Imprinting apparatus, imprinting method and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous in terms of alignment between a mold and a substrate.SOLUTION: An imprint device performs imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, and has a measurement unit that measures positional deviation between the mold and the substrate, and a control unit. The imprint processing includes a contact step of, before a step of alignment between the mold and the substrate, deforming the mold in a convex shape toward the substrate and bringing the mold into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, and with the mold and the imprint material being in contact with each other, flattening the mold. The control unit acquires data for estimating a variation in the positional deviation between the mold and the substrate occurring during the contact step, and when performing the imprint processing on the substrate, estimates positional deviation measured by the measurement unit at a reference time during the contact step and positional deviation occurring during the contact step from the data, thereby obtaining estimated values, and on the basis of, the estimated values, drives at least one of the mold and the substrate in the contact step to reduce positional deviation at a start time of the alignment step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Imprinting technology, which uses a mold to form an imprint material on a substrate, is known as a technology for manufacturing articles such as semiconductor elements and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). In imprinting technology, the imprint material supplied onto the substrate is brought into contact with the mold, the imprint material is cured, and a pattern of the imprint material can be formed on the substrate by separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate.

[0003] In an imprinting apparatus employing such imprinting technology, when the imprinting material on the substrate is brought into contact with the mold, the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate to prevent air bubbles from remaining between the imprinting material and the mold. The imprinting apparatus is also required to transfer the pattern of the mold to the shot area on the substrate with high precision. Therefore, imprinting apparatuses generally employ a method of aligning the mold with the shot area on the substrate after bringing the imprinting material on the substrate into contact with the mold, and techniques related to such alignment have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that enables alignment of the mold and the shot area in parallel with the contact process by correcting the influence on alignment of deformation of the mold caused by contact between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold (contact process).Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that reduces misalignment between the mold and the shot area caused by such contact by correcting the influence of the pressing force when the imprint material on the substrate and the mold are brought into contact using the coordinates of the shot area on the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-225637 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-154207 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, as demands for improved productivity in imprinting apparatuses continue to grow, the time constraints for alignment are also becoming stricter. In order to shorten the time required for alignment, it is effective to reduce the amount of misalignment between the mold and the shot area at the start of alignment.

[0007] The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are useful for reducing the amount of misalignment between the mold and the shot area when the mold comes into contact with the imprint material on the substrate. However, the amount of misalignment between the mold and the shot area varies due to the complex effects of factors such as the base (step) formed on the substrate, the edge structure of the outer periphery of the substrate, and viscous forces generated between the mold and the substrate via the imprint material. For this reason, it is not possible to sufficiently reduce the amount of misalignment between the mold and the shot area at the start of alignment, and alignment takes a considerable amount of time.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the conventional technology, and has an exemplary object to provide a technology that is advantageous in terms of alignment between a mold and a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] 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 using a mold to form a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate, and includes a measurement unit that measures a positional deviation between the mold and the substrate, and a control unit, and the imprint process includes, before an alignment process that aligns the mold and the substrate, a contact process that deforms the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring it into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, and flattens the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact, and the control unit Before the imprinting process is performed on the substrate, the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward a test substrate different from the substrate, and brought into contact with the imprint material on the test substrate, and the mold is flattened while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other. This relates to the fluctuation in positional deviation between the mold and the test substrate that occurs during the process. The data is acquired, and when the imprint processing is performed on the substrate, the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit and the data are Ta Based on this, at least one of the mold and the substrate is driven in the contact step so that the misalignment at the start of the alignment step is reduced.

[0010] 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]

[0011] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous in terms of alignment between a mold and a substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a general imprint process. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing fluctuations (changes over time) in positional deviation between a shot area on a substrate and a mold. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a test substrate and the arrangement of shot areas on each substrate; [Figure 6]1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a substrate driving unit. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an imprint process in the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although 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.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to one aspect of the present invention. The imprinting apparatus 1 is a lithography apparatus employed in a lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for devices such as semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, and magnetic storage media, to form a pattern on a substrate. The imprinting apparatus 1 performs an imprinting process that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate. Specifically, the imprinting apparatus 1 brings uncured imprinting material supplied (placed) on the substrate into contact with the mold, and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern in a cured material to which the pattern of the mold has been transferred.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] In this embodiment, the imprinting apparatus 1 employs a photo-curing method as a method for curing the imprinting material. As shown in FIG. 1 , the imprinting apparatus 1 includes a substrate driving unit 2, a mold driving unit 3, an irradiation unit 4, a measurement unit 5, a supply unit 6, and a control unit 7.

[0021] The substrate driving unit 2 has the function of holding and driving the substrate 10. The substrate driving unit 2 includes a substrate chuck, a substrate stage, etc., and in this embodiment, drives the substrate 10 at least in the X and Y directions while holding it. When aligning the mold 30 and the substrate 10, the substrate driving unit 2 drives in accordance with command values ​​output from the control unit 7 based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 5.

[0022] The mold driving unit 3 has the function of holding and driving the mold 30. The mold driving unit 3 includes a mold chuck, an imprint head, etc., and in this embodiment, drives the mold 30 at least in the Z direction while holding it. The mold driving unit 3 is used for the operation of bringing the pattern area 31 (pattern) of the mold 30 into contact with (imprinting) the imprint material 20 on the substrate, and for the operation of separating the mold 30 from the hardened imprint material 20 on the substrate. A recess 33 (cavity) is formed on the surface of the mold 30 opposite to the surface including the pattern area 31. By applying pressure to the recess 33 formed in the mold 30 from the pressure adjustment unit via the mold driving unit 3, it is possible to deform (the pattern area 31 of) the mold 30 held by the mold driving unit 3 into a convex shape toward the substrate 10.

[0023] The substrate driving unit 2 and the mold driving unit 3 constitute a driving unit that relatively drives the substrate 10 and the mold 30. By driving at least one of the substrate 10 and the mold 30, the driving unit can adjust the relative position and orientation of the substrate 10 and the mold 30.

[0024] In the imprint process, the irradiation unit 4 irradiates the imprint material 20 on the substrate with light that hardens the imprint material 20. The irradiation unit 4 includes, for example, a light source and a plurality of optical members that adjust the light emitted from the light source to a state appropriate for the imprint process.

[0025] The measurement unit 5 measures the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mold 30, i.e., the positional deviation between the substrate 10 and the mold 30, by simultaneously or separately detecting the mark 12 provided on the substrate 10 (in the shot area 11) and the mark 32 provided on the mold 30.

[0026] The supply unit 6 has a function of supplying (disposing) the imprint material 20 onto the substrate 10. The supply unit 6 includes, for example, a dispenser that ejects the imprint material 20 onto each shot area on the substrate. The supply unit 6 may supply the imprint material 20 individually to each of the multiple shot areas on the substrate, or may supply the imprint material 20 to several shot areas at once. Furthermore, instead of the imprint apparatus 1 having the supply unit 6, the substrate 10 onto which the imprint material 20 has been supplied by a device (such as a spin coater) separate from the imprint apparatus 1 may be carried into the imprint apparatus 1.

[0027] The control unit 7 is configured as an information processing device (computer) including a CPU, memory, etc., and in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit, controls all parts of the imprinting apparatus 1 to operate the imprinting apparatus 1. The control unit 7 may be configured integrally with the imprinting apparatus 1 (in a common housing), or may be configured separately from the imprinting apparatus 1 (in a different housing).

[0028] In this embodiment, the control unit 7 controls the imprint process and processes related thereto. For example, the control unit 7 controls the alignment of the mold 30 and the substrate 10 in the imprint process. Specifically, based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 5, the control unit 7 drives at least one of the substrate 10 and the mold 30 so that the positional deviation between the substrate 10 (shot area 11 thereof) and the mold 30 becomes a target value (so that it falls within an allowable range).

[0029] 2 and 3, a typical imprint process in the imprint apparatus 1 will be described, focusing on the misalignment between the shot area 11 on the substrate and the mold 30. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the typical imprint process. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the fluctuation (change over time) in the misalignment between the shot area 11 on the substrate and the mold 30 in the typical imprint process. Note that each step (start time, end time, etc.) included in the imprint process can be identified (defined) from various information described in the imprint recipe, for example.

[0030] In S101, the supply unit 6 supplies the imprint material 20 to the shot area 11 on the substrate (the target shot area where the imprint process will be performed). However, if the imprint material 20 is supplied collectively to a plurality of shot areas on the substrate, including the target shot area, this step (S101) is not necessary. Also, if the imprint material 20 is supplied to the target shot area on the substrate by an apparatus other than the imprint apparatus 1, this step (S101) is not necessary.

[0031] In S102, pressure is applied from the pressure adjustment unit to the recess 33 of the mold 30, causing the mold 30 (pattern area 31) held by the mold driving unit 3 to deform into a convex shape toward the substrate 10. By deforming the mold 30 into a convex shape toward the substrate 10, it is possible to improve the filling property of the imprint material 20 into the pattern area 31 of the mold 30 when the imprint material 20 on the substrate and the mold 30 are brought into contact.

[0032] In S103, the mold driving unit 3 is lowered, i.e., driven downward along the Z direction, and the mold 30 is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate 10, and the imprint material 20 on the substrate is brought into contact with the mold 30. S103 is a first contact step in which the mold 30 is deformed into a convex shape toward the substrate 10 and brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate. In the first contact step, the positional deviation 201 (positional deviation amount) between the shot region 11 on the substrate and the mold 30 varies gradually due to the influence of factors such as changes in the shape of the mold 30 and the force pressing the mold 30 against the imprint material 20, as shown in FIG.

[0033] In S104, the pressure adjustment unit stops applying pressure to the recessed portion 33 of the mold 30, and the convex shape of the mold 30 held by the mold driving unit 3 is returned to its original shape (flat state). S104 is a second contact step in which the mold 30 is flattened while being in contact with the imprint material 20. Even in the second contact step, the positional deviation 202 (positional deviation amount) between the shot region 11 on the substrate and the mold 30 varies due to influences such as changes in the pressure of the recessed portion 33 of the mold 30 and changes in the force pressing the mold 30 against the imprint material 20, as shown in FIG. 3 .

[0034] In S105, while the measurement unit 5 measures the positional misalignment between the shot area 11 on the substrate and the mold 30, the substrate 10 is driven via the substrate driving unit 2 to reduce the positional misalignment to a target value. S105 is an alignment process for aligning the substrate 10 and the mold 30. In the alignment process, the positional misalignment 203 (amount of misalignment) between the shot area 11 on the substrate and the mold 30 is reduced to a target value, as shown in FIG. 3. In the alignment process, the drive amount of the substrate driving unit 2 (substrate 10) required for aligning the substrate 10 and the mold 30 increases or decreases depending on the magnitude of the positional misalignment at the start time of starting the alignment process, and the time required for the alignment process also increases or decreases.

[0035] In S106, while the imprint material 20 on the substrate is in contact with the mold 30, the irradiation unit 4 irradiates the imprint material 20 with light, thereby hardening the imprint material 20.

[0036] In S107, the mold driving unit 3 is raised, i.e., driven upward in the Z direction, to separate the mold 30 from the hardened imprint material 20 on the substrate (mold release). As a result, a pattern of the hardened imprint material 20 is formed in the shot area 11 on the substrate.

[0037] In actual semiconductor manufacturing, a plurality of shot areas are generally arranged on a substrate, and steps S101 to S107 are repeated until a pattern of the hardened imprint material 20 is formed on each shot area.

[0038] 3 also shows ideal measurement results of the measurement unit 5. However, in the first contact step, the imprint material 20 on the substrate and the mold 30 are not in complete contact (adhesion), so the marks 12 and 32 cannot be detected, and the measurement results of the measurement unit 5 may become unstable.

[0039] The imprinting process (imprinting method) of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). In this embodiment, first, data is acquired to estimate the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contacting step. Here, the contacting step is a step of deforming the mold 30 into a convex shape toward the substrate 10, bringing it into contact with the imprinting material 20 on the substrate, and flattening the mold 30 while the mold 30 and the imprinting material 20 are in contact. Therefore, the contacting step includes a first contacting step (S103) and a second contacting step (S104). Furthermore, in this embodiment, data is acquired to estimate the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs particularly during the second contacting step.

[0040] Specifically, before performing the imprint process on the substrate 10, a pre-processing equivalent to the imprint process is performed on the test substrate. Next, as shown in FIG. 4( a), from the results of the pre-processing performed on the test substrate, the misalignment E0 between the mold 30 and the test substrate at the start time of the process corresponding to the second contact process is obtained. Also, the misalignment E1 between the mold 30 and the test substrate at the start time of the alignment process, i.e., the end time of the process corresponding to the second contact process, is obtained. Then, the difference between the misalignment E0 and the misalignment E1, i.e., the misalignment fluctuation amount D=E1−E0, is obtained as data for estimating the fluctuation in the misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the second contact process. However, in this embodiment, since it is sufficient to be able to obtain the misalignment fluctuation amount D that occurs during the second contact process, for example, the alignment process after the contact processes (first contact process and second contact process) does not necessarily have to be performed. In other words, the pre-processing step should include at least the steps of deforming the mold 30 into a convex shape toward the test substrate, bringing it into contact with the imprint material on the test substrate, and flattening the mold 30 while the mold 30 and the imprint material are in contact.

[0041] In this embodiment, the misalignment variation amount D is obtained by performing a pre-processing on the test substrate. Therefore, it is preferable to use, as the test substrate, a substrate having the same base structure as the substrate 10, that is, a substrate including a plurality of shot areas arranged in the same layout as the substrate 10. This makes it possible to obtain a variation amount D equivalent to that obtained when an imprint process is actually performed on the substrate 10.

[0042] Furthermore, if the variation amount D varies depending on the underlying structure in each shot area on the substrate, it is necessary to perform pre-processing on each shot area on the test substrate and obtain the variation amount Di for each shot area i from the results. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, pre-processing is performed on each shot area A1 to A16 of the test substrate, and the variation amount D1 used in the imprint process for shot area B1 of substrate 10 is obtained from the results of the pre-processing on shot area A1. Similarly, the variation amounts D2 to D16 used in the imprint process for shot areas B2 to B16 of substrate 10 are obtained from the results of the pre-processing on shot areas A2 to A16 of the test substrate.

[0043] After the amount of misalignment fluctuation D that occurs during the second contact step is acquired as data for estimating the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the second contact step, the imprint process is performed on the substrate 10. In this embodiment, an estimated value of the misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact step is estimated from the misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 measured by the measurement unit 5 at a reference time during the contact step and the amount of misalignment fluctuation D acquired in advance. Then, based on this estimated value, at least one of the mold 30 and the substrate 10 is driven in the contact step so as to reduce the misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 at the start time (start time) when the alignment step is started.

[0044] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the misalignment at the start of the alignment process is estimated from the previously acquired amount of variation D and the misalignment E2 between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 at the start time (reference time) of the second contact process, to obtain an estimated value T = E2 + D. The estimated value T is the misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process and is also the misalignment at the end time of the second contact process. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the estimated value T is reflected in a command value for driving the substrate driving unit 2 and output, thereby enabling alignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 to be performed in parallel with the second contact process. For example, to bring the misalignment at the start of the alignment process closer to the target value, a command value (set command value -T) obtained by subtracting the estimated value T from the set command value given to the substrate driving unit 2 by default is output during the second contact process so as to cancel out the estimated value T.

[0045] As the substrate driving unit 2 drives in accordance with the command value, the positional deviation 322 between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 varies, resulting in a positional deviation 323 in the second contact step, as shown in Fig. 4(b). Note that in Fig. 4(b), the timings of the positional deviations 322 and 323 are shown shifted to make the variation of the positional deviations 322 and 323 easier to understand, but in reality, the positional deviations 322 and 323 occur in parallel. However, the total variation of the positional deviations 322 and 323 is considered to be the same.

[0046] Thus, according to this embodiment, the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 at the start of the alignment process can be reduced to approach the target value, thereby shortening the time required to align the mold 30 and the substrate 10.

[0047] In semiconductor manufacturing, multiple substrates are generally manufactured as a single unit (lot). Therefore, the first substrate among the multiple substrates included in the lot may be used as a test substrate to acquire, for each shot area, a misalignment fluctuation amount, which is data for estimating the misalignment fluctuation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process. This can shorten the time required for the alignment process in the imprint process for the second and subsequent substrates of the same lot. Since it is not possible to acquire data for estimating the misalignment fluctuation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process for the first substrate of the lot, it is advisable to maintain the alignment accuracy by extending the time of the alignment process as necessary.

[0048] Furthermore, data for estimating the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process may be updated based on the results of the imprint process performed on the substrate 10 (each shot area). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, an estimated value T0 = E2 + D0 at the start of the alignment process is calculated from the misalignment fluctuation amount D0 acquired in advance and the misalignment E2 at the start of the second contact process. Then, based on this estimated value, the substrate drive unit 2 is driven in the second contact process so as to reduce the misalignment at the start of the alignment process. Here, if the misalignment at the start of the alignment process is E3 and the fluctuation amount of the actual misalignment is D1, when the fluctuation amount D0 and the fluctuation amount D1 are the same, the misalignment E3 matches the target value. However, if the fluctuation amount D0 and the fluctuation amount D1 do not match for some reason, the misalignment E3 becomes E3 = E2 + D1 - T0 = D1 - D0, and therefore a misalignment occurs at the start of the alignment process. In such a case, the amount of variation D1=D0+E3 can be obtained as data for estimating the variation in positional misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process, and can be used in the next imprint process.

[0049] Furthermore, with regard to updating the amount of misalignment fluctuation, which is data for estimating the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact process, a threshold value may be set for the misalignment E3 at the start of the alignment process. Then, the amount of misalignment fluctuation is updated only if the misalignment E3 at the start of the alignment process is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Note that if the misalignment E3 at the start of the alignment process is equal to or greater than the threshold value (i.e., if the misalignment E3 is large), it is likely that the alignment process will take a long time, so it is advisable to maintain the accuracy of the alignment by extending the time of the alignment process.

[0050] Furthermore, the fluctuation in misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact step tends to be similar in adjacent shot areas. Therefore, for a target shot area on the substrate that will undergo imprint processing, the amount of misalignment fluctuation may be obtained from the results of a shot area that has been imprinted and is adjacent to the target shot area. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when imprint processing is performed sequentially on shot areas B1 to B16 on the substrate 10, the amount of misalignment fluctuation is first obtained from the results of the imprint processing on shot area B1. Then, this amount of misalignment fluctuation may be used when performing imprint processing on shot areas B2 and B4.

[0051] So far, we have described a case in which a command value is given to the substrate driving unit 2 in the second contact step of the imprint process on the substrate 10 using only data (variation amount data) for estimating the fluctuation in the positional misalignment between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the second contact step. As shown in FIG. 7 , the substrate driving unit 2 may include a substrate measurement unit 21, a driving unit 22, and a substrate control unit 23. The substrate measurement unit 21 includes an interferometer and an encoder for measuring the position of the substrate 10. The driving unit 22 includes a linear motor for changing the position of the substrate 10. The substrate control unit 23 controls the driving unit 22 based on the position of the substrate 10 measured by the substrate measurement unit 21 and a command value (a drive target position of the substrate 10) from the control unit 7. In this case, when the control unit 7 gives a command value to the substrate driving unit 2 that takes into account the estimated value T, if the target value is changed significantly instantaneously, overshooting or oscillation may occur due to the control characteristics of the substrate driving unit 2. Therefore, the substrate driving unit 2 may be given a command value that changes continuously (at each time of the second contact step) so that the estimated value T is reached during the second contact step.

[0052] Also, consider a case where time-series data indicating the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the test substrate at each time during the process corresponding to the second contacting process is obtained as data for estimating the fluctuation in the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the second contacting process. In this case, the positional deviation at each time during the second contacting process is estimated from the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit 5 at the start time of the second contacting process and the time-series data. Then, a command value that changes continuously (at each time during the second contacting process) may be given to the substrate driving unit 2 so as to reduce the positional deviation (estimated value) at each time during the second contacting process.

[0053] Note that while the measurement target of the substrate measurement unit 21 is the position of the substrate 10, the final control target in this embodiment is the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mold 30. Therefore, if the position of the mold 30 changes due to the influence of driving by the substrate drive unit 2, the drive amount (change amount) of the position of the substrate 10 does not necessarily match the amount of fluctuation in positional deviation. For this reason, the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 is sequentially measured by the measurement unit 5, and the fluctuation in positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 that occurs during the contact step is also sequentially updated, thereby minimizing the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step.

[0054] 8, the fluctuation in the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 obtained by successive measurements by the measurement unit 5 during the second contact step is taken as a fluctuation waveform, and a target waveform during the second contact step is generated from this fluctuation waveform and a target value. Then, during the second contact step, a command value is given from the control unit 7 to the substrate driving unit 2 according to the difference between this target waveform and the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit 5, thereby reducing and minimizing the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step.

[0055] In this embodiment, the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 is determined from the measurement results of the measurement unit 5. However, because the measurement unit 5 detects the mark 12 provided in the shot area 11 on the substrate via the imprint material 20, the measurement by the measurement unit 5 becomes unstable during the contact step due to the influence of the filling of the imprint material 20, etc. If the measurement unit 5 is unable to detect the mark 12 during the contact step and normal measurement results are not obtained, a certain period of time may be set for measurement timing, and the positional deviation (fluctuation) between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 may be determined from normal measurement results obtained during that period. It is also possible to determine the positional deviation between the mold 30 and the substrate 10 by averaging the measurement results obtained over a certain period of time.

[0056] The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprinting apparatus 1 (imprinting method) of this embodiment is used permanently on at least a part 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 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] Next, a specific method for manufacturing the article will be described. As shown in Figure 9(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.

[0059] As shown in Figure 9(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 9(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.

[0060] As shown in Figure 9(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.

[0061] As shown in Figure 9(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 9(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.

[0062] 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]

[0063] 1: Imprinting device 2: Substrate driving unit 3: Mold driving unit 5: Measurement unit 7: Control unit 10: Substrate 30: Mold

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process to form a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, a measurement unit that measures a positional deviation between the mold and the substrate; a control unit; the imprinting process includes, before an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate, a contact step of deforming the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring the mold into contact with an imprint material on the substrate, and flattening the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other; The control unit Before performing the imprint process on the substrate, a step is performed in which the mold is deformed into a convex shape toward a test substrate different from the substrate, and brought into contact with an imprint material on the test substrate, and the mold is flattened while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other, and data is acquired from the results of the step relating to fluctuations in positional misalignment between the mold and the test substrate that occur during the step; When performing the imprint process on the substrate, at least one of the mold and the substrate is driven in the contact step so that the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step is reduced based on the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit and the data. An imprinting apparatus comprising:

2. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the contacting step includes a first contacting step of deforming the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring it into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate, and a second contacting step of flattening the mold while keeping the mold and the imprinting material in contact.

3. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the data indicates the difference between the positional deviation between the mold and the test substrate at the start time of a process corresponding to the second contact process among the processes for the test substrate, and the positional deviation between the mold and the test substrate at the end time of an end of the process corresponding to the second contact process.

4. a drive unit that drives the mold and the substrate relatively; 4. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit provides the drive unit with a command value for driving at least one of the mold and the substrate so as to reduce the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit at the start time of the second contact process and the positional deviation at the end time of the second contact process based on the data.

5. The imprinting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the data chronologically indicates the positional deviation between the mold and the test substrate at each time during the process corresponding to the second contact process among the processes for the test substrate.

6. a drive unit that drives the mold and the substrate relatively; 6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit provides the drive unit with a command value for driving at least one of the mold and the substrate so as to reduce the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit at the start time of starting the second contact process and the positional deviation at each time during the second contact process based on the data.

7. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the test substrate include a plurality of shot areas arranged in the same layout.

8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit acquires the data for each of the plurality of shot areas.

9. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the test substrate is the first substrate in a lot that includes the substrate.

10. An imprinting apparatus for performing an imprinting process to form a pattern in an imprinting material on a substrate using a mold, a measurement unit that measures a positional deviation between the mold and the substrate; a control unit; the substrate includes a plurality of shot areas; the imprinting process includes, before an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate, a contact step of deforming the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring the mold into contact with an imprint material on the substrate, and flattening the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other; The control unit acquiring data relating to a variation in the positional deviation that occurs during the contact process, the data being obtained from a result of the contact process being performed on a shot area among the plurality of shot areas that has been subjected to the imprint process prior to the shot area on which the imprint process is to be performed; When performing the imprint process on the substrate, at least one of the mold and the substrate is driven in the contact step so that the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step is reduced based on the positional deviation measured by the measurement unit and the data. An imprinting apparatus comprising:

11. An imprinting method comprising: performing an imprinting process using a mold to form a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate; the imprinting process includes, before an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate, a contact step of deforming the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring the mold into contact with an imprint material on the substrate, and flattening the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other; The imprint method includes a step of, before performing the imprint process on the substrate, deforming the mold into a convex shape toward a test substrate different from the substrate, bringing the mold into contact with an imprint material on the test substrate, and flattening the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other, and acquiring data related to fluctuations in positional misalignment between the mold and the test substrate that occur during the step, the data being obtained from the results of the step; In the contacting step, at least one of the mold and the substrate is driven based on the measured positional deviation and the data so that the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step is reduced. An imprint method comprising:

12. An imprinting method for performing an imprinting process to form a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, comprising: the substrate includes a plurality of shot areas; the imprinting process includes, before an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate, a contact step of deforming the mold into a convex shape toward the substrate to bring the mold into contact with an imprint material on the substrate, and flattening the mold while the mold and the imprint material are in contact with each other; The imprint method includes a step of acquiring data related to a change in positional misalignment between the mold and the substrate that occurs during the contact step, the data being obtained from a result of the contact step being performed on a shot area among the plurality of shot areas that has been subjected to the imprint process prior to a shot area on which the imprint process is to be performed; In the contacting step, at least one of the mold and the substrate is driven based on the measured positional deviation and the data so that the positional deviation at the start of the alignment step is reduced. An imprint method comprising:

13. forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint method according to claim 11 or 12; 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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