Imprinting apparatus, imprinting method, and method for manufacturing an article

Abstract

To provide an imprint apparatus advantageous in terms of productivity or formation of a pattern of an imprint material.SOLUTION: An imprint apparatus 1 includes: a supply unit 4 configured to supply a gas between a mold 9 and a substrate 12; and a control unit 6 configured to control an operation of continuously performing an imprint process for a plurality of shot regions on the substrate to which an uncured imprint material 11 is supplied while driving the substrate with respect to the mold. The control unit performs: a first operation of, while driving the substrate such that a target shot region in the plurality of shot regions, for which the imprint process should be performed, is located at a first position facing the mold, supplying the gas from the supply unit such that an amount of the gas between the mold and the target shot region becomes a reference amount; and a second operation of, after the first operation, if an error that it is estimated that the amount of the gas supplied between the mold and the target shot region by the first operation does not reach the reference amount is generated, performing a process corresponding to the error.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 Art

[0002] As the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System), etc. progresses, in addition to conventional photolithography technology, imprint technology has attracted attention. Imprint technology is a microfabrication technology in which an imprint material on a substrate is formed into a pattern using a mold, and a pattern of the imprint material is formed on the substrate. According to imprint technology, a fine structure on the order of several nanometers can be formed on the substrate.

[0003] One of the curing methods of the imprint material in imprint technology is a photocuring method. The photocuring method is a method in which light such as ultraviolet light is irradiated in a state where the imprint material supplied (disposed) on the substrate is in contact with the mold to cure the imprint material, and the mold is separated from the cured imprint material to form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate.

[0004] In an imprint apparatus that uses such imprint technology, when filling the mold pattern (fine unevenness) with the imprint material, air bubbles may remain (be trapped) between the mold and the substrate, and an unfilled portion where the filling of the imprint material is insufficient may occur. In such a case, due to such an unfilled portion, a portion where the pattern is not partially formed (unfilled defect) may occur on the substrate.

[0005] Therefore, when bringing the imprint material on the substrate into contact with the mold, an imprint apparatus has been proposed that suppresses the remaining of air bubbles by filling the space (gap) between the mold and the substrate with a gas having high solubility, high diffusibility, or both of these properties (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of supplying a gas having high solubility, high diffusibility, or both of these properties from before the region (shot region) where the imprint material on the substrate is supplied passes through the gas supply position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in an imprint apparatus, when continuously performing imprint processing on a plurality of shot regions on a substrate, due to delays or errors in the imprint processing for each shot region, continuous and regular driving may not be performed in each part of the apparatus. In such a case, in the prior art, it is difficult to maintain the concentration of the gas supplied to the space between the mold and the substrate during the period from the end of the imprint processing for the previous shot region to the start of the imprint processing for the next shot region. Therefore, the effect of suppressing unfilled defects generated on the substrate cannot be sufficiently obtained, and it may be necessary to lengthen the time (filling time) for filling the imprint material into the pattern of the mold.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and an exemplary object thereof is to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of forming a pattern of an imprint material and productivity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To achieve the above object, as one aspect of the present invention, an imprint apparatus is an imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material in a shot region on a substrate using a mold, and includes a supply unit that supplies gas between the mold and the substrate, and a control unit that controls an operation of continuously performing the imprint process on a plurality of shot regions on the substrate supplied with the uncured imprint material while moving the substrate relative to the mold. The control unit controls a first operation of supplying the gas from the supply unit while moving the substrate so that a target shot region of the imprint process among the plurality of shot regions is located at a first position facing the mold, and based on at least one of information regarding delay or stop in the continuous imprint process for the plurality of shot regions, information regarding the timing of starting the supply of the gas in the first operation, information regarding the time required to separate the mold from the cured imprint material in a shot region where the imprint process has been performed before the imprint process on the target shot region, and information regarding skipping the imprint process, determines whether to execute a second operation including an operation of additionally supplying the gas after the first operation. Shi , In the second operation, with the target shot area located at the first position, the mold and the substrate are brought closer within a range where they do not contact each other, and then the mold and the substrate brought closer within that range are separated from each other. characterized in that.

[0010] A further object or other aspect of the present invention will be clarified by the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, for example, an imprint apparatus advantageous in terms of forming a pattern of an imprint material and productivity can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 1 as one aspect of the present invention. The imprint apparatus 1 is a lithography apparatus employed in a lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for devices such as semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, and magnetic storage media as articles, and forms a pattern on a substrate. The imprint apparatus 1 brings an uncured imprint material supplied (disposed) on a substrate into contact with a mold, and by applying energy for curing to the imprint material, forms a cured product pattern in which the pattern of the mold is transferred.

[0015] As the imprint material, a material (curable composition) that cures when energy for curing is applied is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like is used. The electromagnetic waves include, for example, light selected from the range of a wavelength of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less, specifically, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, and the like.

[0016] The curable composition is a composition that cures by irradiation with light or heating. The photocurable composition that cures by irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photoinitiator, 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 release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, a polymer component, and the like.

[0017] The imprint material may be applied in a film form on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Further, the imprint material may be applied on the substrate in a droplet form, or in an island or film form formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid injection head. The viscosity of the imprint material (viscosity at 25°C) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

[0018] For the substrate, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like is used, and a member made of a material different from the substrate may be formed on its surface as necessary. Specifically, the substrate includes a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, and the like.

[0019] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system with the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate as the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are referred to as the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and the rotations around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are denoted as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the imprint apparatus 1 employs a photocuring method as the curing method for the imprint material. As shown in FIG. 1, the imprint apparatus 1 includes a light irradiation unit 2, a mold holding unit 3, a gas supply unit 4, a substrate holding unit 5, a control unit 6, and an alignment measurement unit 7. Further, the imprint apparatus 1 has a surface plate 25 on which the substrate holding unit 5 is placed and which forms a reference plane, a bridge surface plate 26 for fixing the mold holding unit 3, and a support column 28 that extends from the surface plate 25 and supports the bridge surface plate 26 via a vibration isolator 27 for removing vibrations from the floor surface. Furthermore, the imprint apparatus 1 has a mold transfer mechanism (not shown) for transferring the mold 9 between the outside of the apparatus and the mold holding unit 3, and a substrate transfer mechanism (not shown) for transferring the substrate 12 between the outside of the apparatus and the substrate holding unit 5.

[0021] In the imprint process, the light irradiation unit 2 irradiates the imprint material 11 on the substrate with light 10 such as ultraviolet light through a dichroic mirror 8 and a mold 9. The light irradiation unit 2 includes, for example, a light source that emits the light 10 and an illumination optical system for adjusting the light 10 emitted from the light source to a state suitable for the imprint process. The light source can employ lamps such as a mercury lamp, but is not particularly limited as long as it is a light source that emits light having a wavelength that can pass through the mold 9 and cure the imprint material 11. The illumination optical system includes, for example, lenses, mirrors, an aperture, or a shutter for switching between irradiation and light shielding. In the present embodiment, since the photocuring method is employed, the imprint apparatus 1 has the light irradiation unit 2. However, when the thermosetting method is employed, the imprint apparatus 1 has a heat source unit for curing the thermosetting type imprint material instead of the light irradiation unit 2.

[0022] The mold 9 has a polygonal, preferably rectangular or square outer peripheral shape, and includes a pattern region 9a formed in a three-dimensional shape on the surface facing the substrate 12, the pattern region 9a including an uneven pattern (such as a circuit pattern, an uneven pattern to be transferred to the substrate 12) to be transferred to the substrate 12. Note that various sizes are adopted for the size of the pattern of the mold 9 depending on the article to be manufactured, and even fine patterns include several tens of nanometers. The mold 9 is made of a material that can transmit light 10 and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, for example, quartz. Note that the mold 9 may have a cavity with a circular planar shape and a certain depth on the surface (irradiation surface) irradiated with the light 10.

[0023] The mold holding unit 3 includes a mold chuck 13 that holds (adsorbs) the mold 9, a mold driving unit 14 that holds and drives the mold chuck 13, and a magnification correction mechanism (not shown) that corrects the shape of the mold 9 (pattern region 9a). The mold chuck 13 and the mold driving unit 14 have an opening region 15 at the central portion (inner side) in the planar direction that allows the light 10 from the light irradiation unit 2 to pass toward the imprint material 11 on the substrate. The magnification correction mechanism is provided around the mold 9 held by the mold chuck 13, and deforms the mold 9 (pattern region 9a) by mechanically applying an external force or displacement to the side surface of the mold 9.

[0024] The mold chuck 13 holds the mold 9 by attracting the outer peripheral region of the irradiation surface of the mold 9 by a vacuum adsorption force or an electrostatic force. For example, when the mold chuck 13 holds the mold 9 by a vacuum adsorption force, the mold chuck 13 is connected to a vacuum pump installed outside, and the adsorption force (holding force) on the mold 9 is adjusted by appropriately adjusting the adsorption pressure by exhausting the vacuum pump.

[0025] The mold driving unit 14 drives the mold 9 in the Z direction so as to selectively perform pressing of the mold 9 against the imprint material 11 on the substrate (embossing) and separation of the mold 9 from the imprint material 11 on the substrate (demolding). Examples of power sources (actuators) applicable to the mold driving unit 14 include linear motors and air cylinders. The mold driving unit 14 may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse drive system and a fine drive system in order to position the mold 9 with high precision. Further, the mold driving unit 14 may be configured to be able to drive the mold 9 not only in the Z direction but also in the X direction and the Y direction. Furthermore, the mold driving unit 14 may be configured to have a tilt function for adjusting the position in the θ (rotation around the Z axis) direction of the mold 9 and the inclination of the mold 9. Also, the position of the mold 9 during the driving of the mold driving unit 14 can be measured by a measuring unit including an optical displacement meter that measures the distance between the mold 9 and the substrate 12.

[0026] The gas supply unit 4 supplies the gas 16 to the space (gap) between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 during the pressing operation of the mold 9. This is to shorten the time for the imprint material 11 to fill the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and to improve the filling property by suppressing the remaining of air bubbles in the filled portion of the imprint material 11. Also, the gas supply unit 4 supplies the gas 16 to the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 even during the separation operation of the mold 9. This is to reduce the force (separation force) required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the substrate and to improve the demolding property. The gas 16 is preferably a gas having excellent solubility and diffusibility with respect to the imprint material 11 from the viewpoints of filling property and demolding property as described above, and includes, for example, helium, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, xenon, condensable gas, and the like.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a view showing the configuration of the gas supply unit 4 from below (the side of the substrate holding unit 5). As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supply unit 4 includes a plurality of supply ports 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d. The plurality of supply ports 17a to 17d are arranged in the vicinity of the four side surfaces of the mold 9 so as to surround the mold 9, and supply the gas 16 toward the side of the substrate holding unit 5. The control unit 6 has a function of controlling the supply amount, concentration, etc. of the gas 16 supplied from each supply port corresponding to each of the plurality of supply ports 17a to 17d.

[0028] The substrate 12 includes a plurality of shot regions which are regions where the pattern of the mold 9 is transferred, that is, pattern formation regions. The shot region is a sectional region that is a unit of the region on the substrate where imprint processing should be performed. In each shot region of the substrate 12, a pattern (including a layer) of the imprint material 11 is formed.

[0029] The substrate holding unit 5 is a holding mechanism for holding the substrate 12. The substrate holding unit 5 includes, for example, a substrate chuck 19 that adsorbs the substrate 12, and a substrate driving unit 20 that mechanically holds the substrate chuck 19 and drives it in each axial direction. Further, in order to measure the position of the substrate holding unit 5, an encoder system 21 is arranged corresponding to each of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction. The encoder system 21 can measure the position of the substrate holding unit 5 in real time by irradiating light from the encoder head 22 to the encoder scale 23.

[0030] The substrate chuck 19 supports the back surface of the substrate 12 with a plurality of pins having the same height, for example, and adsorbs (holds) the substrate 12 by evacuating the portions other than the pins to reduce the pressure. As a power source applicable to the substrate driving unit 20, a power source with less vibration during driving and at rest is preferable, and examples include a linear motor and a planar motor. The substrate driving unit 20 may be composed of a plurality of driving systems such as a coarse driving system and a fine driving system for each of the X direction and the Y direction. Further, the substrate driving unit 20 may be configured to be able to drive the substrate 12 (substrate chuck 19) not only in the X direction and the Y direction but also in the Z direction. Furthermore, the substrate driving unit 20 may be configured to have a tilt function for adjusting the position in the θ (rotation around the Z axis) direction of the substrate 12 and the inclination of the substrate 12.

[0031] In the present embodiment, each operation of pressing and pulling away the mold 9 is realized by driving the mold 9 in the Z direction as described above. However, each operation of pressing and pulling away the mold 9 may be realized by driving the substrate 12 in the Z direction, or may be realized by relatively driving both the mold 9 and the substrate 12 in the Z direction.

[0032] The alignment measurement unit 7 irradiates the mold 9 and the substrate 12 with alignment light 24, and measures the relative position (misalignment) between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 by detecting the light from the alignment marks provided on each of the mold 9 and the substrate 12.

[0033] The control unit 6 is composed of a computer including a CPU, a memory, etc., and controls each part of the imprint apparatus 1 according to a program stored in the memory. The control unit 6 controls the imprint process of forming the pattern of the imprint material 11 on the substrate using the mold 9 by controlling the operations and adjustments of each part of the imprint apparatus 1. The control unit 6 may be configured integrally with other parts of the imprint apparatus 1 (in a common housing), or may be configured separately from other parts of the imprint apparatus 1 (in a separate housing).

[0034] The operation of the imprint apparatus 1 will be described. First, the control unit 6 conveys the substrate 12 into the imprint apparatus 1 via the substrate conveyance mechanism and causes the substrate 12 to be held by the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate chuck 19). The imprint material 11 is previously supplied to the substrate 12 conveyed into the imprint apparatus 1. Next, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate drive unit 20) to appropriately change the position of the substrate 12, and sequentially detects the alignment marks provided on the substrate 12 by the alignment measurement unit 7 to measure the position of the substrate 12 held by the substrate holding unit 5. Then, the control unit 6 calculates the position coordinates (each transfer coordinate) of each of the plurality of shot regions of the substrate 12 from the measurement results of the alignment measurement unit 7, and sequentially forms a pattern in each shot region according to the calculation results.

[0035] Here, a process of forming a pattern on one shot area, namely, an imprint process, will be described. First, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate driving unit 20) so that the shot area of the substrate 12 is positioned at the pressing position below the pattern area 9a of the mold 9, and positions the substrate 12. Next, while performing alignment between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the shot area of the substrate 12, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold driving unit 14) so as to bring the mold 9 into contact with and press the imprint material 11 on the substrate (pressing mold step). As a result, the imprint material 11 on the substrate is filled into the pattern area 9a of the mold 9. Note that the control unit 6 determines the completion of pressing the mold 9 against the imprint material 11 on the substrate using a load sensor (not shown) provided inside the mold holding unit 3. Next, with the imprint material 11 on the substrate and the mold 9 in contact, the control unit 6 irradiates the imprint material 11 with light from the light irradiation unit 2 for a predetermined time to cure the imprint material 11 (curing step). Then, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold driving unit 14) so that the mold 9 is separated from the cured imprint material 11 on the substrate (demolding step). As a result, a pattern (layer) of the imprint material 11 having a three-dimensional shape following the pattern of the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 is formed in the shot area of the substrate 12. By sequentially performing such a series of steps for each shot area of the substrate 12, a pattern of the imprint material 11 can be formed in each of the plurality of shot areas of the substrate 12.

[0036] In this embodiment, the imprint material 11 is pre-supplied to the substrate 12 carried into the imprint apparatus 1 as described above, but it is not limited thereto. As one step of the imprint process, a supply step of supplying the imprint material 11 to the substrate 12 after the substrate 12 is carried into the imprint apparatus 1 may be provided.

[0037] In such imprinting processing, in the pressing step of bringing the mold 9 into contact with and pressing the imprint material 11 on the substrate, it is necessary to uniformly (sufficiently) fill the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 with the imprint material 11. At this time, bubbles may remain in the imprint material 11 filled in the pattern region 9a of the mold 9. If the imprint material 11 is cured in such a state, unfilled defects will occur in the pattern of the imprint material 11 formed on the substrate. Such unfilled defects will affect articles such as manufactured semiconductor devices.

[0038] Therefore, during the execution of the pressing step (at least at the start of the pressing step), as described above, the gas 16 is supplied from the gas supply unit 4 to the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12. When the gas 16 is supplied to the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 and a certain period of time has passed, due to the diffusion effect of the gas 16, the concentration of the gas 16 in the vicinity of the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 becomes sufficiently high (for example, 70% or more). Therefore, the remaining bubbles can be efficiently suppressed. However, as described above, a certain period of time, that is, a waiting time, is required until the concentration of the gas 16 in the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 becomes sufficiently high. Such a waiting time varies depending on the configuration around the mold 9 and the required concentration of the gas 16. Assuming a general imprinting apparatus, it ranges from 1 second to several tens of seconds or more. Since such a waiting time affects the productivity (throughput) of the imprinting apparatus 1, it is preferably made as short as possible.

[0039] Therefore, in the present embodiment, a technique is provided that enables the concentration of the gas 16 in the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12 (the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the mold 9 and the substrate 12) to be rapidly increased. Thereby, the imprinting apparatus 1 can realize excellent productivity while suppressing unfilled defects generated in the pattern of the imprint material 11 formed on the substrate.

[0040] In this embodiment, it is assumed that imprinting is continuously performed on a plurality of shot regions on a substrate to which the uncured imprint material 11 is supplied. Thus, in the case of continuously performing imprinting on a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, the first gas supply operation (first operation), which is the basic operation of supplying the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4, will be described.

[0041] The first gas supply operation will be described for each time series with reference to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing the gas supply operation of the gas supply unit 4 and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit 5 while each shot region on the substrate is located under the mold 9, that is, at the pressing position (first position) facing the pattern region 9a of the mold 9. FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) show the gas supply unit 4, the mold 9, and the substrate 12 from above (the side of the mold holding unit 3).

[0042] Referring to Fig. 3(a), the shot area where imprinting is to be performed hereinafter is defined as the target shot area 29b, and the shot area where imprinting has been performed before the target shot area 29b is defined as the previous shot area 29a. Fig. 3(a) shows the state immediately after imprinting has been performed on the previous shot area 29a. From the state shown in Fig. 3(a), the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 in the driving direction 31 so that the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position facing the pattern area 9a of mold 9. Also, while driving the substrate holding unit 5, the control unit 6 supplies gas 16 from the supply port 17b of the gas supply unit 4 located in the driving direction 31 of the substrate holding unit 5 with reference to the pattern area 9a of mold 9. At this time, the gas 16 already supplied (filled) in the space between mold 9 and the substrate 12 (substrate holding unit 5), and the gas 16 supplied from the supply port 17b are drawn downstream in the driving direction 31 as the substrate holding unit 5 is driven. As a result, the gas 16 already supplied in the space between mold 9 and the substrate 12 and the gas 16 supplied from the supply port 17b are supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b reaches the reference amount, and the concentration of gas 16 in such a space can be maintained at a sufficiently high concentration.

[0043] However, if an error such as a delay or stop in the imprinting process for the previous shot area 29a before the target shot area 29b occurs, as shown in Fig. 4, the concentration of gas 16 in the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b will decrease. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the state where the concentration of gas 16 in the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b has decreased immediately before performing the imprinting process on the target shot area 29b. In such a case, since the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b has not reached the reference amount, it is difficult to maintain the concentration of gas 16 in such a space at a sufficiently high concentration.

[0044] In this embodiment, before starting the imprinting process on the target shot area 29b, it is determined whether regular continuous driving was performed in the imprinting process on the previous shot area 29a. If regular continuous driving was performed in the imprinting process on the previous shot area 29a, the imprinting process on the previous shot area 29a was performed normally. Therefore, in the imprinting process on the target shot area 29b, as described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b by the first gas supply operation reaches the reference amount. On the other hand, if regular continuous driving was not performed in the imprinting process on the previous shot area 29a, errors such as delays or stops in the imprinting process have occurred in the imprinting process on the previous shot area 29a. Therefore, in the imprinting process on the target shot area 29b, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b by the first gas supply operation does not reach the reference amount. Thus, the control unit 6 detects the occurrence of an error in which it is estimated that the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b by the first gas supply operation has not reached the reference amount. For example, the control unit 6 detects the occurrence of an error specifically when the timing at which the supply of gas 16 is started from the gas supply unit 4 in the first supply operation is delayed compared to the reference. Also, the control unit 6 detects the occurrence of an error specifically when the time required to separate mold 9 from the cured imprinting material 11 on the previous shot area in the imprinting process performed on the previous shot area 29a is longer than the reference. And when the occurrence of an error is detected, in addition to the first gas supply operation, a process corresponding to the error, specifically, the second gas supply operation described below, is performed. Thereby, the amount of gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of mold 9 and the target shot area 29b reaches the reference amount, and it becomes possible to maintain the concentration of gas 16 in such a space at a sufficiently high concentration.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 5, the operation of the imprint apparatus 1 in this embodiment, particularly the overall flow including the first gas supply operation and the second supply operation, will be described. Here, the gas supply operation from when the imprint process for the previous shot area 29a is performed until the imprint process for the target shot area 29b is performed will be described.

[0046] In S101, the control unit 6 starts the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in a state where the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the previous shot area 29a are facing each other (the state where the mold release process is completed). Specifically, the control unit 6 selects at least the supply port 17b located in the driving direction 31 of the substrate holding unit 5 from the supply ports 17a to 17d of the gas supply unit 4, and supplies the gas 16 from the supply port 17b. At this time, the gas 16 is supplied from the gas supply unit 4 (supply port 17b) so that the amount of the gas 16 in the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b becomes the reference amount.

[0047] In S102, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 31 so that the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position facing the pattern area 9a of the mold 9. As a result, the gas 16 is drawn downstream in the driving direction 31 of the substrate holding unit 5 and supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b.

[0048] In S103, when the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position (when the driving of the substrate holding unit 5 stops), the control unit 6 stops the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4.

[0049] In this embodiment, from S101 to S103, it becomes the first gas supply operation which is the basic operation of supplying the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4. The first gas supply operation is an operation of supplying the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 so that the amount of the gas 16 between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b becomes the reference amount while driving the substrate 12 so that the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position facing the mold 9.

[0050] In S104, the control unit 6 determines whether it has detected the occurrence of an error in which it is estimated that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of type 9 and the target shot region 29b by S101 to S103 (the first gas supply operation) has not reached the reference amount. Since the detection of the occurrence of such an error is as described above, detailed description here is omitted. If the occurrence of the error has not been detected, the process proceeds to S106. On the other hand, if the occurrence of the error has been detected, the process proceeds to S105.

[0051] In S105, the control unit 6 performs a second gas supply operation of supplying the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 so that the gas 16 is supplied between type 9 and the target shot region 29b. Thus, the second gas supply operation is an operation of restarting the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4. Note that the details of the second gas supply operation will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6(a), 6(b) and 7.

[0052] In S106, the control unit 6 forms the pattern of the imprint material 11 in the target shot region 29b using type 9. Specifically, among the above-described steps of the imprint process, the pressing mold step, the curing step and the mold release step are performed.

[0053] With reference to FIGS. 6(a), 6(b) and 7, the second gas supply operation will be described. FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing the gas supply operation of the gas supply unit 4 and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit 5 in the second gas supply operation. FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show the gas supply unit 4, type 9 and the substrate 12 from above (the side of the mold holding unit 3). FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the second gas supply operation.

[0054] In S1501, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 32 so that the target shot area 29b is located at a position different from the pressing position (second position). In the present embodiment, the substrate holding unit 5 is driven so that the previous shot area 29a is located at the pressing position under the pattern area 9a of the mold 9. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position different from the pressing position is the position where the target shot area 29b is located in a state where the previous shot area 29a is located at the pressing position.

[0055] In S1052, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (downward direction) so as to bring the mold 9 and the substrate 12 closer to each other within a range where they do not contact each other. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is located at a position immediately before contacting the substrate 12. In other words, in S1052, a pseudo pressing process is performed.

[0056] In S1053, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (upward direction) so as to move the mold 9 and the substrate 12 closer to each other away from each other within a range where they do not contact each other. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is located at the position before performing S1052 (return to the original position). In other words, in S1053, a pseudo mold release process is performed.

[0057] By performing the pseudo pressing process (S1502) and the pseudo mold release process (S1503) in this way, for example, the gas 16 that has already existed around the mold 9 and is supplied in the first gas supply operation can be drawn under the mold 9.

[0058] In S1054, the control unit 6 starts (restarts) the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in a state where the target shot area 29b is located at a position different from the pressing position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the control unit 6 selects at least the supply port 17b located in the driving direction 33 of the substrate holding unit 5 from the supply ports 17a to 17d of the gas supply unit 4, and supplies the gas 16 from the supply port 17b.

[0059] In S1055, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 33 so that the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position facing the pattern area 9a of type 9. As a result, the gas 16 is drawn downstream in the driving direction 33 of the substrate holding unit 5 and supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the target shot area 29b.

[0060] In S1056, when the target shot area 29b is positioned at the pressing position (when the driving of the substrate holding unit 5 is stopped), the control unit 6 stops the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4.

[0061] In the present embodiment, when an error is generated in which it is estimated that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the target shot area 29b by the first gas supply operation has not reached the reference amount, the first gas supply operation and the second gas supply operation are performed. As a result, the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the target shot area 29b reaches the reference amount, and it becomes possible to maintain the concentration of the gas 16 in such a space at a sufficiently high concentration. Therefore, the imprint apparatus 1 can realize excellent productivity while suppressing unfilled defects generated in the pattern of the imprint material 11 formed on the substrate.

[0062] Note that when an error in which it is estimated that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the target shot area 29b by the first gas supply operation has not reached the reference amount has not occurred, the second gas supply operation is not performed, and only the first gas supply operation is performed (Fig. 5).

[0063] Also, in S1501, the position (second position) different from the pressing position for positioning the target shot area 29b may be changed according to the delay time of the timing to start the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in the first supply operation. The shortage amount from the reference amount of the gas 16 between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b varies depending on the delay time of the timing to start the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in the first supply operation. For example, the longer the delay time, the larger the amount of the gas 16 leaking from between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b, and thus the larger the shortage amount. Therefore, the longer the delay time of the timing to start the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in the first supply operation, the more the position for positioning the target shot area 29b in S1501 should be separated from the pressing position. Similarly, the position different from the pressing position for positioning the target shot area 29b may be changed according to the time required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the previous shot area in the imprint process performed on the previous shot area 29a. The shortage amount from the reference amount of the gas 16 between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b varies depending on the time required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the previous shot area. For example, the longer the time required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the previous shot area, the larger the amount of the gas 16 leaking from between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b, and thus the larger the shortage amount. Therefore, the longer the time required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the previous shot area, the more the position for positioning the target shot area 29b in S1501 should be separated from the pressing position. Thus, in S1501, the position (second position) different from the pressing position for positioning the target shot area 29b is preferably a position determined according to the shortage amount from the reference amount of the gas 16 between the mold 9 and the target shot area 29b.

[0064] Also, the second gas supply operation is not limited to the gas supply operation described with reference to FIGS. 6(a), 6(b), and 7, and may be a gas supply operation as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the second gas supply operation.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 8, in S1511, while maintaining the state where the control unit 6 positions the target shot region 29b at the pressing position by the first gas supply operation, the control unit 6 starts (resumes) the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4. At this time, the control unit 6 increases the supply amount of the gas 16 supplied from the gas supply unit 4. Specifically, the supply amount of the gas 16 supplied from the gas supply unit 4 in the second gas supply operation is made larger than the supply amount of the gas 16 supplied from the gas supply unit 4 in the first gas supply operation. Thereby, the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot region 29b reaches the reference amount, and it becomes possible to maintain the concentration of the gas 16 in such a space at a sufficiently high concentration.

[0066] Note that in S1511, the supply port of the gas supply unit 4 that supplies the gas 16 is not limited. For example, the control unit 6 may select an arbitrary supply port from the supply ports 17a to 17d of the gas supply unit 4 and supply the gas 16 from such an arbitrary supply port, or may supply the gas 16 from all of the supply ports 17a to 17d.

[0067] Also, in the second gas supply operation shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 is stopped in the first gas supply operation (S1056 in FIG. 7), but the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in the first gas supply operation does not have to be stopped.

[0068] Also, the second gas supply operation shown in FIG. 7 and the second gas supply operation shown in FIG. 8 may be combined. Specifically, in the second gas supply operation shown in FIG. 7, when starting (resuming) the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4, the supply amount of the gas 16 may be made larger than the supply amount of the gas 16 supplied from the gas supply unit 4 in the first gas supply operation.

[0069] In the second gas supply operation described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 8, the target shot area is a shot area where there is a shot area in front of such a target shot area where imprinting has been performed before. However, the target shot area may be the first shot area where imprinting is first performed on the substrate 12.

[0070] FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 10 are diagrams for explaining the second gas supply operation when the target shot area 50b is the first shot area. FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are diagrams showing the gas supply operation of the gas supply unit 4 and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit 5 in the second gas supply operation. FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) show the gas supply unit 4, the mold 9 and the substrate 12 from above (the side of the mold holding unit 3). FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the second gas supply operation.

[0071] When the target shot area 50b is the first shot area, there is no imprinting process for the previous shot area. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the concentration of the gas 16 in the gas 16 in the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 50b at a sufficiently high concentration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the target shot area 50b is the first shot area, in addition to the first gas supply operation, a second gas supply operation is performed. Note that the shot area where imprinting is performed next to the target shot area 50b is the next shot area 50a.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 10, in S111, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) so that the target shot area 50b is located at a position different from the pressing position (second position). In the present embodiment, the substrate holding unit 5 is driven so that the next shot area 50a is located at the pressing position below the pattern area 9a of the mold 9. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position different from the pressing position is the position where the target shot area 50b is located in a state where the next shot area 50a is located at the pressing position.

[0073] In S112, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (downward direction) so that the mold 9 and the substrate 12 approach each other within a range where they do not come into contact. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is positioned at a position immediately before contacting the substrate 12. In other words, in S111, a pseudo pressing process is performed.

[0074] In S113, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (upward direction) so that the mold 9 and the substrate 12 that have approached each other within a range where they do not come into contact move away from each other. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is positioned at the position before performing S112 (returns to the original position). In other words, in S113, a pseudo mold release process is performed.

[0075] By performing the pseudo pressing process (S112) and the pseudo mold release process (S113) in this way, for example, the gas 16 that has been supplied in the first gas supply operation and already exists around the mold 9 can be drawn under the mold 9.

[0076] In S114, the control unit 6 starts (restarts) the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in a state where the target shot area 50b is located at a position different from the pressing position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the control unit 6 selects at least the supply port 17a located in the driving direction 34 of the substrate holding unit 5 from the supply ports 17a to 17d of the gas supply unit 4, and supplies the gas 16 from the supply port 17a.

[0077] In S115, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 34 so that the target shot area 50b is located at a pressing position facing the pattern area 9a of the mold 9. As a result, the gas 16 is drawn downstream in the driving direction 34 of the substrate holding unit 5 and supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 50b as shown in FIG. 9(b).

[0078] In S116, when the target shot area 50b is located at the pressing position (when the driving of the substrate holding unit 5 stops), the control unit 6 stops the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4.

[0079] Thus, when the target shot area 50b is the first shot area, the first gas supply operation and the second gas supply operation are performed. As a result, the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 50b reaches the reference amount, and the concentration of the gas 16 in such a space can be maintained at a sufficiently high concentration. Therefore, the imprint apparatus 1 can achieve excellent productivity while suppressing unfilled defects generated in the pattern of the imprint material 11 formed on the substrate.

[0080] Further, in S111, the position (second position) different from the pressing position for positioning the target shot area 50b may be an arbitrary position corresponding to the shortage amount from the reference amount of the gas 16 between the mold 9 and the target shot area 50b. For example, the position different from the pressing position for positioning the target shot area 50b may be the position where the target shot area 50b is located in a state where the next shot area of the next shot area 50a of the target shot area 50b is located at the pressing position.

[0081] Note that when the target shot area 50b is the first shot area, since there is no previous shot area, there is also no time required to separate the mold 9 from the cured imprint material 11 on the previous shot area. Therefore, in such a state, the control unit 6 detects the occurrence of an error estimated that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of the mold 9 and the target shot area 50b by the first gas supply operation has not reached the reference amount. Further, when the target shot area 50b is the first shot area, the first gas supply operation and the second gas supply operation may be performed regardless of the occurrence of an error.

[0082] In addition, in the imprint apparatus 1, when continuously performing imprint processing on a plurality of shot regions on a substrate, generally, it is detected whether there are foreign substances in each shot region. Then, among the plurality of shot regions on the substrate, for the shot regions where foreign substances are present, in order to prevent damage to the mold 9 (pattern region 9a), the imprint process is skipped (the imprint process is not performed) without bringing the imprint material 11 on the substrate into contact with the mold 9. In such a shot region where the imprint process is skipped (hereinafter referred to as a "skip region"), the amount (concentration) of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and the skip region by the first gas supply operation tends to become unstable. For this reason, regarding the skip region, there is a possibility that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and the skip region by the first gas supply operation has not reached the reference amount. In this case, it will affect the shot region where the imprint process is performed after the skip region. Therefore, regarding the skip region, it is preferable to estimate that the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and the skip region has not reached the reference amount (that is, an error has occurred).

[0083] Therefore, when a foreign substance is present in the target shot region, the control unit 6 determines such a target shot region as a skip region (that is, when the target shot region is a skip region where the imprint process is skipped), and detects the occurrence of an error. Therefore, when the target shot region is a skip region, the first gas supply operation and the second gas supply operation are performed. As a result, the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern region 9a of the mold 9 and the skip region becomes stable, for example, reaches the reference amount, and it becomes possible to maintain the concentration of the gas 16 in such a space at the desired concentration. Note that the detection of foreign substances present in the shot region on the substrate may be performed by providing a foreign substance inspection device in the imprint apparatus 1, or may be performed using an external foreign substance inspection device.

[0084] With reference to FIGS. 12(a), 12(b) and 13, the second gas supply operation when the target shot area is a skip area will be specifically described. FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) are diagrams showing the gas supply operation of the gas supply unit 4 and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit 5 in the second gas supply operation. FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) show the gas supply unit 4, the mold 9 and the substrate 12 from above (the side of the mold holding unit 3). FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the second gas supply operation.

[0085] In S1201, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 331 so that the skip area, which is the target shot area 29b, is located at the pressing position (first position) facing the pattern area 9a of the mold 9.

[0086] In S1202, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (downward) so as to bring the mold 9 and the substrate 12 closer to each other within a range where they do not contact. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is positioned immediately before contacting the substrate 12. In other words, in S1202, a pseudo pressing process is performed.

[0087] In S1203, the control unit 6 drives the mold holding unit 3 (mold 9) in the Z direction (upward) so as to move the mold 9 and the substrate 12, which have been brought closer within a range where they do not contact, away from each other. For example, the mold holding unit 3 is driven so that the mold 9 is positioned at the position before performing S1202 (return to the original position). In other words, in S1203, a pseudo mold release process is performed.

[0088] In S1204, the control unit 6 starts (restarts) the supply of the gas 16 from the gas supply unit 4 in a state where the skip area, which is the target shot area 29b, is located at the pressing position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the control unit 6 selects at least the supply port 17b located in the driving direction 331 of the substrate holding unit 5 from the supply ports 17a to 17d of the gas supply unit 4, and supplies the gas 16 from the supply port 17b.

[0089] In S1205, the control unit 6 drives the substrate holding unit 5 (substrate 12) in the driving direction 331 so that the next target shot area 29c where imprinting should be performed next to the skip area (target shot area 29b) is located at the pressing position facing the pattern area 9a of type 9. As a result, the gas 16 is drawn into the downstream of the driving direction 331 of the substrate holding unit 5 and supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the next target shot area 29c (Fig. 12(b)).

[0090] As described above, when the target shot area is a skip area, by performing the first gas supply operation and the second gas supply operation, the amount of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the skip area is stabilized, for example, reaching the reference amount. Thereby, the influence exerted by the skip area on the next target shot area where imprinting is performed after the skip area can be suppressed (prevented). Therefore, the imprint apparatus 1 can achieve excellent productivity while suppressing unfilled defects generated in the pattern of the imprint material 11 formed on the substrate.

[0091] In this embodiment, the case where a skip area for skipping the imprint process exists alone has been described as an example. However, actually, the case where skip areas exist continuously is also conceivable. In such a case, the second gas supply operation may be performed from the position of the shot area where the amount (concentration) of the gas 16 supplied to the space between the pattern area 9a of type 9 and the skip area can be kept constant.

[0092] The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus 1 is permanently used for at least a part of various articles, or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. Articles include electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, or molds, etc. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, FPGA, etc. Examples of molds include molds for imprinting.

[0093] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is, or temporarily used as a resist mask, as at least a part of the constituent members of the above-described article. After etching, ion implantation, etc. are performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

[0094] Next, a specific manufacturing method of the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 11(a), a substrate such as a silicon wafer on which a workpiece such as an insulator is formed on the surface is prepared, and then an imprint material is applied to the surface of the workpiece by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which a plurality of droplet-shaped imprint materials are applied on the substrate is shown.

[0095] As shown in Fig. 11(b), an imprint mold is opposed with the side on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed facing the imprint material on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 11(c), the substrate on which the imprint material is applied and the mold are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material is filled in the gap between the mold and the workpiece. When light is irradiated through the mold as energy for curing in this state, the imprint material cures.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 11(d), after curing the imprint material, when the mold and the substrate are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material is formed on the substrate. The pattern of this cured product has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured product, that is, the concavo-convex pattern of the mold is transferred to the imprint material.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 11(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching-resistant mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece where no cured product remains or remains thinly is removed to form a groove. As shown in Fig. 11(f), when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article having grooves formed on the surface of the workpiece can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured product is removed, but it may not be removed after processing and may be used as a film for interlayer insulation included in, for example, a semiconductor element, that is, as a constituent member of the article.

[0098] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0099] 1: Imprint apparatus 3: Mold holding part 4: Gas supply part 5: Substrate holding part 6: Control part 9: Mold 12: Substrate

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material in a shot region on a substrate using a mold, comprising: a supply unit that supplies gas between the mold and the substrate; a control unit that controls an operation of continuously performing the imprint process on a plurality of shot regions on the substrate supplied with the uncured imprint material while moving the substrate relative to the mold; wherein the control unit: controls a first operation of supplying the gas from the supply unit while moving the substrate so that a target shot region to be subjected to the imprint process among the plurality of shot regions is located at a first position facing the mold; determines whether or not to execute a second operation including an operation of additionally supplying the gas after the first operation based on at least one piece of information among information regarding a delay or stop in the continuous imprint process for the plurality of shot regions, information regarding a timing at which the supply of the gas in the first operation is started, information regarding a time required to separate the mold from the cured imprint material in a shot region where the imprint process has been performed before the imprint process is performed on the target shot region, and information regarding skipping the imprint process; in the second operation, while the target shot region is located at the first position, the mold and the substrate are brought closer to each other within a range where the mold and the substrate do not come into contact with each other, and then the mold and the substrate brought closer to each other within the range are separated from each other. An imprint apparatus characterized by this.

2. The information regarding a delay or stop in the continuous imprint process for the plurality of shot regions includes information regarding whether or not regular continuous driving has been performed in the continuous imprint process for the plurality of shot regions. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. In the first operation, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is started before the target shot region reaches the first position, and the supply of the gas from the supply unit is stopped after the target shot region reaches the first position. In the second operation, the substrate is moved so that the target shot area is located at a second position different from the first position, and while moving the substrate so that the target shot area located at the second position is located at the first position, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is restarted. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. In the second operation, before moving the substrate so that the target shot area is located at the first position, the mold and the substrate are brought closer to each other within a range where the mold and the substrate do not come into contact, and then the mold and the substrate brought closer within the range are separated from each other. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The second position is a position where the target shot area is located in a state where a shot area where imprint processing has been performed in front of the target shot area is located at the first position. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that.

6. The target shot area is a shot area where the imprint processing is first performed on the substrate. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

7. The second position is a position where the target shot area is located in a state where a shot area where imprint processing is to be performed next to the target shot area is located at the first position. The imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that.

8. In the second operation, while maintaining the state in which the target shot area is located at the first position by the first operation, the gas is supplied from the supply unit, The supply amount of the gas supplied from the supply unit in the second operation is larger than the supply amount of the gas supplied from the supply unit in the first operation. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

9. In the first operation, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is started before the target shot area is located at the first position, and after the target shot area is located at the first position, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is stopped before the mold and the imprint material on the target shot area are brought into contact with each other. The imprint apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines to perform the second operation when the timing of starting the supply of the gas from the supply unit in the first operation is delayed from a reference, or when the time required to separate the mold from the cured imprint material on the previous shot area in the imprint process performed on the shot area previous to the target shot area is longer than the reference.

11. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines to skip the imprint process for the target shot area when a foreign object exists in the target shot area.

12. In the first operation, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is started before the target shot area reaches the first position, and after the target shot area reaches the first position, the supply of the gas from the supply unit is stopped. The imprint apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the second operation, with the target shot area at the first position, the mold and the substrate are brought closer to each other within a range where they do not contact each other, and then the mold and the substrate brought closer within the range are separated from each other.

13. An imprint method for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a shot area on a substrate using a mold, comprising a step of controlling an operation of continuously performing the imprint process on a plurality of shot areas on the substrate supplied with an uncured imprint material while moving the substrate with respect to the mold, in the step, a first operation of supplying gas between the mold and the substrate while moving the substrate so that the target shot area of the imprint process among the plurality of shot areas is located at a first position facing the mold; Based on at least one of the information regarding the delay or stop in the continuous imprint process for the plurality of shot areas, the information regarding the timing to start the supply of the gas in the first operation, the information regarding the time required to separate the mold from the cured imprint material in the shot area where the imprint process has been performed before the imprint process for the target shot area, and the information regarding skipping the imprint process, a determination is made as to whether it is necessary to execute a second operation including an operation of additionally supplying the gas after the first operation. Perform In the second operation, in a state where the target shot area is located at the first position, the mold and the substrate are brought closer within a range where they do not contact each other, and then the mold and the substrate brought closer within the range are separated from each other. An imprint method characterized by this.

14. A step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 12; A step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the above step; A step of manufacturing an article from the processed substrate; A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by comprising

Images