LIQUID DISCHARGE APPARATUS, LIQUID DISCHARGE METHOD, MOLDING APPARATUS, AND PRODUCTION METHOD OF ARTICLE

Abstract

To provide a constitution which can correctly identify a droplet to reach a predetermined target position and which is advantageous for an improvement in accuracy of a droplet arrival position.SOLUTION: A plurality of drive signals for discharging droplet amounts different from each other are given so that control can be performed to discharge a plurality of droplets to a substrate from a discharge part having a nozzle for discharging a liquid. Subsequently, a drive signal corresponding to the droplet on the substrate is identified on the basis of the size of the droplet on the substrate, which is acquired by an acquisition part for acquiring the size of the droplet discharged onto the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device, a liquid ejection method, a molding device, and a method for manufacturing an article. [Background technology]

[0002] As the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices and MEMS increases, imprinting technology, which can form fine patterns (structures) on the order of a few nanometers on a substrate, is attracting attention in addition to conventional photolithography technology. Imprinting technology is a microfabrication technology in which an uncured imprinting material is supplied (coated) on a substrate, and the imprinting material supplied on the substrate is brought into contact with a mold, forming a pattern of the imprinting material on the substrate that corresponds to the fine uneven pattern formed on the mold.

[0003] In the process of supplying such an imprint material onto a substrate, a discharge device can be used that supplies droplets of the imprint material from a nozzle (discharge port) using an inkjet method. Specifically, the process is performed while driving the substrate stage to perform a reciprocating scan so that the shot area on the substrate faces the discharge port surface of the dispenser. In this state, the imprint material (liquid) is discharged from the discharge port to arrange droplets on the substrate.

[0004] In order to form an accurate concave-convex pattern on a substrate, it is necessary to land droplets of the imprint material at desired positions. Specifically, it is necessary to keep the landing error of each droplet that lands in a shot area within a few μm. If the imprint process is performed in a state in which the landing error of the imprint material exceeds the allowable value, there is a concern that the imprint material will protrude outside the mold area during the imprinting process, and the protruding imprint material will become a foreign object and cause problems. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the imprint material will not spread over the entire imprint area during the imprinting process, resulting in unfilled defects.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that detects the landing position by imaging droplets of imprint material ejected onto a specified area on a substrate, and controls the drive of a substrate stage that holds and drives the substrate according to the amount of deviation between the landing position and a target position, thereby improving the accuracy of the landing position.

[0006] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that prevents a deterioration in landing accuracy caused by abnormal nozzles by shifting the ejection timing of abnormal nozzles, which have ejection angles or ejection speeds that are different from other nozzles, relative to the ejection timing of normal nozzles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-222705 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-44407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 for improving landing accuracy by correcting substrate stage drive and discharge timing according to the amount of deviation between the landing position and the target position, it is necessary to correctly associate the landing position of the droplet with the target position of the droplet. One method for such association is to recognize the droplet of imprint material that has landed closest to the target position as the droplet that should land at the target position.

[0009] However, with the above method, there is a concern that in cases where foreign matter or the like has adhered near the nozzle and caused the landing position to shift significantly, or where ejection from the nozzle is not possible, the correct correspondence cannot be made and corrections cannot be made to improve landing accuracy.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a configuration that can correctly identify droplets to be landed at specified target positions, and is advantageous for improving the accuracy of the droplet landing positions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid ejection device for holding a substrate. do a substrate stage; and a discharge unit having a nozzle for discharging a liquid. ,before From the nozzle The above Dispensing liquid For A signal is given to the discharge unit. Regulation and the size of the droplets discharged onto the substrate. Information about and an acquisition unit that acquires the amount of droplets, and the control unit acquires a plurality of droplets for ejecting droplets of different amounts. Faith A signal is given to the discharge portion. hand A plurality of droplets are discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate. death, The acquisition unit acquires Ta before liquid recording Droplet size Information about Based on the above, The plurality of droplet each Corresponding to Belief No. Among the plurality of signals It is characterized by identifying Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a configuration that is advantageous in that it is possible to correctly identify droplets that are to land on predetermined target positions and to improve the accuracy of the landing positions of the droplets. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 11 is a flowchart for explaining an imprint process. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a process for adjusting the landing positions of droplets. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of target positions of a droplet pattern discharged under a predetermined discharge condition (recipe). [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing landing positions on a substrate of droplets discharged under the discharge conditions shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing the target positions shown in FIG. 4 and the impact positions shown in FIG. 5 superimposed on each other. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing target positions of a droplet pattern discharged according to the adjustment recipe shown in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing the landing positions on a substrate of droplets discharged under the discharge conditions shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 is a diagram showing target positions of droplets for each discharge amount in the adjustment recipe shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram in which the target positions of each ejection amount shown in FIG. 9 and the landing positions shown in FIG. 8(b) are superimposed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing target positions of a droplet pattern discharged according to the adjustment recipe shown in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a diagram showing target positions of droplets for each discharge amount in the adjustment recipe shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] First Embodiment In this embodiment, an imprinting apparatus will be described as an example of a molding apparatus. The imprinting apparatus according to this embodiment is a lithography apparatus that ejects (supplies) an uncured liquid imprinting material (liquid) or ink onto a substrate to form (transfer) a pattern onto the substrate. Note that molding apparatuses to which the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention can be applied are not limited to imprinting apparatuses, and the apparatus can also be used as a planarizing apparatus that flattens unevenness on a semiconductor substrate. Furthermore, the apparatus can be widely applied to industrial equipment such as manufacturing equipment for semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices, and consumer products such as printers, as well as other devices having a mechanism for ejecting droplets.

[0016] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 equipped with a liquid ejection device according to this embodiment. The imprint apparatus has a surface plate 101, a frame 102, a substrate stage drive unit 13, a substrate stage 6, a mold chuck 2, a mold drive unit 3, a dispenser 11, an alignment scope 110, and a control unit 20. The surface plate 101 supports the substrate stage drive unit 13 and the frame 102. The frame 102 supports the mold drive unit 3, the dispenser 11, and the alignment scope 110.

[0017] The imprinting apparatus 100 is used in the manufacture of articles such as semiconductor devices, and brings droplets 8 of an uncured curable composition, i.e., an imprinting material, applied onto a substrate 4 (on an object) into contact with a mold 1 to form a pattern of the droplets 8 on the substrate 4. As an example, the imprinting apparatus 100 employs a photocuring method in which the imprinting material is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light. The present invention is also applicable to imprinting apparatuses that cure the imprinting material by other energy sources (for example, heat). In the following figures, the Z axis is taken in the up-down direction (vertical direction), and the X and Y axes are taken to be orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis.

[0018] The substrate stage driving unit 13 has an actuator such as a linear motor. The substrate stage driving unit 13 drives the substrate stage 6 holding the substrate 4 in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the base plate, that is, in the X-direction and the Y-direction. That is, the substrate stage 6 and the substrate stage driving unit 13 function as a substrate holding mechanism (substrate holding unit) that can move while holding the substrate. The substrate stage driving unit 13 aligns the mold 1 and the substrate 4 when the mold 1 and the imprint material on the substrate 4 come into contact with each other. Furthermore, when the imprint material is applied to the substrate, the stage driving control is performed so that the substrate is positioned at a predetermined target position at a predetermined timing. That is, the substrate stage driving unit 13 moves the relative position between the substrate 4 and the dispenser 11, so that the stage driving control can be performed so that the imprint material lands at an arbitrary position on the substrate.

[0019] The mold chuck 2 holds the mold 1 having a concave-convex pattern shape on its surface by attracting the outer peripheral region of the surface of the mold 1 irradiated with the ultraviolet light 9 by vacuum suction force or electrostatic force. The mold driving unit 3 has an actuator such as a linear motor or an air cylinder. The mold driving unit 3 drives the mold chuck 2 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, i.e., in the Z direction, and can press the mold 1 against the substrate 4 or separate the mold 1 from the substrate 4. That is, the mold chuck 2 and the mold driving unit 3 function as a mold holding mechanism (type holding unit). Note that the contact and separation operations during the imprint process may be realized by driving the substrate stage 6 to move the substrate 4 in the Z-axis direction, or both the mold 1 and the substrate 4 may be moved relatively.

[0020] The light irradiation unit 7 is a curing unit that adjusts ultraviolet light emitted from a light source (not shown) to light (ultraviolet light 9) suitable for curing the imprint material, and irradiates the imprint material through the mold 1. The light source may be, for example, a mercury lamp that generates i-rays and g-rays. However, the light source is not limited to ultraviolet light, and may be any light that transmits through the mold 1 and emits light of a wavelength that cures the imprint material. When a thermal curing method is adopted, for example, a heating means for curing the curable composition may be installed near the substrate stage 6 instead of the light irradiation unit 7 as the curing means.

[0021] The mold (die) 1 is rectangular, and has a fine uneven pattern formed three-dimensionally in the center of the surface facing the substrate 4. The material of the mold 1 is a material that can transmit ultraviolet light, such as quartz.

[0022] The substrate 4 is a substrate (object) to be processed made of, for example, single crystal silicon. If the substrate is used to manufacture an article other than a semiconductor device, the substrate may be made of, for example, optical glass such as quartz for an optical element, or GaN or SiC for a light-emitting element. If necessary, a member made of a material different from the substrate may be formed on the surface.

[0023] The camera 10 (spread camera) is configured (positioned) so as to include within its field of view the pattern area of ​​the mold 1 held by the mold chuck, and captures an image of at least one of the mold 1 and the substrate 4. The camera 10 can be used as an imaging unit for observing the contact state between the mold 1 and the imprint material on the substrate 4 in the imprint process. The camera 10 also captures droplets formed by the imprint material discharged onto the substrate 4 as image information, and can obtain the landing positions of the droplets on the substrate and the sizes of the droplets by image processing the captured image.

[0024] The dispenser 11 (discharge unit) applies the uncured imprint material in a desired application pattern (discharges droplets of the imprint material) onto a shot region (pattern formation region) previously set on the substrate 4. Specifically, the dispenser 11 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 31 that discharge the uncured imprint material in droplets and apply it onto the substrate 1. Each nozzle 31 is provided with a portion that forms an area where ink is present, and a discharge energy generating element that generates discharge energy to discharge the ink in the area from an opening (discharge port). The discharge energy generating elements are each driven and controlled to discharge droplets from each nozzle. The nozzles are arranged in a line in the Y direction to form a row. The rows of nozzles arranged in the Y direction may be arranged in multiple rows in the X direction. In this embodiment, the following description will be given taking an example of a piezoelectric element as the discharge energy generating element of each nozzle. The piezoelectric element can discharge the imprint material by a piezoelectric effect, and the discharge amount of the discharged imprint material can be changed by changing the voltage waveform applied to the piezoelectric element. That is, by appropriately controlling the drive signal that determines the voltage waveform applied to the piezoelectric element, the ejection timing and ejection amount can be controlled independently for each nozzle.

[0025] The imprinting material is required to have fluidity when filled between the mold 1 and the substrate 4, and to be a solid that maintains its shape after molding. In particular, in this embodiment, the imprinting material is an ultraviolet curing resin (photocurable resin) that has the property of being cured by receiving ultraviolet light 9, but depending on various conditions such as the manufacturing process of the article, a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin may be used instead of the photocurable resin. The ultraviolet curing resin contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal mold release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component.

[0026] The alignment scope 110 detects an alignment mark provided on the substrate 1. The alignment scope 110 also functions as an imaging unit, and acquires droplets formed by the imprint material discharged onto the substrate 4 as image information, and performs image processing on the acquired image to acquire the landing positions of the droplets on the substrate and the sizes of the droplets.

[0027] The control unit (control means) 20 can control the operation and correction of each component of the imprint apparatus 100. The control unit 20 is composed of a computer including, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and various arithmetic processing is performed by the CPU. The control unit 20 is connected to each component of the imprint apparatus 100 via a line, and controls each component according to a program stored in the ROM, etc.

[0028] The control unit 20 may be configured integrally with other parts of the imprint apparatus 100, or may be configured separately from other parts of the imprint apparatus 100. Also, the control unit 20 may be configured to include multiple computers, ASICs, etc., instead of a single computer.

[0029] Next, the imprint process and the process of adjusting the landing positions of droplets of the imprint material in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the imprint process. Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the process of adjusting the landing positions of droplets. The processes shown in the flowcharts of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are realized by CUP 201 reading and executing a control program stored in a memory such as a storage medium.

[0030] In S201 of Fig. 2, the control unit 20 judges whether or not it is necessary to adjust the landing position of the imprint material. For example, it is judged that it is necessary to adjust the landing position of the imprint material in the first imprint process after the imprint apparatus is installed, the first imprint process after the substrate stage is replaced, the first imprint process after the dispenser is replaced, or when a change in the imprint apparatus over time is expected. If it is judged that it is necessary to adjust the landing position in S201, the process proceeds to S202 and the landing position adjustment process described below is performed. Note that the landing position adjustment process in S202 can be performed not only when judged in S202, but also at any time when necessary.

[0031] In S203, the control unit 20 drives the substrate stage 6 at a predetermined (substantially constant) speed while discharging the imprint material from the dispenser 11 at a predetermined timing, thereby forming a droplet pattern of the imprint material on the substrate 4. The droplet pattern is formed by the control unit 20 reading and executing discharging conditions called a recipe stored in a memory such as a storage medium. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a target position of a droplet pattern discharged under predetermined discharging conditions (recipe). R0_1 to R0_9 in FIG. 4 indicate the target positions (reference positions) of the droplets. The recipe includes information on the target position and discharge amount of each droplet, i.e., driving conditions (driving signals) for driving the piezoelectric elements so that the droplets are discharged at a predetermined discharge amount to a predetermined target position, and driving conditions for the substrate stage.

[0032] The larger the discharge amount, the larger the size of the droplets that land on the substrate. FIG. 4 shows an example of a droplet pattern in which 0.8 pL droplets are arranged in a lattice pattern. Droplets with the same Y coordinate of the target position are discharged from the same nozzle. In the example recipe of FIG. 4, R0_1, R0_2, and R0_3, R0_4, R0_5, and R0_6, and R0_7, R0_8, and R0_9 are each discharged from the same nozzle. A lattice-shaped droplet pattern like the recipe of FIG. 3 is formed by discharging droplets at appropriate timing from each nozzle aligned in the Y direction of the dispenser 11 onto the substrate 4 driven in the X direction.

[0033] In S204, the control unit 20 controls the mold driving unit 3 to drive it, and presses the mold 1 against the droplets 8 of the imprint material on the substrate 4. By this process, the concave-convex pattern of the mold 1 is filled with the imprint material.

[0034] In S205, the control unit 20 causes the light irradiation unit 7 to irradiate light to harden the imprint material while pressing the mold 1 against the substrate 4. Thereafter, in S206, the control unit 20 drives the mold driving unit 3 to separate the mold 1 from the hardened imprint material on the substrate 4, and the imprint process is completed.

[0035] Next, the landing position adjustment process in S202 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In S301, the control unit 20 uses an adjustment recipe to drive the substrate stage 6 at a predetermined speed while discharging the imprint material from the dispenser 11 at a predetermined timing, thereby forming a droplet pattern of the imprint material for adjustment on the substrate 4. Note that the position where the imprint material for adjustment is landed in S301 is a position different from the position where the imprint material is to be applied in S203, preferably on the substrate for adjustment. The adjustment recipe used in the landing position adjustment process also includes information on the target position and discharge amount of each droplet, i.e., the driving conditions (driving signal) for driving the piezoelectric element so that the droplets are discharged at a predetermined discharge amount to a predetermined target position, and the driving conditions of the substrate stage.

[0036] The adjustment recipe is set so that the discharge amounts of droplets discharged from at least the same nozzle at target positions adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction are different. By making the discharge amounts of adjacent droplets different in this way, the size of the droplets on the substrate also differs, so that even if foreign matter or the like adheres near the nozzle and the landing position is significantly shifted, the corresponding droplets can be easily identified. Note that if the discharge amount of the imprint material is changed, the discharge speed of the imprint material changes, and the application position of the imprint material is shifted. Therefore, in the adjustment recipe, it is preferable to set the discharge timing taking into account the discharge amount so that the landing position is not affected by the difference in the discharge amount.

[0037] In addition, the adjustment recipe may be set so that the ejection amounts of droplets ejected from the same nozzle are different, as are the ejection amounts of droplets ejected from adjacent nozzles whose target positions are adjacent in the Y-axis direction. This makes it easy to identify the corresponding droplets even if the landing positions are shifted in the Y-axis direction.

[0038] That is, in S301, the control unit 20 uses an adjustment recipe to drive the substrate stage 6 at a constant speed while sequentially applying multiple drive signals so that different amounts of droplets are ejected from the nozzles, thereby forming an adjustment droplet pattern on the substrate.

[0039] In S302, the control unit 20 drives the substrate stage so that the imaging unit can image the area on the substrate 4 where the droplets discharged according to the adjustment recipe in S207 landed, and images the droplets on the substrate. As the imaging unit, the alignment scope 110 or the spread camera 10 can be used as described above. Furthermore, the control unit 20 calculates and acquires the landing position and size (dimensions) of each droplet from the image captured by the imaging unit. That is, the control unit 20 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires the landing position and size of the droplets discharged on the substrate.

[0040] In S303, the control unit 20 divides the adjustment recipe used when discharging the droplets in S301 into different discharge amounts, generates a plurality of adjustment data for identifying the target positions of the droplets, i.e., the drive signals used when discharging the droplets, and stores the data in the memory. That is, the target positions of the droplets for each discharge amount in the adjustment recipe and the corresponding drive signals are identified. For example, if the adjustment recipe used in S301 includes two types of droplets, one with a discharge amount of 0.7 pL and the other with a discharge amount of 0.9 pL, adjustment data is generated that extracts the target positions of the droplets with a discharge amount of 0.7 pL and adjustment data is generated that extracts the target positions of the droplets with a discharge amount of 0.9 pL. Note that the step of S303 is not essential, and when identifying the target positions in S305, they may be identified directly from the adjustment recipe.

[0041] Hereinafter, the process of S304 to S305 is repeated the number of times for the droplets that have landed on the substrate in the adjustment recipe. Note that the repeated process of S304 to S305 does not need to be performed for all the droplets on the substrate, and may be adjusted appropriately according to the processing time.

[0042] In S304, the control unit 20 specifies the amount of droplets to be discharged based on the size of the target droplets acquired in S302. The relationship between the amount of droplets discharged and the size varies depending on the distance between the dispenser 11 and the substrate 4, the time between the application of the imprint material in S301 and the image being taken in S302, the surface condition of the substrate 4, and the like. Therefore, it is desirable to measure the size of droplets when images of droplets of each amount of droplets used in the adjustment recipe are taken as a preliminary step, store the relationship between the amount of droplets discharged and the size in memory, and use this relationship to specify the amount of droplets to be discharged in S304. Under certain conditions of the imprint apparatus of this embodiment, the size of a droplet with a discharge amount of 0.7 pL is 4300 μm. 2 When the amount of liquid discharged is 0.9 pL, the droplet size is 4800 μm. 2 It becomes about that.

[0043] In S305, the control unit 20 selects adjustment data corresponding to the discharge amount specified in S304 from among the multiple adjustment data generated in S303, and specifies the droplet at the target position closest to the landing position of the droplet from the selected adjustment data as the target droplet corresponding to the landing droplet. This also specifies the drive signal used when discharging the droplet. In other words, the droplet of imprint material that has landed closest to the target position is specified as the droplet that should land at the target position.

[0044] In S306, the control unit 20 calculates the difference between the landing position of the droplet acquired in S302 and the target position specified in S305. At this time, it is preferable to calculate the difference in both the X direction and the Y direction.

[0045] In S307, the control unit 20 calculates the differences in the X and Y directions between the target positions and the landing positions of the multiple droplets obtained in S304 and S305, calculates the average and the variation, and judges whether the average and the variation are within the allowable values. Specifically, it can be said that defects are unlikely to occur during imprinting if the average of the differences between the target positions and the landing positions is within about 3 μm in both the X and Y directions, and the variation 3σ is within about 10 μm, so it judges whether they are within these ranges. If the average and the variation are both within the allowable values ​​as a result of the judgment in S307, proceed to S311, and if it is judged that they are not within the allowable values, proceed to S308.

[0046] In S308, the control unit 20 calculates the average value of the difference in the X direction between the landing positions of droplets with the same Y coordinate, i.e., droplets discharged from the same nozzle, and the target position, and obtains correction conditions (driving conditions) for correcting the discharge timing of the nozzle corresponding to the Y coordinate of the droplets based on this average value. For example, consider a case where the average value of the difference in the X direction between the landing positions of droplets discharged from a certain nozzle and the target position is +10 μm. The moving speed of the substrate stage 6 during droplet discharge is 1 mm / S in the positive X direction. In this case, by accelerating the discharge timing of droplets from that nozzle by 10 mSec, the landing position of the imprint material can be brought closer to the target position, and the landing accuracy can be improved.

[0047] In S309, the control unit 20 calculates the average of the differences in the Y direction between the landing positions of the multiple droplets calculated in S304 and S305 and the target position, and can also use the calculated average as a correction value for the drive position of the substrate stage 6. For example, consider a case where the difference in the Y direction between the landing positions of the droplets and the target position is +5 μm. In this case, the landing accuracy of the droplets can be improved by correcting the drive target coordinates of the substrate stage 6 at a specified timing by +5 μm in the Y direction. Note that since the deviation in the X direction can also be corrected by controlling the stage drive position, the landing position in the X direction can also be corrected by combining the correction of the ejection timing as in S308 and the correction by stage control.

[0048] In S310, the control unit 20 reflects the correction conditions found in S308 and S309 in the adjustment recipe, returns to S301, and performs the landing position adjustment process again in a state in which the correction conditions have been applied. Specifically, the drive signal for driving the piezo element in the adjustment recipe used in S301 is corrected so as to have the ejection timing found in S308, and the drive target coordinates of the substrate stage are corrected to the position found in S309.

[0049] Thereafter, the process returns to S301, and the landing position adjustment process is repeated in S307 until the average and variation of the difference between the landing position and the target position falls within the allowable value.

[0050] In S311, the control unit 20 reflects the conditions of the adjusted recipe, in which the average and variation of the difference between the impact position and the target position are within the allowable value, in the recipe used in S203, and ends the process.

[0051] That is, ejection conditions such as a drive signal for driving the piezoelectric element and a drive target coordinate of the substrate stage are set so that the landing position of the droplets during imprinting approaches the target position.

[0052] This enables the imprint process to be performed under discharge conditions with improved accuracy in the landing position, preventing overflow of the imprint material and the occurrence of unfilled defects during the imprinting process.

[0053] Next, specific examples of the above-mentioned landing position adjustment performed using various adjustment recipes will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0054] (Comparative Example) First, a comparative example will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6, in which the ejection amount of all droplets is set to the same in the adjustment recipe. When the droplet ejection (S301) of the landing position adjustment process is performed using the recipe used for imprinting and the ejection conditions of all the same ejection amount as shown in Fig. 4, a droplet pattern as shown in Fig. 5 is formed on the substrate. D0_1 to D0_9 show droplets that have landed on the substrate. Fig. 5(a) shows an ideal droplet pattern in which there is no difference between the landing position of the droplets of the imprint material and the target position, and Fig. 5(b) shows a droplet pattern that has landed at a position shifted from the target position, which occurs when there is a nozzle with a shifted ejection angle. When the droplet pattern of Fig. 5(a) is formed, there is no need to adjust the landing position of the imprint material. On the other hand, in Fig. 5(b), the nozzles that ejected droplets D0_4, D0_5, and D0_6 have a shifted ejection angle and the landing position is shifted in the positive direction of X, so the timing of ejecting the droplets of the imprint material needs to be corrected.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the landing positions of the droplet pattern in FIG. 5(b) and the target positions in FIG. 4 are superimposed. In the comparative examples of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, the ejection amount of all droplets is equal, so when the target positions closest to the landing positions of each droplet are associated as corresponding positions, R0_5 is selected as the reference position of the droplet D0_4, and R0_6 is selected as the reference position of the droplet D0_5. However, the original reference position of the droplet D0_4 is R0_4, and the original reference position of the droplet D0_5 is R0_5. In other words, since the correspondence between the landing positions of the droplets and the target positions is incorrect, even if the correction conditions are calculated in a process such as S308, the correct correction conditions cannot be calculated, and the ejection timing of the nozzle with the ejection angle shifted cannot be correctly corrected. In addition, if there are multiple other nozzles with ejection angles shifted and similarly incorrect target positions are selected for the droplets ejected from those nozzles, the correction of the stage drive in S309 will also be affected. Therefore, if the deviation in the droplet landing position is greater than the distance between reference positions in the recipe, there is a possibility that the droplet landing position will not correspond correctly to the target position for that droplet when using the same droplet volume adjustment recipe.

[0056] Example 1 Next, an embodiment in which the adjustment recipe includes two types of droplet ejection amounts, 0.7 pL and 0.9 pL, will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the target positions of the droplet pattern ejected by the adjustment recipe.

[0057] 7, R1_1, R1_3, R1_5, R1_7, and R1_9 indicate target positions for droplets with a discharge volume of 0.7 pL, and R1_2, R1_4, R1_6, and R1_8 indicate target positions for droplets with a discharge volume of 0.9 pL. In this way, in the adjustment recipe in FIG. 7, the discharge volumes of droplets whose target positions are adjacent to each other are different.

[0058] When the droplet discharge (S301) of the landing position adjustment process is performed using this adjustment recipe, a droplet pattern as shown in FIG. 8 is formed. The droplets discharged at 0.7 pL are smaller than those discharged at 0.9 pL. However, in FIG. 8, the difference in droplet size due to the difference in the discharge amount is exaggerated for easy understanding. FIG. 8(a) shows an ideal droplet pattern in which there is no difference between the landing position of the droplets of the imprint material and the target position, and FIG. 8(b) shows a droplet pattern in which the droplets land at a position shifted from the target position, which occurs when there is a nozzle with a shifted discharge angle. When the droplet pattern of FIG. 8(a) is formed, there is no need to adjust the landing position of the imprint material. On the other hand, in FIG. 8(b), the nozzles that discharged the droplets D1_4, D1_5, and D1_6 have a shifted discharge angle and the landing position is shifted in the positive direction of X, so the timing of discharging the droplets of the imprint material needs to be corrected.

[0059] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the target positions of droplets for each discharge amount in the adjustment recipe of FIG. 7. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram showing the target positions of droplets with a discharge amount of 0.7 pL in the adjustment data generated from the adjustment recipe in S303, and FIG. 9(b) is a diagram showing the target positions of droplets with a discharge amount of 0.9 pL in the adjustment data. When droplets as shown in FIG. 8 are imaged in S302, the discharge amounts of droplets D1_1, D1_3, D1_5, D1_7, and D1_9 are specified to be 0.7 pL (S304), and the target positions are specified from the adjustment data of FIG. 9(a) (S305). Similarly, the discharge amounts of droplets D1_2, D1_4, D1_6, and D1_8 are specified to be 0.9 pL (S304), and the target positions are specified from the adjustment data of FIG. 9(a) (S305).

[0060] FIG. 10(a) is a diagram in which the adjustment data (target position for a discharge amount of 0.7 pL) in FIG. 9(a) is superimposed on the landing positions shown in FIG. 8(b). In FIG. 10(a), the droplets identified in S304 as having a discharge amount of 0.7 pL are shown in solid lines, and the other droplets are shown in dotted lines. In S305, the droplets at the target positions closest to the landing positions of the droplets from the selected adjustment data are identified as the target droplets corresponding to the landing droplets. That is, R1_1, R1_3, R1_5, R1_7, and R1_9 are identified as the target positions of the droplets D1_1, D1_3, D1_5, D1_7, and D1_9, respectively.

[0061] Fig. 10(b) is a diagram in which the adjustment data in Fig. 9(b) (target positions for a discharge amount of 0.9 pL) is superimposed on the landing positions shown in Fig. 8(b). In Fig. 10(b), droplets identified in S304 as having a discharge amount of 0.9 pL are shown by solid lines, and other droplets are shown by dotted lines. Then, in S305, R1_2, R1_4, R1_6, and R1_8 are identified as the target positions of droplets D1_2, D1_4, D1_6, and D1_8, respectively.

[0062] In this way, by setting different discharge amounts for droplets whose target positions are adjacent and matching (linking) the target positions with the landing positions for each discharge amount, the distance between the target positions is increased, and the possibility of mismatching the target positions of the droplets with the landing positions can be reduced. Therefore, since the discharge timing can be correctly corrected, the imprinting process can be performed under discharge conditions with improved accuracy in the landing positions, and the occurrence of overflow of the imprinting material and unfilled defects during the imprinting process can be prevented.

[0063] Example 2 Next, an embodiment in which the adjustment recipe includes four types of droplets, 0.4 pL, 0.6 pL, 0.8 pL, and 1.0 pL, will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the target positions of droplet patterns discharged by the adjustment recipe. In Figure 11, R2_5 indicates the target position of droplets with a discharge amount of 0.4 pL, R2_1, R2_6, and R2_7 indicate the target positions of droplets with a discharge amount of 0.6 pL, R2_2 and R2_8 indicate the target positions of droplets with a discharge amount of 0.8 pL, and R2_3, R2_4, and R2_9 indicate the target positions of droplets with a discharge amount of 1.0 pL.

[0064] When adjustment data is generated from the adjustment recipe in Fig. 11 (S303), the target positions of droplets for each discharge amount are obtained as shown in Fig. 12. (a), (b), (c), and (d) in Fig. 12 are diagrams in which the target positions of droplets with discharge amounts of 0.4 pL, 0.6 pL, 0.8 pL, and 1.0 pL are extracted, respectively.

[0065] By increasing the number of types of discharge amounts in the adjustment data as in this embodiment, the interval between the target positions is increased, so that the possibility of mismatching the target positions of the droplets with the landing positions can be reduced. In this embodiment, the number of types of discharge amounts in the adjustment recipe is four, but it is possible to increase the number of types further.

[0066] (Regarding the manufacture of goods) The pattern of the cured material formed using the imprint apparatus 100 described above is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles.

[0067] The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, a mold, etc. 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 sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include a mold for imprinting.

[0068] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as at least a part of a component of the article, or is used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation in a substrate processing step.

[0069] Next, a method for manufacturing an article will be described with reference to Fig. 13, in which a pattern is formed on a substrate by an imprinting device, the substrate on which the pattern is formed is processed, and an article is manufactured from the processed substrate. First, as shown in Fig. 13(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprinting material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which the imprinting material 3z in the form of multiple droplets is applied onto the substrate is shown.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 13(b), the imprinting mold 4z is placed so that the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed faces the imprinting material 3z on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 13(c), the substrate 1z to which the imprinting material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z in this state as energy for curing, the imprinting material 3z is cured.

[0071] 13(d), after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding patterns of the mold 4z are transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 13(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured material or where only a thin layer remains is removed, forming a groove 5z. As shown in Fig. 13(f), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

[0073] The method for manufacturing an article also includes a step of forming a pattern on an imprint material supplied (applied) to a substrate using the above-mentioned imprint apparatus (imprint method), and a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the above step. Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). It can be said that the method for manufacturing an article of this embodiment is more advantageous than conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0074] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 Mold 4. Board 6 Substrate stage 20 Control section 100 Imprinting device

Claims

1. A substrate stage for holding a substrate; A discharge unit having a nozzle for discharging a liquid; a control unit that supplies a signal to the ejection unit to eject the liquid from the nozzle; an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the size of the droplets discharged onto the substrate, The control unit is providing a plurality of signals for discharging different amounts of droplets to the discharge unit, and controlling the discharge unit so that a plurality of droplets are discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate; A liquid ejection device characterized in that a signal corresponding to each of the plurality of droplets on the substrate is identified from among the plurality of signals based on information regarding the size of the droplets acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines a correction condition for correcting a landing position based on an amount of deviation from a target position of the droplet corresponding to the identified signal.

3. The acquisition unit acquires a landing position of the droplet, The liquid ejection device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit specifies an amount of deviation from the target position by using the landing position of the liquid acquired by the acquisition unit.

4. 4. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines, as the correction condition, a timing for applying the signal to the nozzle.

5. 4. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines a driving condition of the substrate stage as the correction condition.

6. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control unit determines the correction conditions so that the landing position is corrected based on the amount of deviation from a target position of a droplet corresponding to a signal for ejecting a predetermined amount of droplet.

7. A liquid ejection device described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the droplets ejected onto the substrate are droplets ejected from the ejection section toward the substrate held on the substrate stage moving at a predetermined speed.

8. The discharge unit has a plurality of nozzles, 8. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit issues a signal so that droplets of different droplet amounts from adjacent nozzles land adjacent to each other.

9. A liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A mold holding unit that holds a mold; A film-forming apparatus having a curing unit that cures the curable composition, the liquid discharged from the discharge portion is a curable composition, The control unit is configured to harden the curable composition by the curing unit while the substrate and the mold are in contact with each other via the curable composition, thereby forming a film.

10. forming a film on a substrate using the film forming apparatus according to claim 9; processing the substrate formed in the above step; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article from the processed substrate;

11. a discharge step of applying a plurality of signals to a discharge unit for discharging different amounts of liquid droplets, thereby discharging a plurality of liquid droplets from a nozzle that discharges liquid onto a substrate; an acquisition step of acquiring information regarding the size of the droplets discharged on the substrate in the discharging step; an identifying step of identifying, from among the plurality of signals, a signal corresponding to each of the plurality of droplets on the substrate based on information regarding the size of the droplets acquired in the acquiring step; A liquid ejection method comprising the steps of:

12. The liquid ejection method according to claim 11, further comprising a determination step of determining correction conditions for correcting a landing position based on an amount of deviation from a target position of a droplet corresponding to the signal identified in the identification step.

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