Imprinting method, imprinting apparatus, article manufacturing method, model, model generating method, and program

Abstract

To provide an advantageous technique for easily acquiring a protruding state of an imprint material from a shot area of a substrate.SOLUTION: An imprint method for performing processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold to each of a plurality of shot areas in the substrate comprises: an acquisition step of acquiring a model with situation information indicating a situation of the processing as input and with a protruding state of the imprint material from the shot area as output; an estimation step of estimating the protruding state of the imprint material from at least the first shot area to which the processing has already been performed with the model on the basis of the situation information acquired in the processing of the first shot area; and a determination step of determining whether or not to execute the processing to the second shot area to which the processing is scheduled to be performed after the first shot area on the basis of the protruding state of the first shot area estimated in the estimation step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imprint method, an imprint apparatus, a method for manufacturing an article, a model, a method for generating a model, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As a technique for forming a fine pattern on a substrate, a lithography technique using an exposure apparatus that transfers the pattern of a master plate to the substrate via a projection optical system is known. In recent years, an imprint technique in which an imprint material on a substrate is molded with a mold and a fine pattern formed on the mold is transferred onto the substrate has also attracted attention as one of the lithography techniques (see Patent Document 1). In the imprint technique, for example, an imprint material supplied onto a shot region of a substrate is brought into contact with a mold, and in this state, the imprint material is irradiated with light and cured, and then the mold is separated from the cured imprint material (imprint process) is performed. Thereby, a pattern made of a cured product of the imprint material can be formed on the substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the imprint process, in the step of bringing the imprint material supplied onto the shot area of the substrate into contact with the mold, the imprint material may protrude outside the shot area and be cured in that state. In this case, in the imprint process of the subsequent shot area where the imprint material has protruded, the protruding imprint material and the mold may come into contact, making it difficult to accurately form a pattern in the shot area. In addition, the pattern of the mold may be damaged when the protruding imprint material and the mold come into contact. Therefore, it is desirable to obtain the protruding state of the imprint material from the shot area where the imprint process has already been performed and determine whether to perform the imprint process on the subsequent shot area according to the obtained protruding state.

[0005] As one method for obtaining (detecting) the protruding state of the imprint material from the shot area of the substrate, there is a method using a camera. However, since the location where the protrusion of the imprint material occurs is a minute area, in this method, it is necessary to photograph and analyze each of a plurality of partial areas in the shot area with a high-magnification (high-resolution) camera, which may be disadvantageous in terms of equipment cost and throughput.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology advantageous for easily obtaining the protruding state of the imprint material from the shot area of the substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, as one aspect of the present invention, an imprint method is an imprint method for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, and the method is performed for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate. The method includes: an acquisition step of acquiring a model that takes, as input, situation information indicating the situation of the process and outputs a state of overflow of the imprint material from the shot region; an estimation step of estimating, by the model, the state of overflow of the imprint material from at least one first shot region where the process has already been performed among the plurality of shot regions, based on the situation information obtained in the process of the first shot region; and a determination step of determining whether to execute the process on a second shot region where the process is scheduled to be performed after the first shot region among the plurality of shot regions, based on the overflow state of the first shot region estimated in the estimation step. See, the process includes a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in a state where the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate side, and the situation information includes information indicating a pressing force for pressing the mold against the imprint material on the substrate in order to bring the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in the contact step. It is characterized by this.

[0008] A further object or other aspect of the present invention will be clarified by the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for easily acquiring the state of overflow of the imprint material from the shot region of the substrate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] 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 for 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 redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] An imprint apparatus IMP according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the imprint apparatus IMP of the present embodiment. The imprint apparatus IMP is an apparatus that brings an imprint material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold and forms a pattern of a cured product in which the concavo-convex pattern of the mold is transferred by applying energy for curing to the imprint material. For example, the imprint apparatus IMP supplies a liquid imprint material IM as a plurality of droplets onto a substrate S, and cures the imprint material in a state where a mold M (mold) having a concavo-convex pattern is brought into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate S. Then, by widening the distance between the mold M and the substrate S and peeling (releasing) the mold M from the cured imprint material IM, the pattern of the mold M can be transferred to the imprint material IM on the substrate S. Such a series of processes is called an "imprint process" and is performed for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate S.

[0013] The imprint material IM is a curable composition (sometimes referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when curing energy is applied. Examples of curing energy include electromagnetic waves and heat. Electromagnetic waves can be, for example, light with a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, such as infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light. The curable composition can be a composition that cures when irradiated with light or when heated. Among these, photocurable compositions that cure when irradiated with light contain at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or solvent, as needed. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal mold release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, and polymer components. The imprint material IM can be arranged on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting multiple droplets. The viscosity of the imprint material IM (at 25°C) can be, for example, 1 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s.

[0014] The mold M is typically made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light, such as quartz, and a recessed and raised pattern to be transferred to the imprint material IM on the substrate S is formed in a partial region MP (mesa region) that protrudes toward the substrate from the surface facing the substrate. Hereinafter, this partial region MP (mesa region) may be referred to as a pattern region MP. The substrate S may be made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like, and, if necessary, a member made of a material different from the substrate may be formed on its surface. Specific examples of the substrate S include silicon wafers, compound semiconductor wafers, and quartz glass. If necessary, an adhesion layer may be provided before applying the imprint material IM to improve adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate.

[0015] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 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 rotations around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or drive with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis means control or drive in the directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. Also, control or drive with respect to the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis means control or drive related to the rotation around the axis parallel to the X-axis, the rotation around the axis parallel to the Y-axis, and the rotation around the axis parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. Further, 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. Alignment may include control of the position and / or orientation of at least one of the substrate and the mold.

[0016] The imprint apparatus IMP may include a substrate holding unit 102 that holds a substrate S, a substrate driving mechanism 105 that drives the substrate S by driving the substrate holding unit 102, a base 104 that supports the substrate holding unit 102, and a position measuring unit 103 that measures the position of the substrate holding unit 102. The substrate driving mechanism 105 may include, for example, a motor such as a linear motor. The imprint apparatus IMP may include a sensor 151 that detects a driving force (alignment load) required to relatively drive the substrate S and the mold M by the substrate driving mechanism 105 in the alignment of the mold M and the substrate S. The driving force in the alignment performed in a state where the imprint material IM on the substrate S and the pattern region MP of the mold M are in contact corresponds to, for example, a shearing force acting between the substrate S and the mold M. The shearing force is mainly a force acting in the plane direction (XY direction) of the substrate S and the mold M. The driving force in the alignment has a correlation with, for example, the magnitude of the current supplied to the motor of the substrate driving mechanism 105 in the alignment, and the sensor 151 can detect the driving force based on the magnitude of the current. The sensor 151 is an example of a sensor that measures the influence (shearing force) received by the substrate S and the mold M in the formation of the pattern. Note that a drive request (command value) issued by the control unit 110 described later to the substrate driving mechanism 105 may be referred to as a stage control value.

[0017] The imprint apparatus IMP may include a mold holding unit 121 that holds a mold (mold) M, a mold driving mechanism 122 that drives the mold holding unit 121 to drive the mold M, and a support structure 130 that supports the mold driving mechanism 122. The mold driving mechanism 122 may include a motor such as a voice coil motor. The imprint apparatus IMP may include a sensor 152 that detects a release force (separation load) and / or a pressing force. The release force is the force required to separate (peel) the mold M from the cured product of the imprint material IM on the substrate S. The pressing force is the force that presses the mold M against the imprint material IM on the substrate S to bring the mold M into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate S. The release force and pressing force are forces that act primarily in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the substrate S and the mold M (Z direction). The mold release force and pressing force are correlated with, for example, the magnitude of the current supplied to the motor of the mold driving mechanism 122, and the sensor 152 can detect the separation force and pressing force based on the magnitude of the current. The sensor 152 is an example of a sensor that measures the influence (mold release force and / or pressing force) that the mold M receives during pattern formation. Note that a drive request (command value) that the control unit 110, which will be described later, issues to the mold driving mechanism 122 may also be referred to as a stage control value.

[0018] The substrate driving mechanism 105 and the mold driving mechanism 122 constitute driving mechanisms that adjust the relative position and relative attitude of the substrate S and the mold M. Adjustment of the relative position of the substrate S and the mold M by the driving mechanisms includes driving to bring the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate S and to separate the mold from the hardened imprint material (the pattern of the hardened material). The substrate driving mechanism 105 can be configured to drive the substrate S about multiple axes (e.g., three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and θZ-axis, or preferably six axes: X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis). The mold driving mechanism 122 can be configured to drive the mold M about multiple axes (e.g., three axes: Z-axis, θX-axis, and θY-axis, or preferably six axes: X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis).

[0019] Further, the mold holding part 121 may include a window member 125 for forming a pressure control space CS that is substantially sealed on the side of the back surface of the mold M (the surface opposite to the surface provided with the pattern region MP). The imprint apparatus IMP can deform the pattern region MP of the mold M into a convex shape toward the substrate S by controlling the pressure in the pressure control space CS (hereinafter referred to as the cavity pressure) by the deformation mechanism 123, as schematically shown in FIG. 2(b). For example, by deforming the mold M into a convex shape in the contact step of bringing the mold M into contact with the imprint material IM on the substrate S, the mold M (pattern region MP) can be gradually brought into contact with the imprint material IM, and the confinement of gas in the concave portions of the pattern of the mold M can be reduced. That is, the unfilling of the imprint material IM into the pattern of the mold M can be reduced. Further, by deforming the mold M into a convex shape in the mold release step of separating the cured product of the imprint material IM on the substrate S from the mold M, the breakage of the pattern formed of the cured product of the imprint material IM formed on the substrate S can be reduced. Note that the cavity pressure may be understood as a force (deformation force) applied to the mold M to deform the mold M into a convex shape.

[0020] The imprint apparatus IMP may include a mold transfer mechanism 140 for transferring the mold M and a mold cleaner 150. The mold transfer mechanism 140 may be configured to transfer the mold M to the mold holding part 121, or to transfer the mold M from the mold holding part 121 to a mold stocker (not shown), a mold cleaner 150, or the like, for example. The mold cleaner 150 cleans the mold M with ultraviolet rays, a chemical solution, or the like.

[0021] The imprint apparatus IMP may include an alignment measuring instrument 106, a wide-angle alignment measuring instrument 109, a curing unit 107, an imaging unit 112, and an optical member 111 (beam splitter). The alignment measuring instrument 106 illuminates the alignment marks on the substrate S and the mold M, and measures the relative position between the marks (i.e., the relative position between the mold M and the substrate S) by imaging these alignment marks. The alignment measuring instrument 106 can be positioned by a drive mechanism (not shown) according to the position of the alignment mark to be observed. The wide-angle alignment measuring instrument 109 is a measuring instrument having a wider field of view than the alignment measuring instrument 106. It illuminates the alignment mark on the substrate S and measures the position of the substrate S by imaging the alignment mark. By measuring the position of the substrate S with the wide-angle alignment measuring instrument 109, the alignment mark of the substrate S can be arranged within the field of view of the alignment measuring instrument 106. The curing unit 107 irradiates the imprint material IM with energy (e.g., light such as ultraviolet light) for curing the imprint material IM through the optical member 111, thereby curing the imprint material IM. The imaging unit 112 images the substrate S, the mold M, and the imprint material IM through the optical member 111 and the window member 125. Hereinafter, the image captured by the imaging unit 112 may be referred to as a spread image.

[0022] The imprint apparatus IMP may include a dispenser 108 (supply unit) for disposing (supplying) the imprint material IM onto the substrate S. The dispenser 108 discharges the imprint material IM as a plurality of droplets so that the imprint material IM is disposed on the substrate S according to, for example, a drop recipe indicating the disposition of the imprint material IM.

[0023] The imprint apparatus IMP may include a control unit 110 that controls the substrate driving mechanism 105, the mold driving mechanism 122, the deformation mechanism 123, the mold transport mechanism 140, the mold cleaner 150, the alignment measuring instrument 106, the curing unit 107, the imaging unit 112, the dispenser 108, etc. The control unit 110 may be configured by an information processing device (computer) including a processor such as a CPU and a memory. For example, the control unit 110 may be configured by a PLD (abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a general-purpose computer with a built-in program, or a combination of all or part of these, including a calculation mechanism 113 that is an information processing device.

[0024] FIG. 3 shows an example configuration of an article manufacturing system 1001 for manufacturing an article such as a semiconductor device. The article manufacturing system 1001 may include, for example, one or more lithography apparatuses (imprint apparatus IMP and / or exposure apparatus). In FIG. 3, an imprint apparatus IMP is illustrated as an example of the lithography apparatus. The article manufacturing system 1001 may also include one or more inspection apparatuses 1005 (e.g., an overlay inspection apparatus, a CD inspection apparatus, a defect inspection apparatus, an electrical characteristic inspection apparatus) and one or more post-processing apparatuses 1006 (etching apparatus, film formation apparatus). The article manufacturing system 1001 may also include a model generation device 1007 (machine learning unit) that generates a model (trained model) for estimating overflow of the imprint material IM from the shot area based on status information indicating the status of the imprint process. These devices are connected to a control device 1003, which is an external device different from the imprint apparatus IMP, via a network 1002 and can be controlled by the control device 1003. The status information may be understood as information indicating the status (operation, state) of the imprint apparatus IMP during the imprint process, and may be called apparatus data.

[0025] Here, like the control unit 110 of the imprint apparatus IMP, the model generating device 1007 can be configured by an information processing device (computer) including a processor such as a CPU and a memory. For example, the model generating device 1007 may be configured by a PLD (abbreviation for programmable logic device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for field programmable gate array), an ASIC (abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit), a general-purpose computer with a built-in program, or a combination of all or part of these. Furthermore, the model generating device 1007 may be incorporated into the control unit 110, the control device 1003, or the inspection apparatus 1005 of the imprint apparatus IMP. Note that a system including a lithography apparatus such as the imprint apparatus IMP or an exposure apparatus, the control device 1003, the inspection apparatus 1005, and the model generating device 1007 may be understood as a lithography system.

[0026] [Imprint processing] Next, the imprint process (imprint method) performed in the imprint apparatus IMP of this embodiment will be described. In the imprint process, generally, in a contact step in which an imprint material IM supplied onto a shot area of a substrate S is brought into contact with a mold M, the imprint material IM may protrude outside the shot area, and the imprint material IM may be cured in that state. In this case, in the imprint process of a subsequent shot area beyond the protruding imprint material IM, the protruding imprint material IM may come into contact with the mold M, making it difficult to accurately form a pattern in that shot area. Furthermore, contact between the protruding imprint material IM and the mold M may damage the pattern on the mold M. The protruding imprint material IM is sometimes referred to as seepage of the imprint material IM.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an example of the arrangement of multiple shot areas SH on a substrate S. In the imprint apparatus IMP, multiple shot areas SH are set on the substrate S, and a step-and-repeat method may be employed in which imprint processing is performed sequentially on each of the multiple shot areas SH. In the example of FIG. 4, as indicated by arrow 203, imprint processing may be performed sequentially on each of the multiple shot areas SH. Here, when performing imprint processing on a target shot area 202 to be imprint processed among the multiple shot areas SH, the imprint material IM may be affected by overflow of the imprint material IM from a processed shot area 201 that has already been imprint processed. For example, consider a case in which overflow of the imprint material IM occurs from a processed shot area 201a located adjacent to the target shot area 202. In this case, during the imprint processing of the target shot area 202, the imprint material IM overflowing from the processed shot area 201a comes into contact with the mold M, which may make it difficult to accurately form a pattern on the target shot area 202. Furthermore, even if the imprint material IM overflows in a processed shot area 201 other than the area adjacent to the target shot area 202, the overflowing imprint material IM may adhere to the mold M and affect the imprint processing of the target shot area 202.

[0028] Conventional imprint apparatuses detect the state of overflow of imprint material from a processed shot area using cameras such as the wide-angle alignment measurement unit 109 and the imaging unit 112, and determine whether or not to perform imprint processing on the subsequent shot area based on the detection results. However, because the area where overflow of imprint material occurs is a very small area, this method requires that each of multiple partial areas in the shot area be photographed and analyzed with a high-magnification (high-resolution) camera, which can be disadvantageous in terms of apparatus cost and throughput.

[0029] Therefore, in the imprint apparatus IMP of the present embodiment, a model (trained model) is used that takes as input status information indicating the status of the imprint process and outputs the overflow state of the imprint material IM from the shot area. Specifically, the overflow state of at least one first shot area (processed shot area) where the imprint process has already been performed is estimated by the model based on the status information obtained in the imprint process of the first shot area. Then, based on the estimated overflow state of the imprint material IM for the first shot area, it is determined whether to execute the imprint process on a second shot area (target shot area) where the imprint process is planned to be performed after the first shot area. By estimating the overflow state of the imprint material IM using the model in this way, it is not necessary to provide a high-magnification camera in the imprint apparatus IMP or to photograph and analyze each of a plurality of partial areas in the shot area with the camera. Therefore, it can be advantageous in terms of device cost and throughput. Note that the second shot area may be understood not only as the target shot area to be subjected to the imprint process but also as each of the shot areas (unprocessed shot areas) where the imprint process is planned to be performed after the first shot area (processed shot area).

[0030] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation (imprint process) of the imprint apparatus IMP of the present embodiment. Each step in the flowchart of FIG. 1 can be performed by the control unit 110. Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is executed for each of the plurality of substrates included in the lot when a lot composed of a plurality of substrates is processed.

[0031] In step S101, the control unit 110 causes a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) to transport the substrate S from its source (for example, an intermediary unit to a pretreatment device) onto the substrate holding unit 102. In step S101, the control unit 110 may also measure the position of the substrate S transported onto the substrate holding unit 102 by observing a mark on the substrate S with a wide-angle alignment measurement instrument 109. This allows the control unit 110 to position the substrate S using the substrate driving mechanism 105 based on the position of the substrate S measured using the wide-angle alignment measurement instrument 109.

[0032] In step S102, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to perform imprint processing on the target shot area based on the estimation result of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM in a processed shot area among the multiple shot areas on the substrate S (determination step). For example, the control unit 110 may determine to stop imprint processing on only the target shot area based on the estimation result, or may determine to stop imprint processing on all subsequent shot areas including the target shot area. Details of this step S102 will be described later. Note that the estimation of protrusion of the imprint material IM in the processed shot area can be performed in step S108, which will be described later.

[0033] In step S103, the control unit 110 supplies and arranges the imprint material IM on the target shot area of the substrate S by the dispenser 108 (supply step). For example, the control unit 110 supplies and arranges the imprint material IM on the target shot area by discharging the imprint material IM as multiple droplets from the dispenser 108 while driving the substrate S by the substrate driving mechanism 105.

[0034] In step S104, the control unit 110 drives the substrate S and the mold M relatively using at least one of the mold driving mechanism 122 and the substrate driving mechanism 105 so that the pattern region MP of the mold M contacts the imprint material IM on the target shot area (contact step). In one example, the control unit 110 drives the mold M using the mold driving mechanism 122 so that the pattern region MP of the mold M contacts the imprint material IM on the target shot area. Furthermore, in this step S104, the control unit 110 controls the pressure (cavity pressure) in the pressure-controlled space CS using the deformation mechanism 123 so that the pattern region MP of the mold M deforms into a convex shape toward the substrate S in accordance with the distance between the substrate S and the mold M. Here, during step S104, the control unit 110 can accumulate (store) information indicating the pressing force detected by the sensor 152 and / or information indicating the value of the cavity pressure (deformation force) controlled by the deformation mechanism 123 as status information. Furthermore, during step S104, the control unit 110 can accumulate (store) the spread image obtained by performing imaging by the imaging unit 112 as status information.

[0035] In step S105, the control unit 110 aligns the target shot area of the substrate S with the pattern area MP of the mold M (alignment step). The alignment can be performed by measuring the relative position between the alignment mark of the target shot area of the substrate S and the alignment mark of the mold M using the alignment measurement instrument 106, so that the relative position falls within an allowable range of the target relative position. In the alignment, the substrate S and the mold M are driven relatively by at least one of the mold driving mechanism 122 and the substrate driving mechanism 105. The target relative position between the alignment mark of the target shot area of the substrate S and the alignment mark of the mold M can be determined by a correction value determined from past results of the overlay inspection apparatus 1005, etc. Here, during step S105, the control unit 110 can accumulate (store) information indicating at least one of the driving amount and driving force for driving the substrate S and the mold M relatively as status information. The drive amount can be determined, for example, from the measurement results of the alignment measuring instrument 106, and the drive force can be determined from the detection results of the sensor 151. The control unit 110 may accumulate (store) data such as the measurement results (alignment measurement values) and acquired images (alignment images) from the alignment measuring instrument 106 as status information. Furthermore, the control unit 110 can also accumulate (store) the shear force (i.e., the force acting between the substrate S and the mold M) detected by the sensor 151 during step S105 as status information.

[0036] In step S106, the control unit 110 causes the curing unit 107 to irradiate the imprint material IM between the target shot area of the substrate S and the pattern area MP of the mold M with energy for curing the imprint material IM (curing step). This hardens the imprint material IM, and a cured product of the imprint material IM is formed.

[0037] In step S107, the control unit 110 relatively drives the substrate S and the mold M by at least one of the mold driving mechanism 122 and the substrate driving mechanism 105 so that the pattern region MP of the mold M is separated from the cured product of the imprint material IM on the substrate S (release step). In one example, the control unit 110 drives the mold M by the mold driving mechanism 122 so that the cured product of the imprint material IM and the pattern region MP of the mold M are separated. Also, in this step S107, the control unit 110 controls the pressure (cavity pressure) in the pressure control space CS by the deformation mechanism 123 so that the pattern region MP of the mold M is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate S according to the distance between the substrate S and the mold M. Here, during step S107, the control unit 110 can accumulate (store) as situation information the information indicating the release force detected by the sensor 152 and / or the information indicating the value of the cavity pressure (deformation force) controlled by the deformation mechanism 123. Also, during step S107, the control unit 110 can accumulate (store) as situation information the spread image obtained by performing imaging by the imaging unit 112.

[0038] The various pieces of situation information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 can be supplied (transmitted) to the model generation device 1007 to generate a model for estimating the overflow of the imprint material IM. In the model generation device 1007, the various pieces of situation information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 can be used as teacher data for generating the model. The method for generating the model in the model generation device 1007 will be described later. Also, the various pieces of situation information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 are stored (held) in the memory of the control unit 110 and are used to estimate the overflow state of the imprint material IM from the processed shot region using the model generated by the model generation device 1007.

[0039] In step S108, the control unit 110 estimates the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area based on the various status information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 for the target shot area, and stores the estimation result (estimation step). The protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area is estimated using a model (trained model) generated by the model generation device 1007. The protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area may include the protrusion amount of the imprint material IM from the target shot area and / or whether or not the imprint material IM protrudes from the target shot area. The protrusion amount of the imprint material IM may be understood as, for example, the distance by which the imprint material IM protrudes from the boundary of the target shot area. Details of estimating the protrusion state of the imprint material IM will be described later. Note that the target shot area in step S108 may also be understood as a processed shot area (first shot area) because steps S103 to S107 have already been executed.

[0040] In step S109, the control unit 110 determines whether the imprint processing of steps S102 to S108 has been performed on all shot areas of the substrate S. If the imprint processing of steps S102 to S108 has been performed on all shot areas of the substrate S, the process proceeds to step S110, and the control unit 110 transports the substrate S from the substrate holding unit 102 to the destination (for example, an intermediary unit to a post-processing device) using a substrate transport mechanism (not shown). On the other hand, if there is an unprocessed shot area on the substrate S, the process returns to step S102. In this case, the imprint processing of steps S102 to S108 can be performed on a shot area selected from the unprocessed shot areas as a target shot area.

[0041] Here, protrusion of the imprint material IM from the shot area will be described. FIG. 5(a) shows a side cross-sectional view of a state in which the mold M and the imprint material IM on the substrate S are in contact with each other (for example, at the end of step S104). Protrusion of the imprint material IM refers to a state in which the imprint material IM protrudes from a boundary 161 of a shot area SH of the substrate S (or a pattern area MP of the mold M) to the outside of the shot area, as shown in FIG. 5(a). Also, FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c) are views of a part of a shot area SH (processed shot area) that has been subjected to imprint processing, observed from above (in the +Z direction) so as to include the boundary 161 of the shot area SH. When the imprint processing is performed normally, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the imprint material IM spreads and fills up to the boundary 161 of the shot area SH, and no imprint material IM protrudes beyond the boundary 161 to the outside of the shot area SH. On the other hand, if the amount or supply position of the imprint material IM supplied onto the substrate is inappropriate, the imprint material IM will overflow beyond the boundary 161 and spill outside the shot area SH, as shown in FIG. 5(c). Typically, the amount and supply position of the imprint material IM supplied onto the shot area SH are adjusted to prevent spillage of the imprint material IM. However, in an imprint process that includes physical contact between the mold M and the imprint material IM on the substrate S, spillage of the imprint material IM can occur due to fluctuations in the operation and state of the imprint apparatus IMP in steps S104 to S106 described above. Therefore, spillage of the imprint material IM is considered to be correlated with the operation and state of the imprint apparatus IMP in steps S104 to S106.

[0042] [Judgment process (process S102)] Next, the determination step performed in the above step S102 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the determination step performed in the above step S102. Each step in the flowchart of Fig. 6 can be performed by the control unit 110.

[0043] In step S201, the control unit 110 obtains and refers to the estimation result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM in at least one processed shot area among a plurality of shot areas on the substrate S. The estimation result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM in each processed shot area is stored in the memory (storage unit) of the control unit 110 through the above step S108. Here, in this step S201, the control unit 110 may obtain and refer to the estimation result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM only for the processed shot area located adjacent to the target shot area. Further, the control unit 110 may obtain and refer to the estimation result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM for all of the plurality of processed shot areas on the substrate S. In the present embodiment, an example of obtaining and referring to the estimation result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM for all of the plurality of processed shot areas will be described.

[0044] In step S202, based on the estimation result obtained in step S201, the control unit 110 determines whether the number of processed shot areas in which the imprint material IM is estimated to protrude among a plurality of processed shot areas on the substrate S is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. The predetermined number is set in advance based on, for example, past performance. When the number of processed shot areas in which the imprint material IM is estimated to protrude is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the control unit 110 can determine that the protruding imprint material IM adheres to the mold M. In this case, when performing an imprint process on a subsequent unprocessed shot area, it becomes difficult to accurately form a pattern on the shot area in the imprint process, and the mold M may also be damaged. Therefore, when the number of processed shot areas in which the imprint material IM is estimated to protrude is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the control unit 110 determines not to perform the imprint process on the subsequent unprocessed shot areas including the target shot area and proceeds to step S110 in FIG. 1. On the other hand, when the number of processed shot areas in which the imprint material IM is estimated to protrude is less than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0045] In step S203, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the amount of protrusion of the imprint material IM estimated for the processed shot region located adjacent to the target shot region is equal to or greater than a threshold value based on the estimation result obtained in step S201. The threshold value can be set in advance as the amount of protrusion of the imprint material IM that may affect the imprint process of the target shot region when the imprint material IM protruding from the processed shot region. When the amount of protrusion of the imprint material is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 110 determines not to execute the imprint process on the target shot region and proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, when the amount of protrusion of the imprint material is less than the threshold value, the control unit 110 determines to execute the imprint process on the target shot region and proceeds to step S103 in FIG. 1.

[0046] In step S204, the control unit 110 determines an alternative process to replace the imprint process for the target shot region for which it was determined in step S203 that the imprint process should not be performed. The control unit 110 can determine the alternative process for the target shot region according to a preset process content. For example, the process content of "supplying and curing an imprint material" can be set as the alternative process. This alternative process is a process for preventing the substrate S from being etched in the shot region for which the imprint process was not performed by a post-processing etching process, and can be performed using a mold for the alternative process that is different from the mold M used in the imprint process. In this case, the control unit 110 supplies the imprint material onto the target shot region, hardens the imprint material while bringing the mold for the alternative process into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, and separates the mold for the alternative process from the hardened imprint material. Since such an alternative process is preferably performed after the imprint process for multiple substrates S in a lot has been completed, step S204 simply determines (confirms) the process content of the alternative process in association with the target shot region for which it was determined that the imprint process should not be performed. Alternatively, the process content may be set to "do nothing." In this case, the control unit 110 proceeds with the process without performing anything on the target shot area for which it has been determined that imprint processing should not be performed. After determining the alternative process in step S204, the process proceeds to step S109 in FIG. 1.

[0047] [Estimation process (process S108)] Next, the estimation step performed in the above step S 108 will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the estimation step performed in the above step S 108. Each step in the flowchart of Fig. 7 can be performed by control unit 110.

[0048] In step S301, the control unit 110 acquires a model for estimating the protruding state of the imprint material IM from the shot area (acquisition step). The model is a learned model that takes various situation information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 as input and outputs the protruding state of the imprint material IM from the shot area. The control unit 110 may acquire the model stored in the model generation device 1007, but if the model is already stored in the memory (storage unit) of the control unit 110, the model may be acquired (read) from the memory. Also, if the model is stored in the control device 1003, the control unit 110 may acquire the model from the control device 1003.

[0049] In step S302, the control unit 110 acquires various situation information accumulated in steps S104 to S107 for the target shot area. The situation information is information / data indicating the state of the imprint device IMP during the imprinting process in steps S104 to S107. As described above, the situation information may include information indicating the pressing force, deformation force, and / or spread image detected during step S104 (contact step). Also, the situation information may include information indicating the driving amount, driving force, and / or shear force detected during step S105 (alignment step). Note that the driving amount and driving force are values obtained when the substrate S and the mold M are relatively driven during alignment and may be called stage control values. The situation information may include information indicating the alignment measurement value and / or alignment image obtained during step S105 (alignment step). Furthermore, the situation information may include information indicating the release force, deformation force, and / or spread image detected during step S107 (release step).

[0050] In step S303, the control unit 110 estimates the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area using the model acquired in step S301 and based on the various status information acquired in step S302. Specifically, the various status information acquired in step S302 is input into the model acquired in step S301, and information indicating the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area is output from the model. Next, in step S304, the control unit 110 stores the estimation result of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area obtained in step S303. Here, some machine learning methods for generating the model output not only the estimation result of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area, but also the reliability of the estimation result. In this case, the control unit 110 may estimate the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the target shot area in step S303, and may also calculate (output) the reliability of the estimation result, and make the determination in step S102 of FIG. 1 based on the reliability.

[0051] [Model generation method] Next, a method for generating a model that estimates the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from the shot area will be described. The model generation method described below may be included as a model generation step in the acquisition step of step S301 in the flowchart of Fig. 7 described above. In this case, the model generation can be performed by the control unit 110 of the imprint apparatus IMP.

[0052] FIG. 8 shows an overview of a model for estimating the overflow state of the imprint material IM. In this embodiment, machine learning is used for processing using the model, and the process includes a learning process and an estimation process (inference process). FIG. 8(a) illustrates the learning process. Various status information obtained during the imprint process on multiple substrates S is used as input data, and machine learning is performed using measurement results of the overflow state of the imprint material IM during the imprint process as training data, thereby generating (calculating) a model representing the correlation between the various status information. To improve the estimation accuracy of the model, it is desirable to use as many substrates S as possible to obtain the status information as input data. The measurement results of the overflow state of the imprint material IM are obtained by observing (measuring) the periphery of the shot area using an external inspection device 1005 or the like, and may include information indicating the presence or absence of overflow of the imprint material IM from the shot area and / or the amount of overflow. FIG. 8(b) illustrates the estimation process. By inputting status information obtained during the imprint process for each shot area into the model, an estimation result of the overflow state of the imprint material IM can be output from the model.

[0053] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a method for generating a model for estimating the protrusion state of the imprint material IM. In this embodiment, each step of the model generation method in the flowchart of Fig. 9 can be performed by the model generation device 1007, but as described above, they may also be performed by the control unit 110 of the imprint apparatus IMP, or by the control device 1003. In other words, the functions of the model generation device 1007 described below may be incorporated into the control unit 110 and / or the control device 1003 of the imprint apparatus IMP.

[0054] Steps S401 and S402 are steps for acquiring, as input data, various status information obtained during the imprint process for each of the multiple shot areas on each of the multiple substrates S, and acquiring, as training data, measurement results of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM. Hereinafter, steps S401 and S402 may be referred to as data acquisition steps.

[0055] In step S401, the model generation device 1007 acquires, from an external inspection device 1005, the measurement result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM for the target shot area. The measurement result of the protruding state of the imprint material IM may include the measurement result of the presence or absence of the protrusion of the imprint material IM from the target shot area and / or the measurement result of the amount of protrusion of the imprint material IM from the target shot area.

[0056] In step S402, the model generation device 1007 acquires, from the imprint device IMP, various status information obtained during the imprint process for the target shot area. The various status information can be stored in association with the measurement result of the protruding state of the imprint material M acquired in step S401. The various status information acquired in this step S402 is the information / data described in step S302 above, and preferably matches the various status information acquired in step S302 above.

[0057] In step S403, the model generation device 1007 determines whether to end the data acquisition steps of steps S401 to S402. For example, when the measurement results of the protruding state of the imprint material IM and the various status information for all shot areas on a plurality of substrates S on which the imprint process has been performed under predetermined conditions have been acquired, it may be determined to end the data acquisition step. Also, when the measurement results of the protruding state of the imprint material IM and the various status information for some sample shot areas on the plurality of substrates S have been acquired, it may be determined to end the data acquisition step. Further, when the measurement results of the protruding state of the imprint material IM and the various status information necessary for generating the model with high precision have been acquired, it may be determined to end the data acquisition step. If it is determined that the data acquisition step has not yet ended, the process returns to step S401, and if it is determined that the data acquisition step has ended, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0058] In step S404, the model generation device 1007 generates a model for estimating the protrusion state of the imprint material IM by performing machine learning on the correlation between the measurement results of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM acquired in the data acquisition step and various situation information. As a machine learning method, a neural network composed of a multilayer perceptron may be prepared, and a method for optimizing internal random variables so that the protrusion state of the imprint material IM is reproduced based on the situation information acquired from the imprint apparatus IMP may be used. When image information such as an alignment image or a spread image is used as the situation information, a convolutional neural network is suitable as the machine learning method. Furthermore, when the situation information is information such as a stage control value that changes over time, a recurrent neural network is suitable as the machine learning method. In this embodiment, a neural network is used as the machine learning method. However, if the number of measurement results is small, a support vector machine may be used instead of a neural network. By performing such machine learning, a model (trained model) for estimating the protrusion state of the imprint material IM based on various situation information can be generated.

[0059] In step S405, the model generating device 1007 stores (saves) the model generated in step S404. Here, the model generated as described above may be updated sequentially. For example, since status information and measurement results of the protrusion state of the imprint material IM are obtained for each imprint process, the model may be updated for each imprint process. Furthermore, the model may be updated when a predetermined period of time has passed or when a predetermined number of imprint processes have been performed.

[0060] As described above, the imprint apparatus IMP of this embodiment estimates the protrusion state of the imprint material IM from a processed shot area using a model that takes status information indicating the status of the imprint process as input and outputs the protrusion state of the imprint material IM. Then, based on the protrusion state of the imprint material IM estimated for the processed shot area, it determines whether or not to perform imprint processing on a target shot area that is scheduled to undergo imprint processing. This eliminates the need to photograph and analyze each of multiple partial areas in the shot area with a high-magnification (high-resolution) camera, which can be advantageous in terms of apparatus cost and throughput.

[0061] <Embodiments of manufacturing methods of articles> The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as microdevices, such as semiconductor devices, and elements having a microstructure. The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes a step of forming a pattern on an imprint material supplied (applied) to a substrate using the above-described imprint apparatus (imprint method), and a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in this step. Furthermore, this manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0062] The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprinting apparatus is used permanently on at least a portion of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. Examples of articles include electrical circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, and molds. Examples of electrical circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of molds include molds for imprinting.

[0063] The pattern of the cured material is used as it is as at least a part of the constituent members of the above article, or is temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching, ion implantation, etc. are performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

[0064] Next, a specific manufacturing method of the article will be described. As shown in Fig. 10(a), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed on the surface is prepared, and subsequently, an imprint material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state where a plurality of droplet-shaped imprint materials 3z are applied on the substrate is shown.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 10(b), an imprint mold 4z is opposed with the side on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed facing the imprint material 3z on the substrate. As shown in Fig. 10(c), the substrate 1z to which the imprint material 3z is applied and the mold 4z are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z as energy for curing in this state, the imprint material 3z cures.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 10(d), after the imprint material 3z is cured and the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of the cured material of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. The pattern of this cured material has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured material and the convex portion of the mold corresponds to the concave portion of the cured material, that is, the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 10(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 no cured material remains or where the cured material remains thinly is removed to form a groove 5z. As shown in Fig. 10(f), when the pattern of the cured material is removed, an article having a groove 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, the pattern of the cured material is removed, but it may not be removed after processing and may be used as a constituent member of the article, for example, a film for interlayer insulation included in a semiconductor element or the like.

[0068] <Other Embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0069] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0070] IMP: Imprint device, M: Mold, S: Substrate, 102: Substrate holding unit, 105: Substrate driving mechanism, 121: Mold holding unit, 122: Mold driving mechanism

Claims

Claim 1 An imprinting method for performing a process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring a model that takes as input situation information indicating the situation of the process and outputs a state of overflow of the imprint material from the shot region; an estimation step of estimating, by the model, a state of overflow of the imprint material from at least one first shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the process has already been performed, based on the situation information obtained in the process of the first shot region; a determination step of determining whether to execute the process on a second shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the process is scheduled to be performed after the first shot region, based on the overflow state of the first shot region estimated in the estimation step; including the process includes a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in a state where the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate side; the situation information includes information indicating a pressing force for pressing the mold against the imprint material on the substrate in order to bring the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in the contact step; An imprinting method characterized by the above. Claim 2 In the estimation step, the amount of overflow of the imprint material from the first shot region is estimated by the model as the overflow state; In the determination step, it is determined whether to execute the process on the second shot region according to the amount of overflow estimated in the estimation step. The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized by the above. Claim 3 The imprinting method according to claim 2, characterized in that the second shot region is a shot region adjacent to the first shot region among the plurality of shot regions. Claim 4 In the estimation step, for each of the plurality of first shot regions where the process has already been performed, the presence or absence of overflow of the imprint material is estimated by the model as the overflow state; In the determination step, it is determined whether to execute the process on the second shot region according to the number of the first shot regions estimated to have overflow of the imprint material in the estimation step. The imprinting method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above. Claim 5 In the contact step, the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with the mold deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate side. The situation information includes information indicating a deformation force applied to the mold to deform the mold into a convex shape. The imprint method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

6. An imprint method for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the method being performed for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, an acquisition step of acquiring a model that takes, as an input, situation information indicating the situation of the process and outputs a protruding state of the imprint material from the shot region; an estimation step of estimating, by the model, the protruding state of the imprint material from at least one first shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the process has already been performed, based on the situation information obtained in the process of the first shot region; a determination step of determining whether to execute the process for a second shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the process is scheduled to be performed after the first shot region, based on the protruding state of the first shot region estimated in the estimation step; comprising the process includes an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate in a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, the situation information includes information indicating at least one of a driving amount and a driving force for relatively driving the mold and the substrate in the alignment step. The imprint method characterized by the above.

7. The situation information includes information indicating a shearing force acting between the mold and the substrate in the alignment step. The imprint method according to claim 6, characterized by the above.

8. An imprint method for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the method being performed for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, an acquisition step of acquiring a model that takes, as an input, situation information indicating the situation of the process and outputs a protruding state of the imprint material from the shot region; an estimation step of estimating, by the model, the protruding state of the imprint material from at least one first shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the process has already been performed, based on the situation information obtained in the process of the first shot region; Based on the protruding state of the first shot area estimated in the estimation step, a determination step of determining whether to execute the processing on a second shot area, which is scheduled to be processed after the first shot area among the plurality of shot areas; including; The processing includes a mold release step of separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate; The situation information includes information indicating a mold release force for separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate in the mold release step; An imprint method characterized by this.

9. The situation information includes an image obtained by photographing the shot area during the processing. The imprint method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by this.

10. The acquisition step includes a step of generating the model by performing machine learning using the situation information as input data and the measurement result of the protruding state as teacher data. The imprint method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by this.

11. A forming step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint method according to any one of claims 1 to 10; including a processing step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the forming step; Manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step. A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by this.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the imprint method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. An imprint apparatus that performs a process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold for each of a plurality of shot areas on the substrate, acquiring a model that takes as input situation information indicating the situation of the process and outputs the protruding state of the imprint material from the shot area; estimating, by the model, the protruding state of the imprint material from at least one first shot area where the process has already been performed among the plurality of shot areas, based on the situation information obtained in the process of the first shot area; based on the estimated protruding state of the first shot area, determining whether to execute the process on a second shot area, which is scheduled to be processed after the first shot area among the plurality of shot areas; The processing includes a contact step of bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in a state where the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate side. The situation information includes information indicating a pressing force for pressing the mold against the imprint material on the substrate in order to bring the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate in the contact step. An imprint apparatus characterized by the above.

14. An imprint apparatus that performs a process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate. A model is obtained that takes, as an input, situation information indicating the situation of the processing and outputs a protruding state of the imprint material from the shot region. The protruding state of the imprint material from at least one first shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the processing has already been performed is estimated by the model based on the situation information obtained in the processing of the first shot region. Based on the estimated protruding state of the first shot region, it is determined whether to execute the processing for a second shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the processing is scheduled to be performed after the first shot region. The processing includes an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate in a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact. The situation information includes information indicating at least one of a driving amount and a driving force for relatively driving the mold and the substrate in the alignment step. An imprint apparatus characterized by the above.

15. An imprint apparatus that performs a process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate. A model is obtained that takes, as an input, situation information indicating the situation of the processing and outputs a protruding state of the imprint material from the shot region. The protruding state of the imprint material from at least one first shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the processing has already been performed is estimated by the model based on the situation information obtained in the processing of the first shot region. Based on the estimated protruding state of the first shot region, it is determined whether to execute the processing for a second shot region among the plurality of shot regions where the processing is scheduled to be performed after the first shot region. The processing includes a mold release step of separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate, wherein the situation information includes information indicating a mold release force for separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate in the mold release step, and the imprint apparatus is characterized by this.

Images