Imprinting apparatus, imprinting method and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for measuring a shape of a surface of a substrate with high accuracy in a short time to improve a yield and throughput.SOLUTION: An imprint device executes imprint processing of molding an imprint material by using a mold. The imprint device comprises: a control unit that acquires first height distribution information indicating a height distribution on a surface of a first substrate; and a measurement unit for acquiring second height distribution information indicating a height distribution on a surface of a second substrate. The control unit controls the imprint processing on the basis of, corrected height distribution information obtained by removing, from the first height distribution information, a first component being an approximate function with a degree equal to or less than a first predetermined degree for approximating the first height distribution information, and a second component being an approximate function with a degree equal to or less than a second predetermined degree for approximating the second height distribution information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, an imprint method, and an article manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In the imprinting apparatus, the imprinting material arranged on the substrate is brought into contact with the mold, and the imprinting material is cured to transfer the pattern of the mold to the imprinting material. In the nanoimprinting apparatus, it is important to bring the imprinting material on the substrate into contact with the mold while the substrate and the mold are parallel to each other. FIG. 2 shows an exaggerated view of the imprinting material 14 on the shot region 20 of the substrate 5 being brought into contact with the mold 3 while the substrate 5 and the mold 3 are not parallel to each other. Since the substrate 5 and the mold 3 are not parallel to each other, the imprinting material 14 is not filled in the region 21 of the substrate 5, and the imprinting material 14 overflows outside the shot region 20 in the other region 22. Since the substrate 5 and the mold 3 are not parallel to each other, the thickness of the imprinting material 14 becomes non-uniform, which may have adverse effects such as deteriorating the line width uniformity and reducing the yield. In addition, if the distance between the substrate 5 and the mold 3 is not the target distance, the thickness of the imprint material 14 may deviate from the target thickness, which may also have adverse effects such as deteriorating line width uniformity and reducing yields.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a nanoimprinting apparatus that transfers a pattern by pressing a mold against a workpiece, in which the pressing direction of the mold is controlled to be maintained perpendicular to the pattern-forming surface of the mold. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-101201 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to an imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process on a substrate using a mold, the imprint apparatus including a measurement unit that measures a height of a surface of a second substrate, and a control unit that controls the imprint process, and the control unit controls the imprint process based on corrected height distribution information obtained by removing a first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than a first predetermined order that approximates first height distribution information indicating a height distribution of the surface of the first substrate, from the first height distribution information, and a second component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than a second predetermined order that approximates second height distribution information obtained by the measurement unit measuring the surface height of the second substrate.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an advantageous technique for improving yield and throughput by measuring the shape of a substrate surface with high accuracy in a short period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention relates to an imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process to shape an imprint material using a mold, the imprint apparatus including a control unit that acquires first height distribution information indicating the height distribution on a surface of a first substrate, and a measurement unit for acquiring second height distribution information indicating the height distribution on the surface of a second substrate, and the control unit further controls the imprint process based on corrected height distribution information obtained by removing a first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than a first predetermined order that approximates the first height distribution information, from the first height distribution information, and a second component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than a second predetermined order that approximates the second height distribution information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided an advantageous technique for improving yield and throughput by measuring the shape of the surface of a substrate with high accuracy in a short time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of an imprint apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows an exaggerated view of the imprint process when the substrate and mold are not parallel. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing a flow of a pattern formation job. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing schematic changes in the state of the imprint apparatus during a pattern formation job. [Diagram 5]4 is a flowchart showing the process flow in step S105 of the flowchart in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of main steps in the flowchart of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of main steps in the flowchart of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] A conceptual diagram of pre-alignment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a substrate having a fourth-order shape. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of measurement points. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a calibration process. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of main steps in the calibration process of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 6 is a flowchart of a process that can be executed instead of the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of main steps in the flowchart of FIG. 14. [Figure 16] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1. The imprinting apparatus 1 can be configured to perform an imprinting process in which an imprinting material on a substrate is formed using a mold. As the imprinting material, a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that is cured by applying curing energy is used. As the curing energy, electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. can be used. The electromagnetic waves can be, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, such as infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet rays. The curable composition can be a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, a photocurable composition that is cured by irradiation with light 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. The imprinting material can be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The imprint material may be supplied in the form of a film onto the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25° C.) may be, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less. Examples of the material that may be used for the substrate include glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors (Si, GaN, SiC, etc.), and resins. If necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate. The substrate may be, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass.

[0012] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 5 is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and the rotation around the X-axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or drive regarding the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis means control or drive regarding the direction parallel to the X-axis, the direction parallel to the Y axis, and the direction parallel to the Z axis, respectively. Furthermore, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis means control or drive regarding the rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, the rotation around an axis parallel to the Y axis, and the rotation around an axis parallel to the Z axis, respectively. Furthermore, the position is information that can be specified based on the coordinates of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and the orientation is information that can be specified by the values ​​of the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis. Positioning means controlling the position and / or orientation. The alignment (positioning) may include controlling the position and / or attitude of at least one of the substrate 5 and the mold 3 so as to reduce an alignment error (overlay error) between the shot area of ​​the substrate 5 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. The alignment may also include control for correcting or changing the shape of at least one of the shot area of ​​the substrate 5 and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3.

[0013] The imprint apparatus 1 may include, for example, a curing unit 2, an imprint head 4, a substrate positioning mechanism 30, a dispenser 7, a mold transport mechanism 11, a substrate transport mechanism 12, a TTM (Through The Mask) scope 13, and a control unit 10. The imprint apparatus 1 may also include a mold height sensor 8 and a substrate height sensor (measurement unit) 9.

[0014] The curing unit 2 irradiates the imprint material 14 arranged on the substrate 5 with curing energy (e.g., light such as ultraviolet light) 17 via the mold 3, thereby curing the imprint material 14. The imprint head 4 is a mold driving mechanism that holds and drives the mold 3. The mold 3 has a pattern area, and a pattern to be transferred to the imprint material 14 on the substrate 5 is formed in the pattern area. The imprint head 4 can be configured to drive the mold 3 about multiple axes (e.g., three axes, the Z axis, the θX axis, and the θY axis, and preferably six axes, the X axis, the Y axis, the Z axis, the θX axis, the θY axis, and the θZ axis). Driving about the θX axis and the θY axis means controlling the inclination of the mold 3 or its pattern area.

[0015] A TTM scope 13 may be disposed on the imprint head 4. The TTM scope 13 may be configured to observe or measure alignment marks provided on the substrate 5 and alignment marks provided on the mold 3. The TTM scope 13 may include, for example, an optical system and an imaging system. Using the TTM scope 13, it is possible to measure an alignment error (for example, deviation amounts in the X and Y directions) between the shot area of ​​the substrate 5 and (the pattern area of) the mold 3.

[0016] The substrate positioning mechanism 30 may include a substrate stage 6 that holds the substrate 5, and a stage driving mechanism 19 that drives the substrate stage 6. The substrate stage 6 may be driven about a plurality of axes (e.g., three axes, namely, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the θZ-axis, and preferably six axes, namely, the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis) by the stage driving mechanism 19. This allows the substrate 5 to be driven or positioned about the plurality of axes.

[0017] The substrate stage 6 may be equipped with a mold height sensor 9 for measuring the height or inclination of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. The mold height sensor 9 measures the heights of a plurality of measurement points on the mold 3 (pattern area) while driving the substrate stage 6 along the XY plane, and the inclination or shape of the mold 3 (pattern area) can be measured based on these results. The substrate stage 6 may be driven along a stage base 15 by a stage driving mechanism 19. The stage base 15 may be supported by a stage base mount 16 so as to be insulated from floor vibrations. In the configuration example of FIG. 1, in the example of the imprint apparatus 1, in addition to the stage base 15, the curing unit 2, the imprint head 4, the dispenser 7, the substrate height sensor 8, and the like may also be supported by the stage base mount 16.

[0018] The substrate height sensor 8 can be used to measure the height distribution or shape of the surface of the substrate 5. The substrate height sensor 8 measures the heights of a plurality of measurement points on the substrate 5 while the substrate stage 6 is driven in the X and Y directions, and the height distribution or shape of the surface of the substrate 5 can be measured based on these results.

[0019] The dispenser 7 may be configured to supply or place uncured imprint material 14 on the substrate 5. The mold transport mechanism 11 may transport the mold 3 to or from the imprint head 4. The substrate transport mechanism 12 may transport the substrate 5 to or from the substrate stage 6. The control unit 10 may be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation of Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation of Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (abbreviation of Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with a program built in, or a combination of all or part of these. The control unit 10 may be configured to control the curing unit 2, the imprint head 4, the substrate positioning mechanism 30, the dispenser 7, the mold transport mechanism 11, the substrate transport mechanism 12, and the TTM scope 13.

[0020] A pattern formation job by the imprint apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Execution of the pattern formation job is controlled by the control unit 10. The pattern formation job includes processing for at least one substrate 5. The processing for each substrate 5 includes multiple imprint processes, and each imprint process may include processing for forming a pattern in a selected shot area among multiple shot areas of the substrate 5. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the flow of the pattern formation job. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of changes in the state of the imprint apparatus 1 in the pattern formation job. The process numbers shown in FIG. 4 correspond to the process numbers shown in FIG. 3.

[0021] First, in step S101, the mold 3 is transported to the imprint head 4 by the mold transport mechanism 11 and held by the imprint head 4. In step S102, the inclination of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 is measured using the mold height sensor 9. Here, by measuring the height of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 for at least two measurement points having different X coordinates and at least two measurement points having different Y coordinates, the inclination about the θX axis and the inclination about the θY axis can be measured. In order to improve the measurement accuracy by the averaging effect or to measure a curved surface having a second or higher degree, the height of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 can be measured for 3 to 5 measurement points having different X coordinates and 3 to 5 measurement points having different Y coordinates. The number of measurement points can be determined according to the throughput and the measurement accuracy.

[0022] Next, in step S103, the substrate 5 can be transported to the substrate stage 6 by the substrate transport mechanism 12 and held by the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S104, the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 can be measured using the substrate height sensor 8. Here, in order to approximate the surface of the substrate 5 with a linear function, i.e., a plane, it is necessary to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 at least for three measurement points that are not aligned in a row. In order to improve the measurement accuracy by the averaging effect, it is preferable to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 for five to seven measurement points. In order to approximate the surface of the substrate 5 with a quadratic function, it is necessary to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 for more measurement points. Note that the timing for transporting the mold 3 and the substrate 5 to the imprint head 4 and the substrate stage 6, respectively, may be before the execution of steps S102 and S104, respectively.

[0023] In step S105, the control unit 10 can calculate or determine the tilt and / or height of a selected shot area from among the multiple shot areas on the substrate 5, that is, a shot area in which a pattern should be formed immediately after (hereinafter, the shot area to be processed). The tilt of the shot area to be processed is the tilt about the θX axis and the tilt about the θY axis. The tilt of the shot area to be processed can be calculated or determined based on the position of the shot area to be processed on the substrate 5 and the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 measured in step S104. Details of this process will be described later.

[0024] In step S106, the relative attitude of the substrate 5 and the mold 3 can be controlled by the substrate positioning mechanism 30 and / or the imprint head 4, so that the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 are parallel to each other, according to the inclination calculated or determined in step S105. In one example, the inclination of the mold 3 can be controlled by the imprint head 4, so that the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 are parallel to each other. Here, the technology described in Japanese Patent No. 6497938 may be applied to control the relative attitude of the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. In another example, the inclination of the substrate 5 can be controlled by the substrate positioning mechanism 30, so that the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 are parallel to each other. In addition, in step S106, the relative position of the substrate 5 and the mold 3 can be controlled by the substrate positioning mechanism 30 and / or the imprint head 4, so that the interval between the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 becomes a target interval, according to the height calculated in step S105.

[0025] In step S107, the imprint material 14 may be placed on the shot area to be processed by the dispenser 7. The imprint material 14 may be applied continuously to a plurality of shot areas by the dispenser 7. If the imprint material 14 has already been placed on the shot area to be processed in step S107, step S107 is skipped. In step S108, the imprint head 4 and / or the substrate positioning mechanism 30 are controlled so that the imprint material 14 on the shot area to be processed comes into contact with the pattern area of ​​the mold 3. In step S108, the mold 3 and the shot area to be processed may be aligned using the TTM scope 13. In step S108, the imprint material 14 is further filled in the recesses of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 and the space between the pattern area and the shot area to be processed, and then the curing unit 2 irradiates the imprint material 14 on the shot area to be processed with curing energy. As a result, the pattern of the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 is transferred to the imprint material 14, and a pattern is formed on the shot area to be processed by the cured product of the imprint material 14. In step S109, the imprint head 4 and / or the substrate positioning mechanism 30 are controlled so that the cured product of the imprint material 14 on the shot area to be processed and the pattern area of ​​the mold 3 are separated.

[0026] In step S110, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the imprint process has been completed for all of the multiple shot areas of the substrate 5. If there are any shot areas remaining that have not been subjected to the imprint process, the control unit 10 selects a new shot area to be processed from those shot areas, and executes steps S105 to S109 for the shot area to be processed. On the other hand, if there are no shot areas remaining that have not been subjected to the imprint process, the control unit 10 determines in step S111 whether or not the process has been completed for all substrates constituting the lot. If the process has not been completed for all substrates, the control unit 10 executes steps S103 to S109 to process the next substrate.

[0027] Hereinafter, as an example of approximating the surface shape of substrate 5 with a function of an arbitrary degree, an example of approximating the surface shape of substrate 5 with a quadratic function (quadratic surface) will be described.

[0028] A quadratic function (quadratic surface) can be expressed by Equation 1.

[0029] Wz = Dz + Dx X + Dy Y + Dxx X 2 +Dxy X Y+Dyy Y 2 ...(Formula 1) Here, (X, Y) are coordinates indicating a position on the substrate 5, Wz is the surface height of the substrate 5 at (X, Y), Dz is a zero-order coefficient, Dx and Dy are first-order coefficients, and Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy are second-order coefficients. In this way, a quadratic function is expressed by a polynomial having six coefficients. To determine these six coefficients, it is necessary to measure the surface height of the substrate 5 at at least six measurement points. However, to improve the accuracy of each coefficient, it is preferable to measure the surface height of the substrate 5 at more than six measurement points and use the least squares method.

[0030] In order to specify the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 more precisely, it is preferable to approximate it with a higher-order function, such as a third-order or fourth-order function. Here, when approximating with a third-order function, 10 coefficients need to be determined, and at least 10 measurement points are required. Similarly, when approximating with a fourth-order function, 15 coefficients need to be determined, and at least 15 measurement points are required. In these cases, too, measurements can be performed at more measurement points in order to use the least squares method. Thus, in order to specify the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 with high accuracy, it is necessary to measure the height of the surface of the substrate 5 at more measurement points, which leads to a decrease in throughput.

[0031] Below, we will explain a method for finding the inclination of the shot area to be processed from an approximation function (curved surface) that approximates the shape of the surface of substrate 5. Here, we will explain an example in which the function that approximates the shape of the surface of substrate 5 is expressed by Equation 1, that is, a quadratic function, but the order of the function that approximates the shape of the surface of substrate 5 may be another order.

[0032] In order to obtain the inclination of the shot area to be processed from an approximation function that approximates the shape of the surface of substrate 5, it is necessary to obtain the inclination of the tangent to the approximation function, i.e., the partial differential of the approximation function. If the coordinates of the center position of the shot area to be processed are (X, Y), the inclination about the θY axis and the inclination about the θX axis are given by (Equation 2) and Equation 3, respectively.

[0033] Tilt about θY axis = ∂Wz / ∂x = Dx + 2·Dxx·X + Dxy·Y (Equation 2) θTilt about the X-axis = ∂Wz / ∂y = Dy+2·Dyy·Y+Dxy·X (Equation 3) Moreover, the height at the center position of the shot area to be processed is given by Equation 4.

[0034] Height = Dz + Dx X + Dy Y + Dxx X 2 +Dxy X Y+Dyy Y 2 ...(Formula 4) It becomes.

[0035] In order to obtain the height and inclination of the shot area to be processed using the height measurement results at multiple measurement points in the shot area to be processed, Wz=Dz+Dx・X+Dy・Y (Formula 5) To obtain the linear plane (linear function) by least squares approximation, Tilt about θY axis = Dx (Equation 6) θ Tilt about the X-axis = Dy (Equation 7) Height = Dz + Dx X + Dy Y (Equation 8) It can be calculated as follows.

[0036] Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 shows the flow of the process (measurement process of the processing substrate) in step S105 of the flowchart in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 also shows the flow of the process (measurement process of the preceding substrate) that is executed prior to the process shown in the flowchart in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the main steps in the flowchart in Fig. 5. The step numbers shown in Fig. 6 correspond to the step numbers shown in Fig. 5.

[0037] The surface of the substrate 5 may have a curved shape that is approximated by, for example, a quadratic or higher-order (cubic or higher) function. For example, higher-order components of quadratic or higher order may be common between multiple substrates 5 that make up the same lot. This is because the substrates 5 in the same lot undergo the same process. On the other hand, the zeroth order (height) and first order (tilt) often differ between multiple substrates 5 that make up the same lot. This may be due to a positioning error of the substrate 5 relative to the substrate stage 6, etc.

[0038] The preceding substrate 5a may be, for example, the first substrate in a lot, and the processing substrate 5 may be the second or subsequent substrate in the lot. First, measurement of the preceding substrate 5a will be described. The measurement process of the preceding substrate 5a may include steps S201 to S204. When the preceding substrate 5a is the first substrate in the lot, step S201 may be performed in step S103 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and steps S203 and S204 may be performed in step S104. Furthermore, step S204 may be performed in step S105.

[0039] In step S201, the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a may be transported to the substrate stage 6 by the substrate transport mechanism 12 and held by the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S202, the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a is measured using the substrate height sensor 8. More specifically, in step S202, the height of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a may be measured at a plurality of (first number of) measurement points using the substrate height sensor 8. This allows the control unit 10 to obtain first height distribution information indicating the height of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a. This state is shown typically in FIG. 6(B). Here, the number of measurement points (first number) may be determined according to the order of an approximation function that approximates the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a. In step S203, the control unit 10 may store the result of the measurement in step S202 in a storage device. In step S204, the control unit 10 may calculate the inclination of the shot area to be processed based on the measurement result stored in step S203.

[0040] Next, the measurement of the processing substrate 5 will be described. First, in step S104 of FIG. 3, the shape of the surface of the processing substrate (second substrate) 5 can be measured using the substrate height sensor 8. More specifically, in step S104, the surface height of the processing substrate 5 can be measured at a plurality of (second number) measurement points using the substrate height sensor (measurement unit) 8. This is shown typically in FIG. 6(E). This allows the control unit 10 to obtain second height distribution information indicating the surface height of the processing substrate 5. Typically, the number (second number) of measurement points for measuring the surface height of the processing substrate (second substrate) 5 is smaller than the number (first number) of measurement points for measuring the surface height of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a.

[0041] Next, in step S301, the control unit 10 determines a second component, which is an approximation function of a second predetermined order or less that approximates the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5, based on the second height distribution information acquired in step S104. Here, the second component, which is an approximation function of a second predetermined order or less, can be, for example, a second-order or less component, a first-order component, or a zero-order component, but is not limited thereto. In addition, in consideration of the balance between measurement accuracy and throughput, the second component is preferably a quadratic function.

[0042] The second component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a second predetermined order that approximates the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5, is exemplarily shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6(E). The number of measurement points (second number) in step S104 can be determined according to the order of the approximation function (second component) determined in step S301. For example, when the approximation function (second component) is a linear function representing a linear plane, at least three measurement points that are not on a straight line are required, and in order to reduce measurement errors, the number of measurement points can be four or five. The approximation function (second component) can be determined, for example, by the least squares method based on the second height distribution information acquired in step S104.

[0043] In step S302, the control unit 10 obtains a second inclination component (inclination due to the second component) of the shot area to be processed based on the approximation function (second component) determined in step S301 and the position of the shot area to be processed on the processing substrate 5. Here, if the approximation function (second component) approximating the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5 is a linear plane (linear function) as in the example of FIG. 6(E), the second inclination component is the same regardless of the position of the shot area. If the approximation function (second component) approximating the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5 is a quadratic curved surface (quadratic function), the second inclination component of the shot area can be calculated using Equation 2 and Equation 3. FIG. 6(F) shows a schematic diagram of the second inclination component of the shot area to be processed on the processing substrate 5.

[0044] Next, in step S303, the control unit 10 reads out the first height distribution information about the preceding substrate 5a stored in step S203. In step S304, the control unit 10 determines a first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a first predetermined order that approximates the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a, based on the first height distribution information read out in step S303. The order of the approximation function (first component) that approximates the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a is preferably the same as the order of the approximation function (second component) that approximates the shape of the surface of the processing substrate (second substrate) 5 determined in step S301. In other words, the second predetermined order is preferably the same as the first predetermined order. However, if there is an unnecessary order for determining the inclination of the processing target shot area, the second predetermined order may be different from the first predetermined order.

[0045] In the example of FIG. 6(B), the approximation function (first component) of the first predetermined order or less that approximates the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a is a linear function (linear plane) and is indicated by a dotted line. The approximation function that approximates the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a may be obtained based on all information of the first height distribution information, i.e., the height information of all the measurement points, or may be obtained based on the height information of the same measurement points as in FIG. 6(E). When obtaining a linear plane from the height information of all the measurement points, an approximation function may be calculated using a quadratic surface and the zeroth and first order terms or coefficients of the approximation function may be used, rather than approximating using a linear plane. In other words, the control unit 10 may obtain the components of the first predetermined order or less by extracting the components of the first predetermined order or less from the approximation function that approximates the first height distribution information that indicates the height distribution of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a.

[0046] In step S305, the control unit 10 generates corrected height distribution information by removing from the first height distribution information the components (first components) of the approximation function of the first predetermined order or less determined in step S304. This can also be understood as extracting components of orders exceeding the first predetermined order from the first height distribution information. The components of orders exceeding the first predetermined order are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6(C).

[0047] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the signs of the first-order components are reversed between the preceding substrate 5a shown in FIG. 6(A) and the processing substrate 5 shown in FIG. 6(D) for convenience of explanation. Therefore, if the first-order components are not removed from the first height distribution information of the preceding substrate 5a in step S305, the first-order components in FIG. 6(A) and the first-order components in FIG. 6(D) cancel each other, the first-order components become 0, and only the second-order components are calculated. To be precise, the shape in FIG. 6(D) must be reproduced. Therefore, the process of step S305 is necessary, and the components of the order equal to or lower than the first predetermined number (first components) are removed from the first height distribution information of the preceding substrate 5a.

[0048] In step S306, the control unit 10 obtains a first gradient component (gradient due to the first component) of the shot area to be processed based on the corrected height distribution information and the position of the shot area arranged at the same position as the shot area to be processed on the processing substrate 5. This can be calculated based on a function obtained by partially differentiating an approximation function that approximates the corrected height distribution information and the coordinates of the center of the shot area. It is preferable to perform measurements at a fine pitch in step S202 so that a plurality of measurement points are included in the shot area, and to approximate the shot area with a linear plane in step S306 using the measurement values ​​of the plurality of measurement points included in the shot area. This is as shown and explained in (Equation 6) and (Equation 7). In the example of FIG. 6(C), at least two measurement points are included in the shot area, so that a linear approximation can be performed using those measurement values. FIG. 6(C) illustrates the gradients of the three shot areas. It should be noted that FIG. 6C is merely a conceptual diagram, and since the shot area is sufficiently small with respect to the substrate 5a, there is no problem in terms of accuracy even if the shot area is approximated by a first-order plane.

[0049] In step S307, the control unit 10 obtains the tilt of the processing target shot area from the first tilt component of the shot area obtained from the measurement results of the preceding substrate 5a in step S306 and the second tilt component of the processing target shot area obtained from the measurement results of the processing substrate 5 in step S302. Specifically, the control unit 10 obtains the tilt of the processing target shot area by adding together the first tilt component of the shot area obtained from the measurement results of the preceding substrate 5a and the second tilt component of the processing target shot area obtained from the measurement results of the processing substrate 5. The tilt of the processing target shot area obtained in this manner is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6(G).

[0050] FIG. 6 is merely a simplified example for the purpose of aiding understanding, and the present invention is not limited to such an example, and the first and second predetermined orders can be set arbitrarily. For example, in the height measurement of the surface of the preceding substrate in step S202, the surface of the preceding substrate can be approximated by a curved surface including a third-order component, a fourth-order component, or a fifth-order component or higher by measuring at a pitch smaller than the size of the shot area as shown in FIG. 6(B). In addition, in the height measurement of the surface of the processing substrate in step S104, by measuring more than six measurement points on the surface of the processing substrate, the shape of the surface of the processing substrate can be approximated by a quadratic curved surface in step S301. In this case, in step S305, the components of the quadratic curved surface (zeroth-order, first-order, and second-order coefficients) may be removed from the measurement value of the preceding substrate. Similarly, in step S104, by measuring more than ten measurement points, the shape of the surface of the processing substrate can be approximated by a third-order curved surface in step S301. In this case, in step S305, it is sufficient to remove the components of the cubic surface (zeroth-order, first-order, second-order, and third-order coefficients) from the measurement values ​​of the preceding substrate. Since increasing the number of measurement points in step S104 reduces throughput, it is generally desirable to set the number of measurement points to 6 to 7 in step S104 and perform up to functional approximation of the quadratic surface in step S301. As described above, since the measurement of the preceding substrate in step S202 does not affect throughput, it is desirable to perform measurement at measurement points that follow a lattice with a pitch smaller than the size of the shot area, ideally a pitch of 1 to several mm, to sufficiently cover high-order components.

[0051] The preceding substrate measured in step S202 may not be one substrate from the same lot as the processing substrate, but may be multiple substrates from the same lot, in which case the multiple substrates may be measured and their average values ​​may be used. When imprint processing is performed on multiple substrates in succession, at least one of the first substrates may be used as the preceding substrate to perform the processing in step S202.

[0052] 5 is merely an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the steps S301, S303, S304, and S305 do not need to be performed for each shot area, and may be performed as part of the process of step S104 or immediately after step S104. Also, if the coordinates of all shot areas are known in advance, the inclinations of all shot areas may be calculated immediately after the process of step S104 and saved in a storage device, and S106 may use the inclinations retrieved from the storage device.

[0053] Moreover, the information stored in the storage device in step S203 is not limited to the measured value of the precursor substrate 5a. It may be the result of removing the approximation function components in step S305, or the slopes to be calculated in step S306 may all be calculated in advance and then stored in the storage device. However, more generally, the information obtained in step S202 in FIG. 6 may be stored in the storage device in step S203.

[0054] The operation of the first embodiment can be summarized as follows. The control unit 10 acquires first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate (previous substrate 5a) (S303). The control unit 10 uses the substrate height sensor 9 (measurement unit) to obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate (processing substrate 5) (S104). The control unit 10 removes the first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a first predetermined order that approximates the first height distribution information, from the first height distribution information to obtain corrected height distribution information (S304, S305). The control unit 10 controls the imprint process based on the corrected height distribution information and the second component which is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than a second predetermined order that approximates the second height distribution information (S301, S302, S306, S307, S106).

[0055] The second embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, at least one substrate at the top of a lot may be used as the leading substrate (first substrate). In the second embodiment, a high flatness substrate 5b is used as the leading substrate (first substrate). The high flatness substrate 5b is a substrate with a higher flatness than the processing substrate 5. The second embodiment is advantageous in cases where the influence of factors of the imprinting apparatus 1, such as the shape of the substrate chuck 18 and the shape component of the stage base 15, which is the reference for the movement of the substrate stage 6, is greater than the influence of the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the shape of the chuck surface of the substrate chuck 18 has a large secondary component. In FIG. 7, the shape of the chuck surface of the substrate chuck 18 is exaggerated, but it is difficult to flatten the entire chuck surface of a substrate chuck as large as φ300 mm with high precision, and the chuck surface may have such components to a certain extent.

[0056] 7(B) shows a schematic diagram of a chuck surface of the substrate chuck 18 having a second-order component and a highly flat substrate 5b being chucked to the chuck surface. The shape of the highly flat substrate 5b follows the shape of the chuck surface of the substrate chuck 18, so the shape of the surface of the highly flat substrate 5b also has a second-order component. FIG. 7(E) shows a schematic diagram of a process substrate 5 being chucked to the chuck surface of the same substrate chuck 18. The process substrate 5 may have a different first-order component from the highly flat substrate 5b of FIG. 7(A), as shown in FIG. 7(D).

[0057] In this example, the method of accurately determining the tilt of the shot area is the same as that in the flowchart of FIG. 5. Using the highly flat substrate 5b in FIG. 7(A) as the preceding substrate, a surface shape measurement can be performed in step S202. As a result, for example, the shape of a quadratic curved surface can be measured, as shown typically in FIG. 7(B). Measurement can also be performed in step S104 on the process substrate 5 in FIG. 7(D) according to the flowchart of FIG. 5. Here, for example, a measurement can be performed to measure a first-order component, as shown typically in FIG. 7(E).

[0058] In steps S304 and S305, the first-order components of the surface are removed from the height distribution information of the surface of the highly flat substrate 5b, which is the preceding substrate. Note that, although an example without a first-order component is shown in Fig. 7(B), even if a first-order component is present, this does not pose a problem because the first-order and lower components are removed in step S305, and the first-order component shown in Fig. 7(E) is finally used. The result of removing the first-order and lower components from the height distribution information in Fig. 7(B) is shown in Fig. 7(C), and the first gradient component of the shot area is obtained from this result in step S306.

[0059] In step S301, first order or lower components are calculated from the height distribution information shown typically in FIG. 7(E). The result is shown typically in FIG. 7(F). In step S302, a second tilt component of the processing target shot area is obtained from the first order or lower components calculated in step S301. In step S307, the first tilt component obtained in step S306 and the second tilt component obtained in step S302 are added together to obtain the tilt of the processing target shot area. The result is shown typically in FIG. 7(G).

[0060] That is, by performing the same process as in the first embodiment, the tilt of the shot area can be obtained with high accuracy. The difference from the first embodiment is whether the first tilt component depends on the surface shape of the preceding substrate 5a or on the surface shape of the substrate chuck 18. Usually, the surface shape including both is measured using the substrate height sensor 8, but there is no need to take this into consideration, and the tilt of the shot area to be processed of the substrate to be processed can be measured with high accuracy according to the flowchart of FIG.

[0061] Steps S201 to S203 for measuring higher-order components caused by the imprint apparatus 1 basically need to be performed only once when adjusting the imprint apparatus 1. Alternatively, they may be performed when replacing the substrate chuck 18 or when performing maintenance on the imprint apparatus 1. In the first embodiment, when a change in lot occurs, steps S201 to S203 need to be performed again on the preceding substrate, but if the process does not require consideration of the inclination of the shot area, only the second embodiment needs to be performed. When the first embodiment and the second embodiment are performed alternatively depending on the lot, multiple storage areas for storing the results in step S203 may be provided, and the storage areas may be switched depending on the lot.

[0062] The third embodiment will be described below. The processes from step S201 to step S203 basically need to be performed only once for one lot. However, it is possible that a long time has passed since the processes from step S201 to step S203 were performed, and the shape of the surface of the processing substrate 5 becomes different from the shape of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a. In this case, the processes from step S201 to step S203 may be performed again. However, it takes a considerable amount of time to perform step S202.

[0063] Therefore, in step S104, for example, the number of measurement points may be increased only for the first processing substrate 5. For example, while the number of measurement points is usually three and only the zeroth-order and first-order components are measured, the number of measurement points is six and up to the second-order components are measured for at least the first processing substrate 5. Then, the coefficients of the second-order components (corresponding to Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy in (Equation 1)) are also used for the subsequent processing substrates 5. As a result, the inclination of the processing shot area can be determined with high accuracy without decreasing the throughput of the second and subsequent processing substrates 5. In this case, in step S305, the second-order and lower components (zeroth-order, first-order, and second-order components) are removed from the measurement value of the preceding substrate 5a. As a result, the third-order and higher-order components are obtained by the measurement of the preceding substrate 5a in step S202, the second-order components are obtained using the first processing substrate 5, and the zeroth-order and first-order components are obtained during the imprint processing of the subsequent processing substrate 5.

[0064] Such operations can be summarized as follows: The control unit 10 acquires first height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the first substrate (previous substrate 5a) (S303). The control unit 10 uses the substrate height sensor 9 (measurement unit) to obtain second height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the second substrate (at least one of the multiple substrates to be processed 5) (S104). The control unit 10 uses the substrate height sensor 9 (measurement unit) to obtain third height distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the third substrate (the subsequent substrate 5 to be processed among the plurality of substrates to be processed 5) (S104). The control unit 10 obtains a second component (a component of an order equal to or less than a second predetermined order and higher than a third predetermined order lower than the second predetermined order) that approximates the second height distribution information (S301). The control unit 10 obtains a third component (a function of an order equal to or less than a third predetermined order) that approximates the third height distribution information (S301, S302, S304, S305, S306, S307, S106).

[0065] Furthermore, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not to carry over each coefficient of the approximation function from the first processed substrate 5. For example, consider a case where Dxy changes little for each processed substrate, and Dxx and Dyy are to be determined for each processed substrate. In this case, the number of measurement points for the first processed substrate is set to six, and all of the second-order coefficients Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy are calculated. Then, for the second processed substrate, the number of measurement points is set to only five, and only Dxy is carried over from the value determined in the processing of the first processed substrate, and Dxx and Dyy are newly calculated from the measured values.

[0066] Since the higher the order of coefficients, the more susceptible they are to the effect of measurement errors, it is usually desirable to increase the number of measurement points and use the least squares method. That is, even if there are five or six measurement points for the second and subsequent processed substrates, it is possible to consider not calculating the second order coefficients. That is, the number of measurement points for the first processed substrate may be set to about seven to ten, and the coefficients may be calculated with high accuracy, and the second order coefficients Dxx, Dxy, and Dyy of the first processed substrate may be carried over to the second and subsequent processed substrates. For the second and subsequent processed substrates, only the first order components may be calculated using the least squares method from five to six measurement points. According to such a method, the effect of measurement errors of the substrate height sensor 8 is reduced, and improvement in accuracy can be expected.

[0067] The number of measurement points is not limited to be increased for the first substrate to be processed, but may be increased for a plurality of substrates, or may be increased for every N substrates to be processed (N is an integer of 2 or more).

[0068] The fourth embodiment will be described below. Usually, before performing imprint processing, pre-alignment can be performed using an alignment scope (not shown) to measure the arrangement (shot layout) of multiple shot areas on the substrate 5. The alignment scope can have a wider field of view than the TTM scope 13 in FIG. 1. This makes it possible to capture the marks provided on the substrate within the field of view of the alignment scope even if a placement error occurs when the substrate 5 is placed on the substrate stage 6. In pre-alignment, usually, the positions of multiple marks are measured, and the shot layout can be calculated by function approximation.

[0069] A conceptual diagram of pre-alignment is shown in Fig. 8. A plurality of shot areas on the substrate 5, six shot areas in this example, are selected as measurement shot areas 23. By disposing the substrate height sensor 8 near this alignment scope, it becomes possible to carry out pre-alignment and measurement by the substrate height sensor 8 (step S104) in parallel, which is advantageous for improving throughput. The alignment scope needs to measure an alignment mark provided on the substrate, but as long as there is a reflective surface at the measurement target location, i.e., a substrate, there is basically no problem in measuring anywhere on the substrate height sensor 8.

[0070] Increasing the number of measurement points in step S104 would mean increasing the number of measurement points for pre-alignment measurement. Pre-alignment measurement involves capturing images using an image sensor, processing the images, and other steps, so the processing basically requires a certain amount of time. Therefore, increasing the number of measurement points leads to a decrease in throughput.

[0071] As described above, the location to be measured by the substrate height sensor 8 may be anywhere within the surface of the substrate 5. Therefore, the number of height measurement points can be increased by performing measurement by the substrate height sensor 8 during movement from a pre-alignment measurement point to the next pre-alignment measurement point. However, if the measurement is performed while the substrate stage 6 is accelerating or decelerating, it may be affected by the inclination or height change of the substrate stage 6. Therefore, it is desirable to perform measurement by the substrate height sensor 8 in a section where the substrate stage 6 is moving at a constant speed, or at the moment when acceleration changes to deceleration. Usually, such additional measurement points can be midpoints between the pre-alignment measurement points. FIG. 8 shows such additional measurement points 24. In this example, there are six measurement points (simultaneous measurement points) where the height is measured simultaneously with the pre-alignment, and five measurement points for the height during movement between the simultaneous measurement points. Using these measurement values, approximation by a higher-order function, for example, a cubic function, may be performed, or the least squares method may be used to calculate the quadratic coefficients to improve the calculation accuracy of the coefficients.

[0072] Note that, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the higher-order components are calculated based on the measurement values ​​acquired in step S202 for the precursor substrate 5a.

[0073] The surface shape of the substrate 5 that has been subjected to various processes often has a shape with a higher periphery, i.e., a fourth-order shape. A substrate 5 having a fourth-order shape is shown in Fig. 9. In the first embodiment, even for a substrate 5 having such a shape, by appropriately setting the pitch of the measurement points and the measurement range in step S202, it is possible to determine the higher-order components based on the measurement of the preceding substrate 5a.

[0074] However, these higher-order components also usually vary slightly from one substrate to another. In normal imprint processing, this level of difference is not a problem in most cases, but even a slight change in the higher-order components may have a non-negligible effect on the imprint result, depending on the pattern to be transferred to the imprint material.

[0075] As in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to calculate higher order coefficients by increasing the number of measurement points, but for fourth order coefficients, a minimum of 15 measurement points are required, and more measurement points are required if the least squares method is used. Furthermore, it is necessary to place measurement points on the outer periphery of the substrate. Usually, measurement points for pre-alignment are often placed to avoid the outer periphery of the substrate. In such cases, it is difficult to deal with the fourth embodiment.

[0076] As described above, the measurement by the substrate height sensor 8 is possible even while the substrate stage 6 is moving. Therefore, the substrate stage 6 and the substrate height sensor 8 may be controlled so that the height of the surface of the substrate 5 is measured from one end to the other of the substrate 5 along the diameter direction of the substrate 5 while moving the substrate stage 6. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, measurements can be performed in one row in each of the X direction and the Y direction. In this example, it is possible to set 15 or more measurement points, but since the measurement points are arranged in one row, it is not possible to calculate all the coefficients of the quartic surface. Coefficients that cannot be calculated by this measurement method can be obtained from the measurement results in step S202. When the measurement accuracy of the inclination of the shot area is highly demanded, the measurement illustrated in FIG. 10 can be performed on all substrates. This enables more accurate measurement while minimizing the decrease in throughput. The measurement examples given here are merely examples and are not limited thereto. For example, various cases are possible, such as performing measurements only in the X direction, only in the Y direction, and also in an oblique direction.

[0077] The sixth embodiment will be described below. The processes from step S201 to step S203 shown in FIG. 5 may be performed by an apparatus other than the imprint apparatus 1. However, if the apparatus for measuring the preceding substrate is different from the imprint apparatus 1, this may adversely affect the determination of the inclination of the shot area. FIG. 11 shows a schematic example of a failure. It is assumed that the shape of the substrate chuck 18a of the other apparatus is a secondary shape as shown in FIG. 11(B), and the shape of the substrate chuck 18 of the imprint apparatus 1 is a primary shape as shown in FIG. 11(E). In this case, if the process according to the flowchart of FIG. 5 is performed, the inclination of the shot area obtained in step S307 will be influenced by the secondary shape of the substrate chuck 18a of the other apparatus. In the example of FIG. 11, the inclination of the shot area that is originally desired to be obtained is the inclination as shown in FIG. 11(F).

[0078] When the process S202 for the preceding substrate 5a and the process S104 for the process substrate 5 are performed in the same device, even if the substrate chuck 18 has a quadratic shape, the inclination of the shot area can be calculated without any problem as shown in Fig. 7. This is because the components resulting from the shape of the chuck surface of the substrate chuck 18 are the same in both the process S202 for the preceding substrate 5a and the process S104 for the process substrate 5.

[0079] Therefore, when the shape of the surface of the precursor substrate 5a is measured by a device other than the imprint apparatus 1, it is advisable to measure the device factor, for example, the difference between the shape of the substrate chuck 18a of the other device and the shape of the substrate chuck 18 of the imprint apparatus 1 in advance and reflect it in the calculation of the inclination of the shot area. FIG. 12 shows a flowchart showing the flow of the calibration process in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of the main steps in the calibration process. The basic idea is to measure the shape of the surface of the same substrate 5 by both the other device and the imprint apparatus 1, and calculate the difference between the measurement results as the device factor, that is, the difference in the shape of the substrate chuck.

[0080] In step S401 of Fig. 12, substrate 5 is transported to another device and held by substrate chuck 18a. In this case, any substrate 5 may be used, but it is preferable that the substrate 5 is a highly flat substrate. In step S402, similar to step S202, the shape of the surface of substrate 5 is measured. This corresponds to Fig. 13(B), and the measurement result in Fig. 13(C) is obtained. In step S403, similar to step S203, the measurement result is stored in a storage device.

[0081] The shape of the surface of the same substrate 5 is also measured in the imprint apparatus 1. In step S501, the substrate 5 used in step S402 is transported to the imprint apparatus 1 and held by the substrate chuck 18. In step S502, the shape of the surface of the substrate 5 is measured using the substrate height sensor 8. This corresponds to FIG. 13(E), and the measurement result of FIG. 13(F) is obtained. Here, it is desirable that the arrangement of the measurement points in the measurement in step S502 is the same as the arrangement of the measurement points in the measurement in step S402. The process shown in FIG. 12 only needs to be performed, for example, when another apparatus is introduced or when the substrate chuck of the other apparatus or the imprint apparatus is replaced, and therefore there is no need to consider the throughput.

[0082] In step S503, the measurement results (FIG. 13(C)) of the shape of the surface of substrate 5 measured by another device, which were stored in the storage device in step S403, are read out from the storage device in the imprint apparatus 1. In step S504, the difference between the measurement results of steps S402 and S502 is calculated. Here, since the measurement points in steps S402 and S502 are at the same positions on substrate 5, it is only necessary to calculate the difference in the measurement values ​​between the same measurement points. The result of this difference is shown in FIG. 13(G), and this is stored in the storage device in step S505. If there are multiple separate devices, this storage area can be prepared for the number of separate devices.

[0083] Although it has been described that it is desirable for the measurement points in step S402 and the measurement points in step S502 to be in the same position, it is desirable for the positions of these measurement points to be in the same position as the measurement points in step S202. Of course, this is not limited to the above, and if the positions of the measurement points are different, it is sufficient to calculate the difference in measurement values ​​between the measurement points in step S402 and the measurement points in step S502 that are close to each other. If the difference in the positions of the respective measurement points is not acceptable, it is also possible to calculate the difference between the approximation function of the surface shape of the substrate obtained from the measurement results in step S402 and the approximation function of the surface shape of the substrate obtained from the measurement results in step S502.

[0084] Next, a method for controlling the imprint process using the difference obtained in the flowchart of Fig. 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 shows a process that is executed in place of the process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5 in the first embodiment. Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of changes in the state of the imprint apparatus 1. The numbers of the steps shown in Fig. 15 correspond to the numbers of the steps shown in Fig. 14.

[0085] In step S601, the preceding substrate (first substrate) 5a may be transported by the substrate transport mechanism 12 to a substrate chuck 18a of another device and held by the substrate chuck 18a. In step S602, the height of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a may be measured at a plurality of (a first number of) measurement points using a substrate height sensor of the other device. This makes it possible to obtain first height distribution information indicating the height of the surface of the preceding substrate 5a. This step is similar to step S202, with the difference being that the measurement is performed by a different device. Also, as described above, it is desirable that the positions of the measurement points in this measurement are the same as those in steps S402 and S502. In step S603, the results of the measurement in step 602 are stored in a storage device.

[0086] Next, the imprint process in the imprint apparatus 1 will be described, but the description of the same process as in FIG. 3 will be omitted, and only the process in step S105 will be described. Steps S301 to S303 are the same as steps S301 to S303 in the flowchart of FIG. 5. In S604, the control unit 10 reads out the difference (FIG. 15(G)) stored in the storage device in step S505 of FIG. 12. This is FIG. 13(G) stored in the storage device. In step S605, the control unit 10 corrects the first height distribution information read out from the storage device in step S303 using the difference read out in step S604. Specifically, the control unit 10 subtracts the difference (FIG. 15(G)) read out in step S604 from the first height distribution information (FIG. 15(C)) read out from the storage device in step S303. As a result, FIG. 15(H) is obtained.

[0087] Step S304 is the same as in FIG. 5, but the object of calculation processing is the data obtained in step S605, i.e., the result after removing the difference due to the apparatus (FIG. 15(H)). Steps S305 to S307 are the same as steps S305 to S307 in the flowchart of FIG. 5. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15(I), the tilt of the shot area to be processed is correctly calculated from the surface shape of substrate 5. In the example of FIG. 15, for simplicity of explanation, the substrate chuck and substrate are not included in the first-order components, but of course there is no problem if they are included.

[0088] The separate apparatus described here may be a measurement apparatus that performs only measurement, or may be an imprint apparatus other than the imprint apparatus that performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0089] The pattern of the cured product formed by using the imprinting apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The articles include electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, and molds. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of the molds include molds for imprinting.

[0090] 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.

[0091] Next, an article manufacturing method will be described, 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. As shown in Fig. 16(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.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 16(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. 16(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 hardening, the imprinting material 3z hardens.

[0093] 16(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 pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 16(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. 16(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.

[0095] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1: imprint device, 3: mold, 5: substrate, 8: substrate height sensor, 9: mold height sensor, 10: control device

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process on a substrate using a mold, a measuring unit that measures the height of a surface of the second substrate; A control unit that controls the imprint process, The control unit is corrected height distribution information obtained by removing a first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a first predetermined order that approximates first height distribution information indicating a height distribution on a surface of a first substrate, from the first height distribution information; a second component that is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a second predetermined order that approximates second height distribution information obtained by the measurement unit measuring the surface height of the second substrate; and and controlling the imprint process based on the 1. An imprint apparatus comprising:

2. The control of the imprint process includes control of a relative attitude between the substrate and the mold. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit calculates the first component from the first height distribution information by a least squares method.

3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is a liquid crystal display.

4. the control unit obtains an approximation function that approximates the first height distribution information, and obtains the first component from the approximation function that approximates the first height distribution information.

3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprint apparatus is a liquid crystal display.

5. The second component is a second or lower order component.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprinting device is a laser beam source.

6. The second component is a first-order component.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprinting device is a laser beam source.

7. The second component is a zero-order component.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imprinting device is a laser beam source.

8. the first height distribution information includes height information for each of a first number of measurement points on a surface of the first substrate; the second height distribution information includes height information for each of a second number of measurement points on the surface of the second substrate; The second number is less than the first number. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The second predetermined order is equal to the first predetermined order. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the measurement unit is further used to obtain third height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a third substrate; the second component is a component of an order equal to or less than the second predetermined order and greater than a third predetermined order that is lower than the second predetermined order, the control unit controls the imprint process based on the corrected height distribution information, the second component, and a third component that is an approximation function of an order equal to or lower than the third predetermined order that approximates the third height distribution information; The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 .

11. the control unit controls the imprint process on the second substrate based on the corrected height distribution information and the second component. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. the control unit controls the imprint process on the second substrate based on the corrected height distribution information, the second component, and the third component. The imprint apparatus according to claim 10 .

13. the control unit obtains a first or lower order component of the selected shot area based on a position of the shot area selected from the plurality of shot areas of the second substrate, the corrected height distribution information, and the second component, and controls the imprint process for the selected shot area while controlling the selected shot area and the mold based on the first or lower order component. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. The control unit is determining a first tilt component of a shot area that is arranged at the same position as the selected shot area of ​​the second substrate among the plurality of shot areas of the first substrate based on the corrected height information; determining a second tilt component of the selected shot area of ​​the second substrate based on the second component; determining a tilt of the selected shot area of ​​the second substrate as the first or lower order component based on the first tilt component and the second tilt component; The imprint apparatus according to claim 13 .

15. An imprinting method for performing an imprinting process in which an imprint material is formed on a substrate using a mold, the method comprising the steps of: measuring the height of a surface of a second substrate; a step of controlling the imprint process based on corrected height distribution information obtained by removing a first component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a first predetermined order that approximates first height distribution information indicating a height distribution on a surface of a first substrate, from the first height distribution information, and a second component, which is an approximation function of an order equal to or less than a second predetermined order that approximates second height distribution information obtained by measuring the height of the surface of the second substrate in the step; 1. An imprint method comprising:

16. Control of the imprint process includes control of a relative attitude between the substrate and the mold. The imprint method according to claim 15 .

17. The first substrate and the second substrate are substrates from the same lot.

17. The imprint method according to claim 15 or 16.

18. The first substrate is a substrate having a higher flatness than the second substrate.

17. The imprint method according to claim 15 or 16.

19. The first height distribution information and the second height distribution information are acquired using a measurement unit of the same device. The imprint method according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

20. the second height distribution information is acquired using a measurement unit of an imprint apparatus that executes the imprint process, and the first height information is acquired in an apparatus other than the imprint apparatus. The imprint method according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

21. measuring a shape of a surface of the same substrate in the imprint apparatus and the other apparatus, and correcting the first height distribution information based on results obtained thereby; The imprint method according to claim 20 .

22. acquiring third height distribution information indicating a height distribution on a surface of a third substrate; obtaining a third component that is an approximation function of a third predetermined order or less that approximates the third height distribution information; controlling the imprint process for the third substrate based on the corrected height distribution information, the second component and the third component; 22. The method of imprinting according to claim 15, further comprising:

23. the step of acquiring the second height distribution information indicating a height distribution on the surface of the second substrate is performed in parallel with pre-alignment for measuring the second substrate and a shot layout.

23. The imprint method according to claim 15,

24. forming a pattern on a substrate by the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14; processing the patterned substrate to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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