IMPRINT APPARATUS, IMPRINT METHOD, AND PRODUCTION METHOD OF ARTICLE

Abstract

To provide an imprint technique advantageous in reducing pattern transcription error (formation error).SOLUTION: An imprint device performs imprint processing which forms a pattern on a substrate by bringing a mold, having a mesa part on which a pattern region is formed, into contact with an imprint material of the substrate, and radiating light to harden the imprint material. The imprint device includes: a light shielding unit which partially blocks light to correspond to the mold shape to thereby form an irradiation region on the substrate; a first measuring unit which acquires the irradiation distribution of the light in a boundary region including at least part of a boundary between the irradiation region and a shield region, which is shielded by the light shielding unit, on the substrate; a drive unit which drives the light shielding unit; and a control unit which determines the position of the light shielding unit based on a measured irradiation distribution so that a radiation amount of light to the predetermined position on the substrate, which corresponds to the end part of the mesa part, becomes a predetermined irradiation amount, and controls the drive unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In the optical imprinting technique for manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices, a mold (also called a template) is brought into contact with an imprinting material disposed on a substrate, and the imprinting material is cured by irradiating the imprinting material with light, whereby a pattern formed on the mold is transferred to the imprinting material, and a pattern of the imprinting material is formed on the substrate.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a method for performing good imprint transfer by exposing the imprint material so as to decrease the hardening rate toward the outer periphery of the mold. Patent Document 2 describes a method for defining a light-shielded area by using an image of an area irradiated with light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-195088 A [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-41774 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the imprinting method, the steps of applying imprinting material to each pattern transfer region in sequence, contacting the imprinting material with a mold, and curing the imprinting material by irradiating it with curing light while performing patterning are repeated. In such an imprinting method, when performing pattern transfer to a patterned region, the thick imprinting material portion in the pattern transfer region where patterning has been completed may seep into the adjacent pattern transfer region to be patterned. In such a case, the descent of the mold is hindered by the cured imprinting material, and the mold and imprinting material cannot come into sufficient contact with each other in the pattern transfer region to be patterned, which may result in poor transfer.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an imprint technique that is advantageous in terms of reducing transfer defects (formation defects) of a pattern, for example. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an imprinting apparatus that brings a mold having a mesa portion on which a pattern region is formed into contact with an imprinting material on a substrate, and hardens the imprinting material by irradiating the imprinting material with light to form a pattern on the substrate, the imprinting apparatus comprising: a light shielding portion that partially shields the light so as to correspond to a shape of the mold; At least when the light blocking unit is disposed in the first position an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate; and an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate when the light-shielding portion is disposed at a second position different from the first position. a driving unit that drives the light blocking unit; and a measuring unit that measures the amount of light irradiated onto a position on the substrate corresponding to an end of the mesa portion so as to be a predetermined amount of light irradiated onto the position. When the light blocking portion is disposed at the first position The irradiation distribution and the irradiated portion distribution when the light blocking portion is disposed at the second position. and a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the control signal. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, for example, transfer defects (formation defects) of a pattern can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mold configuration. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flow diagram showing processing in the imprint apparatus from when a mold is carried into the imprint apparatus until when the mold is carried out. FIG. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of an imprint operation by an imprint apparatus equipped with a light blocking unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a light blocking portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an example of a process for acquiring an optical profile. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the movement of an illuminance detector in illuminance measurement according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of light irradiation amount obtained in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an optical profile acquired in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a graph showing each position of the light-shielding portion and the obtained intersection positions. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an illuminance detector according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an illuminance detector according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] First Embodiment 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The imprinting apparatus 100 is configured to perform an imprinting process in which a mold 20 is brought into contact with an imprinting material on a substrate 1, the imprinting material is cured by irradiation with light, and a cured product of the imprinting material to which the concave-convex pattern of the mold 20 is transferred is formed on the substrate 1.

[0012] As the imprint material, a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that is cured by applying energy for curing is used. As the energy for curing, for example, light (for example, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, etc.) having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm can be used. The curable composition can be a composition that is cured by irradiation with light. 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 of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal mold release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components, etc. The imprint material can be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25° C.) can be, for example, 1 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s. As the material of the substrate, for example, glass, ceramics, metals, semiconductors, resins, etc. can be used. If necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be provided on the surface of the substrate. The substrate is, for example, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or quartz glass.

[0013] 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 1 is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and the rotation around the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or drive regarding the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis means control or drive regarding the direction parallel to the X-axis, the direction parallel to the Y-axis, and the direction parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. Furthermore, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis means control or drive regarding the rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, the rotation around an axis parallel to the Y-axis, and the rotation around an axis parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. Furthermore, the position is information that can be specified based on the coordinates of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and the orientation is information that can be specified by the values ​​of the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis. Positioning means controlling the position and / or orientation. The alignment may include controlling the position and / or orientation of at least one of the substrate 1 and the mold 20 .

[0014] The imprint apparatus 100 includes a substrate holding unit 2 that holds a substrate 1, and a substrate stage 3. The substrate stage 3 can be configured to drive the substrate 1 about multiple axes (e.g., three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and θZ-axis). The substrate stage 3 can also be configured with an illuminance detector 13 (illuminance measuring unit) for measuring the amount of light, and a distance measuring unit 14 for measuring the distance to the mold 20.

[0015] The distance measurement unit 14 measures the distance between the substrate 1 and the mold 20 by measuring the heights of a plurality of points on the pattern area 23 of the mold 20 described later. The distance measurement unit 14 may include, for example, a laser interferometer that irradiates the mold 20 with light and detects reflected light from the area on the pattern area 23 irradiated with the light to measure the height of the area irradiated with the light (the distance between the distance measurement unit 14 and the pattern area 23). The distance measurement unit 14 is mounted on the substrate stage 3 and moves in the XY directions together with the substrate stage 3, thereby scanning the area irradiated with the light from the distance measurement unit 14 on the mold 20 to measure the heights of a plurality of points on the pattern area 23. This makes it possible to obtain the shape and inclination of the pattern area 23. The distance measurement unit 14 may be provided on a stage separate from the substrate stage 3, and may measure the height on the pattern area 23 by moving in the XY directions separately from the substrate stage 3. The distance measurement unit 14 may also measure the position of the end of the mesa portion 21 of the mold 20 described later.

[0016] The illuminance detector 13 may be disposed on, for example, the substrate stage 3. The substrate stage 3 is positioned so that the illuminance detector 13 is disposed at a position where light from the light source 6 is irradiated, and the illuminance of the light irradiated from the light source can be detected. For example, the control unit 30 described later may control the voltage of the light source 6, or the irradiation time, or the drive unit 7 that drives the light blocking unit 8, based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance detector 13. In this embodiment, as an example, the measurement point of the illuminance detector 13 is assumed to be pinhole-shaped.

[0017] The imprint apparatus 100 includes a mold driving mechanism 15 that drives the mold 20. The mold driving mechanism 15 can be configured to drive a mold holding unit 16 that holds the mold 20. The mold driving mechanism 15 can be configured to drive the mold 20 about a plurality of axes (for example, six axes including the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis). The substrate stage 3 and the mold driving mechanism 15 function as an alignment mechanism that drives the substrate 1 and the mold 20 so that the relative positions of the substrate 1 and the mold 20 are adjusted. The imprint apparatus 100 can also include a mold deformation mechanism 17 that deforms the mold 20. The mold deformation mechanism 17 can be configured to deform the mold 20 by applying energy such as force and / or heat to the mold 20, for example.

[0018] The imprinting apparatus 100 includes, as components for curing the imprinting material, a light source 6 that generates light to be irradiated onto the imprinting material in contact with the mold 20, a light shielding unit 8 that defines an irradiation area of ​​the light generated from the light source 6, and a driving unit 7 that drives the light shielding unit 8. The light source 6 may include, for example, a halogen lamp that generates i-line and / or g-line, or a mercury lamp. The light shielding unit 8 forms an irradiation area on the substrate 1 by partially shielding (shielding) the light from the light source 6 so as to correspond to the shape of the mold 20. The light shielding unit 8 is disposed at least between the light source 6 and the mold holding unit 16. Here, as an example, the light shielding unit 8 is disposed between a plurality of optical elements included in the optical system 18. Details of the light shielding unit 8 will be described later. The imprinting apparatus 100 may also include optical systems 18, 19, and a mirror 9 as components for curing the imprinting material in contact with the mold 20. The mirror 9 may be disposed so as to bend the path of the light from the light source 6. An optical system 19 may be disposed between the mirror 9 and the mold holding unit 16. An optical system 18 may be disposed between the mirror 9 and the light source 6. The optical systems 18 and 19 may each be configured with a plurality of optical elements. In addition, the imprint apparatus 100 may include a shutter (not shown) for blocking or transmitting light from the light source 6 when the light source 6 is continuously turned on in imprint processing for a plurality of transfer areas (shot areas) or a plurality of substrates. The shutter may be built into the light source 6. Note that the transfer area here means an area having a size equivalent to the pattern area of ​​the mold 20, that is, an area (also called a molding area) where a pattern of the imprint material corresponding to the pattern of the mold 20 is formed in one imprint processing.

[0019] The imprint apparatus 100 may include an alignment scope 10. The alignment scope 10 may include an optical system and a camera. The alignment scope 10 is used to detect the relative position between an alignment mark of the mold 20 and an alignment mark of the substrate 1 in aligning the shot area of ​​the substrate 1 with the mold 20.

[0020] The imprint apparatus 100 may further include a purge gas nozzle 11. The purge gas nozzle 11 may be used to supply a purge gas to the space between the mold 20 and the substrate 1. The purge gas may be a gas that has a property of permeating the imprint material and the mold 20. The purge gas may also be used to prevent the hardening of the imprint material from being inhibited by oxygen, that is, to prevent the imprint material from coming into contact with oxygen. As the purge gas, a gas that does not inhibit the hardening of the imprint material, for example, a gas containing at least one of helium gas, nitrogen gas, and a condensable gas (for example, pentafluoropropane (PFP)), may be used. The imprint apparatus 100 may also include a purge gas tank (not shown) for supplying the purge gas to the purge gas nozzle 11.

[0021] The imprint apparatus 100 includes a dispenser 12 (supply unit) that supplies the imprint material onto the substrate 1. The dispenser 12 can be used in a mode in which the imprint apparatus 100 supplies the imprint material onto the substrate 1. In a mode in which the imprint material is supplied to the substrate 1 outside the imprint apparatus 100, the dispenser 12 is not used. In a mode in which the imprint material is supplied onto the substrate 1 in the imprint apparatus 100, a spread promoter or an adhesion agent for enhancing adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate can be supplied in advance onto the substrate 1 outside the imprint apparatus 100.

[0022] The imprint apparatus 100 also includes a control unit 30. The control unit 30 is configured by a computer having, for example, a processor (CPU) and a memory, and controls the imprint process (controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 100). The control unit 30 may be provided within the imprint apparatus 100, or may be provided in a location separate from the imprint apparatus 100 and controlled remotely.

[0023] The imprint apparatus 100 may further include a support base 5. The mold driving mechanism 15, the light source 6, the light blocking unit 8, the driving unit 7, the alignment scope 10, the purge gas nozzle 11, the dispenser 12, and the like may be directly or indirectly supported by the support base 5.

[0024] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the mold 20. The mold 20 may include a pattern region 23 in which a pattern to be transferred to the imprint material on the substrate 1 is formed, and a peripheral region 24 surrounding the pattern region 23. In another aspect, the mold 20 may have a support plate 22 and a mesa portion 21 protruding from the support plate 22. The pattern region 23 may be provided in the mesa portion 21. The outer edge of the pattern region 23 may be disposed inside the mesa portion 21, or may coincide with the outer edge of the mesa portion 21.

[0025] Next, the imprint process using the imprint apparatus 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram showing the process in the imprint apparatus 100 from when the mold 20 is carried into the imprint apparatus 100 until it is carried out. The steps shown in this flow can be performed by the control unit 30 comprehensively controlling each part of the imprint apparatus 100.

[0026] First, when the process starts, in S101, the control unit 30 controls the mold 20 to be transported to the mold driving mechanism 15 by an external mold transport unit (not shown) or the like and to be adsorbed and held by the mold holding unit 16 (loading of the mold).

[0027] In S102, the control unit 30 causes the distance measurement unit 14 to measure the heights of a plurality of points on the pattern area 23 of the mold 20 that was carried in S101.

[0028] In S103, the control unit 30 loads the substrate 1 into the imprint apparatus 100 using an external substrate transport unit (not shown) or the like, and transports the substrate so as to be adsorbed and held by the substrate holding unit 2 of the substrate stage 3 (loading of substrate). Note that the substrate 1 loaded here may have an imprint material supplied (applied) in advance onto the entire surface of the substrate 1.

[0029] In S104, the control unit 30 controls the light source 6, the optical systems 18 and 19, etc., and executes a preliminary measurement process by having the illuminance detector 13 measure the illuminance of the light irradiated onto the substrate 1. Information on the measured illuminance is stored as device information in the memory of the control unit or an external storage device (appended figure), etc.

[0030] In S105, the control unit 30 executes the imprint process. The imprint process in step S105 will be described in detail later.

[0031] In S106, the control unit 30 judges whether the imprint process has been completed for all the transfer regions of the substrate 1, and if there are transfer regions to be processed (No), the control unit 30 returns to S105 and causes the imprint process (S105) to be performed on the transfer regions to be processed. On the other hand, if there are no transfer regions to be processed (No), the control unit 30 proceeds to S107.

[0032] In S107, the control unit 30 causes an external substrate transport unit (not shown) or the like to unload the substrate 1 that has been subjected to the imprint process from the imprint apparatus 100, and unloads the substrate 1 from the substrate holding unit 2 of the substrate stage 3 (unloading the substrate).

[0033] In S108, the control unit 30 controls the mold 20 to be removed from the mold driving mechanism 15 of the imprint apparatus 100 by an external mold transport unit (not shown) or the like (removing the mold), and the process is completed. Note that if there is another substrate 1 to be processed, the next substrate 1 may be carried in without removing the mold, and the imprint process (S105) may be repeated.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an imprint operation (imprint process) by an imprint apparatus 100 equipped with a light-shielding portion 8. Here, for ease of explanation, the light-shielding portion 8 is shown above the mold 20. FIG. 4(A) shows a step of supplying an imprint material. In the step of supplying the imprint material, an imprint material 25 is supplied (applied) onto the substrate 1 by a dispenser 12, and the substrate stage 3 is driven to move the substrate 1 to directly below the mold 20. At this time, the alignment marks provided on the mold 20 and the alignment marks provided on the substrate 1 may be positioned using an alignment scope 10 or an imaging unit (not shown).

[0035] 4(B) and (C) show the contact step. In the contact step, the mold driving mechanism 15 is driven downward along the Z axis to bring the mesa portion 21 of the mold 20 into contact with the imprint material 25 (FIG. 4(B)). In FIG. 4(C), the mold driving mechanism 15 is driven further downward along the Z axis or stopped so that the imprint material 25 fits into the unevenness of the pattern region 23. At this time, the alignment marks provided on the mold 20 and the alignment marks provided on the substrate 1 may be positioned using the alignment scope 10 or an imaging unit (not shown).

[0036] FIG. 4(D) is a diagram showing the irradiation step. In the irradiation step, light is irradiated from the light source 6 to harden the imprint material 25 (hardened imprint material 26). At that time, the light is blocked by the light shielding portion 8 to prevent leakage of light outside the mesa portion 21. In this way, hardening of the imprint material 25' in the region outside the mesa portion 21 is prevented. FIG. 4(D') is an enlarged view of the end portion 21a of the mesa portion 21 in FIG. 4(D). Hardened imprint material 26 is disposed in the region directly below the mesa portion 21, and unhardened imprint material 25' is disposed in the region directly below the mesa portion 21.

[0037] FIG. 4(E) is a diagram showing a demolding step. In the demolding step, the mesa portion 21 of the mold 20 and the hardened imprint material 26 are separated (released) by driving the mold driving mechanism 15 in the upward direction of the Z axis. FIG. 4(E′) is an enlarged view of the hardened imprint material 26 after the mesa portion 21 is peeled off from the hardened imprint material 26, and the unhardened imprint material 25′ protruding from the mesa portion 21. FIG. 4(F) is a diagram showing an imprinting process at the next imprint position (imprinting region). The light shielding portion 8 blocks the irradiated light, thereby preventing the hardening of the imprint material protruding from the mesa portion 21. This prevents the descent of the mold, in other words, the contact between the mold and the imprint material, when performing the imprinting process on an imprinting region adjacent to an imprinting region in which a pattern of the imprint material has already been formed.

[0038] Next, the details of the light shielding portion 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the light shielding portion 8. The light shielding portion 8 partially shields the light from the light source 6 so as to correspond to the shape of the mold 20. The light shielding portion 8 is composed of, for example, a plurality of light shielding members 8a to 8d, and forms an opening having a shape corresponding to the shape (rectangle) of the mold 20. Here, an example composed of four light shielding members will be described as an example, but the light shielding portion 8 may be composed of, for example, two light shielding members. In this case, the light shielding member is, for example, L-shaped. The light shielding portion 8 partially shields the light from the light source 6, thereby forming an irradiation area corresponding to the shape of the mold 20 on the substrate 1. Here, the irradiation area is an area where the light from the light source 6 is irradiated without being shielded by the light shielding portion 8. In addition, the area on the substrate 1 where the light is not irradiated by the light shielding portion 8 partially shielding the light from the light source 6 is regarded as a shielded area. That is, the shielding region is a region where the light from the light source 6 is shielded by the light shielding portion 8 and the light is not irradiated, that is, a region where a shadow is formed by the light shielding portion 8. Since the light has a spread, the amount of light irradiated to the substrate 1 decreases from the irradiation region toward the shielding region 42 as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5. The vertical axis of the graph shown in the lower part of FIG. 5 indicates the amount of light irradiation. The imprint material is cured by irradiating it with a predetermined amount of light (illuminance x irradiation time). In this embodiment, the position of the light shielding portion 8, specifically, the positions of the light shielding members 8a to 8d are adjusted by the driving portion 7 so that the amount of light irradiated to a predetermined position on the substrate 1 corresponding to the end portion 21a of the mesa portion 21 is an amount of irradiation that does not cure the imprint material. The control portion 30 determines the position of the light shielding portion 8 based on the optical profile acquired in advance.

[0039] 6 to 9, an example of a method for acquiring an optical profile required for determining the position of the light shielding portion 8 will be described. Here, as an example, the light shielding portion 8 is assumed to be composed of light shielding members 8a to 8d arranged on four sides, and an example will be described in which illuminance is measured by focusing on one of the sides. It is preferable to know the driving magnification on the surface of the substrate 1 of the light irradiated from the light source 6 and transmitted through the optical systems 18 and 19 and the light shielding portion 8 relative to the driving amount of the light shielding portion 8 before acquiring the optical profile.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an example of an acquisition process of an optical profile. The steps shown in this flow can be performed by the control unit 30 controlling each unit of the imprint apparatus 100 in an integrated manner. In S201, the control unit 30 drives the driving unit 7 to move the light blocking unit 8 to a first measurement position (for example, a position P01 described later). Next, in S202, the control unit 30 drives the substrate stage 3 to move the illuminance detector 13 to a measurement start position. Next, in S203, the control unit 30 causes the light source 6 to start irradiating light. Next, in S204, the control unit 30 causes the illuminance detector 13 to start illuminance measurement. In S205, the control unit 30 moves the illuminance detector 13 to the next measurement position, and in S206, causes the illuminance detector 13 to measure the illuminance at the next measurement position. S205 and S206 are repeated until the illuminance detector 13 is driven to the measurement end position (S207). That is, the control unit 30 makes the illuminance detector 13 measure the illuminance at each measurement position from the measurement start position to the measurement end position. In this way, the distribution of the light irradiation amount (irradiation distribution) when the light shielding unit 8 is at the position P01 is obtained. At this time, the control unit 30 functions as a first measurement unit. After the illuminance detector 13 is driven to the measurement end position (S207, Yes), the light shielding unit 8 is driven to the next position (for example, position P02 described later) (S208, Yes), and the illuminance is measured again to obtain the distribution of the light irradiation amount when the light shielding unit 8 is at the position P02. Then, after obtaining the necessary number of distributions of the light irradiation amount (completion of obtaining the distribution of the light irradiation amount at the P0N position) (S208, No), the measurement is terminated.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the illuminance detector 13 in the illuminance measurement of the first embodiment. This diagram shows the state of the surface of the substrate 1 viewed from above (from the Z direction) when measuring the side of the right part of the shadow 28 caused by the light shielding part 8 forming a rectangular opening, that is, the shadow formed by the light shielding member 8a. In this diagram, the irradiation area 41 and the shielding area 42 are also illustrated. As described above, the shielding area 42 is an area where the light from the light source 6 is shielded by the light shielding part 8 and light is not irradiated, that is, an area where the shadow 28 is formed by the light shielding part 8. Therefore, the boundary between the irradiation area 41 and the shadow 28 is the boundary 43 between the irradiation area 41 and the shielding area 42. FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the illuminance detector 13 starts illuminance measurement (S204). Specifically, this diagram shows a state in which the illuminance detector 13 is located at the measurement start position to start illuminance measurement. In FIG. 7A, as an example, the measurement start position is located within the irradiation area 41, but it may start from a shadowed position or a shielded area 42. The illuminance detector 13 measures the illuminance of an area (boundary area) including at least a part of the boundary 43. It is preferable to determine the measurement start position and the measurement end position based on the position of the end 21a of the mesa portion 21. The position of the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 can be measured by, for example, the distance measurement unit 14 as the second measurement unit. The measurement of the position of the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 can be efficiently performed by performing the measurement in S102 of the flow shown in FIG. 3. In measuring the position of the end 21a of the mesa portion 21, the position of at least a part of each side of the mesa portion 21 is measured.

[0042] 7(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the illuminance detector 13 has moved to measure the illuminance (S205). The direction in which the illuminance detector 13 is moved in S205 is, for example, to measure linearly so as to be substantially perpendicular to the side of the shadow 28 formed by the side of the light-shielding portion 8, which is the measurement target. In other words, the illuminance is measured linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the boundary 43 within the surface of the substrate 1. For example, as shown in this figure, when measuring the right shadow from inside the shadow 28, the illuminance detector 13 is driven in the +X direction. On the other hand, when starting from a position in the shadow, the illuminance detector 13 is driven in the -X direction.

[0043] When the illuminance is obtained successively from the illuminance detector 13, the illuminance detector 13 is continuously driven in small steps (for example, by a drive amount of about 0.1 mm) in the direction of travel to measure the illuminance at each measurement position, thereby obtaining the light irradiation amount distribution. The shutter of the light source 6 may be closed for each small step and light irradiation amount. The flow in FIG. 6 describes a method of driving in small steps. On the other hand, when the illuminance can be obtained at any time from the illuminance detector 13, the position of the illuminance detector 13 is continuously moved to the measurement end position to measure the illuminance, thereby obtaining the light irradiation amount distribution.

[0044] The positions of the light shielding parts 8 where the illuminance measurements are performed depend on the optical characteristics of the optical system such as the relay lens, but it is preferable to have three or more positions. In addition, the positions of the light shielding parts 8 where the illuminance measurements are performed are in the vicinity of the positions of the light shielding parts 8 that are frequently used, and by limiting them to different positions, the positioning accuracy is improved.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the distribution of the light irradiation amount acquired in the first embodiment. FIG. 8(A) is a diagram for explaining the distribution of the light irradiation amount acquired when the light shielding part 8 is at the position P01. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 8(A), the light shielding part 8 is placed at the position P01 (first light shielding part position), and the illuminance detector 13 is driven in the +X direction to acquire the distribution of the light irradiation amount. When the light irradiation amount measured in this way is graphed for the light shielding part 8, the distribution of the light irradiation amount as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8(A) is obtained. The curve G01 shows the distribution of the light irradiation amount when the light shielding part 8 is placed at the position P01. In this graph, the vertical axis shows the amount of light irradiation, and the horizontal axis shows the position of the illuminance detector 13. In this figure, when the light shielding part 8 is at the position P01, the position P01S is set as the measurement start position of the illuminance detector 13, and the position P01E is set as the measurement end position, and the distribution of the light irradiation amount is acquired.

[0046] FIG. 8(B) is a diagram for explaining the distribution of the light irradiation amount obtained when the light shielding part 8 is at the position P02, which is the measurement position next to the position P01. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 8(B), the light shielding part 8 is moved from the position P01 to the position P02 (second light shielding part position). Then, with the light shielding part 8 placed at the position P02, the illuminance detector 13 is driven in the +X direction from the measurement start position P02S to the measurement end position P02E to obtain the distribution of the light irradiation amount. When the light irradiation amount measured in this way is graphed for the light shielding part 8, the distribution of the light irradiation amount as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8(B) is obtained. As in FIG. 8(A), the curve G02 shows the distribution of the light irradiation amount when the light shielding part 8 is placed at the position P02. In this graph, the vertical axis also shows the light irradiation amount, and the horizontal axis shows the position of the illuminance detector 13.

[0047] In this way, the light irradiation amount distribution is repeatedly acquired until the necessary number of light irradiation amount distributions can be acquired (here, until the light irradiation amount distribution at the P0N position can be acquired). When the light irradiation amount measured in this way is graphed for each position of the light shielding part 8, an optical profile as shown in FIG. 9 is obtained. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an optical profile acquired in the first embodiment. The light irradiation amount distribution acquired at the first light shielding part position is a curve G01, and the light irradiation amount distribution acquired at the second light shielding part position is a curve G02. Depending on the order of approximation and the accuracy of the required irradiation amount, the position of the light shielding part 8 where the light irradiation amount distribution should be acquired is determined and measurement is performed. The light irradiation amount distribution acquired at the Nth light shielding part 8 position is a curve G0N. This optical profile is acquired not only for the other right side of the light shielding part 8 but also for other sides.

[0048] The optical profile is acquired after the substrate 1 is carried into the imprint apparatus 100, that is, after S103 in the flow of FIG. 3. In the step of the preliminary measurement process (S104), the optical profile is acquired together with the preliminary measurement, which is preferable because it enables efficient acquisition of the optical profile. In addition, the optical profile is preferably acquired when a change in the optical members including the mold 20, the light source 6, the optical systems 18 and 19, and the optical filters (not shown) in the imprint apparatus 100 is detected. Here, the change in the optical members is, for example, replacement of the mold 20, replacement of the light source 6, reduction in the amount of light of the light source 6, replacement of the optical filters in the optical members, etc. This is because when such a change in the optical members occurs, the distribution of the irradiation amount changes. In addition, the optical profile can be acquired at a timing designated in advance. Examples of the timing designated in advance include the elapsed time from the previous measurement, the number of imprints since the previous measurement, and detection of a change in the imprint material.

[0049] Next, a method for positioning the light-shielding portion 8 when the acquired optical profile and the required illuminance near the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 are specified will be described. The illuminance required for hardening the imprint material at the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 (required illuminance) is determined by the type of imprint material 25 used and the light source 6. In addition, it is preferable to take into consideration the amount of purge gas supplied, in other words, the atmosphere of the space between the mold 20 and the substrate 1. In this embodiment, a method for specifying the illuminance at a position near the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 is shown, but the position is not limited to this.

[0050] 9, the positions (PX01, PX02...PX0N) (hereinafter, simply referred to as intersections) of the irradiation amount distribution (graph) at each position of the light shielding part 8 and the prescribed illuminance It (required illuminance) are calculated. Approximation calculation may be used as the calculation method.

[0051] FIG. 10 is a graph of each position of the light shielding part 8 and the intersection position obtained. This figure is a graph of each position (P01, P02...P0N) of the light shielding part 8 where the light illuminance distribution was acquired, and the intersection position (PX01, PX02...PX0N). In this graph, the vertical axis indicates the intersection coordinate, and the horizontal axis indicates the position of the light shielding part 8 where the illuminance measurement was performed. This graph is approximated by a polynomial, and the position to be irradiated with the specified illuminance is substituted using the obtained equation and solved to determine the position of the light shielding part 8. For example, when approximating as a linear equation, an equation such as Xb=AXw+B is obtained. The position of the light shielding part 8 can be obtained by substituting the "position coordinate to be irradiated with the specified illuminance" into this Xb and solving for Xw. Note that A and B indicate coefficients. In the case of quadratic and cubic equations, the "position coordinate to be irradiated with the specified illuminance" is substituted into the obtained equation in the same way and Xw is solved. Approximation is preferably of the order 1 to 3, and measurements must be performed with the light blocking member positioned differently depending on the order of approximation.

[0052] In this embodiment, the "specified illuminance" is the illuminance required to cure the imprint material. For this reason, the "position coordinates to be irradiated with the specified illuminance" are preferably in the vicinity of a position on the substrate 1 that faces the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 when the mold 20 and the imprint material on the substrate 1 are in contact with each other. More preferably, the "position coordinates to be irradiated with the specified illuminance" are in the vicinity of a position on the substrate 1 that faces the end 21a of the mesa portion 21 when the mold 20 and the imprint material on the substrate 1 are in contact with each other. By setting in this way, the imprint material on the outside of the position facing the end of the mesa portion 21 or in the vicinity thereof, i.e., the imprint material protruding from the mesa portion 21, is irradiated with an amount of light that does not cure the imprint material.

[0053] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the imprint material seeps out (overflows) into an adjacent pattern transfer region, it is possible to position the light-shielding part in order to perform pattern transfer without impeding the descent of the mold, in other words, the contact between the mold and the imprint material, and as a result, it is possible to reduce defective pattern formation.

[0054] <Second embodiment> 11 is a schematic diagram showing the illuminance detector 13 of the second embodiment. Note that matters not mentioned in the second embodiment may follow the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the illuminance detector 13 is a line sensor, and unlike the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain an optical profile without minutely driving the illuminance detector.

[0055] With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the time required to obtain an optical profile.

[0056] <Third embodiment> 12 is a schematic diagram showing an illuminance detector 13 of the third embodiment. Note that matters not mentioned as the third embodiment may follow the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, the illuminance detector 13 is a two-dimensional sensor (e.g., an image sensor). Therefore, in the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, not only can an optical profile be acquired without minutely driving the illuminance detector, but also, by using an illuminance detector that is sufficiently larger than the pattern surface, an optical profile of all or a plurality of sides can be acquired.

[0057] With this configuration, it is possible to further reduce the time required to obtain an optical profile.

[0058] (Embodiment of a 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.

[0059] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as at least a part of a component of the article, or is used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation in a substrate processing step.

[0060] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 13(A), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer is prepared on the surface of which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed, 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 a plurality of droplets of the imprint material 3z are applied onto the substrate is shown.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 13(B), the imprinting mold 4z is placed facing the imprinting material 3z on the substrate with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed. As shown in Fig. 13(C), the substrate 1z to which the imprinting material 3z has been applied is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material 3z fills the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z in this state as energy for hardening, the imprinting material 3z hardens.

[0062] 13(D), after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, and a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. In this cured product pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured product, and the protrusions of the mold correspond to the recesses of the cured product, i.e., the recessed and protruding pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 13(E), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured material as an etching-resistant mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured material or where only a thin layer remains is removed, forming a groove 5z. As shown in Fig. 13(F), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

[0064] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0065] 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]

[0066] 1, 1z board 7 Drive unit 8 Light shielding section 13 Illuminance detector 14 Distance measurement section 20, 4z type 21 Mesa 21a End 30 Control section 100 Imprinting device

Claims

1. 1. An imprinting apparatus that contacts a mold having a mesa portion on which a pattern region is formed with an imprinting material on a substrate, and hardens the imprinting material by irradiating the imprinting material with light to form a pattern on the substrate, a light shielding portion that partially shields the light so as to correspond to a shape of the mold; a first measurement unit that acquires at least an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate when the light blocking unit is disposed at a first position, and an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate when the light blocking unit is disposed at a second position different from the first position; A drive unit that drives the light blocking unit; and a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the irradiation distribution measured by the first measurement unit when the light-shielding unit is placed at a first position and the irradiation unit distribution measured when the light-shielding unit is placed at a second position, so that the irradiation amount of the light on a position corresponding to an end of the mesa portion on the substrate becomes a predetermined irradiation amount.

2. 2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation distribution measured by the first measurement unit includes an irradiation distribution of a boundary region that includes at least a portion of a boundary between a shielded region that is shielded by the light-shielding portion and an irradiation region that is not shielded by the light-shielding portion.

3. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the position corresponding to the end of the mesa portion is a predetermined position outside near the position opposite the end of the mesa portion when the mold and the imprinting material on the substrate are in contact.

4. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the light-shielding unit is arranged between a light source that irradiates the light and a mold holding unit that holds the mold, and an opening having a shape corresponding to the mold is formed by a plurality of members.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount of irradiation is an amount of irradiation that does not harden the imprint material.

6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first measurement unit measures the irradiation distribution linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the boundary within the surface of the substrate.

7. a second measurement unit that measures the position of the mesa portion of the mold; 7. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes the first measurement unit to measure the irradiation distribution based on the position of the end of the mesa portion identified by the second measurement unit.

8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second measurement unit measures the position of at least a part of each side of the mesa portion as the end portion.

9. 9. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the first measurement unit to measure the irradiation distribution after the substrate is carried into the imprint apparatus.

10. the first measurement unit performs a preliminary measurement process in which an amount of irradiation of the light irradiated onto the substrate is measured before a process of forming a pattern on the substrate by bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate and curing the imprint material by irradiation of light; The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes the first measurement unit to measure the irradiation distribution in the preliminary measurement process.

11. 11. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the first measurement unit to measure the irradiation distribution when a change in an optical member in the imprint apparatus is detected.

12. The imprint apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the change in the optical member includes at least one of replacement of the mold, replacement of a light source that irradiates the light, a reduction in the amount of light from the light source, and replacement of an optical filter within the optical member.

13. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the control unit causes the first measurement unit to measure the irradiation distribution at a pre-specified timing including at least one of the elapsed time since the previous measurement, the number of imprints since the previous measurement, and detection of a change in the imprint material.

14. An imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the control unit performs an approximate calculation according to the optical characteristics of an optical component within the imprinting apparatus when determining the position of the light-shielding portion based on the irradiation distribution and the specified irradiation amount.

15. An imprinting apparatus comprising: a mold having a mesa portion having a pattern region formed thereon contacting an imprinting material on a substrate; and curing the imprinting material by irradiation with light to form a pattern on the substrate, the imprinting apparatus comprising: a light shielding portion that partially shields the light so as to correspond to a shape of the mold; a first measurement unit that acquires an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate; A drive unit that drives the light blocking unit; a control unit that controls the driving unit based on the irradiation distribution measured by the first measurement unit so that an irradiation amount of the light on a position corresponding to an end of the mesa portion on the substrate becomes a predetermined irradiation amount, An imprinting apparatus characterized in that the control unit performs an approximate calculation according to the optical characteristics of an optical component within the imprinting apparatus when determining the position of the light-shielding portion based on the irradiation distribution and the specified irradiation amount.

16. 1. An imprinting method for forming a pattern on a substrate by contacting a mold having a mesa portion on which a pattern region is formed with an imprint material on a substrate and curing the imprint material by irradiating the imprint material with light, comprising the steps of: The light is partially blocked by a light blocking portion so as to correspond to the shape of the mold; measuring at least an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate when the light blocking portion is disposed at a first position, and an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate when the light blocking portion is disposed at a second position different from the first position; An imprinting method comprising: driving the light-shielding portion based on the irradiation distribution measured when the light-shielding portion is positioned at a first position and the irradiation portion distribution measured when the light-shielding portion is positioned at a second position, so that the irradiation amount of the light at a position corresponding to an end of the mesa portion on the substrate becomes a predetermined irradiation amount.

17. An imprinting method comprising contacting an imprint material on a substrate with a mold having a mesa portion having a pattern region formed thereon, and curing the imprint material by irradiation with light to form a pattern on the substrate, the method comprising: The light is partially blocked by a light blocking portion so as to correspond to the shape of the mold; measuring an irradiation distribution of the light on the substrate; driving the light blocking portion based on the measured irradiation distribution so that an irradiation amount of the light on a position corresponding to an end of the mesa portion on the substrate becomes a predetermined irradiation amount; performing an approximation calculation according to optical characteristics of an optical member in the imprint apparatus when determining a position of the light blocking portion based on the irradiation distribution and the predetermined irradiation amount; 1. An imprint method comprising:

18. an imprinting step of imprinting the substrate using the imprinting apparatus according to claim 1 ; and a processing step of manufacturing an article from the substrate imprinted by the imprint step.

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