Molding method, molding device, molding system, and method for manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide an advantageous technique for filling a mold with an imprint material.SOLUTION: A molding method that uses a mold to form an uncured composition placed on a substrate as a film that continuously covers the surface of the substrate includes a first step of acquiring unevenness information on the surface unevenness of an uncured first composition arranged on the substrate as the film, a second step of arranging an uncured second composition droplet in a recess on the surface of the first composition on the basis of the unevenness information acquired in the first step, and a third step of molding the composition containing the first composition film and the second composition droplet with the mold after the second step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Imprint technology is a technology that enables the transfer of nanoscale fine patterns, and has been proposed as one of the lithography techniques for mass production of devices such as semiconductor devices and magnetic storage media (see Patent Document 1). An imprint device using imprint technology hardens the imprint material on a substrate while a mold having a patterned surface on which a pattern is formed is brought into contact with the imprint material. Then, a pattern of the imprint material is formed on the substrate by separating the mold from the hardened imprint material on the substrate.

[0003] In imprinting apparatuses, a die-by-die alignment method is generally adopted as a method for aligning a mold (pattern surface) and a substrate (shot area). The die-by-die alignment method is an alignment method in which a mark provided on the mold and a mark provided on the substrate are optically detected for each shot area of ​​the substrate to correct a positional deviation between the mold and the substrate. In addition, in order to match the shape of the pattern surface of the mold with the shape of each shot area of ​​the substrate, a plurality of marks provided around the periphery of the pattern surface and a plurality of marks provided around the shot area are detected, and their shape deviation (shift, magnification, etc.) is also determined.

[0004] Meanwhile, imprint materials used in imprint devices have been highly volatile up until now, and when supplied (placed) on a substrate, they wear out or disappear in a short time, so a method of supplying the imprint material onto the substrate immediately before imprinting is often used. However, this method requires supplying the imprint material to each shot area of ​​the substrate, which reduces the productivity of the imprint device. In recent years, less volatile imprint materials have been developed, and so methods of supplying the imprint material to the entire substrate (all shot areas) in advance all at once have begun to be considered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4185941 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when the imprint material is supplied all at once to the entire area of ​​the substrate in advance, unevenness is formed on the surface of the imprint material supplied onto the substrate due to the unevenness of the substrate (e.g., marks or patterns).The unevenness formed on the surface of the imprint material on the substrate traps gas between the mold and the imprint material when the mold and the imprint material are brought into contact with each other, which becomes a factor that inhibits the imprint material from being filled into the pattern of the mold.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology, and has an exemplary object to provide a technique that is advantageous for filling a mold with an imprint material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a molding method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a method for continuously covering a surface of a substrate using a mold. liquid A molding method for molding an uncured composition disposed on a substrate as a film, comprising the steps of: liquid of an uncured first composition disposed on the substrate as a film. Due to film thickness difference A first step of acquiring unevenness information relating to unevenness of a surface, and a method of continuously covering the surface based on the unevenness information acquired in the first step. liquid Membrane The thickness difference A second step of disposing droplets of an uncured second composition in the recesses of the surface of the first composition so that the first composition is reduced in the recesses of the surface of the first composition. After the second step, liquid and a third step of forming a composition comprising a film and droplets of the second composition.

[0009] Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous for filling a mold with an imprint material. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shape correction unit of the imprint apparatus shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a mold-side mark provided on a mold and a substrate-side mark provided on a substrate; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for specifically explaining the imprint process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for specifically explaining the imprint process. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are diagrams for specifically explaining the imprint process in this embodiment. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for measuring the unevenness of the surface of an imprint material on a substrate. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. [Figure 13]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a case where the imprint apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is used as a planarization apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] 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.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to one aspect of the present invention. The imprinting apparatus 1 is a lithography apparatus that is employed in a lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display elements, magnetic storage media, and the like, and forms a pattern on a substrate. The imprinting apparatus 1 functions as a molding apparatus that uses a mold to mold an imprinting material, which is an uncured composition arranged on a substrate, as a film that continuously covers the surface of the substrate (for example, an area including a plurality of shot areas, or the entire area). In this embodiment, the imprinting apparatus 1 brings the imprinting material arranged (supplied) on the substrate into contact with the mold, and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern of a cured material to which the pattern of the mold has been transferred. The mold is also called a mold, a template, or an original plate.

[0014] The imprint material is a material (curable composition) that is cured by applying energy for curing. The energy for curing may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like. The electromagnetic waves include, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, specifically infrared rays, visible rays, ultraviolet rays, and the like.

[0015] The curable composition is a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. The 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, a polymer component, and the like.

[0016] The imprint material may be applied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. The imprint material may also be applied in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid jet head. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25° C.) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

[0017] The substrate may be made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc., and may have a member made of a material different from that of the substrate formed on its surface as required. Specifically, the substrate may be made of a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, etc.

[0018] 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 13 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, the Y direction, and the 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 specified based on the coordinates of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z axis, and the attitude is information specified by the values ​​of the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis.

[0019] In this embodiment, the imprint apparatus 1 employs a photocuring method as a method for curing the imprint material, but a thermal curing method or the like may also be employed. 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 measurement unit 15, a shape correction unit 16, a supply unit 17, and a control unit CU. The imprint apparatus 1 also has 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.

[0020] The mold 11 has a pattern surface 11a on which a pattern (relief structure) to be transferred to (the imprint material on) the substrate 13 is formed. The mold 11 is made of a material (e.g., quartz, etc.) that transmits light (e.g., ultraviolet light, etc.) for hardening the imprint material on the substrate. In addition, the mold 11, more specifically, the pattern surface 11a of the mold 11, is provided with a mold side mark 18.

[0021] 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 mold drive system that drives (moves) the mold stage. The mold drive system drives the mold stage (i.e., the mold 11) at least in the Z direction (a direction (imprinting direction) in which the mold 11 is driven when the mold 11 is brought into contact with (imprinted on) the imprint material on the substrate). The mold drive system may also have a function of driving the mold stage not only in the Z direction, but also in the X direction, Y direction, and θZ direction.

[0022] The substrate 13 is a substrate onto which the pattern of the mold 11 is transferred. An imprint material is supplied (placed) on the substrate 13. The substrate 13 may be configured with various materials required for device manufacture. Furthermore, a substrate-side mark 19 is provided on each of a plurality of shot regions of the substrate 13.

[0023] 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 substrate drive system that drives (moves) the substrate stage. The substrate drive system drives the substrate stage (i.e., the substrate 13) at least in the X direction and the Y direction (directions perpendicular to the imprinting direction of the mold 11). The substrate drive system may also have a function of driving the substrate stage not only in the X direction and the Y direction, but also in the Z direction and the θZ direction.

[0024] The measurement unit 15 includes a scope that optically detects (observes) the mold-side mark 18 provided on the mold 11 and the substrate-side mark 19 provided in each of the multiple shot areas of the substrate 13. The measurement unit 15 measures the relative position (positional deviation) between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 based on the detection result of the scope to obtain position information. However, the measurement unit 15 only needs to be able to measure the relative positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. Therefore, the measurement unit 15 may include a scope equipped with an optical system for simultaneously imaging the two marks, or may include a scope that detects a signal reflecting the relative positions of the two marks, such as an interference signal of the two marks or a moire. In addition, the measurement unit 15 may not be able to simultaneously detect the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. For example, the measurement unit 15 may measure the relative positions of 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. In this embodiment, in order to improve the productivity of the imprinting apparatus 1, in parallel with filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprinting material, the mold side mark 18 and the substrate side mark 19 are detected, and the mold 11 and the substrate 13 are aligned based on their relative positions.

[0025] In order to make the shape of the pattern surface 11a of the mold 11 coincide with the shape of the shot area of ​​the substrate 13, the shape correction unit 16 applies a force to the mold 11 in a direction parallel to the pattern surface 11a to deform the pattern surface 11a (corrects the shape of the pattern surface 11a). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the shape correction unit 16 includes an adsorption unit 16a that adsorbs the side surface of the mold 11, and an actuator 16b that drives the adsorption unit 16a in a direction approaching the side surface of the mold 11 and in a direction away from the side surface of the pattern surface 11. Note that the adsorption unit 16a does not need to have a function of adsorbing the side surface of the mold 11, and may be replaced with, for example, a contact member that contacts the side surface of the mold 11. Instead of applying a force to the mold 11, the shape correction unit 16 may apply heat to the mold 11 to control the temperature of the mold 11 to deform the pattern surface 11a.

[0026] The supply unit 17 is composed of a dispenser including a nozzle that drops uncured imprint material onto the substrate, and has a function of disposing (supplying) droplets of the imprint material onto the substrate. The supply unit 17 employs, for example, a piezo jet system or a micro solenoid system, and can dispose droplets of the imprint material of a very small volume of about 1 pL (picoliter) onto the substrate.

[0027] The control unit CU is composed of an information processing device (computer) including a CPU, a memory, etc., and controls the entire imprint apparatus 1 according to a program stored in the storage unit. The control unit CU controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 1 to control a process of contacting the mold 11 with the imprint material on the substrate to form a film of the imprint material between the mold 11 and the substrate 13. In this embodiment, the process of forming a film of the imprint material is an imprint process of forming a pattern of the imprint material in each of a plurality of shot areas of the substrate 13. For example, when performing the imprint process, the control unit CU aligns the mold 11 and the substrate 13 based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 15. Furthermore, the control unit CU controls the amount of deformation of the pattern surface 11a of the mold 11 by the shape correction unit 16 when performing the imprint process.

[0028] 3(a) and 3(b), a description will be given of a mold side mark 18 and a substrate side mark 19 which function as alignment marks used for aligning the mold 11 and the substrate 13. In this embodiment, it is assumed that six chip areas are arranged in one shot area of ​​the substrate 13.

[0029] FIG. 3(a) shows the pattern surface 11a of the mold 11, specifically, the mold side marks 18a to 18h provided at the four corners of the pattern surface 11a. Referring to FIG. 3(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 direction. On the other hand, 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 direction. In addition, in FIG. 3(a), the area surrounded by the dotted line indicates the pattern area 11b in which the patterns to be transferred to each of the six chip areas on the substrate are formed.

[0030] Fig. 3(b) shows the periphery of one shot area 13a of the substrate 13, specifically, the substrate side marks 19a to 19h provided at the four corners of the shot area 13a. Referring to Fig. 3(b), 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 direction. On the other hand, 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 direction. Also, in Fig. 3(b), the area surrounded by a solid line inside the shot area 13a indicates the chip area 13b.

[0031] When performing the imprint process, i.e., 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 and the substrate-side marks 19a to 19h provided on the substrate 13 are brought into close proximity to each other. Therefore, by detecting the mold-side marks 18 and the substrate-side marks 19 by the measuring unit 15, it is possible to compare the position and shape of the pattern surface 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 surface 11a of the mold 11 and the position and shape of the shot region 13a of the substrate 13, the overlay accuracy decreases, resulting in poor transfer of the pattern (product defect).

[0032] Here, as a specific example of the imprint process, with reference to Figures 4(a) to 4(d), we will explain how the mold side mark 18 provided on the mold 11 is transferred to the imprint material on the substrate (the imprint material on the substrate side mark 19).

[0033] First, as shown in Fig. 4(a), before imprinting begins, an imprint material 20 is placed on a shot area of ​​a substrate 13. An imprint material generally used in an imprint apparatus 1 is highly volatile. Therefore, it is preferable to place the imprint material 20 on the substrate immediately before imprinting. Note that Fig. 4(a) shows an example in which the imprint material 20 is placed on the substrate as droplets via a supply unit 17 including a dispenser, for example.

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the mold 11 (pattern surface 11a) is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate, and the imprint material 20 is filled into the pattern (relief structure) of the mold 11. In this state, visible light can pass through the imprint material 20 on the substrate, so that the substrate side mark 19 provided on the substrate 13 can be measured by the measurement unit 15. The mold 11 is made of a transparent material such as quartz to pass light for hardening the imprint material 20 on the substrate, such as ultraviolet light. Therefore, there are cases where the difference in refractive index between the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 is small, and the mold side mark 18 cannot be measured simply by making the mold side mark 18 have a relief structure. In such a case, the mold side mark 18 may be made of a material having a refractive index or transmittance different from that of the material of the mold 11, or the refractive index of the mold side mark 18 may be changed by ion irradiation or the like. This makes it possible to reliably measure the mold side mark 18 even in the state shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0035] FIG. 4(c) shows the state shown in FIG. 4(b) from above the substrate 13. As described above, when the imprint material 20 is arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, gaps are generated between the droplets of the imprint material 20 at the beginning of imprinting, but as imprinting progresses and the imprint material 20 spreads, the gaps between the droplets of the imprint material 20 are filled. At this time, the gas GS present between the imprint material 20 on the substrate and the mold 11 escapes to the outside through the gaps. Therefore, the gas GS captured between the substrate 13 (imprint material 20) and the mold 11 can be minimized, and the influence on filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprint material 20 can be suppressed. In parallel with filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprint material 20, the relative positions of the mold side mark 18 and the substrate side mark 19 are measured, and alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 and shape correction of the pattern surface 11a of the mold 11 are performed.

[0036] Fig. 4(d) shows a state in which the imprint material 20 on the substrate and the mold 11 are in contact with each other, the imprint material 20 is irradiated with light to harden the imprint material 20, and the mold 11 is then separated from the hardened imprint material 20. Referring to Fig. 4(d), the mold-side mark 18 is transferred to the imprint material 20 on the substrate, thereby forming a transfer mark 21 of the imprint material 20 on the substrate. By measuring the relative positions of the transfer mark 21 formed on the substrate and the substrate-side mark 19, so-called overlay inspection can be performed.

[0037] In this way, when a highly volatile imprint material is used, a method is adopted in which the imprint material is disposed on the substrate immediately before imprinting. However, in this case, it is necessary to move the substrate 13 to the position of the dispenser (supply unit 17) for each shot area of ​​the substrate 13, which reduces productivity. Therefore, in recent years, a technology has been considered that uses a low-volatility imprint material and disposes the imprint material in advance all at once over the entire area (all shot areas) of the substrate 13 to improve productivity.

[0038] With reference to Figures 5(a) to 5(d), we will explain how the mold side mark 18 provided on the mold 11 is transferred to the imprint material 20A on the substrate (the imprint material above the substrate side mark 19) when an imprint material 20A with low volatility is used.

[0039] FIG. 5(a) shows a state in which the imprint material 20A is arranged all over the substrate 13 (all shot regions) in advance, and the substrate 13 is brought into the imprint apparatus 1 and opposed to the mold 11. The imprint material 20A is arranged all over the substrate 13 in advance, for example, by using a spin coater, and unevenness is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A due to the unevenness of the substrate 13 and the density of the pattern. In FIG. 5(a), one large recess CCP is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A above a portion where fine recessed pattern elements constituting the substrate side mark 19 are densely packed, but this is not limited thereto. If the substrate has large unevenness, an uneven structure is formed on the surface of the imprint material following the unevenness.

[0040] FIG. 5(b) shows a state where the mold 11 (pattern surface 11a) is brought into contact with the imprint material 20A on the substrate on whose surface the recessed portion CCP is formed, and FIG. 5(c) shows the state shown in FIG. 5(b) from above the substrate 13. Referring to FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 5(c), it can be seen that the gas GS present between the imprint material 20A on the substrate and the mold 11 is captured in the recessed portion CCP formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A. In addition, since the imprint material 20A is disposed in advance over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13, as shown in FIG. 5(c), there is no path for the gas GS captured in the recessed portion CCP to escape to the outside, and the gas GS is sealed by the substrate 13 (imprint material 20A) and the mold 11. The gas GS captured in the recessed portion CCP is dissolved in the thin film or the imprint material 20A formed on the substrate, or is compressed by the mold 11, and its volume is reduced, but it takes a long time to fill the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprint material 20A.

[0041] In parallel with filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprint material 20A, alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 is generally performed using the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. In this case, an error may be included in the mark signal obtained by detecting the mold-side mark 18 due to the imprint material 20A in the middle of filling the mold-side mark 18 or the imprint material 20A not being filled sufficiently into the mold-side mark 18. It is also possible to perform alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 after filling of the imprint material 20A into the mold-side mark 18 is completed, but this leads to a decrease in productivity of the imprint apparatus 1.

[0042] FIG. 5(d) shows a state in which the imprint material 20A on the substrate is irradiated with light to harden the imprint material 20A while being in contact with the mold 11, and the mold 11 is separated from the hardened imprint material 20A. Referring to FIG. 5(d), the imprint material 20A is not sufficiently filled in the mold side mark 18 due to the gas GS captured in the recess CCP formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A. In such a case, the mold side mark 18 is not transferred to the imprint material 20A, and a portion is generated on the substrate where the transfer mark of the imprint material 20A corresponding to the mold side mark 18 is not formed. Also, even in a region where the mold side mark 18 or pattern of the mold 11 does not exist, a region is formed on the substrate where the thickness of the film of the imprint material 20A (residual film thickness) is thinner than other regions due to the gas GS captured in the recess CCP formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A. Therefore, when the substrate 13 shown in FIG. 5(d) is etched in a later process, for example, unevenness within the substrate may occur due to differences in the remaining film thickness of the imprint material 20A on the substrate.

[0043] In this way, when the imprint material 20A is placed all at once in advance over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13, if unevenness is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate, this will hinder the filling of the imprint material 20A into the pattern of the mold 11.

[0044] Therefore, in this embodiment, a technique (imprint method) for improving the above-mentioned problems is provided. With reference to Fig. 6 and Figs. 7(a) to 7(c), an imprint process (molding method) performed using the imprint apparatus 1 will be described. As described above, the imprint process is performed by the control unit CU comprehensively controlling each part of the imprint apparatus 1. Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the imprint method in this embodiment. Figs. 7(a) to 7(c) show how the mold-side mark 18 provided on the mold 11 is transferred to the imprint material 20A on the substrate (the imprint material on the substrate-side mark 19) in the imprint method in this embodiment.

[0045] 6, in S602, an imprint material 20A (uncured imprint material (first composition) having low volatility) is disposed on the surface of the substrate 13, in this embodiment, over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. Here, the imprint material 20A is disposed on the substrate as a film that continuously covers the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. Specifically, from the viewpoint of the time required to dispose the imprint material 20A and control of the film thickness of the imprint material 20A, the imprint material 20A is disposed in advance all at once over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 using a spin coater.

[0046] In S604, the substrate 13 on which the imprint material 20A has been arranged in S602 is carried into the imprint apparatus 1. As described above, when the imprint material 20A is arranged all at once over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 in advance, unevenness is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate in accordance with the unevenness (pattern or mark) on the surface of the substrate 13.

[0047] In S606 (first step), unevenness information is obtained regarding the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A that has been arranged in advance all at once over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. The unevenness information includes information indicating the position, depth, height, etc. of the unevenness present on the surface of the imprint material 20A. The unevenness information can be obtained, for example, by measuring the unevenness (height) of the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for measuring the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate. Referring to FIG. 8, a recess CCP is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate due to the substrate-side mark 19 provided on the substrate 13. For example, a measuring instrument having a configuration similar to that of a focus sensor, specifically, a measuring instrument MD including a light source 23, an optical element 24, and a sensor 25 is used to measure the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A. Light from the light source 23 is obliquely incident on the surface (measurement location) of the imprint material 20A via the optical element 24. The light specularly reflected by the surface of the imprint material 20A is incident on the sensor 25 and forms an image on the sensor. Here, when the height of the surface of the imprint material 20A on which the light from the light source 23 is incident changes, the image position of the light specularly reflected by the surface of the imprint material 20A on the sensor 25 changes because the light is irradiated obliquely onto the imprint material 20A. Therefore, by determining in advance the relationship between the amount of change in the imaging position and the height of the surface of the imprint material 20, it is possible to grasp (measure) the height (unevenness) of the surface of the imprint material 20. Furthermore, by correlating such measurement results with the position of the sensor 25 and the position of the substrate stage, it is also possible to grasp at which position of the imprint material 20A on the substrate the recess CCP (unevenness structure) exists.

[0049] The method for measuring the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate is not limited to the method shown in FIG. 8. For example, the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate may be grasped by obtaining the focal position from the image contrast using a confocal microscope. Also, the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A may be grasped from the position and intensity of the scattered light scattered on the surface of the imprint material 20A by irradiating the imprint material 20A on the substrate with light. Furthermore, a stylus-type height measurement method such as an atomic force microscope (AFM) may be used, but if there is a concern that the substrate 13 may be contaminated, it is preferable to use a non-contact height measurement method. However, if contamination of the substrate 13 is not an issue (for example, when substrates that will not be used later are randomly inspected), the stylus-type height measurement method is also useful.

[0050] Furthermore, the mold-side mark 18 provided on the mold 11 is detected (observed) by the measuring unit 15 even while the imprint material 20A is being filled. Therefore, the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A may be obtained from the degree of filling of the mold-side mark 18 with the imprint material 20A. For example, the boundary between the region where the gas GS exists and the region where the imprint material 20A exists may shine strongly due to light scattering. Furthermore, the region where the gas GS exists may shine strongly due to a large difference in refractive index with respect to the mold-side mark 18. From such a phenomenon, the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A can be obtained.

[0051] As described above, the unevenness formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A, in particular the recesses CCP, typically appear in response to the unevenness on the surface of the substrate 13. Therefore, unevenness information regarding the unevenness on the surface of the imprint material 20A may be obtained by predicting the unevenness to be formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A from design information on the positions of the patterns (base patterns) and marks (substrate-side marks 19) provided on the substrate 13.

[0052] Furthermore, unevenness information regarding the unevenness on the surface of the imprint material 20A may be obtained from the observation results of (the cured product of) the imprint material 20A on a substrate that has been imprinted prior to the substrate 13 (the substrate currently being processed) that will be imprinted. Specifically, by observing the transfer pattern transferred to the imprint material 20A on the substrate and checking whether the transfer pattern has been accurately formed, it is possible to estimate the unevenness formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A and obtain the unevenness information. In particular, if the transfer pattern is transferred by an imprint process using the same mold 11 and substrate 13, it is possible to obtain unevenness information with high reproducibility.

[0053] In S608 (fourth step), (the position of) the recess CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate is identified based on the unevenness information acquired in S606. At this time, the amount of droplets of imprint material to be placed in the recess CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A, i.e., the amount of droplets of imprint material required to fill the recess CCP (shortfall amount) may further be identified based on the unevenness information acquired in S606.

[0054] 7(a), in S610 (second step), droplets of imprint material 22 (uncured imprint material (second composition)) are placed (added) in the recesses CCP on the surface of imprint material 20A on the substrate based on the unevenness information acquired in S604. For example, droplets of imprint material 22 are placed in the recesses CCP on the surface of imprint material 20A identified in S608 in the amount specified in S608. Specifically, droplets of imprint material 22 are placed in the recesses CCP on the surface of imprint material 20A on the substrate using the supply unit 17 (dispenser) of the imprint apparatus 1.

[0055] Here, the imprint material 22 disposed as droplets in the recessed portion CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate will be described. The imprint material 22 is preferably of the same type (properties) as the imprint material 20A. In particular, for the pattern of the actual element, etching is performed in a later process (next process), so if a different type of imprint material is disposed, defects may occur due to different etching conditions. However, the imprint material 22 may be of a different type from the imprint material 20A as long as the difference is not a problem in the later process. In addition, for the mark used for alignment of the substrate 13, for example, the substrate side mark 19, it is not used in the later process, so there is no big problem even if the etching conditions are different from others. Therefore, for the mark used for alignment of the substrate 13, there are fewer constraints in the later process compared to the actual element pattern, so in order to realize high-speed filling, an imprint material having a lower viscosity than the viscosity of the imprint material 20A may be used as the imprint material 22. However, when the mold 11 is detached from the hardened imprint material on the substrate, peeling at the interface between the imprint material 20A and the imprint material 22 may cause a problem of generating waste. Therefore, it is necessary to select an imprint material that sufficiently polymerizes with the imprint material 20A as the imprint material 22. If the imprint material 20A does not have resistance to such peeling, a material that enhances such resistance may be disposed at the interface between the imprint material 20A and the imprint material 22. As described above, the imprint material 22 may be the same as the imprint material 20A, but in FIG. 7(a), the imprint material 20A and the imprint material 22 are shown separately.

[0056] In S612 (third step), as shown in FIG. 7(b), the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint materials 20A and 22 on the substrate. As a result, the imprint materials 20A and 22 on the substrate are filled into the pattern of the mold 11. In other words, the mold 11 forms an imprint material including a film of the imprint material 20A on the substrate and droplets of the imprint material 22. Referring to FIG. 7(b), since the droplets of the imprint material 22 are arranged (added) in the recesses CCP of the imprint material 20A, the gas GS captured in the recesses CCP is reduced, and the filling of the imprint materials 20A and 22 into the pattern of the mold 11 is promoted. In this manner, in this embodiment, the droplets of the imprint material 22 are arranged in the recesses CCP of the imprint material 20A, so that the influence of the gas GS captured in the recesses CCP, that is, the inhibition of the filling of the imprint material 20A into the pattern of the mold 11 can be suppressed.

[0057] In S614, in a state in which the mold 11 and the imprint materials 20A and 22 on the substrate are in contact with each other, the imprint materials 20A and 22 are irradiated with light to harden the imprint materials 20A and 22.

[0058] In S616, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the mold 11 is separated from the hardened imprint materials 20A and 22 on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 7(b), in this embodiment, the imprint material 22 (and the imprint material 20A) is sufficiently filled in the mold-side mark 18. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the mold-side mark 18 is transferred to the imprint material 22 (and the imprint material 20A), and a transfer mark 22A of the imprint material 22 corresponding to the mold-side mark 18 is formed on the substrate. In addition, since the imprint material 20A and the imprint material 22 are polymerized, the interface between the imprint material 20A and the imprint material 22 does not peel off even when the mold 11 is separated.

[0059] In S618, the substrate 13 on which the imprint process has been performed is unloaded from the imprint apparatus 1. The substrate 13 unloaded from the imprint apparatus 1 is sent to a post-process (next process).

[0060] Thus, according to the imprinting process of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the hindrance of filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprinting material 20A caused by gas GS captured in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprinting material 20A on the substrate, thereby maintaining (improving) productivity.

[0061] In S610, it is preferable to limit the positions where the droplets of the imprint material 22 are placed (added) to only the concave portions CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate. For example, if the droplets of the imprint material 22 are placed on flat portions or convex portions on the surface of the imprint material 20A, a more pronounced uneven structure is formed on the surface of the imprint material 20A. If the uneven structure is minute, the uneven structure is averaged (i.e., flattened) when the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint materials 20A and 22, and no significant change occurs. On the other hand, if the uneven structure is large, there is a possibility that the mold 11 will be locally deformed in a direction perpendicular to the pattern surface 11a when the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint materials 20A and 22. This may cause the mold 11 (pattern surface 11a) to distort, resulting in a decrease in the overlay accuracy.

[0062] The timing of disposing droplets of the imprint material 22 in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate depends on the device configuration and the characteristics of the imprint material 22. When a highly volatile imprint material is used as the imprint material 22, it is necessary to dispose droplets of the imprint material 22 in each shot area of ​​the substrate 13. However, in this case, a process of disposing droplets of the imprint material 22 in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate is performed for each shot area of ​​the substrate 13, which may significantly reduce productivity. Therefore, it is preferable to use an imprint material with low volatility as the imprint material 22 and dispose droplets of the imprint material 22 at the same timing (all at once) in required locations over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 (all recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A).

[0063] In this embodiment, a case has been described in which the substrate 13 on which the imprint material 20A is arranged is held by the substrate holding unit 14 (substrate stage), and droplets of the imprint material 22 are arranged from the supply unit 17. Therefore, a new stage or other configuration is not required, but contact between the mold 11 and the imprint materials 20A and 22 (S612) cannot be started until the arrangement of the droplets of the imprint material 22 by the supply unit 17 (S610) is completed.

[0064] Therefore, an area for disposing droplets of the imprint material 22 in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate may be provided before the area where the step of contacting the mold 11 with the imprint materials 20A and 22 is performed. This allows the disposing of the droplets of the imprint material 22 (S610) and the contacting of the mold 11 with the imprint materials 20A and 22 (S612) to be performed in parallel for different substrates. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a supply unit 17 (dispenser) may be provided in at least one of the pre-alignment unit PAU and the transport unit CYU to provide an area for disposing droplets of the imprint material 22 in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate. The substrate holder may be driven or the supply unit 17 may be driven so that the imprint material can be applied to the entire surface of the substrate. Here, the pre-alignment unit PAU is a unit for performing pre-alignment on the substrate 13, and the transport unit CYU is a unit for transporting the substrate 13 to the pre-alignment unit PAU. This allows the placement of droplets of the imprint material 22 (S610) and part of the contact between the mold 11 and the imprint materials 20A and 22 (S612) to be performed in parallel by adding a minimum amount of functionality to the imprint apparatus 1. This makes it possible to improve productivity without increasing the size of the imprint apparatus 1. Note that, although the supply unit 17 is provided in at least one of the pre-alignment unit PAU and the transport unit CYU here, this is not limiting. For example, the supply unit 17 may be provided in a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the substrate 13 before the substrate 13 is held by the substrate holding unit 14. If it is difficult to achieve sufficient performance by adding the above functionality, a unit that adds an imprint material may be added.

[0065] The process (S610) of placing droplets of imprint material 22 in recesses CCP on the surface of imprint material 20A on the substrate may be performed before loading the substrate 13 into the imprint apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 10, rather than after loading the substrate 13 into the imprint apparatus 1.

[0066] 10, in S1002, similar to S602, the imprint material 20A is placed on the surface of the substrate 13, in this embodiment, the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. In S1004, similar to S606, unevenness information is acquired regarding the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A that has been placed collectively in advance over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. In S1006, similar to S608, (the position of) the recess CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate is identified based on the unevenness information acquired in S1004.

[0067] In S1008, similarly to S610, droplets of the imprint material 22 are placed (added) in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate based on the unevenness information acquired in S1004. In this case, it is necessary to provide, outside the imprint apparatus 1, a dispenser for placing droplets of the imprint material 22 on the substrate, specifically, in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate, and a substrate stage for holding the substrate 13. Either the dispenser or the substrate stage is configured to be movable in order to place droplets of the imprint material 22 at predetermined positions on the substrate, specifically, in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate.

[0068] In S1010, the substrate 13 on which the imprint materials 20A and 22 are arranged is carried into the imprint apparatus 1. Steps S1012 to S1018 are similar to steps S612 to S1018, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0069] In this way, even if droplets of imprint material 22 are placed in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate before the substrate 13 is loaded into the imprint apparatus 1, the same effect as that described in Figure 6 can be obtained.

[0070] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the order of the step (S602) of placing the imprint material 20A over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 and the step (S610) of placing droplets of the imprint material 22 in the recesses CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A on the substrate may be reversed.

[0071] 11, in S1102, unevenness information is acquired regarding the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A that is disposed collectively in advance over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13. At this time, since the imprint material 20A has not yet been disposed on the substrate, it is not possible to measure the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A. Therefore, as described above, the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A is predicted from design information regarding the positions of patterns and marks provided on the substrate 13. In addition, unevenness information regarding the unevenness of the surface of the imprint material 20A may be acquired from the observation results of the imprint material 20A on the substrate that has been subjected to the imprint process.

[0072] In S1104, the position of the concave portion CCP on the surface of the imprint material 20A to be placed on the substrate is identified based on the unevenness information acquired in S1102. In S1106, droplets of the imprint material 22 are placed in the concave portion (substrate-side concave portion) on the substrate corresponding to the concave portion CCP identified in S1104.

[0073] In S1108, the imprint material 20A is placed on the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 on which the droplets of the imprint material 22 are placed. At this time, since the droplets of the imprint material 22 are already placed on the substrate side recesses, the number of portions that will become recesses after the imprint material 20A is placed is reduced, and a flat surface can be obtained for the imprint material including the imprint materials 20A and 22. In addition, a spin coater is used when placing the imprint material 20A on the entire area of ​​the substrate 13, but if the droplets of the imprint material 22 remain uncured (liquid), there is a possibility that the droplets of the imprint material 22 placed on the substrate side recesses will move. In such a case, before placing the imprint material 20A on the entire area of ​​the substrate 13, the droplets of the imprint material 22 placed on the substrate side recesses may be irradiated with light to cure the droplets of the imprint material 22. In this case, it is necessary to provide a unit (e.g., an ultraviolet lamp or an LED) that irradiates light to cure the droplets of the imprint material 22 on the substrate outside the imprint apparatus 1. In this way, by hardening the droplets of imprint material 22 on the substrate, even if a spin coater is used to place imprint material 20A over the entire area of ​​substrate 13, it is possible to prevent the droplets of imprint material 22 from moving out of the recesses on the substrate side.

[0074] In S1110, the substrate 13 on which the imprint materials 20A and 22 are arranged is carried into the imprint apparatus 1. Since the steps of S1112 to S1118 are similar to the steps of S612 to S1018, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0075] In this way, even if the order of performing the step of disposing the imprint material 20A and the step of disposing the droplets of the imprint material 22 is reversed, the same effects as those described with reference to FIG. 6 can be obtained.

[0076] 11, an imprint system (molding system) having a spin coater, an imprint apparatus 1, and a dispenser that places droplets of uncured imprint material 22 on a substrate 13 also constitutes one aspect of the present invention. Here, the spin coater is a device that places uncured imprint material 20A on the substrate 13 as a film that continuously covers the surface of the substrate 13, as described above.

[0077] An imprinting method (molding method) that does not include a step (S606) of acquiring unevenness information regarding the unevenness of the surface of the imprinting material 20A that has been collectively arranged in advance over the entire area of ​​the substrate 13 also constitutes one aspect of the present invention. Specifically, this imprinting method includes a step of placing droplets of uncured imprinting material 22 in an area where a recess CCP will be formed on the surface of the uncured imprinting material 20A arranged on the substrate. At this time, an area on the substrate 13 where a mark used for alignment of the substrate 13, i.e., a substrate side mark 19, is provided is set as an area where a recess CCP will be formed on the surface of the imprinting material 20A on the substrate.

[0078] The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus 1 (the imprint method in this embodiment) 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.

[0079] The pattern of the cured product may be used as it is as at least a part of the component of the above-mentioned article, or may be used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation is performed in a substrate processing step.

[0080] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 12(a), a substrate such as a silicon wafer having a workpiece such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprint material is applied to the surface of the workpiece by a spin coater or the like. Here, the imprint material is shown applied to the substrate in the form of a film that continuously covers the surface of the substrate. Also, as described above, a film of the imprint material with a flat surface is obtained by applying droplets of uncured imprint material to recesses formed on the surface of the imprint material (film) applied to the substrate.

[0081] figure 12 As shown in (b), the imprinting mold is placed so that the side on which the concave and convex patterns are formed faces the imprinting material on the substrate. 12 As shown in (c), the substrate with the imprint material applied is brought into contact with the mold and pressure is applied. The imprint material fills the gap between the mold and the workpiece. When light is irradiated through the mold in this state as hardening energy, the imprint material hardens.

[0082] figure 12 As shown in (d), when the imprint material is cured and then the mold and the substrate are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material is formed on the substrate. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding patterns of the mold are transferred to the imprint material.

[0083] figure 12 As shown in (e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the parts of the surface of the workpiece where there is no cured material or where only a thin layer remains are removed, forming grooves. 12 As shown in (f), by removing the pattern of the cured material, an article having grooves formed on the surface of the processed material can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may be used as an interlayer insulating film contained in a semiconductor element, that is, a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

[0084] In this embodiment, the mold 11 is described as a mold for transferring a circuit pattern on which a concave-convex pattern is formed, but the mold 11 may be a mold (flat template) having a flat portion on which a concave-convex pattern is not formed. The flat template is used in a flattening device (molding device) that performs a flattening process (molding process) to mold the composition on the substrate so as to flatten it by the flat portion. The flattening process includes a step of curing the curable composition by irradiating light or by heating in a state in which the flat portion of the flat template is brought into contact with the curable composition supplied onto the substrate. In this way, this embodiment can be applied to a molding device that molds the composition on the substrate using a flat template.

[0085] The base pattern on the substrate has an unevenness profile caused by the pattern formed in the previous process, and in particular, with the recent trend toward multi-layered structures of memory elements, the substrate (process wafer) may have a step of about 100 nm. The step caused by the gentle waviness of the entire substrate can be corrected by the focus tracking function of the exposure device (scanner) used in the photolithography process. However, the fine pitch unevenness that fits within the exposure slit area of ​​the exposure device consumes the depth of focus (DOF) of the exposure device as it is. As a conventional technology for flattening the base pattern of the substrate, a technology for forming a flattening layer such as SOC (Spin On Carbon) or CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) is used. However, in the conventional technology, as shown in FIG. 13(a), only a 40% to 70% unevenness suppression rate is obtained at the boundary between the isolated pattern region A and the repeated dense (dense line & space pattern) pattern region B, and sufficient flattening performance cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the future, the unevenness of the underlying pattern will tend to further increase due to the increasing number of layers.

[0086] As a solution to this problem, U.S. Patent No. 9,415,418 proposes a technology for forming a continuous film by applying a resist that will become a planarization layer with an inkjet dispenser and imprinting it with a flat template. Also, U.S. Patent No. 8,394,282 proposes a technology for reflecting the topography measurement results on the substrate side in the shading information for each position instructed to be applied by an inkjet dispenser. The imprint apparatus IMP can be particularly used as a flat processing (planarization) apparatus that presses a flat template instead of a mold 11 against previously applied uncured resist to locally planarize the substrate surface.

[0087] Figure 13(a) shows the substrate before flattening. In isolated pattern region A, the area of ​​the pattern convex parts is small. In repeated dense pattern region B, the area occupied by the pattern convex parts and the area occupied by the pattern concave parts are 1:1. The average height of isolated pattern region A and repeated dense pattern region B differs depending on the proportion of the pattern convex parts.

[0088] Fig. 13(b) shows a state in which a resist that forms a planarization layer is applied to a substrate. Fig. 13(b) shows a state in which the resist is applied by an inkjet dispenser based on the technology proposed in U.S. Patent No. 9,415,418, but a spin coater may also be used to apply the resist. In other words, the imprint apparatus IMP is applicable as long as it includes a step of pressing a planar template against uncured resist that has been applied in advance to planarize it.

[0089] As shown in Fig. 13(c), the flat template is made of glass or quartz that transmits ultraviolet light, and the resist is hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light from a light source. The flat template follows the profile of the substrate surface for gentle unevenness across the entire substrate. After the resist is hardened, the flat template is separated from the resist as shown in Fig. 13(d).

[0090] 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]

[0091] 1: Imprinting device 11: Mold 13: Substrate 17: Supply unit CU: Control unit 20, 20A, 22: Imprinting material CCP: Recess

Claims

1. 1. A molding method for molding an uncured composition disposed on a substrate as a liquid film that continuously covers a surface of the substrate using a mold, the method comprising: a first step of acquiring unevenness information regarding surface unevenness caused by a difference in film thickness of the uncured first composition disposed on the substrate as the liquid film; a second step of disposing droplets of an uncured second composition in recesses on the surface of the first composition so as to reduce the film thickness difference of the continuously covering liquid film based on the unevenness information acquired in the first step; a third step of molding a composition including a liquid film of the first composition and droplets of the second composition in the mold after the second step is performed; A molding method comprising the steps of:

2. The molding method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the first step, the unevenness information is obtained by measuring unevenness on the surface of the first composition that has been disposed on the substrate as the liquid film.

3. The molding method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the first step, the unevenness information is obtained by predicting the unevenness to be formed on the surface of the first composition from design information of the positions of patterns and marks provided on the substrate.

4. 2. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, the unevenness information is obtained from an observation result of a composition on a substrate that has been molded in the mold prior to the substrate.

5. A fourth step of identifying recesses on a surface of the first composition based on the unevenness information acquired in the first step, 4. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, droplets of the second composition are placed in the recesses identified in the fourth step.

6. In the fourth step, an amount of droplets of the second composition to be placed in the recesses on the surface of the first composition is specified based on the unevenness information acquired in the first step; 6. The molding method according to claim 5, wherein in the second step, droplets of the second composition are placed in the recesses in the amount specified in the fourth step.

7. a fifth step of disposing the first composition as the liquid film on the substrate; a sixth step of carrying the substrate into a molding device that performs the second step and the third step after the fifth step is performed; Further comprising:

2. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein after the sixth step, the second step and the third step are performed on the substrate in the molding device.

8. a fifth step of disposing the first composition as the liquid film on the substrate; a sixth step of carrying the substrate into a molding device that performs the third step after the fifth step and the second step are performed in order; Further comprising:

2. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein after the sixth step, the third step is performed on the substrate in the molding device.

9. a fifth step of disposing the first composition on the substrate as the liquid film after the second step; a sixth step of carrying the substrate into a molding device that performs the third step after the fifth step is performed; Further comprising:

2. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein after the sixth step, the third step is performed on the substrate in the molding device.

10. 10. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein a part of the second step and a part of the third step are carried out in parallel on different substrates.

11. 11. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein the second composition is the same type of composition as the first composition.

12. 11. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein the second composition has a lower viscosity than the first composition.

13. The molding method according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate includes a plurality of shot areas.

14. The mold includes a pattern; The molding method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that in the third step, the pattern of the mold is contacted with a composition comprising a layer of the first composition and droplets of the second composition to form a pattern of the composition on the substrate.

15. The mold includes a flat portion, The molding method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that in the third step, the composition on the substrate is flattened by contacting the planar portion of the mold with a composition containing a layer of the first composition and droplets of the second composition.

16. 1. A molding method for molding an uncured composition disposed on a substrate as a liquid film that continuously covers a surface of the substrate using a mold, the method comprising: a step of disposing a droplet of an uncured second composition in an area where a recess will be formed due to a film thickness difference on the surface of the uncured first composition disposed on the substrate as the liquid film, so that the film thickness difference of the continuously covering liquid film is reduced; casting a film of the first composition and droplets of the second composition in the mold after depositing the droplets of the second composition; A molding method comprising the steps of:

17. 17. The molding method according to claim 16, wherein an area of ​​the substrate where a mark used for alignment of the substrate is provided is set as an area where the recess is to be formed.

18. A molding apparatus for molding an uncured composition disposed on a substrate as a liquid film that continuously covers a surface of the substrate using a mold, the molding apparatus comprising: a pre-alignment unit that performs pre-alignment on the substrate on which the uncured first composition is disposed as the liquid film; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the pre-alignment unit; a dispenser provided in at least one of the pre-alignment section and the transport section, the dispenser disposing droplets of an uncured second composition on the substrate; a control unit that acquires unevenness information regarding surface unevenness caused by a film thickness difference of the first composition disposed on the substrate, and controls the dispenser based on the unevenness information so that droplets of the second composition are disposed in recesses on the surface of the first composition so that the film thickness difference of the continuously covering liquid film is reduced; A molding apparatus comprising:

19. an apparatus for depositing an uncured composition onto a substrate as a liquid film that continuously covers a surface of the substrate; a dispenser that deposits droplets of an uncured second composition onto the substrate on which the uncured first composition has been deposited as the liquid film; a control unit that acquires unevenness information indicating surface unevenness due to a difference in film thickness of the first composition disposed on the substrate, and controls the dispenser to place droplets of the second composition in recesses on the surface of the first composition based on the unevenness information so that the difference in film thickness of the continuously covering liquid film is reduced; a molding device that uses a mold to mold a composition including a liquid film of the first composition and droplets of the second composition; A molding system comprising:

20. forming a pattern on a substrate using the molding method of claim 14; processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the process; producing an article from the processed substrate; A method for producing an article, comprising the steps of:

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