Membrane forming method, membrane forming device, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a membrane forming method that can improve throughput during alignment.SOLUTION: A film forming method includes: an arrangement step of arranging a curable composition including at least a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent, as droplets, discretely in a shot region on a substrate; a liquid membrane forming step of coupling the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region to adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid membrane on the shot region, and volatilizing the solvent included in the liquid membrane; a contact step of bringing a predetermined region of a mold and the liquid membrane into contact with each other; an actual exposure step of, after the contact, irradiating the liquid membrane with curing light to cure the liquid membrane; and a pre-light irradiation step of, after the liquid membrane forming step and from before the contact step, irradiating the liquid membrane with pre-light different from the curing light to increase the viscosity of the liquid membrane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming method, a film forming apparatus, a method for manufacturing an article, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor devices, MEMS, etc., the demand for miniaturization is increasing, and imprint technology has attracted attention as a microfabrication technology. In the imprint technology, a mold with a fine concavo-convex pattern formed on its surface is brought into contact with a curable composition supplied onto a substrate, and the curable composition is cured while in contact with the mold, thereby transferring the pattern of the mold onto the substrate.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a film forming method using the imprint technology. In Patent Document 1, first, droplet-like curable hardening materials are discretely dropped onto a pattern formation region on a substrate. Next, a mold is brought into contact with the curable composition on the substrate.

[0004] As a result, the droplets of the curable composition spread over the entire area of the gap between the substrate and the mold due to capillary action. Such a phenomenon is called spread. Also, the curable composition is filled into the recesses constituting the pattern of the mold due to capillary action.

[0005] Such a phenomenon is called filling. In filling, after the mark formed on the mold is filled with the curable composition, the misalignment between the mark formed on the mold and the mark formed on the substrate is measured, and alignment of the substrate and the mold is performed.

[0006] When the alignment is completed, light is irradiated (exposed) to the curable composition to cure the curable composition. Then, the mold is separated from the cured curable composition on the substrate to form the pattern of the mold on the curable composition on the substrate.

[0007] In the aforementioned alignment, the higher the viscosity of the curable composition, the more difficult it is for the mold and the substrate in contact with the curable composition to vibrate relatively, so the alignment accuracy is improved. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for increasing the viscosity of a curable composition by performing pre-irradiation of light on at least a part of the curable composition on a substrate separately from this exposure.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] However, it takes time to sufficiently increase the viscosity of the curable composition by pre-irradiation of light, and there is a problem that the throughput decreases. In particular, when oxygen is present in the atmosphere of the imprint space, polymerization inhibition of the curable composition occurs, and it takes a long time to increase the viscosity.

[0010] In order to suppress the decrease in throughput as much as possible, a method of performing pre-irradiation of light, for example, before spreading, as early as possible before alignment can be considered. However, if the viscosity of the curable composition is increased before the droplets of the curable composition dropped on the substrate are combined with each other, the time required for spreading and filling increases, and thus there is a problem that the throughput deteriorates instead.

[0011] One object of the present invention is to provide a film forming method capable of improving the throughput during alignment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] A film forming method as one aspect of the present invention includes: a disposing step of discretely disposing a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent as droplets in a shot region on a substrate; A liquid film forming step of combining each of the droplets discretely arranged in the shot area with adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot area and volatilizing the solvent contained in the liquid film; A contact step of bringing a predetermined area of the mold into contact with the liquid film; An exposure step of irradiating the liquid film with curing light to cure the liquid film after the contact; A pre-irradiation step of irradiating the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light to increase the viscosity of the liquid film after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step, characterized by comprising: [Effect of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a film forming method capable of improving throughput during alignment. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In each figure, the same members or elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0016] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an imprint apparatus according to Embodiment 1. The imprint apparatus IS of the present embodiment is configured to be able to change the viscosity of a curable composition supplied onto a substrate by irradiating at least a part of the curable composition supplied onto the substrate with light before bringing the mold into contact with the curable composition on the substrate.

[0017] Note that the imprint apparatus in the present embodiment functions as a film forming apparatus, and the film forming apparatus includes a planarizing apparatus that forms a flat surface on the curable composition on the substrate using a mold. Further, the film forming method in the embodiments described below includes a film forming method using a planarizing apparatus.

[0018] In the present embodiment, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and the rotations around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0019] Control or drive with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis means control or drive in the directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. Positioning means controlling the position, posture, or inclination. Alignment may include control of the position, posture, or inclination of at least one of the substrate and the mold.

[0020] The imprint apparatus IS includes a mold positioning unit 4 that holds and positions the mold 2, and a substrate positioning unit 5 that holds and positions the substrate 3. Further, the imprint apparatus IS includes a curable composition supply unit 6, an alignment measurement unit 7, a pre-irradiation unit 8, a curing light irradiation unit 9, a gas supply unit 10, an observation device 17, and a control unit 11.

[0021] The mold 2 may have, for example, a substantially rectangular outer shape and may be made of a material that can transmit ultraviolet rays such as quartz. The mold 2 has a pattern region PR on the surface facing the substrate 3. In the pattern region PR, a concavo-convex pattern for transferring to the curable composition on the substrate 3 is formed in a three-dimensional shape. The pattern region PR, also called a mesa, is formed as a convex portion of several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm so that the portion other than the pattern region PR of the mold 2 does not contact the substrate 3.

[0022] The substrate 3 is made of, for example, a semiconductor (e.g., silicon, compound semiconductor), glass, ceramics, metal, resin, or the like. The substrate 3 may have one or more layers on a base material. In this case, the base material is made of, for example, a semiconductor, glass, ceramics, metal, resin, or the like. The substrate 3 may be provided with an adhesion layer as necessary to improve the adhesion between the curable composition and the substrate 3. A plurality of shot regions (imprint regions) are formed on the substrate 3.

[0023] The mold positioning unit 4 may include a mold holding unit 4a and a mold drive mechanism 4b. The mold holding unit 4a holds the mold 2 by, for example, a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. The mold drive mechanism 4b is a drive system for changing the distance between the mold 2 and the substrate 3. The mold drive mechanism 4b drives (moves) the mold 2 in the Z direction by driving the mold holding unit 4a.

[0024] The mold drive mechanism 4b includes, for example, an actuator such as a linear motor or an air cylinder, and drives the mold holding unit 4a that holds the mold 2. The mold drive mechanism 4b is configured to be able to drive the mold 2 (mold holding unit 4a) about a plurality of axes (e.g., three axes of the Z axis, θX axis, and θY axis).

[0025] In order to achieve highly accurate positioning of the mold 2, the mold drive mechanism 4b may include a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse drive system and a fine drive system. Further, the mold drive mechanism 4b may have functions of driving the mold 2 not only in the Z direction but also in the X direction, Y direction, and θZ direction, and correcting the inclination of the mold 2.

[0026] The substrate positioning unit 5 may include a substrate holding unit 5a that holds the substrate 3 and a substrate drive mechanism 5b. The substrate holding unit 5a holds the substrate 3 by, for example, a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. The substrate drive mechanism 5b drives (moves) the substrate 3 in the X direction and the Y direction by driving the substrate holding unit 5a.

[0027] The substrate drive mechanism 5b includes an actuator such as a linear motor or an air cylinder, and drives the substrate holding unit 5a that holds the substrate 3. The substrate drive mechanism 5b may be configured to drive the substrate 3 (substrate holding unit 5a) about a plurality of axes (for example, three axes of the X axis, Y axis, and θZ axis, preferably six axes of the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θX axis, θY axis, and θZ axis).

[0028] The substrate drive mechanism 5b may include a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse drive system and a fine drive system. The substrate drive mechanism 5b may have functions of driving the substrate 3 in the Z direction and the θZ direction and correcting the inclination of the substrate 3.

[0029] The curable composition supply unit 6 drops the curable composition onto the shot area of the substrate 3 by, for example, an inkjet method. The supply of the curable composition to the shot area of the substrate 3 is performed by the curable composition supply unit 6 discharging the curable composition from a plurality of discharge ports in synchronization with the driving of the substrate 3 while the substrate 3 is being driven by the substrate drive mechanism 5b.

[0030] In addition, the curable composition supply unit 6 has, for example, a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the Y direction, and is configured such that droplets of the curable composition are simultaneously discharged from the plurality of discharge ports onto the substrate 3 so that the droplets of the curable composition are discretely arranged in the Y direction on the substrate 3.

[0031] Further, while moving the substrate in the X direction, the curable composition supply unit 6 can intermittently discharge droplets from a plurality of discharge ports, thereby discretely arranging the droplets also in the X direction. The droplets discretely arranged in the X direction and the Y direction gradually bond to each other to form a continuous film of the curable composition.

[0032] The supply of the curable composition is sequentially and continuously performed for at least one or more shot regions, and then imprint processing is sequentially performed for each shot region with respect to the shot regions where the curable composition has been supplied.

[0033] The alignment measurement unit 7 detects alignment marks provided on the mold 2 and the substrate 3, respectively, and measures the positional deviations of the mold 2 and the substrate 3 in the X direction, the Y direction, and around the θZ axis. The alignment measurement unit 7 is composed of a measurement light source, a camera, an optical system, etc. for detecting the alignment marks. In the present embodiment, when simply described as "positional deviation" hereinafter, it refers to the positional deviations of the shot region and the pattern region PR of the substrate 3 in the X direction, the Y direction, and around the θZ axis.

[0034] The mold positioning unit 4 and the substrate positioning unit 5 drive the mold 2 or the substrate 3 so that the relative position, relative posture, and relative inclination in the XY plane direction between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 are adjusted, and determine the relative position between the mold 2 and the substrate 3. In the present embodiment, the substrate positioning unit 5 is controlled to reduce the positional deviation measured by the alignment measurement unit 7.

[0035] Furthermore, the mold positioning unit 4 and the substrate positioning unit 5 change the positions of the mold 2 and the substrate 3 in the Z direction, and drive the mold 2 or the substrate 3 so that the relative position, relative posture, and relative inclination in the Z direction between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 are adjusted. The adjustment of the relative position in the Z direction by the mold positioning unit 4 and / or the substrate positioning unit 5 includes driving for the contact between the curable composition on the substrate 3 and the mold 2, and the separation between the cured curable composition (pattern of the cured product) and the mold 2.

[0036] The pre-irradiation unit 8 has a light source and an illumination optical system for performing pre-irradiation, and is configured to irradiate pre-light 12 onto the substrate 3. The pre-light 12 irradiated by the pre-irradiation unit 8 contains light having a wavelength at which the curable composition undergoes a curing reaction.

[0037] The pre-irradiation unit 8 can adjust, for example, the illuminance and irradiation distribution by using a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device). The DMD includes a plurality of mirror elements, and the irradiation area can be adjusted by individually controlling the surface directions of the plurality of mirror elements. The pre-light 12 is irradiated onto the curable composition applied to the substrate 3, but not with an exposure amount sufficient for the curable composition to completely cure.

[0038] The curing light irradiation unit 9 cures the curable composition by supplying or irradiating curing light 13 (for example, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, far ultraviolet rays, X-rays, charged particle beams such as electron beams, radiation) for curing the curable composition. Specifically, the curing light irradiation unit 9 performs light irradiation (main exposure) through the mold 2 in a state where the curable composition above the shot region of the substrate 3 and the pattern region PR of the mold 2 are in contact and filled.

[0039] Thereby, a pattern made of a cured product of the curable composition is formed on the substrate. In the present embodiment, the curing light irradiation unit 9 has, for example, a light source that emits the curing light 13 for curing the curable composition. Further, the curing light irradiation unit 9 may include an optical element for adjusting the amount of the curing light emitted from the light source to an appropriate amount in the imprint process.

[0040] The gas supply unit 10 supplies a replacement gas (not shown) and functions to replace the atmosphere in the space irradiated by the pre-irradiation unit 8 with the replacement gas. Examples of the replacement gas include inert gases such as helium and carbon dioxide.

[0041] Generally, when oxygen is present in the atmosphere around the curable composition, polymerization inhibition of the curable composition occurs, so it takes a long time to increase the viscosity of the curable composition by the pre-light 12. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when irradiating the curable composition with the pre-light 12, the gas supply unit 10 replaces the atmosphere around the curable composition with an inert gas. Thereby, the time required to increase the viscosity is shortened.

[0042] The observation device 17 is an imaging device such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera, and acquires the shape information of the curable composition on the substrate 3 as image information.

[0043] The control unit 11 controls the overall operation of the imprint device 1. The control unit 11 can be configured by, for example, a PLD such as an FPGA, an ASIC, a general-purpose computer such as a CPU in which a program is incorporated, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0044] FPGA is an abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array, PLD is an abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device, and ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit.

[0045] In addition, the control unit 11 functions as control means for controlling the operation of each part of the entire device based on a computer program stored in a memory as a storage medium. Note that the control unit 11 may be provided inside the imprint device or outside the imprint device.

[0046] The curable composition in the present embodiment is a curable composition for inkjet, and at least contains a polymerizable compound A, a photopolymerization initiator B, and a solvent C. Note that the curable composition in the present embodiment may further contain a non-polymerizable compound.

[0047] The polymerizable compound A is a compound that reacts with the polymerization factor generated from the photoinitiator B and forms a film made of a polymer compound through a chain reaction. As such a polymerizable compound, for example, a radical polymerizable compound or the like is used.

[0048] The polymerizable compound A may be composed of only one type of polymerizable compound or may be composed of a plurality of types of polymerizable compounds. As the radical polymerizable compound, (meth)acrylic compounds, styrene compounds, vinyl compounds, allyl compounds, fumaric compounds, maleic compounds, etc. are used.

[0049] In the film forming method of the present embodiment, since it takes several milliseconds to several hundred seconds for the droplets of the curable composition discretely arranged on the substrate to combine and form a continuous liquid film, the liquid film forming step described later is required. In the liquid film forming step, while the solvent C is volatilized, the polymerizable compound A is not volatilized.

[0050] Therefore, the boiling points of the polymerizable compounds that may be included in a plurality of types at normal pressure are preferably all 250°C or higher, more preferably all 300°C or higher, and even more preferably all 350°C or higher.

[0051] The photoinitiator B contained in the curable composition is a compound that senses light of a predetermined wavelength and generates the above-described polymerization factor. Specifically, the photoinitiator is a polymerization initiator that generates radicals by the curing light 13.

[0052] The photoinitiator of the present embodiment may be composed of only one type of photoinitiator or may be composed of a plurality of types of photoinitiators. As the polymerization initiator, for example, acylphosphine oxide compounds or the like are used.

[0053] The solvent C contained in the curable composition is a solvent having a boiling point of 80°C or higher and less than 250°C under normal pressure. As the solvent C, a solvent in which a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator are dissolved, for example, an alcohol-based solvent, a ketone-based solvent, an ether-based solvent, an ester-based solvent, a nitrogen-containing solvent, etc. are used.

[0054] The solvent can be used alone or in combination of two or more. If the boiling point of the solvent C under normal pressure is less than 80°C, the volatilization rate in the liquid film forming step described later is too fast, so the solvent may volatilize before the droplets of the curable composition combine, and the droplets of the curable composition may not combine.

[0055] Also, if the boiling point of the solvent under normal pressure is 250°C or higher, the volatilization of the solvent C becomes insufficient in the volatilization step described later, and the solvent C may remain in the cured product of the curable composition.

[0056] In this embodiment, when the whole of the curable composition is 100% by volume, the content of the solvent C is 5% by volume or more and 95% by volume or less. This is because if the content of the solvent C is less than 5% by volume, a thin film cannot be obtained after the volatilization of the solvent under the condition of obtaining a substantially continuous liquid film.

[0057] Also, if the content of the solvent C is more than 95% by volume, a thick film cannot be obtained after the volatilization of the solvent even if the droplets are dropped most densely by the inkjet method.

[0058] Next, the film forming method of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the film forming method according to Embodiment 1, and an example of a method of forming a pattern in a plurality of shot regions of the substrate 3 is shown.

[0059] Note that the operations of each step of the flowchart in FIG. 2 are sequentially performed by a CPU or the like as a computer in the control unit 11 executing a computer program stored in the memory. However, the description of the steps of loading the mold into the mold holding part 4a and unloading the mold 2 from the mold holding part 4a is omitted.

[0060] After carrying the mold into the mold holding part 4a and holding it, in step S101 (substrate loading step), the control unit 11 controls a substrate transfer device (not shown) to load and hold the substrate 3 in the substrate holding part 5a.

[0061] In step S102 (sub-region selection step), the control unit 11 selects a sub-region composed of at least one or more shot regions from all the shot regions of the substrate 3 held in the substrate holding part 5a.

[0062] For each of the selected sub-regions, the processes of steps S103 to S110 described later are carried out. That is, at least the following placement step to the main exposure step is carried out for each sub-region. In the present embodiment, the sub-regions are, for example, a plurality of predetermined shot regions arranged along the direction (the X-axis direction in the present embodiment) connecting the curable composition supply part 6 for placing droplets on the shot regions and the pre-light irradiation part 8 for irradiating pre-light.

[0063] FIGS. 3(A) and (B) are diagrams illustrating the sub-regions of the substrate 3. FIG. 3(A) shows the layout of a plurality of shot regions of the substrate 3. As shown in FIG. 3(A), typically, for a circular substrate 3, except for the outer peripheral part, each shot region 3a has a rectangular shape.

[0064] Here, a plurality of shot regions arranged in the X direction are taken as one sub-region. FIG. 3(B) shows an example in which a plurality of shot regions are divided into eight rows of sub-regions (first to eighth sub-regions) arranged in the X direction respectively. In step S102, for example, the fourth sub-region is selected.

[0065] The range of shot regions that can be selected as sub-regions is not limited to this. It is also possible to select only one shot region as a sub-region, or only the missing shot region 3b as a sub-region, or all the shot regions as sub-regions.

[0066] In step S103 (curable composition placement step), for the sub-region selected in step S102, droplets of the curable composition are discretely placed by simultaneously discharging droplets of the curable composition from a plurality of discharge ports from the curable composition supply unit 6. Here, step S103 functions as a placement step for discretely placing a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent as droplets in a shot region on the substrate.

[0067] Figs. 4(A) to (D) are diagrams for explaining an example of the liquid film forming step, and Fig. 4(A) schematically shows droplets 201 discretely arranged on the substrate 3.

[0068] The droplets 201 of the curable composition are preferably densely arranged above the region of the substrate 3 facing the region where the concavo-convex portions constituting the pattern region PR of mold 2 are densely present, and sparsely arranged above the region of the substrate 3 facing the region where the concavo-convex portions constituting the pattern of mold 2 are sparsely present. Thereby, the film of the curable composition formed on the substrate 3 is controlled to have a uniform thickness regardless of the density of the pattern of mold 2.

[0069] In step S104 (liquid film forming step), it is a step of volatilizing the solvent C contained in the liquid film after each of the droplets 201 discretely arranged on the substrate joins with the adjacent droplets 201 to form a continuous liquid film. That is, in step S104, each of the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region is joined with the adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot region, and the solvent contained in the liquid film is volatilized.

[0070] Here, the continuous liquid film refers to a state in which all the droplets 201 in the shot region are at least joined with the adjacent droplets, and preferably, the entire shot region is continuously covered with the curable composition.

[0071] In the liquid film forming step, the droplets 201 of the curable composition spread on the substrate 3 as schematically shown in Fig. 4(B). Thereby, the selected sub-region of the substrate 3 is continuously covered with the curable composition.

[0072] Here, the value obtained by dividing the total volume of the droplets of the curable composition dropped into one shot region by the area of the shot region is defined as the average film thickness. When the average initial liquid film thickness is 80 nm or more, as schematically shown in Fig. 4(C), the droplets of the curable composition can combine with each other on the substrate to form a continuous liquid film 202.

[0073] In addition, when the average initial liquid film thickness is 89 nm or more, the surface of the liquid film can become flat. A liquid film with an average initial liquid film thickness of 80 nm or more can be obtained by arranging droplets of the curable composition with a volume of 1.0 pL or more at a density of 80 droplets / mm2 or more. Similarly, a liquid film with an average initial liquid film thickness of 89 nm can be obtained by arranging droplets of the curable composition with a volume of 1.0 pL or more at a density of 89 droplets / mm2.

[0074] Furthermore, in step S104, as schematically shown in Fig. 4(D), the solvent 203 contained in the liquid film 202 is volatilized. The remaining amount of the solvent 203 in the liquid film 202 after step S104 is preferably 10% by volume or less when the total weight of the components other than the solvent is 100% by volume. If the remaining amount of the solvent is more than 10% by volume, the mechanical properties of the cured film may be lowered.

[0075] In step S104 (liquid film forming step), the ambient gas around the substrate 3 may be ventilated for the purpose of accelerating the volatilization of the solvent 203.

[0076] Step S104 (liquid film forming step) is, for example, 0.1 second or more. If the time is shorter than 0.1 second, the combination of the droplets of the curable composition becomes insufficient, and a substantially continuous liquid film is not formed.

[0077] In step S104 (liquid film forming step), when the solvent C volatilizes, a substantially continuous liquid film 202 composed of the polymerizable compound A and the photopolymerization initiator B remains. The average remaining liquid film thickness of the substantially continuous liquid film 202 from which the solvent has volatilized becomes thinner than the liquid film 202 in Fig. 4(C) by the amount of the volatilized solvent C.

[0078] In the process S105 (pre-irradiation process), the control unit 11 controls the pre-irradiation unit 8 to irradiate the liquid film 202 of the curable composition on the sub-region of the substrate 3 with pre-light 12, thereby increasing the viscosity of the liquid film 202.

[0079] In addition, the process S105 (pre-irradiation process) is a process for irradiating the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light in this exposure to increase the viscosity of the liquid film, after the liquid film formation process and before the contact process.

[0080] In addition, in the process S105, a masking member may be arranged so that pre-light does not leak to other sub-regions. Alternatively, instead of using such a masking member, the pre-irradiation unit 8 may use a laser light source and a DMD to obtain sharp light-shielding characteristics at the edge of the shot region. Also, in the process S105 of this embodiment, in order to shorten the time for irradiating the pre-light 12, the gas supply unit 10 replaces the atmosphere around the curable composition with an inert gas.

[0081] In addition, the processes S103 to S105 may be processes for collectively processing all the shot regions of the sub-region, or may be processes for sequentially processing each shot region of the sub-region.

[0082] FIGS. 5(A) to 5(C) are diagrams for explaining an example of the film forming method according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 5(A), while moving the substrate positioning unit 5 (substrate 3) in the X direction at a constant moving speed, the control unit 11 controls to sequentially supply a plurality of droplets 201 from a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the Y direction of the curable composition supply unit 6 to each shot region of the sub-region.

[0083] That is, at a certain position in the X direction, a plurality of droplets 201 are simultaneously supplied from a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the Y direction, and then after moving in the X direction, a plurality of droplets 201 are again simultaneously supplied from a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the Y direction. By repeating such an operation, the droplets are discretely arranged in the X direction and the Y direction.

[0084] At this time, as shown in FIG. 5(B), for the shot area in the sub-region where the process S103 as the curable composition placement process has been completed, the process S104, which is the liquid film formation process, is sequentially performed to start forming the liquid film 202 by volatilizing a part of the solvent C of the droplets 201. Also, during this period, the shot area where the liquid film 202 is formed moves toward the irradiation position of the pre-irradiation unit 8.

[0085] In addition, in order to sufficiently volatilize the solvent C, it is preferable that the speed of the substrate positioning unit 5 is smaller than the value obtained by dividing the distance from the curable composition supply unit 6 to the irradiation position of the pre-light 12 by the time until the solvent volatilizes.

[0086] Next, as shown in FIG. 5(C), at the timing when the shot area supplied with the curable composition reaches the irradiation position of the pre-light below the pre-irradiation unit 8, in the process S105 (pre-light irradiation process), the pre-light 12 is irradiated onto the shot area by the pre-irradiation unit 8.

[0087] Here, the method for determining the start time of the process S105 (pre-light irradiation process) will be described. If the viscosity of the curable composition increases before the continuous liquid film is formed, the time required for spreading and filling increases. Therefore, in the target shot area, it is set to start the process S105 after the process S104 (liquid film formation process) is completed.

[0088] Also, if the start time of the process S105 is too late, the liquid film 202 spreads too much and the end of the liquid film 202 exceeds the end of the target shot area, and as a result, the chip created by the imprint process may become a defective product.

[0089] That is, in the present embodiment, in the target shot area, the time interval from when the droplets 201 are discretely arranged on the substrate to when the pre-light is irradiated onto the liquid film 202 is controlled to be within a predetermined target range.

[0090] This predetermined target range can be obtained, for example, through a preliminary evaluation. Specifically, first, droplets 201 are dropped from the curable composition supply unit 6 onto the substrate of the test sample. Then, after a certain period of time has passed, the curable composition is cured by irradiating it with curing light 13, and then the shape of the curable composition is observed and evaluated.

[0091] By repeating this evaluation while varying the time from the dropping of the droplets 201 to curing, it is possible to evaluate how the shape of the droplets changes over time for the curable composition, and thus obtain the target range of the time width of step S104 (liquid film formation step).

[0092] Also, as another method for determining the start time of step S105, in step S105, the bonding state between adjacent droplets of the discrete droplets 201 on the target shot region is acquired by the observation device 17, and the timing for irradiating the pre-light 12 may be determined based on this bonding state.

[0093] Specifically, for example, the timing for irradiating the pre-light 12 onto the liquid film 202 is determined based on the ratio of the corresponding shot region covered by the liquid film 202. That is, the bonding state may be, for example, related to the ratio of the shot region covered by the liquid film.

[0094] Alternatively, the bonding state may be related to the distance from the outer periphery of the liquid film 202 to the outer periphery of the corresponding shot region, and the pre-light 12 may be irradiated onto the liquid film 202 at the timing when the above distance becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the liquid film from spreading too much.

[0095] In addition, step S105 (pre-light irradiation step) and step S106 (contact step) or step S107 (alignment step) described later may be carried out in parallel, and by starting step S106 or step S107 during the execution of step S105, the throughput can be improved.

[0096] In step S106 (contact step), the control unit 11 drives the mold positioning unit 4 in the Z direction to bring a predetermined area (pattern area PR) of the mold 2 into contact with the continuous liquid film 202 on the substrate 3. In the present embodiment, in step S104 (liquid film forming step), since the solvent C is removed from the curable composition to form the continuous liquid film 202, the volume of the gas entrapped between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 is reduced.

[0097] Therefore, although the viscosity of the curable composition has increased by step S105 (pre-irradiation step), the spreading and filling of the curable composition in the contact step are completed promptly.

[0098] In step S107 (alignment step), based on the misalignment between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 measured by the alignment measurement unit 7, the substrate positioning unit 5 is driven to eliminate the misalignment. That is, in step S107 (alignment step), the mold or the substrate is moved to eliminate the misalignment between the shot area and the pattern area of the mold.

[0099] Here, FIGS. 6(A) to 6(E) are diagrams for explaining an example of alignment and the time taken for alignment. With reference to FIG. 6, the alignment between the substrate 3 and the mold 2 and the time taken for alignment will be described. In FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C), graphs are shown with time on the horizontal axis and the misalignment in the X direction between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 on the vertical axis.

[0100] FIG. 6(A) shows a graph for explaining the misalignment when step 105 (pre-irradiation step) is omitted for comparison with the present embodiment. The time t1 in the graph represents the start time of step S106 (contact step), and the time t2 represents the start time of step S107 (alignment step).

[0101] The vibration components shown in the graph are components that can be caused by the vibration of the imprint apparatus 1. When the viscosity of the curable composition is low, this vibration may remain even after sufficient time has elapsed after the start of step S107 (alignment step), as shown in FIG. 6(A). This is because the substrate positioning unit 5 cannot fully follow high-frequency vibrations due to factors such as the measurement frequency of the alignment measurement unit and the responsiveness of the substrate positioning unit 5.

[0102] FIG. 6(B) is a graph when the pre-irradiation step S105 is performed simultaneously with the start of step S107 (alignment step), as in the prior art, for comparison with the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 6(D) shows a graph with time on the horizontal axis and the illuminance of the pre-light 12 on the vertical axis in the case of FIG. 6(B).

[0103] T3 in the graph indicates the time when the misalignment has sufficiently decayed, that is, the end time of the pre-irradiation step (alignment step). Here, time t3 - time t2 means the time required for the pre-irradiation unit 8 to irradiate the liquid film 202 with the pre-light 12 and sufficiently increase the viscosity of the liquid film 202. Here, since the upper limit of the illuminance value in FIG. 6(D) is determined by optical design constraints and the life of the light source, time t3 - time t2 cannot be shortened to less than a predetermined time.

[0104] In the example of FIG. 6(B), compared with the example of FIG. 6(A), it shows that the alignment accuracy improves after the start of pre-irradiation. This is because when the mold is in contact with the curable composition, as the viscosity of the curable composition increases, it becomes more difficult for the mold and the substrate to vibrate relative to each other.

[0105] FIG. 6(C) is a graph of misalignment when the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 6(E) shows a graph with time on the horizontal axis and the illuminance of the pre-light 12 on the vertical axis in the case of FIG. 6(C). In the present embodiment, the pre-irradiation step S105 is started before the start time t1 of the contact step S106.

[0106] t4 indicates the start time of step S105 (pre-irradiation step), and t5 indicates the end time of step S105 (pre-irradiation step). The illuminance in Fig. 6(E) is equal to that in Fig. 6(D), and the time (t5 - t4) for irradiating the pre-light 12 in Fig. 6(E) is equal to the time (t3 - t2) for irradiating the pre-light in Fig. 6(D). That is, the irradiation amount of the pre-light 12 in Fig. 6(E) is equal to that in Fig. 6(D).

[0107] As shown in Fig. 6(C), in this embodiment, at time t1, that is, at the timing of the start of the contact step, the vibration amplitude of the misalignment decreases. This is because the viscosity of the liquid film 202 increases by irradiating the pre-light 12 before step S106 (contact step), so it becomes difficult for the pattern region PR and the substrate 3 in contact with the liquid film 202 to vibrate relatively.

[0108] Also, Fig. 6(C) shows that at the end time t5 of the pre-irradiation step, the same positioning accuracy as the end time t3 of the pre-irradiation step in Fig. 6(B) can be obtained. That is, Fig. 6(C) shows that, compared with the prior art shown in Fig. 6(B) according to this embodiment, the alignment step can be completed at an earlier time. This means that it is possible to quickly move to the next step and increase the throughput.

[0109] In step S108 (main exposure step), the control unit 11 controls the hardening light irradiation unit 9 to irradiate the hardening light 13 onto the liquid film 202 to harden the liquid film 202. That is, in step S108 (main exposure step), after the predetermined region of the mold and the liquid film are in contact, the liquid film is irradiated with hardening light to harden the liquid film.

[0110] In step S109 (demolding step), the control unit 11 drives the mold positioning unit 4 to separate the mold 2 from the substrate 3. By separating the cured film having the pattern and the pattern region PR, a cured film having a pattern obtained by inverting the fine pattern of the pattern region PR is obtained on the substrate 3.

[0111] In step S110, the control unit 11 determines whether there is a next shot area where the curable composition has been supplied. If there is a next shot area, the process returns to step S105, and the imprint process is repeated for the next shot area. Note that although the elapsed time from step S104 becomes larger for the subsequent shot areas, the number of shots within one sub-area is set so that the maximum spread of the liquid film is within a predetermined range.

[0112] If it is determined in step 110 that there is no next shot area, the process proceeds to step S111. In step S111, it is determined whether there is a sub-area where the supply of the curable composition is not complete. If there is a sub-area where the supply of the curable composition is not complete, the process returns to step S102, and the next sub-area is selected.

[0113] In step S112 (substrate unloading step), the control unit 11 controls the substrate transfer device to unload the substrate 3 from the substrate holding portion 5a and ends the flow shown in FIG. 2.

[0114] Thus, the film forming method of Embodiment 1 irradiates pre-light after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step to increase the viscosity of the curable composition. As a result, the end time of the positioning step can be shortened, and both alignment accuracy and high throughput can be achieved.

[0115] <Embodiment 2> Hereinafter, the imprint apparatus and the film forming method of Embodiment 2 will be described. Matters not mentioned in Embodiment 2 shall follow Embodiment 1. In Embodiment 1, the shot area of the substrate was divided into sub-areas, and the liquid film forming step and the pre-light irradiation step were sequentially performed on the shot areas within the sub-areas.

[0116] In contrast, in Embodiment 2, after arranging the curable composition on the entire shot area of the substrate, the liquid film forming step is performed, and further, the pre-light irradiation step is performed.

[0117] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the imprint apparatus IS according to Embodiment 2. The imprint apparatus IS includes a second pre-irradiation unit 14 and a gas supply unit 15.

[0118] The imprint apparatus IS further includes a mold positioning unit 4 that holds and positions the mold 2, and a substrate positioning unit 5 that holds and positions the substrate 3. Further, the imprint apparatus IS includes a curable composition supply unit 6, an alignment measurement unit 7, a pre-irradiation unit 8, a curing light irradiation unit 9, a gas supply unit 10, and a control unit 11. Since the components other than the second pre-irradiation unit 14 are the same as those in Embodiment 1, the description thereof is omitted.

[0119] The second pre-irradiation unit 14 is arranged at a short distance from the substrate 3, rather than at a position away from the substrate 3 above the Z-axis of the mold 2 like the pre-irradiation unit 8. This is advantageous in terms of optical design, and it becomes possible to widen the irradiation range of the pre-light or increase the output.

[0120] Further, the second pre-irradiation unit 14 can also irradiate the pre-light 16 collectively to all the curable compositions in a plurality of shot regions of the substrate. Further, the second pre-irradiation unit 14 may have a configuration in which the irradiation amount is variable in the radial direction of the substrate 3 or a configuration in which the irradiation amount is variable for each shot region of the substrate 3. Thereby, the difference in the viscosity of the curable composition between the shot regions can be reduced.

[0121] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a film forming method of the imprint apparatus IS according to Embodiment 2. However, the description of the loading of the mold 2 into the mold holding unit 4a and the unloading of the mold 2 from the mold holding unit 4a is omitted.

[0122] Note that, by the CPU or the like as a computer in the control unit 11 executing a computer program stored in the memory, the operations of each step of the flowchart in FIG. 8 are sequentially performed.

[0123] After carrying in and holding the mold in the mold holding part 4a, in step S301 (substrate carrying-in step), the control unit 11 controls a substrate transfer device (not shown) to carry in and hold the substrate 3 in the substrate holding part 5a.

[0124] In step S302 (curable composition arranging step), discrete droplets 201 of the curable composition are arranged from the curable composition supply part 6 for all the shot regions of the substrate 3.

[0125] In step S303 (liquid film forming step), after the droplets of the curable composition are joined to each other, the solvent C is volatilized to form a liquid film. As described in Embodiment 1, when the average initial liquid film thickness is 80 nm or more, the droplets of the curable composition on the substrate can be joined to form a continuous liquid film 202. Further, when the average initial liquid film thickness is 89 nm or more, the surface of the liquid film can be flat.

[0126] Furthermore, in step S303 (liquid film forming step), the solvent (C) contained in the liquid film 202 is volatilized. In step S303, for the purpose of accelerating the volatilization of the solvent C, a baking step of heating the substrate 3 and the curable composition may be performed, or the ambient gas around the substrate 3 may be replaced, for example, by the gas supply part 15. The baking step can be performed using a heater such as a hot plate.

[0127] After the liquid film forming step is completed for all the shot regions on the substrate by step 303, the process proceeds to step S304 (pre-irradiation step), and the control unit 11 controls the second pre-irradiation unit 14 to irradiate pre-light 16 to the liquid film 202 on all the shot regions of the substrate 3. At this time, in order to shorten the time for irradiating the pre-light 16, the gas supply part 15 can replace the atmosphere around the curable composition with an inert gas.

[0128] Further, in step S304, in order to make the viscosity of the liquid film 202 on all shot areas uniform, the second pre-light irradiation unit 14 changes the irradiation amount of the pre-light 16 for each shot area. For example, when the ratio replaced with the inert gas by the gas supply unit 15 has a distribution in the radial direction of the substrate 3, the irradiation amount of the pre-light 16 is made to have a distribution in the radial direction of the substrate 3.

[0129] That is, according to the concentration distribution of the inert gas, the irradiation amount is distributed in the radial direction of the substrate 3 such that the higher the concentration, the smaller the irradiation amount of the pre-light 16.

[0130] In step S305 (contact step), the control unit 11 drives the mold positioning unit 4 to bring the pattern area PR of the mold 2 into contact with the continuous liquid film 202 on the substrate 3. In the present embodiment, in step S303 (liquid film forming step), since the curable composition becomes a continuous liquid film 202 from which the solvent C has been removed, the volume of the gas entrapped between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 becomes small.

[0131] Therefore, even if the viscosity of the curable composition increases in step S304 (pre-light irradiation step), the spreading and filling of the curable composition in the contact step are quickly completed.

[0132] In step S306 (alignment step), based on the misalignment between the mold 2 and the substrate 3 measured by the alignment measurement unit 7, the substrate positioning unit 5 is driven to eliminate the misalignment. In the present embodiment, since the pre-light irradiation step is completed before step S305 (contact step), the misalignment decays faster compared to the case where the pre-light irradiation step is started after step S305 (contact step). Therefore, the time for step S306 (alignment step) can be shortened.

[0133] Furthermore, the irradiation of the pre-light 16 may be performed not only in the step S304 (pre-light irradiation step) but also in the step S306 (alignment step) using the pre-light irradiation unit 8. For example, the increase in the viscosity of the curable composition due to the pre-light 16 in the step S304 is limited to a predetermined level, and in the step S306 (alignment step), the pre-light 12 may be irradiated until the amplitude of the misalignment observed by the alignment measurement unit 7 is reduced to below the target value.

[0134] That is, the pre-light may be irradiated using only the second pre-light irradiation unit 14 without using the pre-light irradiation unit 8, or the viscosity control may be optimized by operating the second pre-light irradiation unit 14 and the pre-light irradiation unit 8 in combination. By operating the second pre-light irradiation unit 14 and the pre-light irradiation unit 8 in combination, it is possible to prevent the viscosity of the curable composition from increasing more than necessary before the step S305 (contact step).

[0135] Furthermore, if the viscosity of the curable composition is too high, it may inhibit the filling of the pattern area of the curable composition into the mold 2. Also, the irradiation of the pre-light 16 in the step S304 may only be performed on some of the shot areas among all the shot areas of the substrate 3.

[0136] For example, depending on the position of the shot area of the substrate, since it is easy to replace the atmosphere around the liquid film 202 with an inert gas by the gas supply unit 10, oxygen inhibition during the curing of the curable composition is less likely to occur. Therefore, in the step S306 (alignment step), the viscosity of the curable composition may increase in a short time by only irradiating the pre-light 12.

[0137] For such shot areas, it is not always necessary to irradiate the pre-light 16 before the step S305 (contact step). On the other hand, for example, in the case of a chipped shot area 3b, since it is not easy to replace the gas with an inert gas, oxygen inhibition during the curing of the curable composition is likely to occur, and the viscosity is not likely to increase, so the irradiation amount of the pre-light 16 may be increased.

[0138] That is, it is desirable to change the irradiation amount (light amount or irradiation time) of the pre-light according to the shot region. Alternatively, for example, only the defective shot region 3b may be irradiated with the pre-light 16. That is, among all the shot regions on the substrate, the pre-light irradiation process may be performed only on some shot regions such as the defective shot region after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step.

[0139] In step S307 (main exposure step), the control unit 11 controls the curing light irradiation unit 9 to irradiate the liquid film 202 with the curing light 13 to cure the liquid film 202.

[0140] In step S308 (release step), the control unit 11 drives the mold positioning unit 4 to separate the mold 2 from the substrate 3. By separating the cured film having the pattern from the pattern region PR, a cured film having a pattern in which the fine pattern of the pattern region PR is inverted is obtained on the substrate 3.

[0141] In step S309, it is determined whether there is an unexposed shot region. If there is an unexposed shot region, the process returns to step S305, and imprinting is repeated for that shot region.

[0142] In step S310 (substrate unloading step), the control unit 11 controls the substrate transfer device to unload the substrate 3 from the substrate holding unit 5a and ends the flow of FIG. 8.

[0143] Thus, the film forming method of Embodiment 2 increases the viscosity of the curable composition after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step. Thereby, the end time of the positioning step can be shortened, and both alignment accuracy and high throughput can be achieved.

[0144] <Embodiment of the article manufacturing method> The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus is used permanently for at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold or the like.

[0145] Examples of the electric circuit element include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include a mold for imprinting.

[0146] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is or temporarily used as a resist mask as at least a part of the constituent members of the above article. After etching, ion implantation, etc. are performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

[0147] Next, a method for manufacturing an article will be described. FIGS. 9(A) to (F) are diagrams showing an example of a method for manufacturing an article. In step (A) of FIG. 9, a substrate 3 such as a silicon substrate on which a workpiece 3c such as an insulator is formed on the surface is prepared, and then droplets 201 of an imprint material as a curable composition are applied to the surface of the workpiece 3c by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state where a plurality of droplets 201 of the imprint material are applied on the substrate is shown.

[0148] In step (B) of FIG. 9, an imprint mold 2 is opposed to the liquid film 202 of the imprint material on the substrate with the side on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed facing the liquid film 202 of the imprint material on the substrate. In step (C) of FIG. 9, the substrate 3 on which the liquid film 202 of the imprint material is formed and the mold 2 are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The liquid film 202 of the imprint material is filled in the gap between the mold 2 and the workpiece 3c. When light is irradiated through the mold 2 as energy for curing in this state, the liquid film 202 of the imprint material cures.

[0149] In step (D) of FIG. 9, after the liquid film 202 of the imprint material is cured and the mold 2 and the substrate 3 are separated from each other, a pattern of the cured product of the liquid film 202 of the imprint material is formed on the substrate 3. The pattern of this cured product has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured product, that is, the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 2 is transferred to the liquid film 202 of the imprint material.

[0150] A substrate having a formed film is formed by a film forming method as shown in steps (A) to (D) of FIG. 9.

[0151] In step (E) of FIG. 9, when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 3c where the cured product is absent or remains thinly is removed, forming a groove 3d.

[0152] In step (F) of FIG. 9, when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article having a groove 3d formed on the surface of the workpiece 3c can be obtained. Here, steps (E) to (F) of FIG. 9 function as a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article from a substrate by treating the substrate having the formed film. Incidentally, although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it may be used as a film for interlayer insulation included in, for example, a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of the article without being removed after processing.

[0153] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and combinations of the above embodiments are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. Incidentally, the present invention includes the following combinations.

[0154] (Method 1) An arrangement step of discretely arranging a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent as droplets in a shot region on a substrate; a liquid film forming step of combining each of the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region with adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot region and volatilizing the solvent contained in the liquid film; A contact step of bringing a predetermined region of a mold into contact with the liquid film; a main exposure step of irradiating the liquid film with curing light to cure the liquid film after the contact; and a pre-light irradiation step of irradiating the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light to increase the viscosity of the liquid film after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step. A film forming method characterized by comprising:

[0155] (Method 2) The film forming method according to Method 1, further comprising an alignment step of moving the mold or the substrate so as to eliminate the misalignment between the shot region and the pattern region of the mold.

[0156] (Method 3) The film forming method according to Method 2, wherein the pre-irradiation step and the alignment step are performed in parallel.

[0157] (Method 4) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 3, wherein the pre-irradiation step and the contact step are performed in parallel.

[0158] (Method 5) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 4, wherein the time interval from when the droplets are discretely arranged in the shot region to when the pre-light is irradiated onto the liquid film is within a predetermined target range.

[0159] (Method 6) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 5, wherein the bonding state between the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region and the adjacent droplets is observed, and the timing of irradiating the pre-light is determined based on the bonding state.

[0160] (Method 7) The film forming method according to Method 6, wherein the bonding state relates to the ratio of the shot region being covered by the liquid film.

[0161] (Method 8) The film forming method according to Method 6 or 7, wherein the bonding state relates to the distance from the outer periphery of the liquid film to the outer periphery of the shot region.

[0162] (Method 9) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 8, further comprising a sub-region selection step of selecting a sub-region composed of at least one or more of the shot regions from the substrate, and performing the steps from the arrangement step to the main exposure step for each sub-region.

[0163] (Method 10) The film forming method according to Method 9, wherein the sub-regions are a plurality of the shot regions arranged along a direction connecting a curable composition supply unit that disposes the droplets on the shot region and a pre-light irradiation unit that irradiates the pre-light.

[0164] (Method 11) The film forming method according to Method 9 or 10, wherein the liquid film forming step is sequentially performed on the shot regions of the sub-regions for which the placement step has been completed.

[0165] (Method 12) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 11, wherein after the liquid film forming step is completed for all the shot regions on the substrate, the process proceeds to the pre-light irradiation step.

[0166] (Method 13) The film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 12, wherein the pre-light irradiation step is performed only on some of the shot regions among all the shot regions on the substrate, after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step.

[0167] (Method 14) A method for manufacturing an article, comprising a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from a substrate by treating the substrate having a film formed by the film forming method according to any one of Methods 1 to 13.

[0168] (Configuration 1) A curable composition supply unit that discretely disposes a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photoinitiator, and a solvent as droplets on a shot region on a substrate, a mold positioning unit that combines each of the droplets discretely disposed on the shot region with adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot region and then contacts a predetermined region of the mold with the liquid film, a curing light irradiation unit that performs main exposure to cure the liquid film by irradiating the liquid film with curing light after the contact, and a pre-light irradiation unit that irradiates the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light to increase the viscosity of the liquid film after the liquid film is formed and before the contact.

[0169] Furthermore, in order to implement part or all of the control in the above-described embodiment, a computer program for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiment may be supplied to the film forming apparatus or the like via a network or various storage media. Then, a computer (or a CPU, MPU, etc.) in the film forming apparatus or the like may read and execute the program. In that case, the program and the storage medium storing the program will constitute the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0170] 2: mold 3: substrate 12: pre-light 13: curing light 201: droplet 202: liquid film

Claims

1. An arranging step of discretely arranging a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent as droplets in a shot region on a substrate; A liquid film forming step of combining each of the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region with adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot region and volatilizing the solvent contained in the liquid film; A contacting step of bringing a predetermined region of a mold into contact with the liquid film; A main exposure step of irradiating the liquid film with curing light after the contacting to cure the liquid film; A pre-light irradiation step of irradiating the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light after the liquid film forming step and before the contacting step to increase the viscosity of the liquid film, characterized in that the film forming method comprises the above steps.

2. The film forming method according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment step of moving the mold or the substrate so as to eliminate misalignment between the shot region and a pattern region of the mold.

3. The film forming method according to claim 2, wherein the pre-light irradiation step and the alignment step are performed in parallel.

4. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-light irradiation step and the contacting step are performed in parallel.

5. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein a time interval from when the droplets are discretely arranged in the shot region to when the pre-light is irradiated on the liquid film is within a predetermined target range.

6. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein a bonding state between the droplets discretely arranged in the shot region and adjacent droplets is observed, and a timing for irradiating the pre-light is determined based on the bonding state.

7. The film forming method according to claim 6, wherein the bonding state relates to a ratio of the shot region covered by the liquid film.

8. The film forming method according to claim 6, wherein the bonding state relates to a distance from an outer periphery of the liquid film to an outer periphery of the shot region.

9. The film forming method according to claim 1, further comprising a sub-region selecting step of selecting a sub-region composed of at least one or more of the shot regions from the substrate, and performing the steps from the arranging step to the main exposure step for each sub-region.

10. The method for forming a film according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of shot regions are arranged along a direction connecting a curable composition supply unit that disposes the droplet on the shot region and a pre-light irradiation unit that irradiates the pre-light.

11. The method for forming a film according to claim 9, wherein the liquid film forming step is sequentially performed on the shot regions of the sub-regions where the placement step has been completed.

12. The method for forming a film according to claim 1, wherein after the liquid film forming step is completed for all the shot regions on the substrate, the process proceeds to the pre-light irradiation step.

13. The method for forming a film according to claim 1, wherein the pre-light irradiation step is performed only on some of the shot regions among all the shot regions on the substrate, after the liquid film forming step and before the contact step.

14. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from a substrate by processing the substrate having a film formed by the method for forming a film according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A curable composition supply unit that discretely disposes a curable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound, a photoinitiator, and a solvent as droplets on a shot region on a substrate, A mold positioning unit that combines each of the droplets discretely disposed in the shot region with adjacent droplets to form a continuous liquid film on the shot region, and then brings a predetermined region of the mold into contact with the liquid film, A curing light irradiation unit that performs main exposure to cure the liquid film by irradiating the liquid film with curing light after the contact, A film forming apparatus, comprising a pre-light irradiation unit that irradiates the liquid film with pre-light different from the curing light to increase the viscosity of the liquid film after the liquid film is formed and before the contact.

Images