Imprinting apparatus, imprinting method and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide an imprint apparatus advantageous in reducing defects generated upon releasing a mold from a cured imprint material on a substrate.SOLUTION: An imprint apparatus 1 includes: a mold driving unit 104 configured to hold and drive a mold 101; a substrate driving unit 105 configured to hold and drive a substrate 102; and a control unit 106 configured to control the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit. An imprint process includes: curing an imprint material 103 in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other; and releasing the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate. The control unit includes a compensator configured to feedback-control driving of at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit such that a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in a direction along a surface of the substrate in the releasing is maintained at a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in a direction in the curing; and makes a gain of the compensator in the releasing smaller than a gain of the compensator in a step of the imprint process other than the releasing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Imprinting technology enables the transfer of nanoscale fine patterns and has been proposed as one of the lithography techniques for mass production of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, magnetic storage media, etc. An imprinting device using imprinting technology forms a pattern on a substrate by bringing a patterned mold into contact with an imprinting material on a substrate, curing the imprinting material, and then detaching the mold from the cured imprinting material. Imprinting devices typically use a photocuring method to cure the imprinting material by irradiating it with light (such as ultraviolet light).

[0003] Imprinting devices require high accuracy in the alignment of the mold and substrate. Therefore, in aligning the mold and substrate, the driving units (mold driving unit and substrate driving unit) that hold and drive the mold and substrate, respectively, are constantly controlled during the period from when the mold is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate to when the mold is separated, i.e., the period from imprinting to mold release.

[0004] During the period from imprinting to demolding, there are various factors that can cause defects in the pattern formed on the substrate. One of these is a demolding defect, in which a large force is applied between the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the mold during demolding, damaging the imprint material pattern (transfer layer) on the substrate or the mold pattern. Techniques for reducing (suppressing) such demolding defects have been proposed in the past (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing demolding defects by changing the relative speed (mold release speed) between a mold and a substrate when the mold is released from a hardened imprint material on the substrate and the relative angle (mold release angle) between the mold and the substrate depending on the position within the substrate. Patent Document 2 also discloses a technique for performing imprint processing using demolding conditions that reduce demolding defects by varying conditions including the demolding speed and demolding angle (mold release conditions). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-060074 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-091328 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In conventional techniques, the frictional force between the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the mold is reduced by controlling the demolding speed and the demolding angle, thereby reducing demolding defects. However, there are other forces besides frictional force that act between the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the mold and cause demolding defects, such as horizontal forces that occur during alignment between the mold and the substrate.

[0008] In addition, in the imprinting apparatus, in order to achieve high-precision alignment between the mold and the substrate, at least one of the mold and the substrate is moved to a target position in the horizontal direction during the period from imprinting to light irradiation, and is maintained at the position determined at the time of light irradiation during the period after light irradiation.

[0009] On the other hand, during demolding, a large force is applied to the substrate drive unit in the vertically upward direction via the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the substrate, causing the substrate drive unit to tilt. Although this depends on the structure of the substrate drive unit, generally, the tilt of the substrate drive unit increases the closer the demolding area between the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the mold is to the edge of the substrate. Even if the substrate drive unit tilts, the horizontal position of the mold and substrate in the demolding area does not change. However, if the horizontal position of the substrate drive unit is measured by detecting the edge of the substrate drive unit, the horizontal position of the substrate drive unit changes depending on the tilt of the substrate drive unit. In such cases, a control is activated to return the substrate drive unit to a position determined during light irradiation, generating a horizontal force. This horizontal force acts between the hardened imprint material on the substrate and the mold, causing demolding defects such as damage to the imprint material pattern or the mold pattern.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the problems with the conventional technology, and has an exemplary object to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in reducing defects when a mold is separated from a hardened imprint material on a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the imprint apparatus comprising: a mold driving unit that holds and drives the mold; a substrate driving unit that holds and drives the substrate; and a control unit that controls the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit, wherein the imprint process includes a curing step of curing the imprint material in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other; and a mold releasing step of separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate, the control unit including a compensator that feedback controls the driving of at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit so that a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in a direction along a surface of the substrate in the curing step is maintained, At the start ofThe gain of the compensator at said curing process At the end of The gain of the compensator at Between 1 / 10 and 1 / 5 of the It is characterized by:

[0012] Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in reducing defects that occur when, for example, a mold is separated from a hardened imprint material on a substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a contact step and a mold release step in the imprint process. [Figure 3] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a contact step and a mold release step in the imprint process. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement of shot areas on a substrate. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a demolding step in the imprint process. [Figure 6] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 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 multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0016] First Embodiment 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to one aspect of the present invention. The imprinting apparatus 1 is a lithography apparatus employed in a lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for devices such as semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, and magnetic storage media, and forms a pattern on a substrate. The imprinting apparatus 1 brings an uncured imprinting material supplied (placed) on the substrate into contact with a mold, and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern in a cured product to which the pattern of the mold has been transferred.

[0017] The imprint material is a material (curable composition) that hardens when curing energy is applied. The curing energy may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like. Electromagnetic waves include, for example, light having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm, specifically infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, and the like.

[0018] The curable composition is a composition that cures upon irradiation with light or heat. The photocurable composition that cures upon irradiation with light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may further contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent, as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal mold release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, a polymer component, and the like.

[0019] The imprint material may be applied to the substrate in the form of a film using a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the imprint material may be applied to the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by connecting multiple droplets using a liquid jet head. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25°C) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

[0020] The substrate may be made of glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc., and may have a member made of a material different from the substrate formed on its surface as needed. Specifically, the substrate may be made of a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, etc.

[0021] 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 rotation around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0022] In this embodiment, the imprinting apparatus 1 employs a photo-curing method as a curing method for the imprinting material. As shown in FIG. 1 , the imprinting apparatus 1 includes a mold driving unit 104, a substrate driving unit 105, a control unit 106, a detection system 107, and an irradiation unit 108.

[0023] The mold driving unit 104 includes, for example, a mold chuck that holds the mold 101 and a head that can support and drive the mold chuck, and has a function of holding and driving the mold 101. The substrate driving unit 105 includes, for example, a substrate chuck that holds the substrate 102 and a stage that can support and drive the substrate chuck, and has a function of holding and driving the substrate 102 on a holding surface 105A.

[0024] An imprint material (transfer layer) 103 may be disposed (supplied) in advance over the entire surface of the substrate 102. In this way, when the imprint material 103 is disposed in advance over the entire surface of the substrate 102, it is possible to shorten the process time. Also, the imprint material 103 may be disposed on the substrate using a dispenser (discharge device) included in the imprint apparatus 1 immediately before forming a pattern in each region on the substrate (a partitioned region where a pattern is to be formed, a so-called shot region). In this case, it is possible to dispose the imprint material 103 in accordance with the partial unevenness of the substrate 102.

[0025] The detection system 107 includes various detectors for acquiring information regarding the position and control force of each part of the imprint apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the detection system 107 includes a detector 107a provided for the substrate driving unit 105, a detector 107b provided for the mold driving unit 104, and a detector 107c provided above the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105.

[0026] The detector 107a includes a sensor for detecting the substrate driving unit 105 and acquiring various information related to the position and tilt of the substrate driving unit 105. In this embodiment, the detector 107a functions as a measurement unit that measures the position and tilt of the substrate driving unit 105 by detecting the end 105B of the holding surface 105A of the substrate driving unit 105 (the side surface of the substrate driving unit 105).

[0027] The detector 107b includes a sensor for detecting the mold driving unit 104 and acquiring various information related to the position and inclination of the mold driving unit 104. In this embodiment, the detector 107b functions as a measurement unit that measures the position and inclination of the mold driving unit 104 by detecting the end (side surface) of the mold driving unit 104.

[0028] The detector 107c is used for alignment between the mold 101 and the substrate 102. The detector 107c includes an alignment scope and functions as a detection unit that, for example, simultaneously detects (observes) an alignment mark (first mark) provided on the mold 101 and an alignment mark (second mark) provided on the substrate 102.

[0029] The irradiation unit 108 includes a light source that emits light, such as ultraviolet light, for curing the imprint material 103 on the substrate. When the imprint material 103 on the substrate is in contact with the mold 101, the irradiation unit 108 irradiates the imprint material 103 with light through the mold 101 to cure the imprint material 103.

[0030] The control unit 106 is configured by an information processing device (computer) including, for example, a CPU, memory, etc., and performs overall control of each unit of the imprint apparatus 1 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit, etc. The control unit 106 controls the operation and adjustment of each unit of the imprint apparatus 1, thereby performing an imprint process in which a pattern of the imprint material 103 is formed on the substrate (in each shot area) using the mold 101. In the imprint process, in this embodiment, the control unit 106 particularly controls, more specifically, feedback controls, the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105. Therefore, the control unit 106 includes a compensator for feedback controlling at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105.

[0031] The imprint process generally includes a disposing step (supply step), a contact step (imprinting step), a curing step, and a demolding step. The disposing step is a step of disposing an uncured imprint material 103 on a substrate. As described above, if the imprint material 103 is disposed on the entire surface of the substrate 102 in advance, the disposing step is omitted in the imprint process for each shot area on the substrate, thereby shortening the process time. The contact step is a step of bringing the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate into contact. The curing step is a step of curing the imprint material 103 while the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact with each other. The demolding step is a step of separating the mold 101 from the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate.

[0032] 2(a), the contact step of the imprint process will be described in detail. In the contact step, the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 are brought into contact with each other in order to transfer the pattern of the mold 101 to the imprint material 103 in a specific shot area (specific position) on the substrate.

[0033] Specifically, first, the control unit 106 determines the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction (the direction along the surface of the substrate 102, the X direction in this embodiment) from the detection result of the detector 107c, that is, the positional deviation. Then, based on the positional deviation determined from the detection result of the detector 107c, the control unit 106 drives the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 in the horizontal direction, thereby aligning the mold 101 (pattern) and the substrate 102 (shot area).

[0034] Next, the mold driving unit 104 holding the mold 101 is lowered (driven in the -Z direction) so as to bring the mold 101 and the substrate 102 closer together, thereby bringing the mold 101 into contact with the imprint material 103 on the substrate. Even in a state in which the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact with each other, the alignment between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 continues based on the positional deviation determined from the detection result of the detector 107c.

[0035] Once the alignment between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 has been achieved to a predetermined accuracy, a curing step is carried out. Specifically, with the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate in contact with each other, light from the irradiation unit 108 is irradiated onto the imprint material 103 through the mold 101 to cure the imprint material 103. After the imprint material 103 on the substrate has cured, the control unit 106 controls the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 to maintain the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction when the imprint material 103 was cured.

[0036] Next, the demolding step of the imprinting process will be described in detail with reference to Figure 2(b). After the imprinting material 103 on the substrate has hardened, the mold driving unit 104 holding the mold 101 is raised (driven in the +Z direction) to separate the mold 101 from the hardened imprinting material 103 on the substrate. At this time, the substrate driving unit 105 receives a force toward the mold 101 (in the +Z direction) via the mold 101, the imprinting material 103 in the demolding region on the substrate, and the substrate 102, causing it to tilt slightly. Note that the demolding region refers to the region on the substrate where the imprinting process (demolding step) is being performed, i.e., the shot region.

[0037] In the demolding process, when the substrate driving unit 105 tilts, the detector 107a that detects the end 105B of the holding surface 105A of the substrate driving unit 105 measures the change in the horizontal position of the substrate driving unit 105. On the other hand, in the demolding area, the relative positions of the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction do not change.

[0038] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 106 calculates the current horizontal position of the release area (the positional deviation between the mold 101 and the substrate 102) based on the detection result of the detector 107a during the release process. For example, in the release process, the current horizontal position of the release area is calculated based on the position and inclination of the substrate driving unit 105 measured by the detector 107a and the position of the release area on the substrate at the substrate driving unit 105.

[0039] An example of calculation of the current horizontal position of the release area performed by the control unit 106 will be described below. Here, the control unit 106 calculates the center of the current release area in the horizontal direction from the position and inclination of the substrate driving unit 105 and the position of the release area on the substrate at the substrate driving unit 105. The distance from the far end of the substrate driving unit 105 to the center of the release area is defined as (Ax, Ay), and the position and inclination of the substrate driving unit 105 at that time are defined as (Bx, By) and (θx, θy), respectively. When the position (Bx, By) of the substrate driving unit 105 is positive, the control unit 106 calculates the center of the release area in the horizontal direction from (Bx-Ax(1-cosθ), By-Ay(1-cosθ)). Furthermore, when the position (Bx, By) of the substrate driving unit 105 is negative, the control unit 106 calculates the center of the release area in the horizontal direction from (Bx+Ax(1-cos θ), By+Ay(1-cos θ)).

[0040] When the substrate driving unit 105 is not tilted, the position of the demolding area in the horizontal direction calculated by the control unit 106 and the position of the substrate driving unit 105 in the horizontal direction measured by the detector 107a will show the same value. Therefore, when the substrate driving unit 105 is not tilted, the control unit 106 may use the position of the demolding area calculated by the control unit 106 or the position of the substrate driving unit 105 measured by the detector 107a when controlling the substrate driving unit 105.

[0041] However, if the substrate driving unit 105 is tilted, the horizontal position of the demolding area calculated by the control unit 106 and the horizontal position of the substrate driving unit 105 measured by the detector 107a will indicate different values. In such a case, in this embodiment, the substrate driving unit 105 (and at least one of the mold driving unit 104) is controlled based on the position of the demolding area calculated by the control unit 106. This makes it possible to maintain the horizontal positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the demolding process identical to the horizontal positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the curing process. In this way, if the relative positions of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 in the horizontal direction in the demolding process are not changed from those in the curing process, no horizontal force will act between the mold 101 and the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate in the demolding process. Therefore, demolding defects such as damage to the pattern of the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate and damage to the pattern of the mold 101 can be sufficiently reduced (suppressed).

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, the tilt of the substrate driving unit 105 that occurs in the demolding step is converted into a positional deviation between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction, and at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 is controlled based on this positional deviation. Specifically, the driving of at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 is controlled so that the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 (demolding area) in the horizontal direction in the demolding step maintains the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction in the hardening step. This makes it possible to realize an imprinting apparatus 1 that is advantageous in reducing defects that occur when the mold 101 is separated from the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate, i.e., demolding defects.

[0043] Second Embodiment In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the detector 107c is used to realize an imprint apparatus 1 that is advantageous in reducing demolding defects. In this embodiment, in the demolding process, as in the contacting process, the control unit 106 determines the positional deviation in the horizontal direction between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 from the detection result of the detector 107c, and controls the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 based on this positional deviation.

[0044] In order to align the mold 101 and the substrate 102, typically, a plurality of alignment marks (a plurality of first marks) are provided on the mold 101, and a plurality of alignment marks (a plurality of second marks) are provided on the substrate 102. The plurality of alignment marks (a plurality of first marks and a plurality of second marks) provided on the mold 101 and the substrate 102 correspond to each other and can be detected by the detector 107c.

[0045] FIG. 3(a) is a top view of the mold 101 in a state in which the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact (contact step). In the contact step, the mold 101 and the imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact over the entire area, and the entire area of ​​the mold 101 becomes an area 201 in contact with the imprint material 103. In this case, the detector 107c can detect all alignment marks 202 provided on the mold 101 (and the shot area of ​​the substrate 102). Therefore, in the contact step, the horizontal positional deviation between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 is calculated from the detection results of all alignment marks 202, and the driving of at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 is controlled based on this positional deviation. Therefore, in the contact step, the mold 101 and the substrate 102 can be aligned with high precision.

[0046] 3(b) is a top view of the mold 101 in a state in which the mold 101 is being separated from the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate, specifically, in the early stage of the demolding process. As the demolding process progresses, the area 201 in which the mold 101 and the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact gradually becomes smaller. Therefore, the alignment mark 202 includes an alignment mark 202A present in the area 201 and an alignment mark 202B present in an area 203 in which the mold 101 and the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate are not in contact. Since the alignment mark 202B present in such an area 203 is an alignment mark located in an area separated from the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate, it is detected as an abnormal value (error) even when detected by the detector 107c. Generally, alignment marks function perfectly, so if at least part of the alignment mark is located in an area that is separated from the hardened imprint material on the substrate, it is highly likely to be detected as an abnormal value.

[0047] Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection result of the alignment mark 202B present in the region 203 is not used for aligning the mold 101 and the substrate 102. In other words, of the alignment marks 202 detected by the detector 107c in the demolding process, only the detection result of the alignment mark 202A present in the region 201 where the mold 101 and the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact is used. Specifically, in the demolding process, the horizontal positional deviation between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 is calculated from the detection result of the alignment mark 202A, and the drive of at least one of the mold driver 104 and the substrate driver 105 is controlled based on the calculated positional deviation. This makes it possible to align the mold 101 and the substrate 102 based on the same criteria as in the contacting process. Therefore, the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction in the demolding process can be maintained to be the same as the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction in the curing process. It should be noted that the alignment mark 202A present in the region 201 and the alignment mark 202B present in the region 203 can be distinguished by setting a threshold value based on the abnormal value described above.

[0048] 3(c) is a top view of the mold 101 in the middle of the demolding process. In the middle of the demolding process, as in the early stage of the demolding process, the detection result of the alignment mark 202B present in the region 203 where the mold 101 and the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate are not in contact with each other is not used for aligning the mold 101 and the substrate 102.

[0049] 3(d) is a top view of the mold 101 in the later stage of the demolding process. As shown in FIG. 3(d), even if the alignment marks 202A present in the region 201 where the mold 101 and the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact become one, it is still possible to align the mold 101 and the substrate 102.

[0050] As described above, in this embodiment, in the demolding step, the detection result of the alignment mark 202A present in the region 201 where the mold 101 and the cured imprint material 103 on the substrate are in contact with each other is extracted from the detection results of the detector 107c. In addition, the positional deviation between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction is calculated from the detection result of the alignment mark 202A. Then, based on this positional deviation, the driving of at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 is controlled so that the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction in the demolding step is maintained as the positional relationship in the curing step.

[0051] In this way, if the relative positions of the mold driver 104 and the substrate driver 105 in the horizontal direction in the demolding step are not changed from those in the curing step, no horizontal force acts between the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate and the mold 101 in the demolding step. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently reduce (suppress) demolding defects such as damage to the pattern of the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate and damage to the pattern of the mold 101. This makes it possible to realize an imprint apparatus 1 that is advantageous in reducing defects that occur when the mold 101 is separated from the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate, i.e., demolding defects.

[0052] Third Embodiment In this embodiment, we will explain the case where an imprint apparatus 1 that is advantageous for reducing demolding defects is realized by using a compensator included in the control unit 106 for feedback control of at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105.

[0053] In this embodiment, the control unit 106 feedback-controls the drive of at least one of the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 so that the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction during the demolding process is maintained as it was during the curing process.

[0054] Generally, in feedback control, a gain (gain value) is set that determines the percentage of the difference between the target value and the current value that is reflected in the control (control force). If the gain is large (high), the control force is output instantaneously, allowing for high-speed control, but there is a risk of the control system oscillating. On the other hand, if the gain is small (low), the control force is output gradually, reducing the risk of the control system oscillating, but not allowing for high-speed control.

[0055] 2(b), when substrate driving unit 105 tilts, as described above, detector 107a, which detects end 105B of holding surface 105A of substrate driving unit 105, measures the change in the position of substrate driving unit 105 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, control unit 106 outputs a control force to substrate driving unit 105 to return substrate driving unit 105 to its original position. As described above, this control force depends on the gain set in the compensator included in control unit 106.

[0056] In the contact step, in order to align the mold 101 and the substrate 102 at high speed, a large gain is often set in the compensator included in the control unit 106. However, in the demolding step, since the alignment between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 has already been completed, the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 only need to be controlled to maintain their positions, and therefore a large gain is not necessary.

[0057] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 106 sets the gain of the compensator in the demolding process to be smaller than the gain of the compensator in the contacting process. This makes it possible to suppress the control force output from the control unit 106 to the mold driving unit 104 and the substrate driving unit 105 in the demolding process. Reducing the gain of the compensator included in the control unit 106 is advantageous when feedback control based on the detection result of the detector 107a is not desired.

[0058] As described above, in this embodiment, the drive of at least one of the mold driver 104 and the substrate driver 105 is feedback-controlled in the mold release step so that the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction is maintained as in the curing step. At this time, the gain of the compensator (the compensator included in the control unit 106) in the mold release step is set smaller than the gain of the compensator in steps (specifically, the contact step) other than the mold release step in the imprint processing. This makes it possible to maintain the positional relationship between the mold 101 and the substrate 102 in the horizontal direction in the mold release step as the positional relationship in the curing step, even without the control unit 106 calculating the position of the mold release region in the horizontal direction, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently reduce (suppress) mold release defects, such as damage to the pattern of the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate or damage to the pattern of the mold 101.

[0059] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in terms of a case where the control unit 106 includes a PID compensator as the compensator. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of shot areas on a substrate. The imprint apparatus 1 performs imprint processing on each shot area on the substrate shown in FIG. 4. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, shot areas located at the edge of the substrate 102 are referred to as "substrate edge areas 301," and shot areas located at the center of the substrate 102 are referred to as "substrate center areas 302." In addition, the substrate driving unit 105 is PID-controlled by the PID compensator included in the control unit 106.

[0060] For example, consider a case where the gain of the PID compensator in the demolding step is set to the gain (normal gain) of the PID compensator in steps other than the demolding step in the imprint process, and a case where the gain for the P value and the I value is set to 1 / 10 of the normal gain (relaxed gain). For each of these two cases, the control force output from the control unit 106 (PID compensator) to the substrate driving unit 105 when the demolding step is performed on the substrate edge region 301 is shown in FIG.

[0061] 5, when the normal gain is set in the PID compensator, the substrate drive unit 105 reaches the target position in a short time, and thereafter, no control force is output, but a force of about 4 N is initially applied. On the other hand, when the relaxed gain is set in the PID compensator, it takes time for the substrate drive unit 105 to reach the target position, but it is also seen that a maximum control force of only about 0.5 N is output throughout the entire demolding process. In both cases, the maximum control force in the substrate central region 302 was less than 1 N.

[0062] The patterns of the imprint material 103 formed on the substrate in the two cases described above are compared. When the normal gain is set in the PID compensator, more defects occur in the substrate edge region 301 than in the substrate central region 302. On the other hand, when the relaxed gain is set in the PID compensator, there is no difference in the defect density between the substrate edge region 301 and the substrate central region 302.

[0063] In this way, also in this embodiment, it is possible to realize an imprint apparatus 1 that is advantageous in reducing defects that occur when the mold 101 is separated from the hardened imprint material 103 on the substrate, that is, mold release defects.

[0064] With regard to the relaxation gain, if the gain is made extremely small, the deviation between the current position of the substrate driving unit 105 and the target position will increase when the substrate driving unit 105 is driven again to perform imprint processing on the next shot area. This causes the substrate driving unit 105 to be rapidly accelerated, but such rapid acceleration will affect the durability life of the substrate driving unit 105. Therefore, it is preferable to set the relaxation gain to between 1 / 10 and 1 / 5 of the normal gain rather than completely setting it to zero (rather than turning off feedback control). For the same reason, it is preferable to gradually return the compensator gain, which was reduced in the demolding process, to its original state. It is preferable to return the compensator gain, which was reduced in the demolding process, to its original state after the imprint processing on one shot area on the substrate is completed and before the imprint processing on the next shot area is started.

[0065] The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprinting apparatus 1 is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. Examples of articles include electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, and molds. Examples of electric circuit elements include volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensors, and FPGA. Examples of molds include molds for imprinting.

[0066] The pattern of the cured product may be used as it is as at least a part of a component of the above-mentioned article, or may be used temporarily as a resist mask, which is removed after etching or ion implantation is performed in a substrate processing step.

[0067] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Figure 6(a), a substrate such as a silicon wafer is prepared with a workpiece material such as an insulator formed on its surface. Next, an imprint material is applied to the surface of the workpiece by an inkjet method or the like. Here, the imprint material in the form of multiple droplets is shown applied to the substrate.

[0068] As shown in Figure 6(b), the imprinting mold is placed with the side on which the concave-convex pattern is formed facing the imprinting material on the substrate. As shown in Figure 6(c), the substrate on which the imprinting material has been applied is brought into contact with the mold, and pressure is applied. The imprinting material fills the gap between the mold and the workpiece. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold as hardening energy, the imprinting material hardens.

[0069] As shown in Figure 6(d), after the imprint material is cured, the mold and substrate are separated, forming a pattern of the cured imprint material on the substrate. In this cured material pattern, the recesses of the mold correspond to the protrusions of the cured material, and vice versa. In other words, the recessed and protrusion patterns of the mold are transferred to the imprint material.

[0070] As shown in Figure 6(e), when etching is performed using the cured material pattern as an etching-resistant mask, the portions of the surface of the workpiece where no cured material is present or where only a thin layer remains are removed, forming grooves. As shown in Figure 6(f), when the cured material pattern is removed, an article with grooves formed on the surface of the workpiece can be obtained. Here, the cured material pattern was removed, but it may also be used as an interlayer insulating film included in semiconductor devices, i.e., a component of an article, without being removed after processing.

[0071] 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 following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: Imprinting device 101: Mold 102: Substrate 103: Imprinting material 104: Mold driving unit 105: Substrate driving unit 106: Control unit

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process to form a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, a mold driving unit that holds and drives the mold; a substrate driving unit that holds and drives the substrate; a control unit that controls the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit, the imprinting process includes a curing step of curing the imprinting material on the substrate while the mold and the imprinting material are in contact with each other, and a demolding step of separating the mold from the hardened imprinting material on the substrate, The control unit a compensator for feedback-controlling the driving of at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit so that, in the mold releasing step, a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in a direction along the surface of the substrate is maintained in the curing step; an imprinting apparatus, characterized in that the gain of the compensator at the start of the demolding step is set to be 1 / 10 or more and 1 / 5 or less of the gain of the compensator at the end of the curing step.

2. the imprinting process includes a contacting step of contacting the mold with an imprinting material on the substrate; The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit sets a gain of the compensator in the mold release step to be smaller than a gain of the compensator in the contact step.

3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, after the imprint processing for one area on the substrate is completed, the control unit gradually restores the gain of the compensator, which was reduced in the demolding process in the imprint processing for the one area, before starting the imprint processing for the next area.

4. 4. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compensator includes a PID compensator.

5. An imprinting method characterized by performing an imprinting process using an imprinting device described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to claim 1; processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the process; manufacturing an article from the processed substrate; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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