Imprint method, imprint apparatus, imprint system, mold, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous in accurately molding an imprint material on a substrate.SOLUTION: An imprint method is to mold a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, and includes a processing step of performing, on each of a plurality of molding areas on the substrate, processing of bringing the mold and the imprint material on the substrate into contact with each other to mold the pattern. The processing step includes changing the number of molding areas to be processed in single processing according to the positions of the molding areas on the substrate before performing the processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Imprint technology is a technology that enables the transfer of nanoscale fine patterns, and is being put into practical use as one of the nanolithography technologies for mass production of magnetic storage media and semiconductor devices. In imprint technology, a fine pattern is formed on a substrate such as a silicon substrate or a glass plate using a mold on which a fine pattern is formed using an electron beam lithography device or the like as a master. This fine pattern is formed by applying an imprint material onto the substrate, and hardening the imprint material by irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light while the pattern of the mold is pressed against the substrate through the imprint material. The imprint material is then formed by separating the mold from the hardened imprint material (Patent Document 1). In conventional imprint devices, a pattern is transferred to the substrate for each shot. However, a method of simultaneously imprinting multiple shot areas to increase productivity has been proposed (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-098310 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-233071 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the imprint process on the transfer area including the edge of the substrate, the area on which the pattern is formed is very small. In the conventional imprint method, the layout may be such that one transfer area with a relatively small area is transferred using a mold with a large area that can simultaneously imprint multiple transfer areas. This may make it difficult to precisely control the relative posture between the mold and the substrate in the contact process.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and provide an advantageous technique for precisely forming an imprint material on a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides Using a mold, multiple transfer areas on the substrate are An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprint material, comprising: a process of contacting the mold with the imprint material on the substrate to form the pattern on the substrate; The above Multiple Transcription area The processing step includes a processing step for each of the above. Transcription area Depending on the position on the substrate, the target of the processing in one processing is Transcription area The number of Select from a first number or a second number greater than the first number. The above process is carried out and when the transfer region to be processed includes an edge of the substrate, the number of the transfer regions to be processed at one time is set to the second number. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for forming an imprint material on a substrate with high precision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a mold-side mark and a substrate-side mark. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an imprint process. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the layout of a plurality of transfer regions on a substrate. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example of the layout of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate. [Figure 6] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining a contact process between the mold and the imprint material on the substrate. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of a plurality of shot regions in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an imprint process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 11A to 11C are schematic views illustrating an imprint process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an imprint process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a single area imprint process. [Figure 12] 13A to 13C are schematic diagrams illustrating a deformation process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mold according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an inversion process using a mold according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a layout of shot areas when imprint processing is performed on four transfer areas collectively. [Figure 16] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A first preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same members are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0010] An imprinting device is a device that brings an imprinting material supplied on a substrate into contact with a mold and applies energy for hardening to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern of a cured product to which the concave-convex pattern of the mold has been transferred. For example, an imprinting device supplies a liquid imprinting material onto a substrate, and hardens the imprinting material while a mold (mold) on which a concave-convex pattern has been formed is brought into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate. Then, the mold pattern can be transferred to the imprinting material on the substrate by widening the gap between the mold and the substrate and peeling (releasing) the mold from the hardened imprinting material. This series of processes is called an "imprinting process" and is performed for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate.

[0011] The imprint material uses a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that is cured by applying energy for curing. Electromagnetic waves, heat, and the like are used as the energy for curing. The electromagnetic waves are, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet rays, whose wavelengths are selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm. The curable composition is a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among them, the photocurable composition that is cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may 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 imprint material is applied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the imprint material may be applied on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid ejection head. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25° C.) is, for example, not less than 1 mPa·s and not more than 100 mPa·s.

[0012] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. The imprinting apparatus 1 forms and hardens an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold having a pattern area in which a concave and convex pattern is formed. Then, an imprinting process is performed in which a pattern is formed on the substrate by separating (demolding, peeling) the mold from the hardened imprinting material. In the imprinting apparatus 1, a space in which this imprinting process is performed is called a processing section. In this embodiment, a resin is used as the imprinting material, and a photocuring method is adopted as the resin hardening method in which the resin is hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light.

[0013] The imprint apparatus 1 has a mold holding unit 12 that holds a mold 11, a substrate holding unit 14 that holds a substrate 13, a detection unit 15, an irradiation unit 16, and a control unit 17. The imprint apparatus may also have a supply unit including a dispenser for supplying an ultraviolet-curable resin onto the substrate, a shape deformation mechanism for applying force to the side surface of the mold 11 to deform the pattern region 11a of the mold 11, and the like. The imprint apparatus 1 may also have a bridge surface plate for holding the mold holding unit 12, a base surface plate for holding the substrate holding unit 14, and the like. The imprint apparatus may also have a storage unit 25 for storing a plurality of molds 11.

[0014] The mold 11 has a pattern region 11a in which a pattern (concave-convex pattern) to be transferred to (the resin on) the substrate 13 is formed. The mold 11 is made of a material, such as quartz, that transmits ultraviolet light for hardening the imprint material on the substrate 13. Furthermore, the mold 11, more specifically, the pattern region 11a, has an alignment mark (mold-side mark 18) formed therein, which is used to control the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13.

[0015] The mold holding unit 12 is a holding mechanism that holds the mold 11. The mold holding unit 12 includes, for example, a mold chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the mold 11, a mold stage on which the mold chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives (moves) the mold stage. The drive system drives the mold stage (i.e., the mold 11) at least in the Z-axis direction (the imprinting direction when the mold 11 is imprinted on the resin on the substrate 13). The drive system may also have a function of driving the mold stage not only in the Z-axis direction, but also in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θ direction (rotation around the Z-axis).

[0016] The substrate 13 is a substrate onto which the pattern of the mold 11 is transferred (i.e., a substrate on which a pattern made of an imprint material is formed). Examples of materials that can be used for the substrate 13 include glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors, and resins. If necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate 13 may be provided on the surface of the substrate 13. The substrate 13 is, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass. The substrate 13 may also be, for example, an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate. Resin is supplied (applied) to the substrate 13 from a supply unit. Also, an alignment mark (substrate side mark 19) used for controlling the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 is formed on the substrate 13.

[0017] The substrate holding unit 14 is a holding mechanism that holds the substrate 13. The substrate holding unit 14 includes, for example, a substrate chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically-adsorbs the substrate 13, a substrate stage on which the substrate chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives (moves) the substrate stage. The drive system drives the substrate stage (i.e., the substrate 13) at least in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (directions perpendicular to the imprinting direction of the mold 11). The drive system may also have a function of driving the substrate stage not only in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, but also in the Z-axis direction and θ direction (rotation around the Z axis).

[0018] The detection unit 15 can detect the position of an alignment mark (substrate-side mark 19) provided on the substrate 13. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 15 includes a scope for optically observing the substrate-side mark 19 through the mold 11 (mold-side mark 18), and detects the relative position between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 corresponding thereto. For example, the detection unit 15 can measure the relative position between the mold 11 (pattern region 11a) and the substrate (shot region) based on the relative position between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 detected by the scope. Here, the detection unit 15 only needs to be able to detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. Therefore, the detection unit 15 may include a scope equipped with an optical system for simultaneously imaging the two marks, or may include a scope for detecting a signal reflecting the relative positional relationship, such as an interference signal or moire, between the two marks. The detection unit 15 may not be able to simultaneously detect the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. For example, the detection unit 15 may detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 by determining the respective positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 relative to a reference position arranged inside.

[0019] The irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material on the substrate via the mold 11 with light 22 (e.g., ultraviolet light) for hardening the imprint material, thereby hardening the imprint material. The irradiation unit 16 may include, for example, a light source that emits light 22 for hardening the imprint material, and an optical system that adjusts the light 22 emitted from the light source to optimal light for the imprint process. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment may be configured such that the light 22 emitted from the irradiation unit 16 is reflected by a beam splitter 24 and irradiated onto the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprint material on the substrate).

[0020] The observation unit 23 includes, for example, a camera having a field of view that can accommodate the entire pattern region 11a of the mold 11, and has a function of observing (checking) the cured state of the imprint material on the substrate due to irradiation with ultraviolet light. The observation unit 23 can also observe the state of the mold 11 imprinting the imprint material on the substrate, the state of the imprint material filling the pattern of the mold 11, and the state of the mold 11 being released from the cured imprint material on the substrate. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment can be configured such that the observation unit 23 observes the cured state of the imprint material on the substrate via the beam splitter 24.

[0021] The control unit 17 includes, for example, a CPU and a memory, and controls each part of the imprint apparatus 1 to control the imprint process and processes related thereto.

[0022] Next, mold-side marks 18 and substrate-side marks 19 serving as alignment marks used in aligning mold 11 and substrate 13 will be described with reference to Figures 2(A) and (B). Figure 2 is a diagram showing mold-side marks and substrate-side marks. In the example shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(B), six chip areas are arranged in one shot area of ​​substrate 13.

[0023] 2(A) shows an example of the arrangement of the pattern area 11a of the mold 11, specifically, the mold-side marks 18a to 18h formed at the four corners of the pattern area 11a. Referring to FIG. 2(A), the mold-side marks 18a, 18b, 18e, and 18f having a longitudinal direction in the horizontal direction are marks having a measurement direction in the X-axis direction. Moreover, the mold-side marks 18c, 18d, 18g, and 18h ​​having a longitudinal direction in the vertical direction are marks having a measurement direction in the Y-axis direction. Moreover, in FIG. 2(A), the areas surrounded by dotted lines represent the patterns to be transferred to each of the six chip areas on the substrate.

[0024] FIG. 2B shows the periphery of one shot area 13a on the substrate 13, specifically, the substrate side marks 19a to 19h provided at the four corners of the shot area 13a. Referring to FIG. 2B, the substrate side marks 19a, 19b, 19e, and 19f having a longitudinal direction in the horizontal direction are marks having a measurement direction in the X-axis direction. Moreover, the substrate side marks 19c, 19d, 19g, and 19h having a longitudinal direction in the vertical direction are marks having a measurement direction in the Y-axis direction. Moreover, in FIG. 2B, the area surrounded by a solid line inside the shot area 13a indicates the chip area 13b. Each chip area 13b is, for example, an area from which one semiconductor chip on which an integrated circuit is formed is obtained.

[0025] In the imprint process, when the mold 11 and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, the mold-side marks 18a to 18h provided on the mold 11 come close to the substrate-side marks 19b to 19h provided on the substrate 13. Therefore, by detecting the mold-side marks 18 and the substrate-side marks 19 by the detection unit 15, it is possible to compare the position and shape of the pattern region 11a of the mold 11 with the position and shape of the shot region 13a of the substrate 13. If a difference (deviation) occurs between the position and shape of the pattern region 11a of the mold 11 and the position and shape of the shot region 13a on the substrate 13, the overlay accuracy decreases, resulting in poor transfer of the pattern (product defect).

[0026] Next, the imprinting process for transferring the pattern of the mold 11 to the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprinting material on the substrate), that is, for molding the imprinting material on the substrate, will be described with reference to Figures 3(A) to 3(C). Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the imprinting process.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3(A), before starting to imprint the mold 11, an imprint material 20 is supplied to a target shot area on the substrate (a shot area to be subjected to the imprint process). Since the imprint material generally used in imprint devices is highly volatile, it is preferable to supply it onto the substrate immediately before the imprint process. However, if the imprint material is low-volatile, the resin may be supplied onto the substrate in advance using a spin cord or the like. After supplying the imprint material 20 onto the substrate, the substrate 13 is moved below the mold 11. Then, the detection unit 15 detects the relative positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19, and the alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 and the shape correction of the mold 11 are controlled based on the detection result.

[0028] Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, and a predetermined time is allowed to pass in this state to fill the pattern (relief structure) of the mold 11 with the imprint material 20. During this time, the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 may be detected by the detection unit 15, and the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 may be controlled based on the detection result. Here, when the difference in refractive index between the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 is small, if the mold-side mark 18 is composed only of a relief structure, it may be difficult for the detection unit 15 to detect the mold-side mark 18. Therefore, it is preferable to apply a substance having a refractive index or transmittance different from that of the mold 11 to the mold-side mark 18, or to change the refractive index of the mold-side mark 18 by ion irradiation or the like. This makes it possible to detect the mold-side mark 18 with the detection unit 15 even in a state in which the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other.

[0029] Once the pattern of the mold 11 is filled with the imprint material 20 (for example, after a predetermined time has passed), the irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material 20 on the substrate with light 22 to harden the imprint material 20. Then, as shown in Fig. 3(C), the mold 11 is separated (released) from the hardened imprint material 20 on the substrate. This allows a pattern 21 made of the imprint material 20 to be formed on the substrate (i.e., the pattern of the mold 11 can be transferred onto the substrate).

[0030] [Multi-area imprint] In recent years, the development of a multi-area imprinting technique has been progressing for imprinting apparatuses. The multi-area imprinting technique is a technique for imprinting two or more transfer areas to which a pattern of an original is transferred individually in a previous process at once, and this technique can improve the productivity (throughput) of the imprinting apparatus. Here, the mold 11 used in the multi-area imprinting technique is configured so that the imprinting material 20 on the two or more transfer areas can be collectively molded by one imprinting process, with the two or more transfer areas being one shot area. Here, each transfer area is an area on the substrate to which a pattern formed on the original is individually transferred. Each transfer area can also be said to be an area to which a pattern of the original is transferred by one shot (for example, one transfer process) in the previous process. For example, when an exposure apparatus is used in the previous process, the transfer area is an area on the substrate to which one pattern corresponding to the pattern of the mask as the original is transferred. When an imprinting apparatus is used in the previous process, the transfer area is an area on the substrate to which one pattern corresponding to the pattern of the mold as the original is transferred.

[0031] In multi-area imprinting, since the transfer area is small when a pattern is formed in a transfer area arranged on the periphery of the substrate 13, it is difficult to control the mold posture during transfer. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the layout (arrangement) of a plurality of transfer areas 30 on a substrate. The plurality of transfer areas 30 on the substrate 13 may include a transfer area (complete transfer area 31) arranged in the center of the substrate 13 and a transfer area (missing transfer area 32) arranged on the periphery of the substrate 13 so as to include the edge (border) of the substrate 13 and partially missing. The missing transfer area 32 may also include at least one chip area. Therefore, in the imprinting device 1, it is required to precisely form the imprint material 20 on the substrate not only in the complete transfer area 31 arranged in the center of the substrate 13 but also in the missing transfer area 32 arranged on the periphery of the substrate 13. This is to improve the yield of semiconductor chips.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional example of the layout of a plurality of shot regions 40 on a substrate. FIGS. 5(A) to 5(C) are enlarged views of representative shot regions 40 (41 to 43). The shot region 40 is an area to which the pattern of the mold 11 can be transferred by one imprint process, and is shown in FIG. 5 by a thick black frame. Here, an example is shown in which the pattern region 11a of the mold 11 is configured so that the pattern can be transferred to the imprint material 20 on the two transfer regions 30 at once. In the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, as in the shot region 42 (FIG. 5(B)), there is a portion in which one shot region 40 is configured by the missing transfer region 32. In such a portion, it may be difficult to control the relative posture between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 in the contact step of the imprint process (the step of contacting the mold 11 with the imprint material on the substrate).

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the substrate 13 may include a non-transfer region R to which the pattern of the original was not transferred in the previous process, in addition to a plurality of transfer regions 30 to which the pattern of the original was transferred individually in the previous process. The non-transfer region R is, for example, a region having a size that does not include even one chip region, that is, a region having an area smaller than one chip region, and does not require the transfer of the pattern of the mold 11 by the imprint process. However, if the imprint material 20 on the non-transfer region R is not formed, a difference in configuration will occur between the shot region that has been imprinted. As a result, the non-transfer region R will be processed differently from the transfer region in the subsequent etching process, which will affect not only the fire transfer region R but also the surrounding chip regions. Therefore, from the viewpoint of protecting the substrate 13 in the etching process, it is preferable to form the imprint material 20 by the mold 11 in the non-transfer region R as well.

[0034] 6 is a diagram for explaining the contact process between the mold and the imprint material on the substrate. For example, FIG. 6(A) shows an example in which the mold 11 (pattern region 11a) is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the shot region 41 set in the center of the substrate 13. In this case, the contact area between the pattern region 11a of the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate is relatively wide, so that the imprint material follows the substrate via the imprint material, and the relative posture between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 can be controlled with high precision in the contact process. On the other hand, FIG. 6(B) shows an example in which the mold 11 (pattern region 11a) is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the shot region 42 set in the peripheral portion of the substrate 13. In this case, the imprint material 20 on the shot region 42 can be contacted over a relatively narrow area at the end of the pattern region 11a of the mold 11. 6(B), a moment is generated that rotates the mold 11, and it may become difficult to accurately control the relative posture between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 in the contact step. In other words, it may become difficult to accurately control the film thickness (e.g., residual layer thickness (RLT)) of the imprint material 20 on the substrate. In this case, adding a new mechanism for accurately controlling the relative posture between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 may be disadvantageous in terms of the complexity of the device configuration and the cost of the device.

[0035] 5(A) to 5(C) also show the substrate-side marks 19. Since the shot area 41 is an area including two complete transfer areas 31 arranged in the center of the substrate 13, all of the configured substrate-side marks 19 are present, and many marks can be used. Even if there is a problem with the substrate-side mark 19 to be used in the imprint process, it is possible to select and use another mark.

[0036] On the other hand, the shot area 42 and the shot area 43 are areas including the edge 48 of the substrate 13, and the substrate side mark 19 is configured near the edge 48 of the substrate 13. The peripheral portion of the substrate 13 may exhibit peculiar behavior due to processing of the substrate 13 in pre-processing, since the continuity of the substrate 13 is interrupted. For example, the etching rate and the film formation rate of the peripheral portion of the substrate 13 may differ from those of the central portion of the substrate 13, and non-uniformity in etching and film formation or unevenness in the amount of processing may occur. In other words, the substrate side mark 19 provided in the chipping transfer area 32 of the peripheral portion of the substrate 13 may cause detection errors due to distortion, unevenness in film thickness, etc., and is therefore unreliable. If such a substrate side mark 19 is used to align the mold 11 and the substrate 13, it may be difficult to precisely mold the imprint material 20 on the substrate (i.e., to precisely transfer the pattern of the mold 11 to the imprint material 20 on the substrate). Furthermore, at the peripheral portion of the substrate 13, the transfer area is narrow and therefore there are few substrate side marks 19, so that if a defect occurs in one mark, it is difficult to select another mark.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, when performing imprint processing on an area including an edge 48 on a substrate, the layout can be set so that the adjacent transfer area 30 is included in the shot area. That is, in this embodiment, the number of molding areas to be processed in one imprint processing is changed according to the position on the substrate of the area (molding area) where the pattern of the imprint material is molded, the layout is set, and the imprint processing is performed. As a result, even when performing imprint processing on a molding area including an edge 48 of the substrate 13, it is possible to easily control the relative posture of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 in the contact step compared to the conventional example shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the imprint material 20 on the chipped transfer area 32 and the non-transfer area R can be molded with high accuracy. Note that FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of a plurality of shot areas 40 in the first embodiment. FIGS. 7(A)-(B) are enlarged views of representative shot areas 40 (44-45).

[0038] The layout of the multiple shot regions 40 on the substrate 13 can be set (determined) by the control unit 17 of the imprint apparatus 1. In this case, the control unit 17 acquires information indicating the arrangement of the multiple transfer regions 30 on the substrate 13 from an apparatus (exposure apparatus, etc.) used in the pre-processing. Then, based on the information, the layout is set so that the shot region 40 including the edge 48 of the substrate 13 includes two or more adjacent transfer regions 30. At this time, the number of transfer regions 30 having a relatively large area, preferably the shot region 40 including the complete transfer region 31, is set as necessary so that it is smaller than the number of transfer regions 30 included in the shot region 40 including the missing transfer region 32. Note that the layout may be set by an external computer of the imprint apparatus 1.

[0039] In FIG. 7, the number of transfer regions arranged in the horizontal direction (X direction) is an odd number. For this reason, for example, a layout is set for a row of complete transfer regions 31 arranged in the center of the substrate 13 as a shot region 40 including only one transfer region (each shot region 47 shaded in FIG. 7). In this specification, a shot region including only one transfer region is called a single shot region. As for the other transfer regions 30, a layout is set so that two or more transfer regions 30 become one shot region 40. In this specification, a shot region including two or more transfer regions 30 is called a multi-shot region. By setting the layout in this way, it is possible to achieve a layout in which the transfer region 30 including the edge 48 of the substrate, i.e., a transfer region having a relatively small area, does not need to be imprinted alone.

[0040] Although an example of setting a layout that is symmetrical has been given here, the present invention is not limited to this. Depending on the size of the chip and the optimized layout, a layout that is not symmetrical may be used. In this case, even and odd columns may be mixed in one substrate. In this case, for example, it is determined whether each column is to be a single shot region or a multi-shot region. Here, an example of determining the shot region for each column has been given, but the same can be applied to the rows.

[0041] By setting the layout as described above, when performing imprint processing on a transfer area 30 including an edge of a substrate, the contact area between the pattern area 11a of the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate can be made larger than that shown in Fig. 5. Comparing Figs. 5(B) and (C) with Figs. 7(A) and (B), it can be seen that Figs. 7(A) and (B) have a larger contact area between the pattern area 11a of the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate. In addition, since the contact area is larger, the number of marks that can be used when aligning the mold 11 and the substrate 13 can be increased, and the alignment accuracy between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 can also be improved.

[0042] Furthermore, since the contact area is increased, it becomes possible to control the relative position between mold 11 and substrate 13 with high precision in the contact step.

[0043] The imprint process with the layout set as described above will be specifically described below. In the imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a plurality of molds having different numbers of pattern portions are stored in the storage unit 25. It is possible to select which of the plurality of molds to use for the imprint process.

[0044] 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the imprint process according to the first embodiment. Each operation (step) shown in this flow diagram can be executed by the control unit 17 controlling each unit.

[0045] In S101, first mold 111 is transported from storage unit 25 by a mold transport mechanism (not shown), and first mold 111 is held by a mold chuck of mold holding unit 12. Note that here, pattern region 111a of first mold 111 is configured to be able to transfer a pattern to imprint material 20 on one transfer area 30. That is, pattern region 111a of first mold 111 has one pattern portion.

[0046] In S102, the substrate 13 is carried into the imprint apparatus 1 by a substrate transport mechanism (not shown), and the substrate 13 is held by the chuck of the substrate holding unit 14.

[0047] In S103, the first mold 111 is used to perform imprint processing on the single shot area.

[0048] In S104, the control unit 17 judges whether there is a single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed. If there is a single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (Yes), S103 is repeated until imprint processing is completed for all single shot areas. On the other hand, if there is no single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (No), the process proceeds to S105.

[0049] In S105, first mold 111 is transported from mold holding unit 12 to storage unit 25 by a mold transport mechanism (not shown). Then, second mold 112 is transported from storage unit 25 and held by the mold chuck of mold holding unit 12, and the mold is replaced. Note that pattern region 112a of second mold 112 is configured so that a pattern can be transferred collectively to imprint material 20 on two transfer regions by a single imprint process. That is, pattern region 112a of second mold 112 has two pattern portions.

[0050] In S106, the first mold 111 is used to perform imprint processing on the multi-shot area.

[0051] In S107, the control unit 17 judges whether there is a multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed. If there is a multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (Yes), S106 is repeated until imprint processing is completed for all multi-shot areas. On the other hand, if there is no multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (No), the process proceeds to S108.

[0052] In S108, the substrate 13 is carried out from the imprint apparatus 1 by the substrate transport mechanism.

[0053] As described above, according to this embodiment, the imprint material 20 on the substrate can be molded with high precision even in a molding region including the edge of the substrate 13.

[0054] In this embodiment, the imprint process on the single shot region and the imprint process on the multi-shot region may be performed in any order. Also, the imprint process on the single shot region and the imprint process on the multi-shot region may be performed in a mixed manner. However, it is preferable to perform the imprint process on the single shot region and the imprint process on the multi-shot region separately, because this can shorten the mold replacement time and improve the throughput.

[0055] In this embodiment, the imprint process on the single shot region and the multi-shot region is performed by exchanging the mold in one imprint apparatus 1, but an imprint system including two or more imprint apparatuses may be used. In this case, for example, the first imprint apparatus performs the imprint process using the first mold 111, and the second imprint apparatus performs the imprint process using the second mold 112. When two or more imprint apparatuses are used, since there is no need to exchange the mold, the throughput can be further improved. In addition, it is also possible to configure a plurality of imprint processing mechanisms in one imprint apparatus and perform the imprint process on the single shot region and the multi-shot region. This reduces the transfer time between the apparatuses, and further improves the productivity.

[0056] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, imprint processing is performed using one mold in one imprint apparatus 1. In the first embodiment, it is necessary to prepare multiple molds and change the mold and implementation apparatus depending on the shot area. In this embodiment, a mold that is configured to be able to collectively transfer a pattern to the imprint material 20 on two or more transfer areas by one imprint processing, that is, a mold equivalent to the second mold 112 in the first embodiment, is used. Then, imprint processing is performed on the single shot area and multi-shot area using a mold 11 having multiple pattern portions.

[0057] In the second embodiment, the irradiation unit 16 includes an aperture or a light modulation element. For example, a digital micromirror device (DMD), a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device is used as the light modulation element. Light emitted from a light source is guided to the aperture or the light modulation element. By using the aperture, it is possible to change the irradiation area of ​​the light 22 irradiated onto the substrate 13. In addition, by using the light modulation element, it is possible to freely set the irradiation area and light intensity of the light 22 irradiated onto the substrate 13. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the irradiation unit 16 includes a DMD as a light modulation element.

[0058] 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams illustrating the imprinting process according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram of the mold 11 as viewed from the pattern region 11a side. The pattern region 11a of the mold 11 includes a first pattern portion A and a second pattern portion. These have the same concave-convex pattern, and are configured such that a pattern can be collectively formed in the imprint material 20 on the two transfer regions by a single imprinting process.

[0059] FIG. 9(B) is a schematic diagram for explaining imprint processing on a single shot area using the mold 11. This figure is a side view showing the state before the imprint material 20 on the substrate and the pattern area 11a of the mold 11 come into contact. Here, an example is described in which only the second pattern portion B is transferred. That is, the first pattern portion A is a pattern portion not used in the imprint processing, and the second pattern portion B is a pattern portion used in the imprint processing. First, the imprint material 20 is supplied to a target shot area on the substrate (a shot area to be subjected to the imprint processing, here a single shot area).

[0060] Next, the second pattern portion B is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate. FIG. 9(C) is a side view of the state in which the second pattern portion B is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate. At this time, if the second pattern portion B is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate without any treatment, the imprint material 20 may spread to the region of the first pattern portion A due to the capillary force of the uneven structure of the pattern region 11a. In particular, in the imprint process, the gap between the substrate 13 and the mold 11 is narrow, about several to several tens of nm, and therefore a strong capillary force is generated. Therefore, in order to prevent the imprint material 20 from spreading to the first pattern portion A, the first pattern portion A or the boundary region between the first pattern portion A and the second pattern portion B is irradiated with light 22 for hardening the imprint material 20. As a result, the imprint material 20 that has spread to the first pattern portion A is hardened by the light 22 and cannot spread any further. If the light 22 is irradiated so that it slightly reaches the boundary region between the second pattern portion B and the first pattern portion A, the spread of the imprint material 20 to the first pattern portion A can be further suppressed.

[0061] 10 is a flow diagram illustrating the imprint process according to the second embodiment. Each operation (step) shown in this flow diagram can be executed by the control unit 17 controlling each unit.

[0062] In S201, the substrate 13 is carried into the imprint apparatus 1 by a substrate transport mechanism (not shown), and the substrate 13 is held by the chuck of the substrate holding unit .

[0063] In S202, imprint processing is performed on the single shot area. In this specification, imprint processing on a single shot area using a mold configured to be able to collectively transfer a pattern to the imprint material 20 on two or more transfer areas by one imprint processing is referred to as single area imprint processing. A detailed flow of the single area imprint processing will be described later.

[0064] In S203, the control unit 17 judges whether there is a single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed. If there is a single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (Yes), S202 is repeated until imprint processing is completed for all single shot areas. On the other hand, if there is no single shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (No), the process proceeds to S204.

[0065] In S204, imprint processing is performed on the multi-shot region. The control unit 17 changes the control of each unit of the imprint apparatus 1 to multi-area imprint processing. In other words, the control unit 17 changes to control for collectively performing imprint processing on transfer regions the same number as the number of pattern portions arranged on the mold 11.

[0066] In S205, the control unit 17 judges whether there is a multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed. If there is a multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (Yes), S204 is repeated until imprint processing is completed for all multi-shot areas. On the other hand, if there is no multi-shot area on which imprint processing has not been performed (No), the process proceeds to S206.

[0067] In S206, the substrate 13 is carried out from the imprint apparatus 1 by the substrate transport mechanism.

[0068] Next, a detailed flow of the single area imprint process (S202) will be described. Fig. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining the single area imprint process. Each operation (step) shown in this flow diagram can be executed by the control of each part by the control unit 17.

[0069] In S301, the supply unit supplies an imprint material to a shot area (here, a single shot area) on a substrate.

[0070] In S302, the distance between the second pattern portion B of the mold 11 and the target shot area is narrowed, and the irradiation unit 16 starts irradiating the first pattern portion A with the light 22. Specifically, the control unit 17 controls the light modulation element to control the irradiation area of ​​the irradiation unit 16 so that the area of ​​the first pattern portion A is irradiated with the light 22. At this time, it is sufficient that the light 22 is irradiated at least to the boundary area of ​​the first pattern portion A with the second pattern portion B, and it is not necessary to irradiate the light 22 to the entire first pattern portion A. The reason why the light 22 is irradiated at least to the boundary area of ​​the first pattern portion A with the second pattern portion B is to prevent the imprint material 20 from spreading to the first pattern portion A due to the capillary force of the uneven structure of the first pattern portion A.

[0071] In S303, the imprint material 20 supplied onto the transfer region 30 of the substrate 13 is brought into contact with the second pattern portion B of the mold 11 (imprinting). At this time, the mold 11 may be pressed against the substrate 13 to bring them into contact, or the substrate 13 may be pressed against the mold 11 to bring them into contact. Alternatively, the mold 11 and the substrate 13 may both be moved to bring them into contact.

[0072] In S304, the mold 11 and the substrate 13 are aligned, and the second pattern portion B is filled with the imprint material 20. For example, the imprint apparatus 1 determines the relative positions of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 by detecting light from the mold-side marks 18 formed on the mold 11 and the substrate-side marks 19 formed on the substrate 13 with the detection unit 15, and aligns the mold 11 and the substrate 13.

[0073] In S305, while the second pattern portion B of the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 are in contact with each other, the light 22 is irradiated from the irradiation unit 16 to the second pattern portion B, thereby hardening the imprint material 20.

[0074] In S306, the imprint material 20 is hardened, and then the mold 11 is separated from the hardened imprint material 20 (mold release).

[0075] It is preferable that S302 is started after the gap between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 has been narrowed as much as possible and before the imprint material 20 supplied onto the transfer area 30 of the substrate 13 comes into contact with the second pattern portion B of the mold 11.

[0076] In this embodiment, the single area imprint process is preferably performed before the multi-area imprint process. If the multi-area imprint process is performed first, there is a risk that a pattern portion of the pattern region 11a that is not used in the imprint process may come into contact with the pattern of the imprint material 20 already formed on the substrate during the single area imprint process. This is because there is a risk of pattern defects or damage to the mold 11.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, a single imprint apparatus can perform imprint processing on a single shot area and a multi-shot area without replacing the mold, so that it is possible to further improve throughput.

[0078] Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the second embodiment, at least one of the substrate 13 and the mold 11 is deformed to perform a single area imprint process.

[0079] 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining the deformation process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12(A) shows the state before imprinting of the mold 11 and the substrate 13. Here, a single area imprint process is performed using the second pattern portion B of the mold 11. At this time, if imprinting is performed while the substrate 13 and the mold 11 are in a flat state, the first pattern portion A not used in the imprint process will also approach the substrate 13 at a distance similar to that of the second pattern portion B. Therefore, at least one of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 is deformed into a convex shape in a direction approaching each other so that the approximate center of the second pattern portion B used in the imprint process and the approximate center of the target shot area on the substrate are brought closer to each other.

[0080] FIG. 12(B) shows a state in which the substrate 13 and the mold 11 are deformed into a convex shape. For example, the mold holding unit 12 is provided with a mold deformation unit that deforms the mold 11 to deform the mold. The mold deformation unit applies pressure to the surface (rear surface) of the mold 11 opposite to the pattern region 11a. Specifically, the air pressure in the recess formed on the rear surface of the mold 11 is controlled to expand the pattern region 11a. Also, for example, a mechanism (for example, a pin) that contacts the rear surface of the mold 11 and applies pressure may be provided, and the pattern region 11a may be deformed into a convex shape by the mechanism. Note that it is preferable to deform only the pattern portion used in the imprint process into a convex shape. However, the entire pattern region 11a may be deformed into a convex shape. In this case, for example, the entire mold 11 may be tilted to bring the approximately central portion of the pattern portion used in the imprint process closer to the substrate 13.

[0081] Regarding the deformation of substrate 13, for example, substrate holding unit 14 includes a substrate deformation unit that deforms substrate 13. The substrate deformation unit applies pressure to the surface (rear surface) of substrate 13 opposite to the surface on which the pattern is formed. Specifically, a mechanism (for example, a pin) that contacts the rear surface of substrate 13 and applies pressure is provided in substrate holding unit 14, and the target shot area is deformed into a convex shape by this mechanism. In addition, for example, the target shot area may be deformed into a convex shape by increasing or decreasing the suction force of the chuck of substrate holding unit 14, or by further providing the chuck with a mechanism for controlling the air pressure on the rear surface of the substrate.

[0082] 12(C) shows a state in which the substrate 13 and the mold 11 are deformed into a convex shape and brought into contact with each other. By deforming at least one of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 into a convex shape and relaxing the convex shape, the contact area can be gradually expanded. In other words, since the spread of the imprint material to the first pattern portion A not used in the imprint process can be delayed, it becomes possible to further suppress the spread of the imprint material 20 to the first pattern portion A by S302.

[0083] In this embodiment, since the spreading of the imprint material to the first pattern portion A not used in the imprint process can be delayed, S302 may start after the imprint material 20 supplied onto the transfer area of ​​the substrate 13 comes into contact with the second pattern portion B.

[0084] [Fourth embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, a structure for suppressing the spread of the imprint material onto the first pattern portion A upon contact is further provided between the first pattern portion A and the second pattern portion B.

[0085] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mold 11 according to a fourth embodiment. Fig. 13(A) shows a side view of mold 11. Mold 11 according to the fourth embodiment includes, as an example, a first pattern portion A and a second pattern portion B. Figs. 13(B) to (D) are schematic cross-sectional views each showing an enlarged example of the structure of the region (boundary region) between first pattern portion A and second pattern portion B.

[0086] Usually, a gap of about 100 μm or less is provided between the transfer areas of the substrate on which the pattern is formed, which is called a scribe line and is necessary for cutting the chip area. In this embodiment, the mold 11 in the area near the scribe line is provided with a structure described below, which can effectively suppress bleeding into adjacent shots.

[0087] In FIG. 13B, a recessed structure 50 that is recessed to a height greater than the height of the protrusions of the first pattern portion A and the second pattern portion B is formed in the boundary region between the pattern portions. Usually, when the imprint material 20 supplied to the target shot region comes into contact with the mold 11, it spreads (fills) into the pattern portion used in the imprint process, and may further spread into the pattern portion not used in the imprint process. However, by providing the recessed structure 50 between the pattern portions, the imprint material 20 is first filled into the recessed structure 50 before spreading into the pattern portion not used in the imprint process. This makes it possible to suppress or delay the spread of the imprint material 20. In the second and third embodiments, by using the mold 11 having the recessed structure 50 as described above, it is possible to more effectively suppress the spread of the imprint material 20 into the pattern portion used in the imprint process.

[0088] If it is necessary to transfer an inspection pattern or the like onto the scribe line, it is possible to transfer the pattern by further constructing a convex transfer pattern within the concave structure 50 of the mold 11 as shown in Figure 13(B).

[0089] In terms of the manufacturing process, the depth of the recessed structure 50 is preferably created in the same process as the pattern region 11a of the mold 11. In this case, the recessed structure 50 is etched to the same depth as the recessed shape of the pattern region 11a of the mold, or deeper than the recessed shape of the pattern region 11a because the opening is larger. On the other hand, when considering the prevention of the spread of the imprint material, a deeper recessed structure 50 increases the volume, and therefore the effect of preventing the spread of the imprint material is more effectively prevented. However, when using the inversion process described later, it is preferable that the depth of the recessed structure 50 is shallow. It is preferable to determine the depth of the recessed structure 50 by balancing the series of device manufacturing processes and the prevention of the spread of the imprint material.

[0090] FIG. 13(C) shows an example in which a highly liquid-repellent film (liquid-repellent film 51) is formed in a recessed structure provided in a boundary region (scribe line region) between multiple pattern parts. In the example of FIG. 13(C), a transfer pattern as in FIG. 13(B) is not provided in the recessed structure. The material of the liquid-repellent film 51 is a material that shows a contact angle of 5° or more with the curable composition, which is an organic material, even after the mold cleaning process. Furthermore, the material of the liquid-repellent film 51 is selected so that the contact angle of the curable composition on the liquid-repellent film 51 is higher than the contact angle of the curable composition on the surface material of the pattern parts formed on the mold 11, such as quartz.

[0091] Since many organic materials that contain carbon atoms may react with oxygen plasma and be vaporized or altered, a material that does not contain carbon atoms is preferable for the liquid-repellent film 51. Any inorganic compound capable of forming a surface that is liquid-repellent to organic materials may be used for the material of the liquid-repellent film 51. Specifically, for example, an oxide of an inorganic element, a fluoride of an inorganic element, or a nitride of an inorganic element, or a mixture of these, may be used.

[0092] Examples of the oxide of inorganic elements include hafnium (Hf) oxide, zirconium (Zr) oxide, yttrium (Y) oxide, tantalum (Ta) oxide, niobium (Nb) oxide, lanthanum (La) oxide, and cerium (Ce) oxide. In addition, examples of the oxide of praseodymium (Pr) oxide, neodymium (Nd) oxide, promethium (Pm) oxide, samarium (Sm) oxide, europium (Eu) oxide, gadolinium (Gd) oxide, and terbium (Tb) oxide. Other examples of the oxide of inorganic elements include dysprosium (Dy) oxide, holmium (Ho) oxide, erbium (Er) oxide, thulium (Tm) oxide, ytterbium (Yb) oxide, and lutetium (Lu) oxide.

[0093] Examples of fluorides of inorganic elements include fluoride of chromium (Cr), fluoride of calcium (Ca), fluoride of magnesium (Mg), fluoride of titanium (Ti), fluoride of aluminum (Al), fluoride of yttrium (Y), and fluoride of nickel (Ni).

[0094] Examples of the nitride of an inorganic element include nitride of silicon (Si), nitride of germanium (Ge), nitride of boron (B), and nitride of aluminum (Al).

[0095] Furthermore, a quartz surface doped with fluorine atoms can also be used as the material for the liquid-repellent film 51. Of the above materials, oxides of inorganic elements can be preferably used in this embodiment. This is because oxides of inorganic elements are reaction products of inorganic elements and oxygen, and therefore have low reactivity with oxygen plasma and oxidizing liquids, and exhibit high resistance to the cleaning process (resistance to oxygen plasma cleaning).

[0096] Among the oxides of inorganic elements, particularly preferred are cerium (Ce) oxide, praseodymium (Pr) oxide, neodymium (Nd) oxide, samarium (Sm) oxide, europium (Eu) oxide, gadolinium (Gd) oxide, terbium (Tb) oxide, dysprosium (Dy) oxide, holmium (Ho) oxide, erbium (Er) oxide, thulium (Tm) oxide, ytterbium (Yb) oxide, and lutetium (Lu) oxide.

[0097] The above materials exhibit a contact angle of 98 to 115° with water (surface tension 72.8 mN / m). As a result of separate studies, the inventors of the present invention have found that a surface exhibiting a contact angle of 93° or more with water exhibits a high contact angle with a liquid having a surface tension of about 30 mN / m. Specifically, it has been found that a surface exhibiting a contact angle of 93° to 118° with water exhibits a contact angle of 22 to 82° with a liquid having a surface tension of about 30 mN / m. For this reason, it is expected that a photo-nanoimprinting curable composition having a surface tension of about 30 mN / m or more will exhibit a contact angle of about 22 to 82° on the surface of the above materials. Note that on the surface of quartz, which is generally used for photo-nanoimprinting, many photo-nanoimprinting curable compositions exhibit a contact angle of 0°.

[0098] In a mold having a liquid-repellent film 51, if the liquid-repellent film 51 is formed on a surface at the same height as the convex surface of the pattern region 11a, the portion on which the liquid-repellent film 51 is formed becomes higher by the amount of the liquid-repellent film 51, resulting in a convex structure. In this case, the liquid-repellent film 51 may come into contact with the substrate when imprinting, or the distance between the liquid-repellent film 51 and the substrate 13 may be narrower than the distance between the pattern region 11a and the substrate 13. In this case, the shear force generated between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 becomes large, which may hinder the drive of the mold 11 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate when performing relative alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13(C), it is desirable to provide a concave structure at the position where the liquid-repellent film 51 is formed so that the liquid-repellent film 51 does not become a convex structure.

[0099] When liquid-repellent film 51 is formed in a recessed structure as shown in Fig. 13(B), the recessed structure is not filled with the imprinting material, making it difficult to transfer a pattern in this area. Therefore, if pattern transfer is not required, liquid-repellent film 51 may be formed over the entire scribe line width as shown in Fig. 13(C). However, if it is necessary to transfer an inspection pattern or the like within the scribe line width by imprint processing, it is desirable to provide a transfer pattern as shown in Fig. 13(D) and to form liquid-repellent film 51 by providing a narrow recessed structure in the boundary area avoiding the transfer pattern.

[0100] Furthermore, the fact that this region is not filled with the imprint material at all due to the liquid-repellent film 51 can also be a problem in subsequent processes, such as an etching process. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the spread of the imprint material 20 onto the liquid-repellent film 51 by adjusting the depth of the concave structure formed by the liquid-repellent film 51. For example, the surface of the liquid-repellent film 51 is made slightly lower than the convex surface of the pattern region 11a. The liquid repellency and the way the imprint material 20 spreads change depending on the combination of the liquid-repellent film 51 and the resin used in the imprint material 20, so it is sufficient to evaluate this in advance.

[0101] Due to the above-mentioned mold structure, when performing the imprint process, there may be some areas where the imprint material 20 is not filled in the scribe lines or the boundary areas between the pattern portions. This may occur in both the single-area imprint process and the multi-area imprint process. In such a case, a reversal process may be applied.

[0102] 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining an inversion process using a mold 11 according to a fourth embodiment. Fig. 14A shows a state immediately before imprinting using a mold 11 having a liquid-repellent film 51. An imprint material 20 is supplied onto a substrate 13, and a pattern region 11a of the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate. Here, a recessed structure is arranged in the boundary region between the pattern portions of the mold 11, and a liquid-repellent film 51 is formed on the recessed structure.

[0103] Fig. 14(B) shows the result of performing an imprint process from the state shown in Fig. 14(A). A pattern (transfer pattern 52) of hardened imprint material is formed on the substrate 13. A reversal film 53 is applied to this. A material with a different etching rate from that of the imprint material 20 is used for the reversal film 53. Then, etch back is performed until the transfer pattern 52 is exposed (Fig. 14(C)).

[0104] The transfer pattern 52 is removed (FIG. 14(D)), and etching is performed using the reversal film 53 as a hard mask (FIG. 14(E)). Finally, the reversal film 53 and the imprint material 20 (transfer pattern 52) are completely removed, thereby creating a structure on the substrate that is the inverse of the transfer pattern (FIG. 14(F)).

[0105] As shown in the figure, in the case of the inversion process, the liquid-repellent film 51 is formed, and the portions not filled with the imprinting material 20 are not etched because they are covered with the inversion film 53. By using this process, even if portions are not filled with the imprinting material 20 during imprinting, the process can be continued without etching.

[0106] As described above, a structure is formed in the boundary region between the pattern portions of the mold 11 having a plurality of pattern portions, which prevents the imprint material 20 from flowing in from the adjacent transfer region. This makes it possible to prevent the imprint material from spreading to pattern portions not used in the imprint process.

[0107] In this embodiment, a case has been described in which only one of two pattern parts formed on the mold is used for the imprint process, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the amount and distribution of the imprint material supplied in each shot may be changed depending on the mold 11 and the substrate. In this case, if the imprint material spreads between the transfer regions, it becomes difficult to control the supply of the imprint material. As in this embodiment, by forming a structure that is more liquid-repellent than the pattern parts in the boundary region between the pattern parts of the mold 11 so that each transfer region is independent, it becomes easier to control the supply of the imprint material.

[0108] Other embodiments In the above embodiment, an example of performing imprint processing on two transfer regions at once has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a case where imprint processing is performed on imprint materials on three or more transfer regions at once. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a layout of shot regions when imprint processing is performed on four transfer regions at once. In the example shown in this figure, imprint processing is performed using a mold having four pattern parts. In the example shown in this figure, in the central part of the substrate 13, a layout is set with two transfer regions 30 as one shot region 40 (each shot region 60 shaded in FIG. 15). Then, in the region where two transfer regions 30 are one shot region 40, imprint processing is performed on transfer regions with a number smaller than the number of pattern parts arranged on the mold. [Embodiment of the method for manufacturing an article] 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.

[0109] 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 the wafer processing step.

[0110] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 16(A), a wafer 1z such as a silicon wafer is prepared with a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface, and then an imprint material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which the imprint material 3z in the form of multiple droplets is applied onto the wafer is shown.

[0111] As shown in Fig. 16(B), the mold 4z for imprinting is placed with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed facing the imprint material 3z on the wafer. As shown in Fig. 16(C), the wafer 1z to which the imprint material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint 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 hardening energy, the imprint material 3z hardens.

[0112] 16(D), after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the wafer 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the wafer 1z. In this cured product pattern, the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, and the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, i.e., the concave-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0113] 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.

[0114] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1 Imprinting device 11 Mold 11a Pattern Area 13 Substrate 16 Irradiation unit 17 Control Unit 25 Storage area

Claims

1. An imprinting method for forming a pattern of an imprint material in a plurality of transfer regions on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a processing step of performing a process of forming the pattern on each of the plurality of transfer regions on the substrate by contacting the mold with the imprint material on the substrate, In the processing step, the number of transfer regions to be processed in one processing step is selected from a first number or a second number greater than the first number according to the position of the transfer region on the substrate, and the processing is performed; An imprint method, characterized in that, when the transfer region to be processed includes an edge of the substrate, the number of transfer regions to be processed in one processing is set to the second number.

2. The imprint method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the processing step, it is possible to select one of a plurality of molds having different numbers of pattern portions, and the processing is performed using a mold having a number of the pattern portions corresponding to the number of transfer areas to be processed.

3. The treatment step includes an irradiation step of irradiating the imprint material with light for hardening the imprint material, and further includes performing the treatment using a mold having a plurality of pattern portions; The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a number of the transfer areas to be processed is smaller than the number of pattern portions arranged on the mold, the light is irradiated to a boundary area between the pattern portions not used in the processing and the pattern portions used in the processing.

4. An imprinting apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprinting material in a plurality of transfer areas on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a processing unit that performs a process of forming the pattern on each of the multiple transfer regions on the substrate by bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate; a control unit that controls the processing unit to select a number of transfer regions to be processed in one processing from a first number or a second number greater than the first number according to a position of the transfer region on the substrate, and to process the transfer regions; An imprint apparatus characterized in that, when the transfer area to be processed includes the edge of the substrate, the control unit sets the number of transfer areas to be processed in one cycle to the second number.

5. a storage section for storing a plurality of molds each having a different number of pattern portions; The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the processing unit to perform the processing using a mold, among the plurality of molds, having a number of the pattern portions corresponding to the number of transfer regions to be processed.

6. The processing section includes an irradiation section that irradiates light to harden the imprint material, and further performs the processing using a mold having a plurality of pattern portions; The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, when a number of the transfer areas that is smaller than the number of pattern parts arranged on the mold are to be processed, the control unit causes the irradiation unit to irradiate the light at least to a boundary area between the pattern parts not used in the processing and the pattern parts used in the processing.

7. the processing section includes a deformation section that deforms at least one of the mold and the substrate into a convex shape in a direction in which the mold and the substrate approach each other, The imprint apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the control unit deforms at least one of the mold and the substrate using the deformation unit when a number of the transfer regions to be processed is smaller than the number of pattern portions arranged on the mold.

8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit deforms at least one of the mold and the substrate using the deformation unit so that, at the time of contact, the mold and an approximately central portion of the transfer area to be processed come into contact with each other.

9. An imprint system for forming a pattern of an imprint material in a plurality of transfer areas on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a first processing unit that performs a process of forming the pattern by contacting the mold with the imprint material on the substrate, using a first mold as the mold; a second processing unit that performs the processing using a second mold having a larger number of pattern portions than the first mold; a control unit that performs the processing using either the first processing unit or the second processing unit depending on a position on the substrate of a transfer region where the processing is performed; The control unit is configured to cause the second processing unit to perform the processing when a transfer region to be processed in the processing includes an edge of the substrate.

10. A mold for use in an imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, comprising: A plurality of pattern portions; A mold comprising: a structure between the plurality of pattern portions, the structure having a higher liquid repellency with respect to the imprint material than the plurality of pattern portions.

11. The mold according to claim 10 , wherein the structure includes a concave-convex structure that enhances liquid repellency by surface tension.

12. The mold according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the structure includes a film having a higher liquid repellency than the plurality of pattern portions.

13. forming the pattern of the hardened imprint material on the substrate using the imprint method according to claim 1 ; a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the step.

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