Imprinting method, pattern forming method, imprinting apparatus and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide an imprint method that is unlikely to generate unexpected shapes.SOLUTION: The imprint method is for imprinting in a second pattern formation area adjacent to a first pattern formation area on which a pattern is formed on a substrate. The substrate has a step at a boundary between a pattern formation surface of the first pattern formation area and a pattern formation surface on which a second pattern is formed by imprinting. The imprint method imprints on the second pattern formation area that extends beyond the boundary to the first pattern formation area side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, microfabrication techniques have been developed that transfer fine structures on a mold to a workpiece such as a resin or metal by pressure, and these techniques are attracting attention.

[0003] This technology, known as nanoimprinting or nanoembossing, has a resolution on the order of several nanometers, and is therefore expected to become a next-generation semiconductor manufacturing technology that will replace optical exposure devices such as steppers and scanners.

[0004] Furthermore, because this technology can process three-dimensional structures on a wafer all at once, it is expected to be applied to manufacturing technologies in fields other than semiconductors.

[0005] When such an imprinting method is applied to semiconductor manufacturing technology, it is carried out, for example, by the following method described in Patent Document 1. That is, a photocurable imprinting material layer is formed on a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer). Then, a mold having a desired concave-convex pattern formed on its processing surface is pressed against the imprinting material, the concave-convex portions are filled with the imprinting material, and the resin is cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet light. Thereafter, the mold is released from the substrate, whereby the pattern is transferred to the imprinting material layer. This imprinting material layer is then used as a mask layer for etching or the like to form a pattern on the semiconductor wafer.

[0006] Generally, after a pattern is formed in multiple shot areas on a semiconductor wafer by imprint processing, the substrate is etched, but in this case, non-imprint areas between adjacent shots can become a problem.

[0007] Patent Document 2 describes providing a dummy filling feature in the form of a notch at the edge of a mesa of a mold, and forming a new imprint pattern in an area adjacent to an already formed pattern. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2005-533393 [Patent Document 2] Special table 2017-504961 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, with conventional imprinting methods, for example, when forming multiple patterns at adjacent positions on a substrate using different molds, the adjacent patterns may be partially separated or partially overlapping depending on the manufacturing error and precision, resulting in unexpected shapes.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprinting method that is less likely to produce unexpected shapes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve this object, an imprint method according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region in which a pattern is formed on a substrate is formed. , using a mold on which a pattern is formed An imprint method for performing an imprint process, The substrate has the first pattern forming region. and the second pattern forming region. There is a step at the boundary between beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region , an area of ​​the mold corresponding to the second pattern forming area is Protruding As The second pattern forming region is subjected to an imprint process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pattern forming method that is less likely to produce unexpected shapes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional imprint apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional imprint process. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional imprint process. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating problems that occur in a conventional imprint process. [Figure 5] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an imprint method according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0015] An imprinting apparatus is an apparatus that brings an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold and applies curing energy to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern in a cured product to which the concave-convex pattern of the mold has been transferred. For example, an imprinting apparatus supplies a liquid imprinting material onto a substrate and hardens the imprinting material while a mold (mold) on which a concave-convex pattern has been formed is brought into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate. Then, by widening the gap between the mold and the substrate and peeling (demolding) the mold from the hardened imprinting material, the mold pattern can be transferred to the imprinting material on the substrate. This series of processes is called an "imprinting process" and is performed for each of multiple shot areas on the substrate.

[0016] The imprint material uses a curable composition (uncured resin, also called an imprint material) that hardens when curing energy is applied. The curing energy may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like. Examples of electromagnetic waves include infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet rays, each having a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm.

[0017] The curable composition is a composition that cures by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that cures by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as needed. 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.

[0018] The imprint material is applied to the substrate in the form of a film using a spin coater or slit coater. Alternatively, it 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.

[0019] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. The imprinting apparatus 1 forms and hardens an imprinting material on a substrate 13 using an imprinting mold (die) 11 having a pattern region in which a relief pattern is formed. Then, an imprinting process is performed in which the mold is separated (demolding, peeling) from the hardened imprinting material to form a pattern on the substrate. In the imprinting apparatus 1, the space in which this imprinting process is performed is called a processing section. In this embodiment, a photocurable composition is used as the imprinting material, and a photocuring method is adopted in which the photocurable composition is hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light.

[0020] The imprint apparatus 1 has a mold holding unit 12 that holds a mold 11, a substrate holding unit 14 that holds a substrate 13, a detection unit 15, an irradiation unit 16, and a control unit 17. The imprint apparatus may also have a supply unit including a dispenser for supplying an ultraviolet-curable imprint material onto the substrate, a shape deformation mechanism for applying force to the side surface of the mold 11 to deform the pattern region 11a of the mold 11, and the like. The imprint apparatus 1 may also have a bridge surface plate for holding the mold holding unit 12, a base surface plate for holding the substrate holding unit 14, and the like. It may also have a storage unit for storing multiple molds 11.

[0021] The mold 11 has a pattern region 11a in which a pattern (concave and recess pattern) to be transferred to the imprint material on the substrate 13 is formed. The mold 11 is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light for curing the imprint material on the substrate 13, such as quartz.

[0022] Furthermore, in the pattern region 11a of the mold 11, alignment marks (mold-side marks 18) used to control the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 are formed.

[0023] The mold holding unit 12 is a holding mechanism that holds the mold 11. The mold holding unit 12 includes, for example, a mold chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the mold 11, a mold stage on which the mold chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives (moves) the mold stage. This drive system drives the mold stage (i.e., the mold 11) at least in the Z-axis direction (the imprinting direction when imprinting the mold 11 on the imprint material on the substrate 13). Furthermore, this drive system may have the function of driving the mold stage not only in the Z-axis direction but also in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θ direction (rotation around the Z-axis).

[0024] The substrate 13 is a substrate onto which the pattern of the mold 11 is transferred (i.e., a substrate on which a pattern made of an imprint material is formed). Examples of materials that can be used for the substrate 13 include glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, and resin. An imprint material is supplied (applied) to the substrate 13 from a supply unit. In addition, an alignment mark (substrate-side mark 19) that is used to control the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 is formed on the substrate 13.

[0025] The substrate holding unit 14 is a holding mechanism that holds the substrate 13. The substrate holding unit 14 includes, for example, a substrate chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the substrate 13, a substrate stage on which the substrate chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives the substrate stage. The drive system drives the substrate stage (i.e., the substrate 13) at least in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (directions perpendicular to the imprinting direction of the mold 11). The drive system may also have the function of driving the substrate stage not only in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, but also in the Z-axis direction and θ direction (rotation around the Z axis).

[0026] In this embodiment, the detection unit 15 includes a scope that optically observes the substrate-side marks 19 and the mold-side marks 18 through the mold 11, and detects the relative positions of the mold-side marks 18 and the corresponding substrate-side marks 19. For example, the detection unit 15 can calculate the relative position of the mold 11 (pattern area 11a) and the substrate 13 (shot area) based on the measurement results of the relative positions of the mold-side marks 18 and the corresponding substrate-side marks 19 detected by the scope.

[0027] Here, it is sufficient for the detection unit 15 to be able to detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. Therefore, the detection unit 15 may include a scope equipped with an optical system for simultaneously capturing images of the two marks, or may include a scope that detects a signal that reflects the relative positional relationship between the two marks, such as an interference signal or moiré.

[0028] Furthermore, the detection unit 15 does not have to be able to simultaneously detect the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. For example, the detection unit 15 may detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 by determining the respective positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 relative to a reference position arranged inside.

[0029] The irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material on the substrate via the mold 11 with light 22 (e.g., ultraviolet light) for curing the imprint material, thereby curing the imprint material. The irradiation unit 16 may include, for example, a light source that emits light 22 for curing the imprint material, and an optical system that adjusts the light 22 emitted from the light source to optimal light for the imprint process. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment may be configured so that the light 22 emitted from the irradiation unit 16 is reflected by a beam splitter and irradiated onto the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprint material on the substrate).

[0030] The observation unit 23 includes, for example, a camera having a field of view that can accommodate the entire pattern region 11a of the mold 11, and has the function of observing (confirming) the cured state of the imprint material on the substrate due to irradiation with ultraviolet light. The observation unit 23 can also observe the state of imprinting of the mold 11 onto the imprint material on the substrate, the state of filling the pattern of the mold 11 with the imprint material, and the state of release of the mold 11 from the cured imprint material on the substrate. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment can be configured so that the observation unit 23 observes the cured state of the imprint material on the substrate via a beam splitter.

[0031] The control unit 17 includes, for example, a CPU and a memory, and controls each part of the imprint apparatus 1 to control the imprint process and related processes.

[0032] Next, with reference to Figures 2(A) to 2(C), an imprinting process for transferring the pattern of the mold 11 to the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprinting material on the substrate), that is, for molding the imprinting material on the substrate, will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the imprinting process.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2(A), before starting to imprint the mold 11, an imprint material 20 is supplied to a target shot area on the substrate (a pattern formation area where imprint processing will be performed). Since imprint materials generally used in imprint devices are highly volatile, it is advisable to supply them onto the substrate immediately before the imprint processing. However, if the imprint material is low-volatile, the imprint material may be supplied onto the substrate in advance using a spin cord or the like. After supplying the imprint material 20 onto the substrate, the substrate 13 is moved below the mold 11.

[0034] 2(B), the mold 11 and the imprint material 20 on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, and a predetermined time is allowed to pass in this state, allowing the imprint material 20 to fill the pattern (relief structure) of the mold 11. During this time, the mold-side marks 18 and the substrate-side marks 19 may be detected by the detection unit 15, and the alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 may be controlled based on the detection results.

[0035] At this time, as a parallel operation, the relative positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 are detected by the detection unit 15, and based on the detection results, the relative alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 and the shape correction of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 for shot shape correction are controlled.

[0036] Once the pattern of the mold 11 has been filled with the imprint material 20 (for example, after a predetermined time has passed), the irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material 20 on the substrate with light 22 to harden the imprint material 20.

[0037] 2(C), the mold 11 is then separated (released) from the hardened imprint material 20 on the substrate, thereby forming a pattern 21 made of the imprint material 20 in the pattern formation region on the substrate (i.e., the pattern of the mold 11 can be transferred onto the substrate).

[0038] Figure 3 shows a detailed cross section of imprinting using the method described above. This section focuses on the process of transferring different patterns to the same layer by imprinting. Figure 3 shows how a second pattern, which is a different pattern, is transferred to a second pattern formation area by imprinting on a substrate that already has a relief structure formed as a first pattern formation area, and then etching is performed using the hardened imprint material as an etching mask.

[0039] Currently, forming a thin pattern requires processing steps such as SADP (Self-Aligned Double Patterning) or SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning), which makes it difficult to simultaneously form a thin pattern and a thick pattern. This embodiment is useful because it allows these patterns of different sizes to be formed adjacent to each other on the same layer in separate processes.

[0040] 3(a) shows a state in which the mold 11 is imprinted onto the substrate 13 via the imprint material 20. The first pattern formation region 32, which has already been formed on the substrate 13, has undergone pattern transfer and etching processes in the previous steps, and has a concave-convex structure formed thereon.

[0041] That is, the substrate has a step at the boundary between the pattern formation surface of the first pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface on which the second pattern is formed by the imprint process, and the etching process positions the pattern formation surface of the first pattern formation region at a lower position.

[0042] Since it is necessary to protect the pattern formed in the pattern area 32 from etching after the current transfer process, the first pattern formation area is used as a covering layer that acts as an etching mask, and the pattern of the mold 11 is configured to have a recess so that the imprint material 20 is thick.

[0043] A transfer pattern of a second pattern formation region 33 to be transferred is formed on the mold 11. Here, the second pattern formation region 33 is a transfer region where the mold comes into contact with the imprint material by the imprint process, and is a region configured so that the pattern to be transferred and the imprint material are thin. The portion of the substrate 13 where the imprint material is thin will be etched in the next process.

[0044] FIG. 3(b) shows the state in which the imprint material 20 is hardened by ultraviolet light and the mold 11 is peeled off.

[0045] The imprint material 20 thus formed is used as an etching mask to perform etching, and the unnecessary imprint material 20 is removed, as shown in Figure 3(c). It can be seen that the thin portions of the imprint material 20 in Figure 3(b) have been etched, while the thick portions have not. This allows a new second pattern to be formed in the adjacent second pattern formation region 33, while maintaining the pattern of the existing first pattern formation region 32.

[0046] In this way, if the desired structure or region is imprinted at the intended position, the desired structure can be created while preserving the original structure. However, due to manufacturing errors in the mold 11, differences in the relative shapes and relative magnifications between the patterns on the mold 11 and the substrate 13, and relative position errors during imprinting, the imprint process may not be ideal as shown in Figure 3. The imprint results and resulting structures in such cases are explained using Figure 4.

[0047] Figure 4 shows the same process as Figure 3. The difference is that during imprinting in Figure 4(a), a slight misalignment occurs between the pattern areas of the substrate 13 and the mold 11 (see the dotted line in Figure 4(a)). Causes of this misalignment include transfer and processing errors when configuring the substrate-side pattern, manufacturing errors in the mold-side pattern, and misalignment of the relative positions and shapes between the substrate and mold during imprinting.

[0048] In this case, the edge of the recess on the mold side, where the imprint material 20 is set to be thick to protect the first pattern formation region 32 of the substrate 13, may protrude outside the first pattern formation region 32 of the substrate 13 (FIG. 4(b)). FIG. 4(c) shows the result of etching using this imprint material as a mask. Comparing FIG. 4(c) with FIG. 3(c), it is clear that the position of the second pattern formation region 33 transferred by the mold 11 is shifted, and a pattern that was not present in FIG. 3(c) has appeared in FIG. 4(c).

[0049] When creating MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) or optical elements with special optical properties, it is sometimes necessary to create additional structures on the same layer or on a surface that already has a stepped structure while protecting the existing pattern. In this case, a transfer process using imprinting is required on the surface that already has the pattern, which leads to the above-mentioned case.

[0050] In MEMS and optical elements, relative positional misalignment of patterns can be tolerated, but if an unexpected structure is created, the desired performance may not be achieved. Furthermore, similar cases can occur not only in three-dimensional structures but also in general semiconductor manufacturing processes.

[0051] Therefore, the present embodiment, which prevents the above-described unexpected structure from being formed when a pattern is transferred, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows the same process as in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, but when this embodiment is used.

[0053] 5(a) shows the state in which the mold 11 is being imprinted onto the substrate 13 via the imprint material 20. At this time, it can be seen that the second pattern formation region 33, which forms the second pattern transferred by the second mold 11, extends beyond the boundary of the step and slightly into the adjacent first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate side. The region where the first pattern formation region 32 already formed on the substrate side and the second pattern formation region 33 to be formed using the mold overlap is referred to as an overlap region 34.

[0054] Ideally, a mold pattern should be overlaid so that the resist material 20 is thick enough to prevent the first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate from being processed during the etching process. However, there is a possibility that errors, such as overlay errors, that cannot be eliminated, may occur. For this reason, if the transfer process is performed so that the position is exactly aligned with the desired position as shown in Figure 3, the structure shown in Figure 4 will inevitably occur.

[0055] 5(a), the pattern formation method of this embodiment provides an overlapping region that can serve as a buffer region. That is, the imprint process is performed on the second pattern formation region that extends beyond the boundary into the first pattern formation region.

[0056] For this reason, the offset values ​​for overlay and shot shape alignment set on the imprinting apparatus side are adjusted and set, and the configurations of the mold and substrate are also adjusted.

[0057] The overlapping region 34 is different from the region where the mold-side resist material 20 is thickened, but is recessed by the amount of the substrate-side pattern that has already been formed, and the imprint material filled there functions as an etching mask.

[0058] The thickness of the resist material in the overlapping region 34 is desirable as an etching mask if it is equal to or greater than the thickness of the imprint material for protecting the first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate side. However, even if the thickness of the resist material in the overlapping region 34 is somewhat thinner, it is considered that the substrate will be protected and the influence of etching will be negligible.

[0059] Figure 5(b) shows the state in Figure 5(a) after the resist material 20 has been sufficiently filled into the concave and convex portions of the mold pattern, the desired alignment of the substrate and mold has been completed, the resist material 20 has been hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light, and the mold has then been peeled off from the substrate. The shape of the resist material thus created was used as an etching mask to etch the substrate, and the unnecessary resist material was then removed, resulting in Figure 5(c). This shows that the overlap region 34 was not etched due to the effect of the resist material thickness due to the recess on the substrate side, preventing the formation of the unexpected shape.

[0060] As described above, when imprinting on a substrate having a pattern or a stepped shape, by making the structural portion for etching the substrate extend into the substrate pattern area, it is possible to make it difficult for unexpected structures to be formed.

[0061] This overlap region 34 must be filled with resist material 20 to serve as an etching mask, so neither a substrate-side pattern nor a mold-side pattern can be configured. Therefore, in consideration of the efficiency of the device, it must be made as small as possible. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the size, including not only the design of the mold pattern but also manufacturing errors. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the mold and the transferred pattern to further reduce the overlap region 34.

[0062] The flow of a series of measurements and their reflection in the device settings is explained in Figure 6. Below, the steps are specified by the numbers in Figure 6 and are described in detail.

[0063] Step (6-1) represents the mold pattern design stage. As mentioned above, the design is carried out taking into account the pattern to be transferred as well as the structure of the imprint material to be thickened to protect the pattern and step structure already formed on the substrate side from etching. If the substrate side structure has been created first, it may be measured and reflected in the mold design. Conversely, the design values ​​of the mold pattern may be reflected in the setting values ​​when creating the substrate side pattern.

[0064] Here, the region where the imprint material is thin is set to slightly extend over the step structure on the substrate side, i.e., an overlap region is provided where the regions where the first and second patterns are formed overlap each other.

[0065] At this time, consideration is given to manufacturing errors of the substrate pattern, manufacturing errors of the mold, transfer errors of the imprinting device, correction range of the shot shape, etc. However, since no pattern is formed in the protruding portion, it is desirable to set the amount as small as possible.

[0066] In step (6-2), a mold is created based on the design results from step (6-1).

[0067] In step (6-3), the shape of the mold created in step (6-2) is measured. A commercially available mask pattern measurement device can be used, or a measuring device that can check the detailed structure, such as a laser microscope or AFM (atomic force microscope), can also be used. Here, it is confirmed whether the mold has been created according to the design values, but depending on the shape, there may be some parts that cannot be measured. In these cases, the measurement results of the imprint pattern shown below are used.

[0068] In step (6-4), actual imprinting is performed using the mold thus prepared.

[0069] In step (6-5), the transferred pattern is measured to confirm the shape including the transfer process. Also, as mentioned above, shapes that cannot be confirmed with the mold can be confirmed here.

[0070] The measurement here is performed to confirm the shape of the transferred pattern, so the transferred pattern is transferred onto a substrate and measured using a laser microscope, AFM, cross-sectional SEM, etc. Therefore, it may be transferred onto an actual device substrate, or onto a substrate without a pattern.

[0071] From the mold structure and transfer pattern information acquired as described above, the shape after transfer can be confirmed.

[0072] When transferring with an imprint device, a correction mechanism is installed to correct the shot shape by applying pressure to the side of the mold or by locally irradiating the substrate with light to generate heat, causing local expansion. These shot shape correction functions change the relative positions of the substrate pattern and the transfer pattern mentioned above.

[0073] Therefore, in order to maintain the above relationship, the correctable range of the shot shape correction function is determined from the measurement results of the mold and the transfer pattern, and is reflected in the imprinting apparatus (step (6-6)). At this time, the upper (or lower) limit of the correction range can be set so that the structural part for etching the substrate extends into the substrate pattern area.

[0074] In step (6-7), the optimum correction value for each imprint is calculated within the correction range determined in step (6-6), as described above, and imprinting is performed sequentially. This transferred pattern is measured in step (6-8). Here, not only the shot shape but also the relative position (especially the relative shift and relative rotation) between the substrate pattern and the transferred pattern is measured.

[0075] As described above, the range of correction possible based on the relative shot shape and relative position can be determined, and by incorporating this into the setting values ​​of the imprinting apparatus during imprinting, the relationship between the substrate and the mold can be maintained.

[0076] <Other embodiments> A method for manufacturing a device (such as a semiconductor integrated circuit element or a liquid crystal display element) as an article includes a step of forming a pattern on a substrate (such as a wafer, a glass plate, or a film-like substrate) using the imprint apparatus described above. The manufacturing method may further include a step of etching the substrate on which the pattern has been formed. When manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) or optical elements, the manufacturing method may include other processes for processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed instead of etching. The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the quality, productivity, and production costs of the article.

[0077] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 Imprinting device 11 Mold 12 Mold holder 13 PCB 14 Board holding part 15 Detector 16 Irradiation unit 17 Control Unit 11a Pattern Area 18 Mold side mark 19 PCB side mark 20 Imprint material 22 light 23 Observation Section 32, 33 patterns 34 Overlapping area

Claims

1. 1. An imprinting method for performing an imprint process using a mold on which a pattern is formed in a second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region on a substrate, the method comprising: the substrate has a step at a boundary between the first pattern formation region and the second pattern formation region, Imprinting is performed on the second pattern formation region so that a region of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation region extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region. An imprint method comprising:

2. The imprint method according to claim 1 , wherein a covering layer is simultaneously formed in the imprint process so as to cover the first pattern formation region.

3. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus, 3. The imprinting method according to claim 1, wherein an upper or lower limit of a correction value is set for a correction mechanism for the relative magnification between the mold and the substrate of the imprinting apparatus so that the correction mechanism overlaps with the first pattern formation area.

4. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus, 3. The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein a correction value is set for a mechanism that corrects a relative shot shape between the mold and the substrate of the imprint apparatus so that the shot shape overlaps with the first pattern formation region.

5. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus, A correction value is set based on a manufacturing error of a mold used in the imprint apparatus so that the first pattern is overlapped with the first pattern formation region.

3. The imprint method according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus, A correction value is set for a relative shift or relative rotation between the mold and the substrate in the imprint apparatus so that the first pattern is overlapped with the first pattern formation region.

3. The imprint method according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising: forming a first pattern by performing an imprint process using a mold on which a pattern has been formed in a first pattern formation region on a substrate; a step of etching the substrate using the first pattern to form a step at a boundary between the first pattern formation region and a second pattern formation region adjacent to the first pattern formation region; performing an imprint process on the second pattern formation region so that a region of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation region extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region; A pattern forming method comprising the steps of:

8. An imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process using a mold on which a pattern is formed in a second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region formed on a substrate, the apparatus comprising: the substrate has a step at a boundary between the second pattern formation region and the first pattern formation region, An imprinting apparatus characterized in that an imprinting process is performed on the second pattern formation area so that an area of ​​the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation area extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation area.

9. 1. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: A pattern is formed on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to claim 8. A method for manufacturing an article.

10. 1. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: A method for manufacturing an article, comprising forming a pattern on a substrate by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images