay, transfer defects, and large stage alignment forces. Each semiconductor wafer is unique, and the eccentricity of the film layer must be measured to enable the generation of a customized droplet pattern.

[0007] To ensure the performance during imprinting of the semiconductor wafer, it is necessary to know where the boundaries of the underlying regions are. This is necessary to crop the droplet pattern on the regions. The boundaries are not consistent for each wafer. One well-known method for identifying the boundaries of the regions is to measure the boundaries using a single tool microscope. Manually use the microscope to obtain the stage positions of the semiconductor wafer edge and the film layer edge at the periphery of the semiconductor wafer. Input the material into a spreadsheet to calculate the center offset. Next, the droplet pattern is cropped to account for the eccentricity of the film layer on the semiconductor wafer. However, this method is a time-consuming process and has a significant impact on throughput. Another well-known method is to use a bevel edge inspection tool. However, the bevel edge inspection tool is not designed for layer edge measurement and tends to be noisy. The manual method is accurate but very time-consuming. The bevel edge inspection tool is fast but not accurate enough for finely customized droplet patterns.

[0008] Measuring the eccentricity of the film edge is either time-consuming or of low accuracy. In the art, there is a need for a method to measure the film edge eccentricity to measure the center of the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is on a pre-alignment device. Also, it is necessary to adjust the droplet pattern based on the eccentricity or boundaries determined on the pre-alignment device. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure relates to imaging a boundary using a pre-alignment of a semiconductor wafer and a camera on a device, analyzing and identifying the boundary and a semiconductor wafer edge using software, and generating a drop pattern with a matching edge trim for each partial field of imprint lithography or for the entire semiconductor wafer in inkjet-based adaptive planarization.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a method for identifying a boundary of a substrate on a pre-alignment apparatus (pre-aligner). The method includes loading a substrate on which a film is formed onto the pre-alignment apparatus and measuring a substrate edge of the substrate. The method includes determining a substrate center of the substrate based on the substrate edge, measuring a film edge of the film on the substrate, and determining a film edge shape of the film edge with respect to the substrate center based on the measured value of the film edge.

[0011] 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

[0012] To enable a more detailed understanding of the features and advantages of the present disclosure, a more specific description of the embodiments of the present disclosure 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 disclosure and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. For the present disclosure, other equally effective embodiments can be recognized.

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[0026] Throughout the drawings, unless otherwise noted, the same reference numerals and characters are used to denote 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 connection with 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 defined by the appended claims.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] Throughout the present disclosure, nanoimprint lithography using a patterned template for applying a patternable liquid is mainly referred to. However, as will be described later, in an alternative embodiment, the template is featureless, in which case a flat surface can be formed on the substrate. In such an embodiment where a flat surface is formed, the forming process is called planarization. Therefore, whenever nanoimprint lithography is mentioned throughout the present disclosure, it should be understood that the same method is applicable to planarization. The term "superstrate" is used in place of the term "template" when the template has no features.

[0028] The present disclosure relates to an integrated on-tool eccentricity measurement system for imprint lithography. When generating a droplet pattern for partial area imprint, the eccentricity of the film layer on the wafer is taken into account. Incorrect droplet patterns pose risks of mask damage during overlay, transfer defects, and large stage alignment forces. Each wafer is unique and must be measured to determine the eccentricity of the layer so as to be able to create a customized droplet pattern. Measuring each wafer takes time. The present disclosure is directed to an automated high-speed on-tool system for performing the necessary measurements. The present disclosure integrates a camera system into a wafer pre-aligner that detects the positions of the wafer edge and the film edge while the wafer is rotating during the pre-alignment process. An image is analyzed to calculate the eccentricity of the film, and a custom partial field droplet pattern is generated while the wafer is completing the load process. Other lithography apparatuses can also use a pre-aligner that measures the eccentricity of the film layer on the substrate while determining the center and orientation of the substrate.

[0029] Nanoimprint lithography technology can form a film on multiple regions of a substrate using a template in a step-and-repeat manner. The pattern regions (mesas) of the substrate and the template may have different shapes and sizes. For example, the substrate may have regions to be patterned in a circular, elliptical, polygonal, or some other shape. On the other hand, the mesa is typically smaller than the substrate and has a different shape from the substrate. The substrate is divided into a plurality of full fields and a plurality of partial fields. The full field is the same size as the mesa. The partial field is the region on the edge of the substrate where the edge of the patterned region on the substrate intersects the pattern on the mesa. These regions can be divided into multiple categories based on their shape and / or area relative to the full field.

[0030] Partial fields tend to have higher defectivity and / or longer processing times than full fields. In addition, small partial fields that are less than 30% of the area of a full field are particularly difficult. What is needed is a way to reduce defectivity and / or processing time for small partial fields.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a shaping system 100 (e.g., a nanoimprint lithography system or an inkjet adaptive planarization system) in which an embodiment may be implemented. The shaping system 100 is used to manufacture a film imprinted (shaped) on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 may be coupled to a substrate chuck 104. The substrate chuck 104 can be, but is not limited to, a vacuum chuck, a pin-type chuck, a groove-type chuck, an electrostatic chuck, an electromagnetic chuck, etc.

[0032] The substrate 102 and the substrate chuck 104 may be further supported by a substrate positioning stage 106. The substrate positioning stage 106 can provide translational and / or rotational movement along one or more of the x, y, z, θ, and φ axes. The substrate positioning stage 106, the substrate 102, and the substrate chuck 104 may 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.

[0033] There is a template 108 (also called a superstrate) at a position away from the substrate 102. The template 108 may include a body having a mesa (also called a mold) 110 that extends toward the substrate 102 on the front side of the template 108. The mesa 110 may have a shaping surface 112 on its surface which 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 for shaping the formable material 124. In one embodiment, the shaping surface 112 is flat and is used to planarize the formable 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 and the shaping surface 112 is the surface of the template 108 facing the substrate 102.

[0034] The template 108 may be composed of a material including, but not limited to, one or more of fused silica, quartz, silicon, organic polymer, siloxane polymer, borosilicate glass, fluorocarbon polymer, metal, cured sapphire, etc. The shaping surface 112 may have features defined by a plurality of spaced-apart template recesses 114 and / or template protrusions 116. The shaping surface 112 defines a pattern that serves as the basis for the pattern to be formed on the substrate 102. In another embodiment, the shaping surface 112 is featureless, in which case a flat surface is formed on the substrate. In an alternative embodiment, the shaping surface 112 is featureless and the same size as the substrate, and a flat surface is formed across the entire substrate.

[0035] 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 one or more of stress, pressure, and strain varying across template 108 to 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) capable of pressing or stretching or both pressing and stretching 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.

[0036] 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., the position axes x, y, and the rotation axes θ, ψ, φ).

[0037] The shaping system 100 may further comprise 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 may be used to dispense (deposit) a liquid formable material 124 (e.g., a polymerizable material) in a droplet pattern onto the substrate 102. Additional formable material 124 may also be added to the substrate 102 using techniques such as droplet dispense, 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 dispensed onto the substrate 102. The formable material 124 may be dispensed onto the substrate 102 before and / or after a desired volume is defined between the shaping surface 112 and the substrate 102, depending on design considerations. The formable material 124 may 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.

[0038] 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 dispensing ejectable liquids.

[0039] The forming system 100 may further include 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 forming surface 112. The curing system may include at least one radiation source 126 that directs chemical energy along the exposure path 128. The forming 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 128. 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 skilled 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 through both the template chuck 118 and the template 108 to reach the formable material 124 below the template 108. In one embodiment, the chemical energy generated by the radiation source 126 is UV light that induces the polymerization of monomers in the formable material 124.

[0040] The forming 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 region of the field camera is indicated by a dashed line. As shown in FIG. 1, the forming 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 region under the template 108 in contact with the formable material and the region 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 (forming) process by providing 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 into the gap between the forming surface 112 and the substrate surface 130.

[0041] The shaping system 100 may further include a droplet inspection system 138 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 optics system, and a light source. The droplet inspection system 138 may be arranged to inspect the 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.

[0042] The shaping system 100 may further include a thermal radiation source 134 that may be 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 include one or more thermo-electromagnetic radiation sources that heat one or both of the substrate 102 and the template 108 without solidifying the formable material 124. The thermal radiation source 134 may include a spatial light modulator (SLM) such as a digital micromirror device (DMD), liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or 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 128. 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 when the template 108 contacts the formable material 124, the thermal radiation path does not substantially change. 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 below the substrate 102 and the thermal radiation path is not combined with actinic radiation and visible light.

[0043] Before the formable material 124 is dispensed onto the substrate, a substrate coating 132 can be applied to the substrate 102. In one embodiment, the substrate coating 132 can be an adhesive layer. In one embodiment, the substrate coating 132 can 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 dispensing, slot dispensing, etc. In one embodiment, the substrate 102 can be a semiconductor wafer. In another embodiment, the substrate 102 can be a blank template (replicable blank) that can be used to create a daughter template after imprinting. In another embodiment, the substrate is a blank superstrate.

[0044] The imprint area atmosphere control system of the forming system 100 may include one or both of a gas system and a vacuum system. An example thereof is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010 / 0096764 and 2019 / 0101823. The imprint area atmosphere control system can include one or more of pumps, valves, solenoids, gas sources, gas pipes, etc., which are configured to flow one or more different gases at different times and in different regions. The imprint area atmosphere control system may be connected to a first gas transport system that transports gas to and from the edge of the substrate 102 and controls the imprint area atmosphere by controlling the gas flow at the edge of the substrate 102. The imprint area atmosphere control system may be connected to a second gas transport system that transports gas to and from the edge of the template 108 and controls the imprint area atmosphere by controlling the gas flow at the edge of the template 108. The imprint area atmosphere control system may be connected to a third gas transport system that transports gas from above the template 108 and controls the imprint area atmosphere by controlling the gas flow through the template 108. One or more of the first, second, and third gas transport systems may be used in combination or separately to control the gas flow within and around the imprint area.

[0045] The forming system 100 can be adjusted, controlled, and / or commanded by one or more processors 140 (controllers) that communicate with one or more of the components and / or subsystems such as the substrate chuck 104, the substrate positioning stage 106, the template chuck 118, the forming head 120, the fluid dispenser 122, the radiation source 126, the thermal radiation source 134, the field camera 136, the imprint area atmosphere control system, and the 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 memories 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 where 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 the operator and / or user are provided on one or both of the networked computer 140a and a display that communicates with the processor 140.

[0046] 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 cure, solidify, and / or crosslink the formable material 124. It 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, thereby forming a pattern layer on the substrate 102. Thus, the shaping system 100 uses the 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 the shaping process to form a flat layer having a featureless shaping surface 112.

[0047] The forming process can be repeated in a plurality of imprint regions (also simply called fields or shots) that are spread across 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 forming 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 is not required to include, a mass flow rate variation feature (fluid control feature) used to prevent the formation of overhangs at the imprint region edges. 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 boundaries of the substrate 102.

[0048] The patterned layer can be formed to have a residual layer with a residual layer thickness (RLT) that is the minimum thickness of the formable material 124 between the substrate surface 130 and the forming 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.

[0049] FIG. 2A is a diagram of a template 108 (not to scale) that can be used in one embodiment. The forming 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 has a mesa height h Tcan be from 1 to 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 from 10 to 200 mm.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing an article (device) including a molding process 300 executed by the molding system 100. The molding process 300 can be used to form a pattern in the 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.

[0051] In another embodiment, the molding process 300 is used to planarize the substrate 102. In this case, the molding surface 112 is featureless and can be the same size as or larger than the substrate 102.

[0052] The start of the forming process 300 may include a template mounting step of mounting the template 108 on the template chuck 118 by the template transfer mechanism. The forming process 300 may also include a substrate mounting step, and the processor 140 can cause the substrate transfer mechanism to mount the substrate 102 on the substrate chuck 104. The substrate may have one or more coatings and / or structures. There is no particular limitation on the order in which the template 108 and the substrate 102 are mounted on the forming system 100, and the template 108 and the substrate 102 may be mounted sequentially or simultaneously.

[0053] In the positioning step, the processor 140 can move the imprint region i (the index i can be initially set to 1) of the substrate 102 to the fluid dispensing 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 regions, and each imprint region is identified by the forming region index i. Here, N is the number of forming regions, 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 dispense the formable material based on the droplet pattern on the imprint region. In one embodiment, the fluid dispenser 122 dispenses 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 region can be moved relative to the fluid dispenser 122. Thus, the time at which a portion of the droplets land on the substrate can vary across the imprint region i. The supply step S302 can be performed for each imprint region i during a supply period Td.

[0054] 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 pieces of information such as the position where droplets of the formable material are to be applied, the volume of the droplets of the formable material, the type of the formable material, and the shape parameters of the droplets of the formable material. In one embodiment, the droplet pattern may include only the volume of the droplets to be dispensed and the position where the droplets are to be applied.

[0055] After the droplets are dispensed, the contacting step S304 is started, and the processor 140 causes the forming surface 112 of the template 108 to contact the formable material 124 in a specific imprint region on one or both of the substrate positioning stage 106 and the template positioning stage. The contacting step S304 is started after a supply period Td and is executed during a contact period T that starts with the first contact of the forming surface 112 with the formable material 124. contact In one embodiment, the template chuck 118 is configured to curve the template 108 such that only a portion of the forming surface 112 contacts a portion of the formable material at the start of the contact period T contact . In one embodiment, the contact period T contact ends when the template 108 is no longer curved by the template chuck 118. The degree to which the forming surface 112 curves with respect to the substrate surface 130 can be estimated using the field camera 136 (spread camera). The field camera 136 may be configured to record interference fringes due to the reflectivity from at least the forming surface 112 and the substrate surface 130. The greater the distance between adjacent interference fringes, the greater the degree of curvature of the forming surface 112.

[0056] During the filling process S306, the formable material 124 spreads towards the edges of the imprint area and the mesa sidewalls 246. The edges of the imprint area can be defined by the mesa sidewalls 246. How the formable material 124 spreads and fills the mesa can be observed via the field camera 136 and can be used to track the progress of the fluid front end of the formable material. In one embodiment, the filling process S306 is performed during a filling period T f which. The filling period T f 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.

[0057] 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 gelling 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.

[0058] 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 a separation period T sThe molding surface 112 of the template 108 is separated from the cured moldable material on the substrate 102 therein. If there are additional imprint regions to be imprinted, the process returns to step S302. In an alternative embodiment, during step S302, the moldable material 124 is supplied in two or more imprint regions, and the process returns to step S302 or S304.

[0059] In one embodiment, after the molding process 300 is completed, additional semiconductor manufacturing processes are performed on the substrate 102 in processing step S312 so as to fabricate a manufactured article (e.g., a semiconductor device). In one embodiment, each imprint region includes a plurality of devices.

[0060] The further semiconductor manufacturing process in processing step S312 may include an etching process for transferring a relief image corresponding to a pattern in the patterned layer or an inversion of the pattern to the substrate. The further process in processing step S312 may also include known processes and processes for article manufacturing, including, for example, inspection, curing, oxidation, layer formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, removal of the moldable material, dicing, bonding, packaging, mounting, circuit board assembly, and the like. The substrate 102 can be processed to manufacture a plurality of articles (devices).

[0061] The forming process 300 can form a film on a plurality of regions across the substrate 102 using the template 108 in a step-and-repeat manner. The patterning regions (mesas 110) of the substrate 102 and the template 108 may have different shapes and sizes. For example, the substrate 102 may have regions patterned in a circular, elliptical, polygonal, or some other shape. On the other hand, the mesa 110 is typically smaller than the substrate 102 and has a different shape from the substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate 102 is divided into a plurality of full fields and a plurality of partial fields. The full fields are the same size as the mesa 110. The partial fields are regions on the edges of the substrate where the edges of the patterned regions on the substrate intersect the patterning regions of the mesa. These regions can be divided into a plurality of categories based on their shape and / or area relative to the full fields.

[0062] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing partial fields and full fields on a substrate 400. In one embodiment, the substrate 400 is a semiconductor wafer. The substrate 400 shown in FIG. 4 includes 96 different regions labeled 1 to 96. The substrate edge 402 represents the perimeter or edge of the semiconductor wafer. The regions that intersect the substrate edge 402 are called partial fields. The partial fields in this example include regions 1 to 10, 17 to 20, 29 to 31, 42, 43, 54, 55, 66 to 68, 77 to 80, and 87 to 96. The substrate 400 may also have undergone a number of previous processes and may have a random, unpredictable pattern of edges. The substrate 400 may also have orientation features such as a notch or a flat edge.

[0063] The present disclosure determines the shot center position of each region of the substrate 400 in the X, Y coordinate system. The center position is determined by software according to the present disclosure and is described below while the substrate 400 or the semiconductor wafer is on the pre-alignment device. Determining the center position enables the generation of a cropped droplet pattern for the formable material.

[0064] In the case of a full field, the initial contact point is at the center of the full field. Although the initial contact point is a single point, the actual initial contact area is a larger area, such as having an area of 1 to 2 mm when an imprinting force of 0.1 N is detected during initial contact. In a partial field, the determination of the initial contact point is more complex and depends on the shape and area of the partial field. In the case of a large partial field (90% to 99% of the full field), the initial contact point may be at the same point as the full field or anywhere within the initial contact area. In the case of a medium-sized partial field, the initial contact point can be determined by calculating the geometric center (GC) or the centroid of the partial field. There are several methods that can be used to determine the GC. One method for estimating the GC is to use the method of intersecting the meridians. Another method is to approximate the edge of the partial field using a function. The function may be defined piecewise and may be continuous across the partial field. Then, integration can be used to estimate the geometric center of the partial field. A third method for identifying the GC is to minimize the distance from the GC to the farthest corner of the partial field. 2 Generating a droplet pattern for the full field may include the processor 140 receiving the substrate pattern of the representative substrate 102 and the template pattern of the representative template 108.

[0065]

[0066] The substrate pattern may include information regarding the substrate topography of a representative substrate, regions of the representative substrate, and / or the full field of the representative substrate. The substrate topography may be measured, generated based on previous manufacturing processes, and / or generated based on design data. In an alternative embodiment, the substrate pattern is featureless because there was no previous manufacturing process or the substrate was pre-flattened to reduce topography. The substrate topography may include information regarding the shape of edges such as chamfered edges or rounded edges of a representative substrate. The substrate topography may include information regarding the shape and position of one or more flats or notches that identify the orientation of the substrate. The substrate topography may include information regarding the shape and position of a reference edge that surrounds the region of the substrate on which the pattern is to be formed.

[0067] The template pattern may include information regarding the topography of the pattern face 112 of a representative template. The topography of the pattern face 112 may be measured and / or generated based on design data. In an alternative embodiment, the template pattern of a representative embodiment is featureless and may be used to flatten the substrate 102. The pattern face 112 is the same size as an individual full field, a plurality of regions, or the entire substrate, or is larger than the substrate.

[0068] When the substrate pattern and the template pattern are received, the processor 140 may calculate the distribution of the formable material 124 that generates a film that fills the volume between the substrate and the pattern face when the substrate and the pattern face are separated by a gap during imprinting. The distribution of the formable material on the substrate can take the form of the areal density of the formable material, the positions of the droplets of the formable material, and / or the volume of the droplets of the formable material. Calculating the distribution of the formable material can take into account one or more of the material properties of the formable material, the material properties of the pattern face, the material properties of the substrate surface, the spatial variation of the volume between the pattern face and the substrate surface, fluid flow, evaporation, and the like.

[0069] In the present disclosure, the term substrate may be used interchangeably with wafer or semiconductor wafer. During a wafer load process, the wafer is placed on a chuck of a pre-alignment apparatus and then rotated to position wafer orientation features such as notches or flats, and the wafer center. While the wafer is rotating, a high-resolution image of the wafer edge / membrane layer edge is captured in parallel with the pre-align process. The image needs to have sufficient resolution (~10um) such that subsequent image processing steps can accurately position the wafer edge and the membrane layer edge. Typically, it is preferred to have 12 locations around the wafer edge to calculate eccentricity with acceptable accuracy. Referring now to FIG. 5, a pre-alignment apparatus 500 for a semiconductor wafer is shown. The pre-alignment apparatus is a standard tool used in semiconductor manufacturing plants. The pre-alignment apparatus includes at least a spindle, a chuck, and a sensor system. The substrate is attached to the chuck and rotated by the spindle. The sensor system collects information regarding the edge of the substrate when the chuck is rotated by the spindle. The sensor system can be an optical system having a light source on one side of the substrate near the edge of the substrate and an optical sensor near the edge of the wafer held by the chuck rotated by the spindle on the other side of the substrate. The optical sensor can include a line sensor. Other types of sensors well known in the art (e.g., electrostatic sensors, electrostatic sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc.) can also be used to measure the position of the wafer edge and the alignment mechanism (notch or flat) within the substrate on the spindle. The pre-alignment apparatus finds the center and orientation of the substrate (semiconductor wafer), removes eccentricity variations and substrate orientation variations, and provides the substrate handler robot with a substrate whose position and orientation have been repeatedly adjusted and can then be accurately loaded onto other equipment. Some models of the pre-alignment apparatus remove substrate eccentricity with respect to the spindle of the pre-alignment apparatus that holds the substrate by physically moving the chuck with respect to the spindle of the pre-alignment apparatus using substrate center information.Other models correct the robot end effector pick-up location so that eccentricity fluctuations are removed when the substrate is picked up. In either case, the orientation (rotation angle) of the substrate is set before the end effector picks up the substrate. The pre-aligner may be part of an EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module) or a separate pre-aligner. An example of such an EFEM is the RSC141, and an example of a pre-aligner is the model number RA320-C22-L, both of which are manufactured by Rotze Co., Ltd. in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Another example of an EFEM is Performix, and an example of a pre-aligner is the Dual Axis Single CCD Pre-Aligner, both of which are manufactured by Kensington Laboratories, LLC (Dublin, California). The pre-aligner 500 includes sensors such as an illumination source and a camera 502. In the present disclosure, an additional camera 504 and an illumination source 506 are additional hardware of the pre-aligner 500. In a preferred embodiment, the camera 504 may be a line scan camera. The illumination source 506 can be a high-power LED or laser for illuminating the wafer on the pre-aligner 500 while rotating it so that a high-resolution image is captured using the line scan camera 504. The line scan camera 504 is preferably configured to scan up to 500 mm / s. A scan speed of 500 mm / s can enable a scan time of less than 2 seconds for a 360-degree rotation of the pre-aligner 500. The scan speed of the line scan camera 504 should be balanced with the pre-aligner speed. The semiconductor wafer is placed on the pre-aligner 500 with an accuracy of 0.1 mm. The placement of the semiconductor wafer on the pre-aligner 500 includes slight inaccuracies due to the robotic loading and unloading of the semiconductor wafer onto and off of the pre-aligner 500. The pre-aligner 500 rotates the wafer to identify the center of the wafer and the positions of orientation features such as alignment notches.The pre-alignment device 500 may include other sensors beside the camera, particularly for finding the wafer orientation features and the center of the wafer. The present disclosure is not limited to one or two line scan cameras 504. Other embodiments of the present disclosure may include additional line scan cameras with pre-alignment devices for inspecting the film on the semiconductor wafer and measuring the film edge relative to the center of the semiconductor wafer.

[0070] The line scan camera 504 is integrated with the pre-alignment device 500 to detect the positions of the wafer edge and the film edge relative to the wafer edge while the wafer is rotating during the pre-alignment process. During the wafer load process, the wafer is placed on the pre-alignment device chuck and then rotated to position the wafer notch and the wafer center. While the wafer is rotating, the line scan camera 504 is used to capture high-resolution information such as an image of the wafer film edge in parallel with the pre-alignment process. The information (image) from the line scan camera 504 needs to have sufficient resolution so that subsequent image processing steps can accurately position the wafer edge and the film layer edge. In one embodiment, twelve images corresponding to twelve different positions around the wafer edge are required to calculate the eccentricity of the wafer with acceptable accuracy. The twelve images are merely illustrative examples, and in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of images required may be less than twelve or more than twelve.

[0071] Referring now to FIG. 6, a semiconductor wafer 600 and a first film layer 602 disposed on the semiconductor wafer are shown. This example represents the deviation of the curve between a single film layer and the semiconductor wafer 600, which may be due in part to the spin coating of various materials and the subsequent edge bead removal (EBR) process. FIG. 7 shows a semiconductor wafer 700 having two film layers. The first film layer 702 and the second film layer 704 are examples of a plurality of spin coat operations that result in a stack of offset layers. In practice, a semiconductor wafer can include hundreds of film layers during spin coating with different offsets.

[0072] Referring now to FIG. 8, a semiconductor wafer 800 is shown together with a pattern layer 802 for which jet and flash imprint lithography (JFIL) is used to form another pattern layer 804. Also shown is a cropped droplet pattern 806 for the partial fields associated with the two pattern layers (802, 804). FIG. 9 shows a semiconductor wafer 900 having a patterning layout 904 and an edge bead removal (EBR) or edge cut 902. The edge cut 902 has a certain offset with respect to the semiconductor wafer edge. The patterning layout 904 has a different offset with respect to the semiconductor wafer edge. The present disclosure is directed to generating a partial field droplet pattern 906 that takes into account the difference in the centers of the edge cut 902 and the patterning layout 904. The partial field droplets fill the edge of the edge cut 906 but preferably do not extend beyond it.

[0073] Referring now to FIG. 10, an enlarged side view of a wafer is shown to illustrate the edge bead removal (EBR) process. Wafer 910 includes a surface 912, a backside 914, and a bevel region 916. A resist is applied to the surface 912 of wafer 910. Edge beads can be formed near the wafer edge. The resist can wrap around the bevel under the wafer 910. This can contaminate the tool and is undesirable. The bevel region 916 is cleaned during EBR. The enlarged view of wafer 910 includes an etched feature 918, a plateau 920, and an edge cut 922. The plateau 920 represents the initial layer on which the first patterning is performed on wafer 910. All subsequent layers are aligned to the initial layer. As described above, the photoresist is spin-coated onto wafer 910, and during spin-coating, the resist beads up and can wrap around the bevel region 916. An edge bead removal operation is used to remove the unwanted resist from the bevel and backside edges of wafer 910. Typically, this is a wafer edge solvent rinse while the wafer is rotating. The initial layer pattern is exposed, developed, and then dry-etched. The photoresist is removed via an ashing and cleaning process to complete the initial layer wafer fabrication. The edge cut defines the edge between the plateau 920 and the basin 924. The basin 924 is typically the same depth as the etched feature of the initial layer.

[0074] Referring now to FIG. 11, a flowchart showing the process for imprinting a substrate or semiconductor wafer is shown. The first step S402 according to the present disclosure includes loading the wafer into a pre-alignment apparatus. After loading the semiconductor wafer into the pre-alignment apparatus, the pre-alignment apparatus starts to rotate, and in step S404, the line scan camera captures images at various angles. The pre-alignment apparatus measures the orientation and center. For the film layer on the wafer, it may be preferable to capture at least four images at various angles to determine the center of the edge cut. When step S404 is completed, data for determining the center and edges of the semiconductor wafer and the film is edited. The sensor 502 can identify the edge cut 902 using dark field microscopy illumination technology.

[0075] Next, in step S406, by obtaining the data accumulated from step S404, the positions of the edges of the semiconductor wafer and the film are identified using image processing software. The wafer edge can be found using an edge detection process (e.g., Sobel edge detection process, Canny edge detection process, Prewitt edge detection process, Roberts edge detection process, or fuzzy logic edge detection process). The physical coordinates of the edge pixels in the image can be calculated using the angular velocity of the semiconductor wafer rotating on the auto-aligner and the data acquisition speed of the camera inspecting the wafer edge (which may be related to the strobe speed of the light source). The physical coordinates of the edge coordinates are fitted to the shape of the semiconductor wafer, for example, an ellipse (in certain situations, the ellipse can be assumed to be a circle). To find the edge of the substrate, the fitting is performed twice. During the first time, all edge points are included and fitted to one of a circle or an ellipse. The notch or flat, which is an alignment feature, has a completely different radius from the rest of the edge and has a higher residual error. The position of the alignment feature is calculated based on one or both of the high residual values of the fitting or a radius that exceeds a threshold value of the average radius. The second time, the points representing the region around the position of the alignment feature are identified using the data from the first fitting and removed for the second fitting. In the case of the fitting result for an ellipse, the fitting result includes the x and y coordinates of the wafer edge ellipse center, wafer edge, semi-major axis, wafer edge semi-minor axis, wafer edge eccentricity, and the angle between the wafer edge major axis and minor axis. In the case of the fitting result for a circle, the fitting result includes the wafer edge radius and wafer edge center coordinates. To find the layer edge, the sides of the image including the substrate edge calculated in the second fitting are masked out to completely remove the substrate edge from the image. The image is then filtered in the tangential direction (along the circumference of the edge detected in the second fitting). To find the position of the layer edge to the accuracy required for NIL and IAP, it is necessary to reduce the influence of markings, streets, etc. along the periphery of the layer edge.Also, layer edges are detected using edge detection processing (e.g., Sobel edge detection processing, Canny edge detection processing, Prewitt edge detection processing, Roberts edge detection processing, or fuzzy logic edge detection processing). The coordinates of the layer edge pixels are calculated using the angular velocity of the camera and the data acquisition rate (which may be related to the strobe rate of the illumination source). The physical coordinates of the layer edge pixel coordinates estimated above are fitted to an ellipse. The fitting parameters include the x and y coordinates of the ellipse center, semi-major axis, semi-minor axis, eccentricity, and the angle between the major axis, semi-minor axis, eccentricity, and the angle between the major axis and the horizontal axis. The fitting parameters of the layer edge are estimated using a fitting method (such as the least squares method or maximum entropy). The field of view position on the substrate can also be identified using image analysis.

[0076] In step S408, the centers of the semiconductor wafer and the film are determined using the edges positioned in step S406. Then, in step S410, the system software is utilized to determine the full-field layout center at the initial contact point or multiple layout centers in the partial field for nanoimprint lithography.

[0077] In step S412, using the layout center information determined in step S410, a partial field (PF) droplet pattern is cropped from the full field (FF). FIG. 12 shows the full field droplet pattern 1000 and the cropped partial field droplet pattern 1002 for the partial field 96 in FIG. 4. Referring back to FIG. 4, regions 21-28, 32-41, 44-53, 56-65, 69-76, and 81-86 are examples of full fields where the full field droplet pattern as shown in FIG. 12 is applied. The remaining regions from FIG. 4 are considered partial fields as they are located around the semiconductor wafer. For the partial fields, the cropped partial field droplet pattern is applied according to the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 12 shows the representation of the partial field 96 and the partial field droplet pattern to be applied. It is important to note that the partial field droplet pattern is applied to the internal region around the semiconductor wafer. Preferably, the fluid is not applied to the outer periphery on the partial field.

[0078] Returning to FIG. 11, after cropping the partial field droplet pattern from the full field using the layout center information in step S412, in the next step S414, the system software incorporates the partial field droplet pattern for all the partial fields of the semiconductor wafer or, in the case of inkjet-based adaptive planarization for flattening the entire wafer at once, for one full wafer region. Next, in step S416, the individual full fields and partial fields of the semiconductor wafer are imprinted sequentially or, in the case of inkjet-based adaptive planarization, all at once. Both the image processing software and the system software can be executed by one or more processors 140 (controllers). The software can be executed in the pre-alignment device or remotely via network or Internet communication.

[0079] FIG. 13 shows an example of a partial field pattern result 1100 of a semiconductor wafer from FIG. 4 when all partial fields are generated together. The pattern can be created using a high-level language, for example, a TCL script from a graphic user interface, by way of example and not limitation. Other known scripts can be used to generate the pattern based on the data accumulated in steps S402 to S410. FIG. 13 shows all partial fields plotted on a semiconductor wafer for reference.

[0080] The above-described exemplary embodiments are merely specific examples for implementing the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is not limitedly interpreted by these embodiments. The present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical idea or its main features. For example, the disclosure content of the present disclosure also includes any combination of the embodiments.

[0081] Further modifications and alternative embodiments in various aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of this description. Accordingly, this description should be construed only as illustrative. It should be understood that the forms shown and described herein should 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 for determining a boundary of a substrate on a pre-alignment apparatus, comprising: loading the substrate on which the film is formed onto the pre-alignment device; measuring a substrate edge of the substrate; determining a substrate center of the substrate based on the substrate edge; measuring a film edge of the film on the substrate; determining a film edge shape of the film edge relative to the substrate center based on the measurement value of the film edge; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor wafer.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a layout center of an area to be imprinted on the substrate based on the measured substrate edge.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate edge is measured relative to a notch on the pre-alignment device.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using sensors to measure the substrate edge and the film edge of the substrate while the substrate is rotating on the pre-alignment device.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor is a camera that captures images while the substrate is rotating on the pre-alignment device.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the camera captures a plurality of images for at least four positions equidistant from the layout center to determine the substrate edge.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the camera captures a plurality of images for determining at least 12 positions to determine the film edge.

9. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate edge is measured at multiple coordinates using a least squares approximation.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the film on the substrate is formed by removing material from the film in an edge bead removal (EBR) process to form the film edge.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the film edge is measured in multiple coordinates using a least squares approximation.

12. generating a partial field drop pattern based on the film edge shape; applying the partial field droplet pattern to a partial field of the substrate; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the partial field droplet pattern is applied to the partial field such that it fills up to the film edge without spreading beyond the film edge.

14. The method further comprises the step of manufacturing one or more articles, the step of manufacturing the one or more articles comprising: applying droplets of a formable material onto the substrate according to the partial field droplet pattern; contacting the moldable material applied onto the substrate with a molding surface of either a superstrate or a template; contacting the moldable material applied onto the substrate with the molding surface and then curing the moldable material applied onto the substrate; curing the formable material applied onto the substrate and then processing the substrate to produce the one or more articles; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

15. A semiconductor wafer rotation stage; an edge detection system for measuring an edge of the semiconductor wafer of the semiconductor wafer loaded on the semiconductor wafer rotation stage; a film edge detection system that measures a film edge of a film on the semiconductor wafer loaded on the semiconductor wafer rotation stage while the edge detection system measures the semiconductor wafer edge; A semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus comprising:

16. 17. The semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus of claim 16, wherein the edge detection system includes a laser edge detector for acquiring a semiconductor wafer position of the semiconductor wafer edge, and the film edge detection system includes a camera for acquiring an image of a film edge on a semiconductor wafer loaded on the semiconductor wafer rotation system.

17. 1. A semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus for droplet pattern generation, comprising: one or more computer readable storage media; a processor in communication with and in cooperation with the one or more computer readable storage media, the semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus having: loading the semiconductor wafer on which the film is formed onto the semiconductor wafer pre-alignment device; measuring a semiconductor wafer edge of the semiconductor wafer; determining a layout center of an area to be imprinted on the semiconductor wafer based on the measured semiconductor wafer edge; measuring a film edge of the film on the semiconductor wafer; determining a film edge shape of the film edge relative to the layout center based on measurements of the film edge; and one or more processors for executing A semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus comprising:

18. The edge detection system comprises: a first light source that generates a first measurement light; and a first sensor that receives the first measurement light; The film edge detection system includes: a second light source that generates a second measurement light; and a second sensor that receives the second measurement light; the first sensor is disposed such that the second measurement light detected by the first sensor is less than 1% of the first measurement light detected by the first sensor; the second sensor is positioned such that the first measurement light detected by the second sensor is less than 1% of the second measurement light detected by the second sensor.

16. The semiconductor wafer pre-alignment apparatus according to claim 15,

19. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the membrane edge is measured at the same time that the notch is determined.

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