Molding apparatus, information processing apparatus, molding method, program, and method for manufacturing articles

Abstract

The present invention provides a molding apparatus that can predict the spread of multiple droplets of a curable composition on the outer periphery of a substrate due to contact with a mold, and determine a method for adjusting the arrangement of the droplets based on the prediction results. [Solution] The molding apparatus is a molding apparatus that brings a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate into contact with a mold and forms a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, and is characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a molding device, an information processing device, a molding method, a program, and a method for manufacturing an article.

Background Art

[0002] There is an imprint technique in which a mold having a fine pattern (concavo-convex pattern) formed on an imprint material (e.g., a photocurable resin) supplied onto a substrate is brought into contact to form the fine pattern. This imprint technique has attracted attention as one of the mass-production nano-lithography techniques for semiconductor devices and magnetic storage media. The imprint technique is also used as a planarization technique when manufacturing semiconductor devices.

[0003] In an imprint process or a planarization process, there is a technique of forming an array of droplets of an imprint material on a substrate using an inkjet method. The mold is brought into contact with the droplets of the imprint material arranged on the substrate to fill the concave portions of the pattern of the mold with the imprint material, and the pattern is formed by curing the imprint material. In order to form a pattern without defects or a uniform flat surface on the substrate, it is necessary to adjust a drop recipe, which is coating information indicating the supply position of the droplets (drops) of the imprint material on the substrate.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, a method of generating a drop recipe using a Voronoi diagram has been proposed. In Patent Document ②, a method of simulating the shape in which a drop spreads using fluid calculation has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0006] To correct defects such as droplet seepage and incomplete filling at the outer edge of the circuit board by adjusting the droplet size, it is necessary to accurately predict the spread of the droplet at the outer edge of the circuit board. The method using Voronoi diagrams described in Patent Document 1 is effective for predicting the droplet spread shape mainly within the shot region, but it may incorrectly predict the droplet spread shape at the outer edge of the substrate. Furthermore, while Patent Document 2 allows for prediction of droplet spread shape even at the outer edge of the substrate through simulation involving fluid dynamics calculations, it requires significant computational resources. The present invention provides a molding apparatus capable of predicting the spread of multiple droplets of a curable composition on the outer periphery of a substrate and determining a method for adjusting the arrangement of the droplets based on the prediction results. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, a molding apparatus as one aspect of the present invention is a molding apparatus that brings a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate into contact with a mold, and forms a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, and is characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a molding apparatus that can predict the spread of multiple droplets of a curable composition on the outer periphery of a substrate and determine a method for adjusting the arrangement of the droplets based on the prediction results. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the molding apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 2]This figure shows an example configuration of the information processing device of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration on which the information processing device of the present invention is implemented. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of information regarding the application of imprint material. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the supply of imprint material onto a circuit board. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the user interface screen for an editor. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example where some of the imprint material coating information has been removed to match the shape of the outer edge of the circuit board. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the characteristic shape of the substrate edge. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the flow of adjusting the imprint material on the outer edge of the circuit board. [Figure 10] This diagram shows a flowchart for predicting the spread shape of the imprint material on the outer edge of the substrate. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a Voronoi diagram calculated based on the arrangement of imprinted materials. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates the extent of the vertices of the extension region relative to the Voronoi region. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the shape of the expanding region. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of calculating an adjustment vector for the placement of imprint material based on the spread shape and outer boundary. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of calculating an adjustment vector for the placement of imprint material based on the spread shape and outer boundary. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of calculating an adjustment vector for the placement of imprint material based on the spread shape and outer boundary. [Figure 17] This figure illustrates an example of adjusting the volume of the imprint material based on its spreading shape and outer boundary. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example where the arrangement of droplets in the imprint material has been removed. [Figure 19]It is a diagram showing an example in which the position of the imprint material is adjusted. [Figure 20] It is a diagram showing an example of calculating the spreading shape of a closed Voronoi region. [Figure 21] It is a diagram explaining a method for calculating the spreading shape of a closed Voronoi region. [Figure 22] It is a diagram showing an example of adding droplets of the imprint material. [Figure 23] It is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing an article.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] There is an imprint technique in which a mold M having a fine pattern (concavo-convex pattern) formed thereon is brought into contact with an imprint material R supplied onto a substrate S to form (transfer) the fine pattern.

[0011] This imprint technique has attracted attention as one of the mass-production nano-lithography techniques for semiconductor devices and magnetic storage media. One of the imprint techniques is a photo-curing method using a photo-curable resin as the imprint material R. In an imprint apparatus adopting this photo-curing method, first, the imprint material R is supplied (coated) onto the substrate S. Next, with the mold M having a pattern formed thereon being in contact with the imprint material R, light such as ultraviolet light is irradiated, and after the imprint material is cured, the mold is separated, whereby the pattern is formed on the substrate S.

[0012] The imprint technique is also used for planarization processing in manufacturing semiconductor devices. For example, the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes repeated addition and removal of materials to the substrate S. This process generates a layered substrate having irregular height variations (i.e., topography), and as more layers are added, the height variations of the substrate S increase. The height variations affect the ability to add further layers to the layered substrate.

[0013] Separately, semiconductor substrates (e.g., silicon wafers) themselves are not necessarily perfectly flat and include initial surface height variations (i.e., topography). To address this problem, a process to planarize the substrate surface can be included during the stacking process. Various lithography patterning methods derive advantages from patterning a plane. In ArF laser-based lithography, planarization improves depth of focus (DOF), critical dimension (CD), and the uniformity of critical dimensions.

[0014] In the imprinting or planarization process, when supplying resin, i.e., imprint material R, onto the substrate S, droplets of the imprint material R are arranged on the substrate S using, for example, an inkjet method. Then, by bringing the droplets of the imprint material R on the substrate into contact with the mold M, the imprint material R is filled (penetrated) into the recesses of the pattern on the mold M.

[0015] However, in imprint machines, defects may occur in the pattern formed on the substrate S due to differences in the pattern of the mold M or manufacturing variations, making it difficult to always form a high-quality pattern or a uniformly flat surface. To avoid this problem, it is necessary to adjust the drop recipe (imprint recipe), which is the coating information (coating pattern) that indicates the supply position of droplets of the imprint material R on the substrate S.

[0016] The coating pattern is corrected after the imprinting process is completed until all defects are eliminated. Defects include "unfilled" areas where the imprint material R is not filled between the mold M and the substrate S, and "bleed-out" areas where the imprint material R spills out from the imprinted area.

[0017] The outer periphery of the substrate S is generally curved (curved, arc-shaped). A drop recipe is generated by comparing the coordinate information of the droplets of the imprint material R in the coating pattern with the cutting range that includes the curved shape, and deleting the coordinates of the droplets of the imprint material R outside the range. In many cases, the coordinate information of the droplets of the imprint material R in the coating pattern is generated over a range that includes the desired droplet range and is larger than the range that includes the curved part. However, this method of generating a drop recipe is affected by the coordinate information of the droplets before cutting, resulting in non-uniformity in droplet density and the distance from the outer periphery of the substrate S to the droplets, which can lead to the aforementioned issues of incomplete filling and seepage.

[0018] If the outer edge of the substrate is not filled, it can affect the overlapping accuracy due to contact between the substrate S and the mold M, and there is a risk of the mold M being damaged. If the material seeps out at the outer edge of the substrate, it may cause the imprint material R to flow outside the imprint area or remain attached to part of the mold M, potentially causing defects in the next shot. In other words, the defect will be carried over to the next shot area. In actual operation, it is necessary to repeat the imprint process and the drop recipe correction, and a great deal of time is spent correcting the drop recipe.

[0019] To address this problem, when adjusting the placement of droplets in the imprint material R on the outer edge of the substrate, it is necessary to specify the cutting precisely and adjust droplets that are likely to cause defects (changing the position of the droplets, changing the amount of droplets). In addition to simple droplet coordinate cutting, when suppressing seepage and incomplete filling on the outer edge of the substrate, it is necessary to identify the droplets causing these defects and adjust their placement. Defects and droplets can be associated by predicting how the droplets will spread due to contact between the imprint material R on the substrate S and the mold M.

[0020] To correct defects such as droplet seepage or incomplete filling of the imprint material R at the outer edge of the substrate by adjusting the droplet size, it is necessary to accurately predict the spread of the droplets at the outer edge of the substrate.

[0021] One method for predicting droplet spread uses geometric Voronoi diagrams. A Voronoi diagram is a diagram that divides a given metric space into regions based on the proximity of multiple points (generators) placed at arbitrary positions within that metric space to other points within the same metric space. This method involves creating a Voronoi diagram for each droplet, using each droplet as a generator, and then predicting the droplet's spread.

[0022] However, while Voronoi diagrams are effective for predicting droplet spread shape primarily within a shot, they can sometimes mispredict droplet spread shape, such as by calculating a very large Voronoi region around the periphery of the substrate. Furthermore, while simulations involving fluid dynamics can predict the spread shape even around the substrate periphery, this requires significant computational resources.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to effectively utilize the substrate S, it is necessary to uniformly distribute the droplets of the imprint material R over as wide an area as possible on the surface of the substrate S. However, since the substrate S has a circular shape (with a curved outer edge), it is not possible to make the relationship between the droplets placed on the outermost edge of the substrate S and the outer edge of the substrate S uniform, even when the droplets of the imprint material R are arranged in a grid pattern using the method described later with reference to Figure 5. Therefore, in order to correct defects such as leakage or incomplete filling of the imprint material R droplets on the outer edge of the substrate by adjusting the position, amount, and presence of the droplets, it is necessary to correctly predict the spread of the droplets on the outer edge of the substrate.

[0024] This invention provides a method for predicting the spread of imprint material droplets on the outer periphery of a substrate and adjusting the droplets based on the prediction results. Preferred embodiments of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] <Embodiment> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the IMP (film deposition apparatus) of this embodiment. The IMP is an apparatus that forms a film on a substrate S using a mold (mask) M. The IMP forms patterned films or flat films on multiple shot regions of the substrate S by repeating the imprint process.

[0026] Here, the film formation process refers to a series of cycles including supplying the imprint material R to the substrate S, contact between the mold M and the imprint material R, filling the pattern P of the mold M with the imprint material R, alignment, curing (exposure), and peeling off the mold M. In this embodiment, the shot region refers to a region of size corresponding to one pattern P of the mold M, that is, a region (molding region) in which a pattern of the imprint material R corresponding to the pattern P of the mold M is formed in one imprint process.

[0027] The imprint material R uses a curable composition (uncured resin) that hardens when curing energy is applied. The curing energy can be electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. As electromagnetic waves, for example, infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light with a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm can be used. That is, the imprint material R may be an ultraviolet-curing resin that hardens when irradiated with ultraviolet light, or a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin.

[0028] A curable composition is a composition that hardens upon irradiation with light or upon heating. A photocurable composition that hardens upon irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may optionally contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components, and the like.

[0029] The substrate S may be made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc., and if necessary, a component made of a material other than the substrate S may be formed on its surface. Specifically, the substrate includes silicon wafers, compound semiconductor wafers, quartz glass, etc.

[0030] The molding apparatus IMP of this embodiment includes a substrate chuck 301 (substrate holding part) for holding the substrate S, a substrate stage 302, a mold chuck 303 (mold holding part), and a mold stage 304 (mold driving part). Furthermore, it may also include a dispenser D (supply part), an alignment scope 305, a light source 308, a detection light source 309, and a mirror 310.

[0031] The substrate chuck 301 holds the substrate S. The substrate chuck 301 holds the substrate S by means of, for example, a vacuum suction pad. The substrate stage 302 holds the substrate chuck 301 and moves the substrate S in six axes by a drive mechanism (not shown) to align the substrate S with the mold M. The drive mechanism may consist of multiple drive mechanisms such as a coarse drive mechanism and a fine drive mechanism. The substrate S is a substrate on which a relief pattern is transferred, and includes, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate or an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate.

[0032] The mold chuck 303 holds a mold M on which a transfer pattern (pattern portion) P is formed, or a mold M for planarization. The mold M is held by the mold chuck 303 by, for example, vacuum suction force or electrostatic force. The mold stage 304 holds the mold chuck 303 and drives the mold chuck 303 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The mold M is, for example, rectangular in its outer circumference, has a predetermined uneven pattern formed in three dimensions on the surface facing the substrate S, and is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light (such as quartz).

[0033] The dispenser D may include, for example, a tank for containing imprint material R, a nozzle (not shown) for dispensing the imprint material R supplied from the tank through a supply path onto a substrate S, a valve provided in the supply path, and a supply amount control unit. The supply amount control unit controls the amount of imprint material R supplied to the substrate S by controlling the valve so that, for example, the imprint material R is applied to one shot area in one dispensing operation of the imprint material R.

[0034] The alignment scope 305 is fixed to the mold stage 304 and detects alignment marks (substrate-side marks 306) formed on the substrate S and alignment marks (mold-side marks 307) formed on the mold M. The substrate-side marks 306 are formed in the shot area on the substrate S, and the mold-side marks 307 are formed in the pattern P of the mold M.

[0035] The calculation unit 230 in the control unit 220, described later, determines the relative positional misalignment between the mold M and the substrate S from the detection results of the substrate-side mark 306 and mold-side mark 307 detected by the alignment scope 305. Based on the determined relative positional misalignment, the control unit 220 drives the substrate stage 302 and the mold stage 304 to correct the relative positional misalignment between the mold M and the substrate S. The relative positional misalignment includes not only the shift component but also errors in the magnification and rotation components. The shape of the pattern P of the mold M can be corrected to match the shot area formed on the substrate S.

[0036] As a method for detecting the substrate-side mark 306 and the mold-side mark 307, interference signals such as moiré signals that reflect the relative positions of these two marks can be used. Alternatively, the relative positions of the two marks can be determined by detecting the image of each mark.

[0037] Light source 308 is a light source that emits (irradiates, illuminates) exposure light (ultraviolet light), and detection light source 309 is a detection light source that emits detection light. Mirror 310 is a dichroic mirror and has the property of reflecting exposure light and transmitting detection light. The exposure light from light source 308 is reflected by mirror 310 and irradiated onto the imprint material R, curing the imprint material R. As a result, a pattern P film of type M is formed (transferred) or a planarization film is formed on the substrate S.

[0038] The detection light from the detection light source 309 passes through the mirror 310, the mold stage 304, and the mold chuck 303, illuminating the shot area on the substrate S. The detection light that illuminates the shot area is reflected from the surface of the substrate S and the pattern surface of the mold M, and the reflected light from the substrate S and the reflected light from the mold M are detected as detection light by the imaging unit CAM. The detection light detected by the imaging unit CAM is displayed on the monitor 201, allowing the operator to observe the imprint process. In other words, the imaging unit CAM can acquire an image of the spread of the imprint material R when the mold M is brought into contact, and the imaging unit CAM functions as an image acquisition means. Furthermore, the image obtained by the imaging unit CAM can be treated as inspection information.

[0039] Figure 2 shows an example configuration of the information processing device 200 in this embodiment. The information processing device 200 may include a console unit 210, a control unit 220, a monitor 201, and an input device 202.

[0040] The console unit 210 functions as a user interface, generating and managing operation screens (editing screens) such as the editor (Drop Adjustment Editor) 600, which will be described later with reference to Figure 6. The console unit 210 also manages, for example, the database DB and the drop recipe, which is the application information RP of the imprint material R, and displays the drop recipe on the monitor 201. In other words, the console unit 210 functions as a display control means. The monitor 201 is a display device that displays the operation screen and also functions as a display means. The input device 202 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse.

[0041] The control unit 220 controls the operation of each component of the molding apparatus IMP shown in Figure 1, such as the substrate stage 302, the mold stage 304, and the dispenser D. The control unit 220 can be connected to each component of the molding apparatus IMP by a line (wired or wireless). The method according to this embodiment is executed by a computer as a program. The control unit 220 also has a calculation unit 230.

[0042] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration on which the information processing device 200 of this embodiment is implemented. The information processing device 200 edits a drop pattern to correct defects in a film deposition process, for example, and displays the result. The information processing device 200 includes a CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, and input / output 104 to an external storage device, etc., which are interconnected by a bus 105.

[0043] The CPU 101 operates based on programs stored in ROM 102 and controls various parts of the information processing device 200. ROM 102 stores boot programs executed by the CPU 101 when the information processing device 200 starts up, as well as programs that depend on the hardware of the information processing device 200. The CPU 101 implements the flow described later by, for example, executing programs loaded onto RAM 103. The CPU 101 may also obtain and execute these programs from other devices, for example, via a network.

[0044] Input / output 104 receives input signals from external devices (such as imaging devices and operating devices) in a format that can be processed by the information processing device 200, and outputs output signals to external devices (such as display devices) in a format that can be processed.

[0045] Figure 4 shows an example of droplet placement on a substrate S based on the coating information RP of the imprint material R. The coating information RP is managed by the console unit 210, and the coordinates and amount indicating the position when supplying the imprint material R to the substrate S are set (recorded) as a drop recipe. The control unit 220 controls the substrate stage 302 and the dispenser D so that the imprint material R is supplied to the position set in the coating information RP on the substrate S.

[0046] Figure 5 illustrates the supply of imprint material R onto the substrate S. Specifically, it shows how the imprint material R is supplied (applied) onto the substrate S based on the coordinate information of the coating information RP shown in Figure 4. The control unit 220 controls the substrate stage 302 to move it, for example, in the direction of arrow 501. Then, by dispensing the imprint material R from multiple nozzles N arranged in the dispenser D based on the coordinate information of the coating information RP, droplets of the imprint material R are supplied onto the substrate S. As a result, droplets of the imprint material R are supplied onto the substrate S in an arrangement based on the coating information RP.

[0047] The method for supplying the imprint material R onto the substrate S may involve dispensing the imprint material R while moving the dispenser D, instead of moving the substrate stage 302, or by moving the substrate stage 302 and the dispenser D relative to each other.

[0048] Based on the coating information RP, the imprint material R is applied to the substrate S, and then the mold M is brought into contact with the imprint material R supplied to the substrate S (imprinting, pattern formation), thereby filling the recesses in the pattern P of the mold M with the imprint material R.

[0049] The mold chuck 303 has a recess larger than the pattern P area on the opposite side of the central pattern P surface, which is sealed by the mold and a sealing glass (not shown). A pressure control unit (not shown) is connected to this sealed space (cavity), allowing the pressure in the sealed space to be controlled. During stamping, the pressure in the cavity is increased to deform the mold M into a convex shape, thereby suppressing the formation of air bubbles between the substrate S and the mold M during stamping.

[0050] Once the imprint material R on the substrate S and the mold M come into contact, the pressure in the cavity is released to ensure that the imprint material R on the substrate S and the mold M are in complete contact. After contact, the imprint material R is cured by irradiating it with light of a predetermined wavelength, forming a pattern on the imprint material R in a predetermined pattern area of ​​the substrate S. After that, the mold M is separated from the cured imprint material R. This results in the formation of a film with a pattern P on the substrate S, or a flat film in the case of a planarization process.

[0051] Figure 6 shows an example of the operation screen of the editor 600, which functions as a user interface. The editor 600 is used to generate and edit coating information RP, and is generated by the control unit 220 and provided as a user interface. In this embodiment, the editor 600 generated by the control unit 220 is managed by the console unit 210 and displayed on the monitor 201.

[0052] However, the editor 600 may be generated by the control unit 220 of the molding apparatus IMP, or by an information processing device outside the molding apparatus IMP. Similarly, the editor 600 may be displayed on the monitor 201 of the molding apparatus IMP, or on an external monitor. Here, we will describe an example in which the editor 600 is displayed on the monitor 201.

[0053] In the editor 600, area 601 displays coating information RP indicating the position and amount of imprint material R to be supplied on the substrate S. Area 601 also has area 602 where a parameter can be set to switch between displaying, for example, the entire substrate or the shot area. Furthermore, area 603 has area 603 where parameters such as a configuration file for acquiring inspection information after imprinting can be set. Area 604 displays information acquired from the configuration file.

[0054] The program for running the editor 600 may be provided by the information processing device 200 as described in this embodiment. Alternatively, it may be provided on a computer (not shown) connected to the information processing device 200 or the molding apparatus IMP via a wired or wireless communication line. [Examples]

[0055] The molding apparatus and method for adjusting the placement and supply of droplets of imprint material R onto the substrate surface in nanolithography technology for mass production of semiconductor devices and magnetic storage media, according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0056] This section describes an example of determining the placement of droplets of imprint material R on the outer periphery of the substrate. When forming a film on a substrate S, if the mold M is smaller than the substrate S, a pattern is formed on the entire film surface of the substrate S by repeatedly imprinting a single shot area (full field). If the entire shot area is contained within the substrate S, the film is formed using the application information (droplet dropping information) of the imprint material R as shown in Figure 4. However, there are cases where the shot area includes a partial area that extends beyond the substrate S, in which case it is necessary to generate application information that matches the shape of the outer perimeter of the substrate S. In this specification, the part of the substrate S where the application information needs to be changed to match the shape of the substrate S is referred to as the outer perimeter of the substrate.

[0057] A simple example of modifying coating information is that by comparing the coordinate information of the outer edge of the substrate with the placement coordinates of the imprint material R, coating information can be generated by adopting only the imprint material R on the inside of the substrate S as a droplet to be coated.

[0058] Thus, editing the coating information by cutting out a predetermined droplet position from a group of droplets of imprint material R within a single shot area (Full Field) is also referred to as cutting. Figure 7 shows an example of cutting. Figure 7 shows the substrate edge (SE), which indicates the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, and the invalid area (IA), which is the area where the imprint material R droplets are not to be placed. The placement of the imprint material R droplets in the invalid area IA is deleted. The invalid area IA needs to be set according to the outer periphery shape of the substrate S.

[0059] When the substrate S is a wafer W, the cross-sectional view including the perpendicular to the substrate surface at the outer edge is as shown in Figure 8. The wafer W has bevels B and edge cuts EC that are created when the outer edge is chamfered during the wafer manufacturing process. When the substrate S is a wafer W, as shown in Figure 8, the area IA where the imprint material R is prohibited from being placed is set as a wafer edge exclusion area (WEE) that includes the bevels B and edge cuts EC, so as not to be affected by the bevels B and edge cuts EC.

[0060] However, depending on the arrangement of the imprint material R before cutting, variations in the distance between the substrate edge SE and the imprint material R can occur because the imprint material R is arranged in a grid pattern while the substrate edge SE is curved. For example, as shown in Figure 7, imprint material R1 is close to the substrate edge SE, but imprint material R2 is far away from the substrate edge SE.

[0061] If the imprint material R is too close to the substrate edge SE, the imprint material R may extend beyond the substrate edge SE, or if there is a pattern P on the mold M, the imprint material R may get into the pattern P, both of which can result in defects. Conversely, if the distance between the imprint material R and the substrate edge SE is too far, the film thickness will be too thin, which may cause the mold M and the substrate S to come into contact, leading to a deterioration in the overlapping accuracy and potentially damaging the mold M.

[0062] Such problems are not simply caused by the distance between the substrate edge SE and the imprint material R, but are also influenced by the density of droplets in the imprint material R. If the droplets in the imprint material R are sparsely arranged, the film thickness will be thin, and if they are dense, the area that spreads in the direction of the substrate edge SE will be larger. Furthermore, localized sparseness and density can create an uneven film or cause seepage defects. To prevent such defects, it is necessary to adjust at least one of the following: the position, amount, or presence of droplets in the imprint material R.

[0063] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of the process for adjusting the arrangement of droplets of the imprint material R on the outer periphery of the substrate in this embodiment. This process is performed by the information processing device 200 shown in Figure 2. The information processing device 200 may be an external device to the molding apparatus IMP, or it may be a device configured inside the molding apparatus IMP.

[0064] In step S11, the droplet spread area is calculated when the mold M on the outer edge of the substrate and the droplet of the imprint material R on the substrate S come into contact with each other. The specific method for calculating the droplet spread area will be described later.

[0065] In step S12, the calculated droplet spread area is compared with the outer boundary OB (Outline Boundary), which is the edge of the desired liquid film set based on the outer periphery of the substrate. In step S13, the droplet placement is adjusted based on the comparison results. The adjustment of droplet placement includes at least one of the following: moving the position of the droplets, adjusting the amount of droplets, cutting the position of droplets (deleting placements), or adding droplet positions (adding placements).

[0066] After step S13 is completed, the process from step S11 is carried out based on the droplet arrangement adjusted in step S13, and the process shown in Figure 9 is continued until the predetermined convergence conditions are met. More specifically, a Voronoi diagram based on the droplet arrangement adjusted in step S13 is obtained by geometric calculation, and the process from step S11 is carried out.

[0067] Here, as a predetermined convergence condition, for example, a convergence condition may be set such that the difference between the values ​​obtained in the Nth and (N-1)th processing flow of Figure 9 for at least one of the positions, amounts, or number of droplets falls within a predetermined range.

[0068] An example of a method for calculating the specific droplet spread area on the outer periphery of the substrate in step S11 will be explained with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart for deriving the spread area for each droplet of the imprint material R based on the Voronoi diagram VD. A Voronoi diagram is a diagram that divides a plane into regions based on which parent point a point at any given position in the plane is closest to, when multiple points (parent points) (in this invention, the positions of droplets of the imprint material R) are arranged on the plane.

[0069] In step S111, a Voronoi diagram VD is first created using the positions of the droplets on the imprint material R as the generating points. Figure 11 shows an example of a Voronoi diagram VD created using the positions of the droplets on the imprint material R in Figure 7 as the generating points. In Figure 7, the substrate edge SE is shown as a thick solid line, the outer boundary OB of the placement prohibition area IA of the droplet spreading area of ​​the imprint material R is shown as a thin solid line, and the Voronoi boundary is shown as a dashed line.

[0070] In step S112, the reference spreading area (area threshold) A0 for each imprint material R is calculated. The reference spreading area A0 can be calculated, for example, by dividing the volume of each imprint material R by the desired thickness of the liquid film after film formation. Furthermore, if information on the unevenness of the substrate or the pattern P of the mold M is available, the volume of the pattern P may be considered in addition to the volume of the imprint material R when calculating the reference spreading area A0.

[0071] In step S113, within each Voronoi region, the polygon enclosing each droplet of the imprint material R is set as the initial value of the spread region for that droplet.

[0072] In step S114, the vertices of the polygon are expanded radially by a unit movement distance v, centered on the imprint material R, and the area of ​​the polygon at that time (calculated expanded area) A1 is calculated. The process of expanding the vertices of the polygon radially by a unit movement distance v, centered on the imprint material R, will be described later with reference to Figure 12. By setting a small value for the unit movement distance v, the calculated expanded area A1 for a given unit movement distance v can be changed in minute increments.

[0073] The number of angles (spread vertices) of the polygon can be set arbitrarily. The more vertices there are, the closer the shape of the region outlined by the vertices will be to a circle, resulting in a state that is closer to the actual way in which a droplet spreads from its center. However, this increases the computational load, so the number of vertices should be set appropriately according to the application conditions. Also, the vertices will spread until they touch the Voronoi boundary of the pre-created Voronoi diagram VD, and the vertices that touch will stop moving.

[0074] In step S115, the calculated spreading area A1 is compared with the reference spreading area A0. If the calculated spreading area A1 is greater than the reference spreading area A0, the movement of all vertices is stopped and the process is terminated. In this case, the spreading region is the region obtained by spreading the droplet from its initial state until the area of ​​the droplet's spreading region exceeds a predetermined area threshold (for example, based on the droplet's volume and the design thickness after film formation). This allows the spreading shape of the droplet of the imprint material R to be obtained.

[0075] In step S115, if the calculated spreading area A1 is smaller than the reference spreading area A0, the process proceeds to step S116. In this case, when the mold M is pressed onto the imprint material R on the substrate S, there is a possibility that it will spread beyond the spreading area of ​​the imprint material R and into the spreading area of ​​the adjacent imprint material R. Therefore, it is necessary to further widen the spreading area of ​​the imprint material R.

[0076] In step S116, we check whether all vertices touch the Voronoi boundary. If all vertices touch the Voronoi boundary, we proceed to step S117; if there are vertices that do not touch the Voronoi boundary, we return to step S114.

[0077] When returning from step S116 to S114, as shown in Figure 12(a), the state is that in the outward expansion of each vertex, all vertices are within a single Voronoi region enclosed by a Voronoi boundary. In this case, the calculated expansion area A1 is less than or equal to the reference expansion area A0, and at least one vertex has not yet touched a Voronoi boundary during the outward expansion process of the vertices. In this specification, the Voronoi region centered on the droplet of imprint material R in this state is defined as an open Voronoi region.

[0078] If the process proceeds from step S116 to S117, as shown in Figure 12(b), the calculated spreading area A1 is less than or equal to the reference spreading area A0 in the outward spreading of the vertices, and at least one vertex is outside the Voronoi region of the imprint material R. In this specification, the Voronoi region centered on the droplet of the imprint material R in this state is defined as a closed Voronoi region.

[0079] In step S117, the vertex is moved a small distance towards the outer periphery of the substrate S, beyond the Voronoi boundary, in the direction of the substrate edge, and the calculated spread area A1 is calculated. The direction in which the vertex spreads depends on its arrangement with the surrounding imprint material R, but the closer it is to the outer periphery of the substrate, the weaker the force with which the other imprint material R pushes back against the target imprint material R, so it spreads in the direction of the edge. In particular, it spreads in the direction of the outer periphery of the substrate, which is the Voronoi point furthest from the target imprint material R. The spread region obtained in step S117 is a region composed of polygons in which all vertices are on the Voronoi boundary of the Voronoi region of the droplet or outside the Voronoi region.

[0080] Next, the process proceeds to step S118, where the calculated spread area A1 obtained in step S117 is compared with the reference spread area A0. If the calculated spread area A1 is less than or equal to the reference spread area A0, the process returns to step S117. If the calculated spread area A1 is greater than the reference spread area A0, the process terminates. Steps S117 and S118 are repeated in this manner until the calculated spread area A1 is greater than the reference spread area A0.

[0081] By calculating the spread shape of each droplet of the imprint material R calculated in this way, the spread shape after film formation relative to the substrate edge can be calculated. Figure 13 shows an example of a spread shape calculated using the spread shape calculation flow shown in Figure 10. The part of the spread shape shown in Figure 13 closest to the substrate edge has an arc shape centered on each droplet of the imprint material R, because the spread shape is composed of a polygon formed by many arbitrarily set vertices.

[0082] In the case of imprint material R1, it can be seen that the area of ​​droplet spread that extends beyond the prohibited placement area IA of the imprint material R (the area indicated by the diagonal lines) (EA: Extrusion Area) is large. Conversely, it can be seen that the droplet spread area of ​​imprint material R2 is far from the substrate edge SE.

[0083] Next, in step S12 of Figure 9, the calculated droplet spreading region is compared with the outer peripheral boundary OB, which will be the edge of the desired liquid film. The comparison examples shown in Figures 14 to 16 show the spreading shape in the substrate edge direction (RW: Resist Wavefront) calculated from the imprint material R, and the target outer peripheral boundary OB, which is the boundary on the edge side of the spreading shape RW. Since both the outer peripheral boundary OB and the aforementioned placement prohibition region IA of the imprint material R are set to be shapes that follow the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, the same value may be used, or different values ​​may be used in the sense that they represent the target shape after film formation.

[0084] Here, the outer boundary OB is described in detail. Basically, it can be set at a certain distance inward from the outer edge of the substrate, in accordance with the shape of the outer edge of the substrate. However, depending on the pattern P of type M and the uneven shape of the substrate surface S, the outer boundary OB may be partially set inside or outside the substrate S using a value obtained by an arbitrary input parameter.

[0085] For example, if a portion of the outer periphery of the substrate is recessed perpendicular to the substrate surface, the resist will be contained in the recess and less likely to spread radially outward from the substrate S. Therefore, the outer boundary OB may be set further outward than in the case where there is no recess. As a result, it is possible to more accurately predict the spread of the imprint material R in the area up to a certain distance from the outer periphery of the substrate while preventing seepage into the outer periphery of the substrate.

[0086] Furthermore, the outer boundary OB may be set based on actual measured values ​​of the shape of the substrate S. For example, measured values ​​such as the contour shape of the outer edge of the substrate S, the unevenness of the surface of the substrate S, and the thickness distribution of the substrate S may be used to reflect the setting of the outer boundary OB. By setting the outer boundary OB based on measured values, the influence of variations in the shape of the substrate S due to manufacturing errors and other factors can be suppressed, preventing the imprint material R from seeping out to the outer edge of the substrate, while more accurately predicting the spread of the imprint material R to an area up to a certain distance from the outer edge of the substrate.

[0087] Figure 14 shows the case where the spreading shape RW is outside the target outer boundary OB. The purpose of adjusting the placement of the droplets of the imprint material R is to position the droplets of the imprint material R so that the spreading shape RW approaches the outer boundary OB. For example, based on the fact that the spreading shape RW spreads in an arc shape centered on the position of the droplet of the imprint material R near the outer boundary OB, the vector from the spreading shape RW to the outer boundary OB in the normal direction (perpendicular to the tangent) can be calculated and used to adjust the placement of the imprint material R.

[0088] Figure 15 shows the case where the spreading shape RW is located towards the center (inward) of the substrate than the target outer boundary OB. Here, the vector that maximizes the distance between the spreading shape RW and the outer boundary OB in the normal direction is calculated. Both Figures 14 and 15 compare the spreading shape RW and the outer boundary OB to calculate the point where the two lines are furthest apart in the normal direction of the spreading shape RW, which can then be used to adjust the placement of the imprint material R.

[0089] Figure 16, like Figure 14, shows the case where the spreading shape RW is outside the target outer boundary OB. The area EA of the region enclosed by the spreading shape RW and the outer boundary OB (overhang area) can be used to adjust the placement of the imprint material R. As described above, vectors and overflow area EA can be calculated from comparative information using the coating information of the imprint material R as feature quantities for adjusting the placement of the imprint material R.

[0090] In an IMP molding apparatus using dispenser D, the structure of dispenser D, which is the head for applying droplets of imprint material R onto the substrate S, restricts the positions where droplets can be placed. Generally, the multiple nozzles arranged in dispenser D are spaced equally apart by an interval NP (Nozzle Pitch), and since the positions of the nozzles are fixed, it is not possible to dispense droplets in positions between the nozzles.

[0091] Furthermore, by controlling the dispenser D to move back and forth, it is possible to dispense material on the return trip to areas that could not be dispensed on the forward trip. However, increasing the number of reciprocations leads to a decrease in throughput and a longer time until the film deposition process, which can cause the previously dispensed resist droplets to evaporate. Therefore, when adjusting the droplets, the droplet arrangement must be adjusted to suit these constraints. The following example of adjusting the imprint material R is an example where the smallest unit of droplet movement can only be moved at a predetermined pitch in the up, down, left, and right directions, depending on the nozzle spacing NP.

[0092] In step S13 of Figure 9, the droplet placement is adjusted based on the comparison result between the calculated droplet spread shape RW obtained in step S12 and the outer boundary OB which will be the edge of the desired liquid film. Referring to Figures 14 and 15, an example of adjusting the placement of the imprint material R using the calculated vector will be explained. The method for obtaining the adjustment vector (AV) calculated based on the comparison between the spread shape RW and the outer boundary OB, and the actual adjustment vector (AAV) based on the constraints on the dispensing of the dispenser D is shown below.

[0093] An example of how to calculate the adjustment vector AAV is shown below. First, calculate the normal direction of the tangent to the spreading shape RW (Resist Wavefront). At each position of the end of the spreading shape RW, the vector connecting the two points with the longest distance between the end of the spreading shape RW and the outer boundary (OB) can be used as the calculated adjustment vector AV (see Figures 14 and 15). First, calculate the coordinates by applying the adjustment vector AV to the coordinates of the imprint material R.

[0094] As already explained, due to the functional constraints of the dispenser D, there are limitations on where droplets of the imprint material R can be placed. For example, in Figures 14 and 15, droplets can only be placed at the intersections indicated by the dashed grid. Therefore, the actual adjustment vector AAV is set to the ejection position closest to the calculated coordinates. By adjusting the ejection coordinates of the imprint material R droplets so that they move inward towards the substrate S by the adjustment vector AAV (amount of movement, direction of movement), the area that extends outside the outer boundary OB can be reduced.

[0095] Figure 16 shows an example of determining the adjustment direction (actual adjustment vector AAV) for adjusting the spreading shape RW from the normal direction of the tangent toward the inside of the substrate S. Alternatively, the adjustment direction may be the direction from the centroid of the region formed by the spreading shape RW and the outer boundary OB to the imprint material R. For the magnitude of the vector, the unit area of ​​the overhang area EA corresponding to the magnitude of the distance may be determined in advance, and the magnitude of the movement may be determined from the calculated overhang area EA. If the magnitude of the calculated overhang area EA exceeds a predetermined threshold, the position of the droplet on the imprint material R may be removed.

[0096] Figure 17 shows an example of changing the discharge volume of the imprint material R. If the amount of imprint material R dispensed from the dispenser can be changed, the volume can be calculated by multiplying the calculated overflow area EA by the film thickness, and the amount of imprint material R dispensed can be adjusted. In this case, it is not necessary to change the dispensing position of the imprint material R, so the influence of the surrounding spread shape of the imprint material R is reduced.

[0097] Changing the ejection position of the imprint material R is easy to correct and suitable for rough adjustments. Adjusting the ejection volume of the imprint material R is suitable for fine adjustments, but there are limitations to the range in which the ejection volume can be changed. Therefore, it may be advisable to use coarse adjustments by adjusting the ejection position and fine adjustments by adjusting the ejection volume.

[0098] An example after adjustment is shown. Figure 18 shows an example where the position of the imprint material R1 has been removed from the overhang area EA in Figure 13. Alternatively, an arbitrary threshold for the overhang area EA can be used to compare the overhang area EA with the overhang area EA, and if it exceeds the threshold, it can be removed. By removing the imprint material R1 at the coordinates marked with an "x" (DR: Delete Resist), the overall overhang amount has been reduced.

[0099] Figure 19 shows an example of adjusting the placement of the imprint material R from Figure 13. Moving the imprint material R1 inward improves the overhang area EA. Repeated adjustments to each imprint material R improve the overall amount of overhang.

[0100] Figure 20 shows an example of the spread when the imprint material R3 droplet, whose Voronoi region is reduced by recalculation, expands outward beyond the Voronoi boundary when the imprint material R1 near the edge is moved inward, as shown in Figure 19. This corresponds to the case of the spread of a closed Voronoi region explained with reference to Figure 12(b). When the angle between the substrate edge direction at each of the multiple Voronoi points and the direction from the position of the imprint material R to each of the multiple Voronoi points is different, the spread can be calculated by considering the angle relative to each Voronoi point.

[0101] Referring to Figure 21, the method for calculating the extent beyond the Voronoi region will be explained. With the imprint material R as the origin O, the substrate edge is on the positive y-axis side relative to the origin O, and the Voronoi points VP1, VP2, and VP3 of the Voronoi region are on the positive y-axis side relative to the origin O. Regarding the relationship between the imprint material R and the substrate edge direction at each Voronoi point, for example, the angles between the line connecting the imprint material R and each Voronoi point VP1, VP2, and VP3 and the positive x-axis are θ1, θ2, and θ3, respectively.

[0102] In the example shown in Figure 21, |θ2|<|θ3|<|θ1|. Therefore, the droplet spreads more easily towards the edge at Voronoi point VP2 than at Voronoi points VP1 and VP3. Figure 21 shows the ease with which the droplet spreads towards the edge at each of the Voronoi points VP1, VP2, and VP3, expressed by multiplying the unit displacement v by the coefficient cosθ. Here, θ is the angle in the edge direction with respect to the line connecting the imprint material R and the Voronoi point.

[0103] Figure 22 shows the case where droplets are added in contrast to the droplet deletion in Figure 18, based on the comparison between the outer boundary OB and the droplet spread area in step S12 of the processing flow in Figure 10. Candidate droplets to add (Radd1, Radd2) are shown in Figure 22. The position and amount of candidate droplets to add may be set based on the distance between the outer boundary OB and the edge of the droplet spread area, the position of adjacent droplets, the amount of droplets, etc.

[0104] As described above, it is possible to predict the expansion of the outer periphery of the substrate and adjust the placement (position, amount, and presence or absence) of the imprint material R based on the prediction results. The exemplified technology can be used in nanoimprint lithography equipment that transfers patterns onto substrate S, and in planarization equipment that flattens the unevenness of the substrate surface with imprint material R.

[0105] <Embodiment of Article Manufacturing Method> The pattern of the cured material formed by undergoing an imprinting process using the molding apparatus of the present invention is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. Articles include electrical circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), recording elements, sensors, or molds. Examples of electrical circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), flash memory, and MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory), as well as semiconductor elements such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), CCD (Charge Coupled Device), image sensors, and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Examples of molds include molds for imprinting.

[0106] The pattern of the cured material is either used as is as a component of at least a part of the above-mentioned article, or temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation is performed during the substrate processing process, the resist mask is removed.

[0107] Next, the specific manufacturing method of the article will be described. As shown in Figure 23(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer is prepared on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed on its surface. Subsequently, composition 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, multiple droplet-shaped portions of composition 3z are shown applied to the substrate 1z.

[0108] As shown in Figure 23(b), the imprint mold 4z is positioned opposite the composition 3z on the substrate, with the side where the uneven pattern is formed facing it. As shown in Figure 23(c), the substrate 1z to which the composition 3z is applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The composition 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold 4z as curing energy, the composition 3z hardens.

[0109] As shown in Figure 23(d), after curing composition 3z, when the mold 4z and substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of the cured composition 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In this cured pattern, the recesses of the mold 4z correspond to the protrusions of the cured material, and the protrusions of the mold 4z correspond to the recesses of the cured material. In other words, the uneven pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to composition 3z.

[0110] As shown in Figure 23(e), when etching is performed using the cured material pattern as an etching-resistant mask, the parts of the workpiece 2z surface that are free of or have a thin remaining cured material are removed, forming grooves 5z. As shown in Figure 23(f), when the cured material pattern is removed, an article with grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, the cured material pattern was removed, but it may also be used without removal after processing, for example, as an interlayer insulating film included in semiconductor devices, i.e., as a component of the article. Although an example using a mold for transferring circuit patterns with an uneven pattern has been described as the mold 4z, a mold with a flat surface without an uneven pattern (a flat template) may also be used.

[0111] <Other Embodiments> Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its essence.

[0112] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0113] This embodiment includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Composition 1) A molding apparatus that brings a mold into contact with a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate, thereby forming a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, A molding apparatus characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, obtained based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate. (Configuration 2) The molding apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the control unit obtains the spreading region by geometric calculation based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate. (Composition 3) The molding apparatus according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit acquires the spreading region based on a Voronoi diagram created with each of the plurality of droplets on the substrate as a parent point. (Composition 4) The molding apparatus according to configuration 3, characterized in that the control unit acquires the expanded region as a region obtained by expanding the area of ​​the expanded region of the droplet from an initial state set as the region containing the droplet within the Voronoi region of the Voronoi diagram for each of the plurality of droplets until the area of ​​the expanded region of the droplet becomes larger than a predetermined area threshold. (Composition 5) The molding apparatus according to configuration 4, characterized in that the control unit is a polygon located within the Voronoi region, and the expansion region is obtained by expanding each vertex of the polygon around the generator point. (Composition 6) The molding apparatus according to configuration 4, characterized in that the control unit acquires the spreading region as a region composed of polygons where all vertices lie on the Voronoi boundary of the Voronoi region of the droplet or outside the Voronoi region. (Composition 7) The molding apparatus according to configuration 6, characterized in that the control unit acquires the region obtained by moving at least one vertex of the polygon toward the outer periphery of the substrate. (Composition 8) The dispenser has a plurality of nozzles arranged at equal intervals, each of which dispenses one of the plurality of droplets toward the surface of the substrate, The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, characterized in that the contour shape of the substrate includes a curve. (Composition 9) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that the control unit sets the outer peripheral boundary based on the uneven shape of the substrate surface of the substrate. (Composition 10) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, characterized in that the control unit sets the outer peripheral boundary based on the contour shape of the outer periphery of the substrate. (Composition 11) The molding apparatus according to configuration 9 or 10, wherein the control unit sets the outer boundary based on the measured value of the shape of the substrate. (Composition 12) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, characterized in that the adjustment method includes determining the direction and amount of movement of the droplet's position based on the outer peripheral boundary and the edge of the spreading region. (Composition 13) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, characterized in that the adjustment method includes adjusting the amount of each of the plurality of droplets. (Composition 14) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that the adjustment method includes at least one of deleting or adding the arrangement of the droplets. (Composition 15) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 14, characterized in that the adjustment method includes adjusting the position of the droplet based on a vector connecting the two points with the longest distance between the outer boundary and the edge at each position at the edge of the spreading region in the normal direction. (Composition 16) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 15, characterized in that the adjustment method includes performing adjustments on the droplets in the spreading region whose area on the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral boundary is greater than a threshold. (Composition 17) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 16, characterized in that the mold has an uneven pattern on its surface and is an imprint apparatus for forming a cured material pattern on the substrate. (Composition 18) The molding apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 16, characterized in that the mold is a mold with a flat surface and is a planarizing device for planarizing the surface of the substrate. (Composition 19) An information processing apparatus for determining a method for adjusting the arrangement of a plurality of droplets of a curable composition in a molding apparatus, which brings a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate into contact with a mold and forms a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, An information processing apparatus characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, obtained based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate. (Method 1) A molding method comprising bringing a mold into contact with a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate, thereby forming a liquid film of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, The steps include obtaining a spreading region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets spread upon contact with the mold, based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate, The steps include determining the outer boundary based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, A molding method characterized by comprising the step of adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on the spreading region and the outer peripheral boundary. (program) A program characterized by causing a computer to perform the method described in Method 1. (Method 2) A forming step of forming a pattern on a substrate using a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on the substrate based on an adjustment method determined by a molding apparatus described in any of configurations 1 to 18, The process includes a processing step for processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the forming step, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 200 Information Processing Devices 220 Control Unit IMP molding equipment S substrate W wafer M type R Imprint Material (Curable Composition)

Claims

1. A molding apparatus that brings a mold into contact with a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate, thereby forming a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, A molding apparatus characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, obtained based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate.

2. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit obtains the spreading region by geometric calculation based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate.

3. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit acquires the spreading region based on a Voronoi diagram created with each of the plurality of droplets on the substrate as a parent point.

4. The molding apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit acquires the expanded region as a region obtained by expanding the area of ​​the expanded region of the droplet from an initial state set as a region containing the droplet within the Voronoi region of the Voronoi diagram for each of the plurality of droplets until the area of ​​the expanded region of the droplet becomes larger than a predetermined area threshold.

5. The molding apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit is a polygon located within the Voronoi region, and the expansion region is obtained by expanding each vertex of the polygon around the generator point.

6. The molding apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit acquires the spreading region as a region composed of polygons where all vertices lie on the Voronoi boundary of the Voronoi region of the droplet or outside the Voronoi region.

7. The molding apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the control unit acquires the region obtained by moving at least one vertex of the polygon toward the outer periphery of the substrate.

8. The dispenser has a plurality of nozzles arranged at equal intervals, each of which dispenses one of the plurality of droplets toward the surface of the substrate, The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the contour shape of the substrate includes a curve.

9. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the outer peripheral boundary based on the uneven shape of the substrate surface of the substrate.

10. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the outer peripheral boundary based on the contour shape of the outer periphery of the substrate.

11. The molding apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the control unit sets the outer peripheral boundary based on the measured value of the shape of the substrate.

12. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment method includes determining the direction and amount of movement of the droplet's position based on the outer peripheral boundary and the edge of the spreading region.

13. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment method includes adjusting the amount of each of the plurality of droplets.

14. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment method includes at least one of deleting or adding the arrangement of the droplets.

15. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment method includes adjusting the position of the droplet based on a vector connecting the two points with the longest distance between the outer boundary and the edge at each position at the edge of the spreading region in the normal direction.

16. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment method includes performing adjustments on the droplets in the spreading region whose area on the outer periphery side of the outer boundary is greater than a threshold.

17. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the mold has an uneven pattern on its surface and is an imprint apparatus for forming a pattern of cured material on the substrate.

18. The molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the mold is a mold with a flat surface and is a planarizing device for planarizing the surface of the substrate.

19. An information processing apparatus for determining a method for adjusting the arrangement of a plurality of droplets of a curable composition in a molding apparatus, which brings a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate into contact with a mold and forms a liquid film made of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, An information processing apparatus characterized by having a control unit that determines a method for adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on an expansion region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets expand upon contact with the mold, and an outer boundary determined based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, obtained based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate.

20. A molding method comprising bringing a mold into contact with a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on a substrate, thereby forming a liquid film of the curable composition in the space between the substrate and the mold, The steps include obtaining a spreading region, which is the area in which the plurality of droplets spread upon contact with the mold, based on the arrangement of the plurality of droplets on the substrate, The steps include determining the outer boundary based on the shape of the outer periphery of the substrate, A molding method characterized by comprising the step of adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of droplets based on the spreading region and the outer peripheral boundary.

21. A program characterized by causing a computer to execute the method described in claim 20.

22. A forming step of forming a pattern on a substrate using a plurality of droplets of a curable composition placed on the substrate based on an adjustment method determined by a molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, The process includes a processing step for processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the forming step, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step.

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