Lithography system and article manufacturing method

Abstract

This lithography system comprises: a forming device that has a die-holding part for holding a die, and forms a composition on a substrate using the die; and a conveyance part that conveys the die, to which a die release agent has been applied, to the die-holding part.

Description

Lithography system and article manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lithography system and an article manufacturing method.

[0002] A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like may include, for example, a step of depositing a material on a substrate and a step of removing a material from the substrate. By undergoing such a process, fluctuations in the surface height called topography may occur on the substrate. The topography of the substrate may affect pattern formation in subsequent processes, such as the depth of focus (DOF) of an exposure apparatus. Therefore, a planarization technique for forming a planarization film (i.e., a film having a flat surface) on the substrate is required.

[0003] As one of the planarization techniques, a technique for forming a planarization film on a substrate by molding a composition on the substrate using a mold having a flat surface is known. Patent Document 1 proposes a planarization system having a dispensing station for supplying a composition (moldable material) onto a substrate, a molding station for bringing a mold (plate) into contact with the composition on the substrate, and a curing station for curing the composition on the substrate.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-72657

[0005] When a process of applying a release agent to the surface of the mold that comes into contact with the composition on the substrate (so-called priming process) is performed after the mold is attached to the apparatus, it may lead to a decrease in productivity.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a technique advantageous in terms of productivity in a lithography system.

[0007] A lithography system as one aspect of the present disclosure includes a mold holding part that holds a mold, a molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate using the mold, and a transport part that transports the mold to which a release agent has been applied to the mold holding part.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, for example, a technique advantageous in terms of productivity in a lithography system can be provided.

[0009] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numeral.

[0010] The attached drawings are included in the specification and constitute part thereof, illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and used together with the description to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a lithography system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure Schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a molding apparatus Diagram for explaining the planarization process Flowchart showing an example of the recovery process Diagram for explaining each step in the recovery process Flowchart showing an example of the mounting process Flowchart showing each step in the mounting process Diagram for explaining each step in the flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process Flowchart manufacturing process Diagram for explaining each step in the manufacturing process Diagram for explaining each step in the manufacturing process Diagram for explaining the state of a mold to which a release agent has been applied

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are necessary, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] In this specification and accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system where the XY plane is the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate (or the holding surface that holds the substrate). The directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes in the XYZ coordinate system are denoted as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and the rotations around the X, Y, and Z axes are denoted as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control or driving with respect to the X, Y, and Z axes means control or driving with respect to the direction parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. Furthermore, control or driving with respect to the θX, θY, and θZ axes means control or driving with respect to rotation around the axis parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. Furthermore, position is information that can be determined based on the coordinates of the X, Y, and Z axes, and orientation is information that can be determined by the values ​​of the θX, θY, and θZ axes.

[0013] The molding apparatus used in the lithography system described herein is an apparatus that performs a molding process to shape a composition on a substrate using a mold, and can be used in the lithography process, which is a manufacturing process for semiconductor devices and magnetic storage media. Examples of molding apparatuses include imprint apparatuses and planarization apparatuses. An imprint apparatus is an apparatus that forms (transfers) a pattern onto a composition (imprint material) on a substrate by bringing a mold having an uneven pattern into contact with the composition. The molding process performed by an imprint apparatus is sometimes called an imprint process. A planarization apparatus is an apparatus that flattens the surface of a composition on a substrate by bringing a mold having a flat surface into contact with the composition. The molding process performed by a planarization apparatus is sometimes called a planarization process.

[0014] <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lithography system 100 (lithography apparatus) of this embodiment. The lithography system 100 of this embodiment may include an interface module 10, a pre- and post-processing module 20, a stocker 30, a transport unit 40, a supply device 50, a plurality of molding devices 60a to 60d, and a control unit 70. Hereinafter, planarization devices will be used as examples for each molding device 60a to 60d, but the configuration and processing of the planarization device can also be applied to an imprint device. In the mold used in the planarization device, 90% or more (preferably 95% or more) of the molding surface (contact surface) that contacts the composition on the substrate and forms the composition is configured as a flat surface on which no uneven pattern is formed. The mold used in the planarization device is sometimes called a superstraight or flat template.

[0015] The interface module 10 functions as an interface for loading and unloading substrates 1. The interface module 10 is sometimes called an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module). In this embodiment, the interface module 10 is configured as part of the lithography system 100, but it may also be connected to the lithography system 100 as a separate device. For example, in the interface module 10, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) is provided as a container for storing multiple substrates 1, and a transport robot (not shown) is used to unload and load substrates 1 into the FOUP. FOUP stands for Front Opening Unified Pod. The interface module 10 can also function as an interface for loading and unloading molds 2. In this embodiment, a FOUP for storing molds 2 is provided, and a transport robot (not shown) is used to unload molds 2. As will be described in detail later, mold 2 can be transported to each molding apparatus 60a to 60d in order to produce a structure 3 in which mold 2 and substrate 1 are integrated via the cured composition.

[0016] The pre- and post-processing module 20 includes a pre-processing module that performs pre-processing on the substrate 1 and / or mold 2 transported from the interface module 10. Pre-processing may include, for example, alignment processing that detects notches or orientation flats formed on the substrate 1 and performs alignment of the substrate 1 in the θZ direction based on the detection results. The substrate 1 and / or mold 2 that have been pre-processed in the pre- and post-processing module 20 are transported to the stocker 30 by a transport robot (not shown).

[0017] Furthermore, the pre- and post-processing module 20 may include a post-processing module that performs post-processing (post-treatment) on the substrate 1 transported from each molding apparatus 60a to 60d. Post-processing may include, for example, a bake process that performs post-baking on the substrate 1 that has undergone molding in each molding apparatus 60a to 60d. The pre- and post-processing module 20 may also function as an intermediate unit in the transport of the mold 2.

[0018] The stocker 30 (storage section) stores the substrate 1 and / or the mold 2. The stocker 30 may also function as an intermediate unit in the transport of the substrate 1 and / or the mold 2. The stocker 30 also stores the structure 3 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as structure 3) in which the substrate 1 and the mold 2 are integrated via a cured composition. The stocker 30 may be configured to store multiple structures 3.

[0019] The transport unit 40 transports the substrate 1 between the stocker 30, the supply device 50, and each of the molding devices 60a to 60d. For example, the transport unit 40 transports the substrate 1 stored in the stocker 30 to the supply device 50, and also transports the substrate 1 supplied with the composition by the supply device 50 to one of the substrate holding sections 61 of the multiple molding devices 60a to 60d. The transport unit 40 also transports the mold 2 and structure 3 between the stocker 30 and each of the molding devices 60a to 60d. For example, the transport unit 40 transports the mold 2 stored in the stocker 30 to one of the mold holding sections 62 of the multiple molding devices 60a to 60d. The transport unit 40 transports the structure 3 stored in the stocker 30 to one of the substrate holding sections 61 of the multiple molding devices 60a to 60d.

[0020] The transport unit 40 of this embodiment may include a plurality of transport robots 41 to 44 (transport hands) and a relay unit 45. Each transport robot 41 to 44 has a hand that holds the peripheral edge of the substrate 1, mold 2, or structure 3, and may be configured to move horizontally along the travel axis while holding the substrate 1, mold 2, or structure 3 with the hand. The relay unit 45 is a unit in which the substrate 1, mold 2, and structure 3 are temporarily placed in order to transfer the substrate 1, mold 2, and structure 3 between the plurality of transport robots 41 to 44. Here, in Figure 1, an example of the transport path for the substrate 1 is shown by a solid arrow, and an example of the transport path for the mold 2 is shown by a dashed arrow.

[0021] The transport robot 41 transports the substrate 1, mold 2, and structure 3 between the stocker 30 and the relay unit 45, and also transports the mold 2 between the stocker 30 and the mold holding units 62 of each molding device 60a, 60c. The transport robot 42 transports the substrate 1 between the relay unit 45 and the stage 51 (substrate holding unit) of the supply device 50, and also transports the mold 2 between the relay unit 45 and the mold holding units 62 of each molding device 60b, 60d. The transport robot 43 transports the substrate 1 and structure 3 between the relay unit 45 and the substrate holding units 61 of each molding device 60a to 60b. The transport robot 44 also transports the substrate 1 and structure 3 between the relay unit 45 and the substrate holding units 61 of each molding device 60c to 60d.

[0022] The supply device 50 (supply unit) performs a supply process to supply the composition onto the substrate 1 that has been transported by the transport unit 40 (transport robot 42). The supply device 50 in this embodiment has a stage 51 that can hold and move the substrate 1, and a droplet dispensing unit 52 (dispenser) that dispenses the composition as a plurality of droplets. For example, the supply device 50 moves the substrate 1 below the droplet dispensing unit 52 by moving the stage 51, and dispenses the composition as a plurality of droplets into the droplet dispensing unit 52. This allows the composition to be supplied (dispensed) onto the substrate 1. The supply device 50 may be understood as a supply station, which is a place where the composition is supplied onto the substrate 1, or as a dispensing station, which is a place where the composition is dispensed onto the substrate 1.

[0023] Each of the multiple molding devices 60a to 60d (molding units) performs a molding process in which a composition on a substrate 1, which has been transported by a transport unit 40 (transport robot 43 or transport robot 44), is molded using a mold 2. Each molding device 60a to 60d in this embodiment has a substrate holding unit 61 for holding the substrate 1 and a mold holding unit 62 for holding the mold 2. The multiple molding devices 60a to 60d can be arranged so that molding processes can be performed on multiple substrates 1 in parallel. That is, the lithography system 100 of this embodiment is a cluster of multiple molding devices 60a to 60d. Each molding device 60a to 60d may be understood as a molding station, which is a place where a composition on a substrate 1 is molded. Here, in the lithography system 100 of this embodiment, four molding devices 60a to 60d are provided, but one to three or five or more molding devices 60 may be provided. The detailed configuration of each molding device 60a to 60d will be described later.

[0024] The control unit 70 is composed of a computer (information processing device) having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as memory, and controls each part of the lithography system 100. In other words, the control unit 70 comprehensively controls the operation of the lithography system 100. The control unit 70 may be composed of a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0025] While silicon wafers are typically used as substrate 1, the substrate is not limited to this. Substrate 1 can be arbitrarily selected from among those known as semiconductor device substrates, such as aluminum, titanium-tungsten alloy, aluminum-silicon alloy, aluminum-copper-silicon alloy, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride. Furthermore, substrate 1 may be a substrate in which adhesion to the composition is improved by forming an adhesion layer on the surface using surface treatments such as silane coupling treatment, silazane treatment, or organic thin film deposition. Substrate 1 typically has a circular shape with a diameter of 300 mm, but is not limited to this.

[0026] Mold 2 should be made of a light-transmitting material, taking into consideration a curing process in which the composition on the substrate 1 in contact with mold 2 is cured by irradiating it with light. Specifically, the material of mold 2 can be glass, quartz, light-transmitting resins such as PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate) and polycarbonate resin, transparent metal vapor-deposited films, flexible films such as polydimethylsiloxane, photocurable films, metal films, etc. Mold 2 should have the same dimensions as or larger than the substrate 1 so that it can contact the entire surface of the substrate 1 through the composition. Mold 2 may typically have a circular shape with a diameter greater than 300 mm and less than 500 mm, but is not limited thereto. The thickness of mold 2 is typically 0.25 mm or more and less than 2 mm, but is not limited thereto.

[0027] The composition typically includes monomers such as acrylates and methacrylates, and may be a curable composition (sometimes called an uncured resin) that hardens when curing energy is applied. The curing energy may include electromagnetic waves, heat, etc. Electromagnetic waves may be light selected from a wavelength range of 10 nm to 1 mm, such as infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, etc. The curable composition may be a composition that hardens by irradiation with light or by heating. Of these, the photocurable composition that hardens by 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 needed. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components, etc. The viscosity of the curable composition (viscosity at 25°C) may be, for example, 1 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s. In this embodiment, an example using a photocurable composition will be described. Furthermore, the composition of this embodiment may include a release agent to facilitate the separation of the mold 2 from the cured composition on the substrate 1. The release agent may include, for example, a surfactant.

[0028] Next, we will describe the configuration examples of each molding apparatus 60a to 60d. In the lithography system 100 of this embodiment, multiple molding apparatuses 60a to 60d may have similar configurations. Therefore, below we will describe the configuration example of one molding apparatus 60. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration example of one molding apparatus 60.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the molding apparatus 60 may include a substrate holding section 61, a mold holding section 62, a first scope 63, a second scope 64, a curing section 65, and a control section 66. The molding apparatus 60 may also include a base plate 67a, a support column 67b, a top plate 67c, a guide bar plate 67d, a guide bar 67e, an alignment shelf 67f, and a support column 67g as supports for each of the above-mentioned units 61 to 65.

[0030] The substrate holding section 61 may include a substrate chuck 61a, a substrate stage 61b, and a substrate driving mechanism 61c. The substrate chuck 61a holds the substrate 1, which has been transported by the transport section 40 (transport robots 41-44) described above, using vacuum suction or electrostatic suction. The substrate stage 61b supports the substrate chuck 61a and is configured to be movable on the base platen 67a in the XY direction in order to position the substrate 1 held by the substrate chuck 61a. The substrate driving mechanism 61c includes, for example, a linear motor or an air cylinder, and drives the substrate 1 in the XY direction by driving (moving) the substrate stage 61b in the XY direction. The substrate driving mechanism 61c is not limited to the XY direction and may have the function of driving the substrate stage 61b (substrate 1) in two or more axes (for example, six axial directions: X, Y, Z, θX, θY, and θZ). For example, the substrate drive mechanism 61c may have a rotation function that rotates the substrate 1 in the θZ direction by rotating the substrate chuck 61a or the substrate stage 61b in the θZ direction. Here, the substrate holding section 61 may also transport the structure 3 by the transport section 40 (transport robots 41-44) described above.

[0031] The mold holding section 62 may include a mold chuck 62a, a head 62b, and a mold driving mechanism 62c. The mold chuck 62a holds the mold 2, which has been transported by the transport section 40 (transport robots 41-44) described above, using vacuum suction or electrostatic suction. The mold 2 has, for example, a circular or rectangular outer shape and a flat surface 2a that contacts the composition on the substrate 1 and conforms to the surface shape of the substrate 1. In this embodiment, the flat surface 2a has the same dimensions as the substrate 1, or is larger than the substrate 1. The mold chuck 62a is supported by the head 62b. The head 62b may have a function to correct the tilt of the mold 2 in the θX and θY directions by driving the mold chuck 62a. The mold chuck 62a and the head 62b each include an aperture that allows light (ultraviolet light) irradiated from the hardening section 65 through a collimator lens to pass through, although these are not shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, a load cell may be placed in the mold chuck 62a or head 62b for measuring the pressing force of the mold 2 against the composition on the substrate 1.

[0032] Support columns 67b that support the top plate 67c are arranged on the base plate 67a. Guide bars 67e penetrate the top plate 67c, with one end fixed to a guide bar plate 67d and the other end fixed to a head 62b. The mold drive mechanism 62c drives the head 62b in the Z direction via the guide bars 67e to bring the mold 2, held by the mold chuck 62a, into contact with the composition on the substrate 1, or to separate the mold 2 from the cured composition. The mold drive mechanism 62c may also have the function of driving (moving) the head 62b in the X and Y directions, and the function of rotating the mold chuck 62a or the head 62b in the θZ direction.

[0033] In this embodiment, an example is described in which the mold 2 is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate 1 and separated from the composition on the substrate 1 by driving the mold 2 in the Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62c, but it is not limited to this. For example, the contact and separation may be performed by driving the substrate 1 in the Z direction with the substrate driving mechanism 61c, or by driving the mold 2 and the substrate 1 relatively in the Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62c and the substrate driving mechanism 61c. That is, the mold driving mechanism 62c and the substrate driving mechanism 61c can constitute a driving mechanism that drives the mold 2 and the substrate 1 relatively.

[0034] The alignment shelf 67f is suspended from the top plate 67c via support columns 67g. Guide bars 67e pass through the alignment shelf 67f. A measuring instrument (not shown) for measuring the surface height (flatness) of the substrate 1 held by the substrate chuck 61a is also located on the alignment shelf 67f. This measuring instrument may be configured to measure the surface height (flatness) of the substrate 1 using, for example, an oblique incidence image displacement method.

[0035] The first scope 63 is an off-axis scope that detects marks (alignment marks) on the substrate 1 without going through the mold 2, and is supported by the alignment shelf 67f. The first scope 63 is used to measure the position of the substrate 1 by detecting the marks on the substrate 1. The second scope 64 is an alignment scope that detects marks on the substrate 1 via the mold 2, and is supported by the alignment shelf 67f. The second scope 64 is used to measure the relative position between the mold 2 and the substrate 1 by detecting the marks (alignment marks) on the mold 2 and the marks on the substrate 1. The second scope 64 may also be used to measure the relative position between the mold 2 and the substrate 1 (substrate stage 61b) by detecting the reference marks provided on the substrate stage 61b and the marks on the mold 2.

[0036] The curing unit 65 cures the composition on the substrate 1 by supplying energy to the composition through the mold 2. The curing unit 65 supplies energy to the composition on the substrate 1 while the mold 2 and the composition on the substrate 1 are in contact. In this embodiment, the energy supplied to the composition on the substrate 1 by the curing unit 65 is light (e.g., ultraviolet light). In this case, the curing unit 65 has a light source and can cure the composition by irradiating the composition with light while the mold 2 and the composition on the substrate 1 are in contact. Note that the energy supplied to the composition on the substrate 1 by the curing unit 65 may be energy other than light, such as heat.

[0037] The control unit 66 is composed of a computer (information processing device) having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as memory, and controls each part of the molding apparatus 60. In other words, the control unit 66 comprehensively controls the molding process of molding the composition on the substrate 1 using the mold 2. The control unit 66 may be composed of a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Here, the control unit 66 included in the molding apparatus 60 may be configured as part of the control unit 70 of the lithography system 100.

[0038] As described above, the molding apparatus 60 of this embodiment is configured as a planarizing apparatus, and a planarizing process is performed as a molding process. Planarizing is a process in which the flat surface 2a of the mold 2 is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate 1, and the flat surface 2a is made to conform to the surface shape of the substrate 1, thereby planarizing the composition (surface) on the substrate 1. Planarizing is generally performed on a lot basis, that is, for each of the multiple substrates 1 included in the same lot.

[0039] Figures 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating the planarization process. In this embodiment, the planarization process is performed by bringing a mold 2 (flat surface 2a) into contact with a composition supplied over the entire surface of the substrate 1, curing the composition in that state, and then separating the mold 2 from the cured composition. In other words, the planarization process is performed collectively over the entire surface of the substrate 1. However, the planarization process may also be performed by bringing the mold 2 into contact with a composition supplied on a part of the substrate 1. In other words, the planarization process may be performed sequentially for each of multiple partial regions (shot regions) of the substrate 1.

[0040] A substrate 1 may have an uneven surface pattern 1a formed on it, and the planarization process is a process of forming a planarization film on the uneven surface pattern 1a on the substrate 1. The composition 4 is supplied onto the substrate 1 as a plurality of droplets by the supply device 50. As shown in Figure 3A, the substrate 1 supplied with the composition 4 by the supply device 50 is transported by the transport unit 40 to the substrate holding unit 61 of the molding apparatus 60. In the molding apparatus 60, as shown in Figure 3B, the mold 2 is driven in the -Z direction by the mold driving mechanism 62b to bring the mold 2 (flat surface 2a) into contact with the composition 4 on the substrate 1. At this time, the mold 2 is released from being held by the mold holding unit 62. As a result, the flat surface 2a of the mold 2 comes into contact with the composition 4 on the substrate 1 over the entire surface of the substrate 1, and the mold 2 deforms to conform to the surface shape of the substrate 1.

[0041] Next, in the molding apparatus 60, while the composition 4 on the substrate 1 and the mold 2 are in contact, the curing unit 65 irradiates the composition 4 on the substrate 1 with energy (e.g., light) through the mold 2. This causes the composition 4 on the substrate 1 in contact with the mold 2 to harden. Once the composition 4 has hardened, the mold 2 is held again by the mold holding unit 62, and the mold 2 is driven in the +Z direction by the mold driving mechanism 62b to separate the mold 2 from the hardened composition 4 on the substrate 1. As a result, as shown in Figure 3C, a planarized film (planarized layer) of composition 4 with a uniform thickness can be formed on the substrate 1 over the entire surface of the substrate 1. This planarization process is performed repeatedly (continuously) over multiple substrates 1 using a common mold 2 held by the mold holding unit 62.

[0042] Incidentally, if foreign matter adheres to mold 2, it may lead to a decrease in the quality of the planarized layer formed on the substrate 1 by the planarization process, so mold 2 needs to be replaced in each molding apparatus 60a to 60d. Mold 2 can be replaced by transporting mold 2 itself to each molding apparatus 60a to 60d by the transport unit 40, but in this case, mold 2 is transported with the flat surface 2a exposed, so there is a possibility that foreign matter will adhere to the flat surface 2a during transport of mold 2. Also, in this case, the transport unit 40 will be occupied by transporting mold 2, so the substrate 1 cannot be transported while mold 2 is being transported, which may lead to a decrease in productivity. Each transport robot 41 to 44 of the transport unit 40 has a hand that holds the peripheral edge of mold 2 as described above, and it is necessary to suppress acceleration and deceleration in order to prevent the mold 2 from shifting position or falling from the hand due to acceleration, deceleration, or external forces during transport of mold 2. If the time required to transport mold 2 is long, productivity may decrease accordingly.

[0043] Furthermore, a release agent is applied to the flat surface 2a of the mold 2 to facilitate separation of the mold 2 from the cured composition on the substrate 1. However, performing the process of applying the release agent to the flat surface 2a of the mold 2 (so-called priming) within the molding apparatus 60 can lead to a decrease in productivity. In other words, the priming process is a different process from the molding process that forms the composition on the substrate 1, and if the priming process is performed every time the mold 2 is replaced in the molding apparatus 60, productivity may decrease accordingly.

[0044] Therefore, in the lithography system 100 of the present embodiment, the attachment process (attachment step) of attaching the mold 2 to the mold holding portion 62 of the molding device 60 is performed using the structure 3 in which the mold 2 (first mold) and the substrate 1 (first substrate) are integrated through the cured composition. Specifically, the attachment process is performed by transporting the structure 3 to the substrate holding portion 61 of the molding device 60 by the transport unit 40 and separating the mold 2 from the composition of the structure 3 while the mold 2 of the structure 3 is held by the mold holding portion 62. In the molding device 60 to which a new mold 2 is attached to the mold holding portion 62, the molding process (molding step) for a plurality of substrates 1 (second substrates) is continuously performed using the mold 2 in common. In other words, the attachment process is not performed between the molding processes (molding steps) continuously performed on the plurality of substrates 1.

[0045] Hereinafter, each process performed in the lithography system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. The processes performed in the lithography system 100 include a recovery process of recovering the mold 2 from the mold holding portion 62 of the molding device 60, an attachment process of attaching the mold 2 to the mold holding portion 62 of the molding device 60, and a production process of producing the structure 3 using the molding device 60. Each of the recovery process, the attachment process, and the production process is controlled by the control unit 70 and the control units 66 of the respective molding devices 60a to 60d. Hereinafter, the functions of the control units 66 of the respective molding devices 60a to 60d will be described as being included in the control unit 70. Note that the recovery process and the attachment process may be understood as being included in an exchange process of exchanging the mold 2 of the mold holding portion 62.

[0046] First, the recovery process of recovering the mold 2 from the mold holding portion 62 of the molding device 60 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the recovery process. FIGS. 5A to 5F are diagrams for explaining each step in the recovery process. In the recovery process, the substrate 1 (third substrate) to which the composition 4 is supplied is transported to the substrate holding portion 61 by the transport unit 40, and the mold 2 (second mold) held by the mold holding portion 62 is separated from the mold holding portion 62 while being in contact with the composition 4 on the substrate 1. Thereby, the mold 2 is recovered from the mold holding portion 62.

[0047] In step S101, the control unit 70 conveys the substrate 1 onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50 by the conveyance unit 40. For example, the substrate 1 used for the recovery process is carried out from the FOUP arranged in the interface module 10, and after pre-treatment is performed by the prepost-treatment module 20, it is conveyed to the stocker 30. The conveyance unit 40 conveys the substrate 1 from the stocker 30 onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50.

[0048] In step S102, the control unit 70 controls the supply device 50 to supply the composition onto the substrate 1 conveyed onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50. In the supply device 50, as described above, by moving the stage 51 and moving the substrate 1 below the droplet discharge unit 52, and discharging the composition as a plurality of droplets from the droplet discharge unit 52, the composition is supplied onto the substrate 1.

[0049] In step S103, the control unit 70 conveys the substrate 1, onto which the composition 4 has been supplied by the supply device 50, to the substrate holding unit 61 of the molding device 60 by the conveyance unit 40 as shown in FIG. 5A. The substrate 1 conveyed to the substrate holding unit 61 is held by the substrate chuck 61a as shown in FIG. 5B. At this time, the position of the substrate 1 may be measured by detecting the mark of the substrate 1 using the second scope 64, and the substrate 1 may be positioned based on the measurement result.

[0050] In step S104, the control unit 70 causes the mold 2 held by the mold holding unit 62 (mold chuck 62a) to contact the composition 4 on the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 5C. For example, the control unit 70 drives the mold 2 in the -Z direction by the mold drive mechanism 62b, thereby causing the mold 2 held by the mold holding unit 62 to contact the composition on the substrate 1. Next, in step S105, the control unit 70 irradiates the composition 4 with the light L by the curing unit 65 in a state where the composition 4 on the substrate 1 and the mold 2 are in contact with each other, as shown in FIG. 5D, to cure the composition 4.

[0051] In step S106, the control unit 70 separates the mold holding part 62 (mold chuck 62a) from the mold 2 which is in contact with the cured composition 4 on the substrate 1, as shown in Figure 5E. For example, the control unit 70 releases the mold 2 from the mold chuck 62a and drives the mold chuck 62a in the +Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62b, thereby separating the mold chuck 62a from the mold 2 which is in contact with the cured composition 4 on the substrate 1.

[0052] In step S107, as shown in Figure 5F, the control unit 70 uses the transport unit 40 to remove the substrate 1, which is integrated (in contact) with the mold 2 via the cured composition 4, from the molding apparatus 60 (substrate holding unit 61). The substrate 1 removed from the molding apparatus 60 is then transported by the transport unit 40 to the stocker 30, and can then be transported to the FOUP located in the interface module 10. The recovery process is carried out in this manner.

[0053] Next, the mounting process for attaching the mold 2 to the mold holding section 62 of the molding apparatus 60 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the mounting process. Figures 7A to 7E are diagrams illustrating each step in the mounting process. In the mounting process, the structure 3, in which the mold 2 (first mold) and the substrate 1 (first substrate) are integrated via the cured composition 4, is transported to the substrate holding section 61 by the transport section 40, and the mold 2 of the structure 3 is separated from the composition 4 while the mold 2 of the structure 3 is held in the mold holding section 62. As a result, the mold 2 is attached (mounted) to the mold holding section 62.

[0054] In step S201, the control unit 70 transports the structure 3 to the substrate holding section 61 of the molding apparatus 60 by the transport section 40, as shown in Figure 7A. In this embodiment, the structure 3 is manufactured through a manufacturing process described later and stored in multiple quantities in the stocker 30. The control unit 70 transports the structure 3 from the stocker 30 to the substrate holding section 61 of the molding apparatus 60. The structure 3 transported to the substrate holding section 61 is held by the substrate chuck 61a, as shown in Figure 7B. At this time, the position of the structure 3 may be measured by detecting marks on the structure 3 (substrate 1 or mold 2) using the second scope 64, and the structure 3 may be positioned based on the measurement result.

[0055] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which multiple structures 3 are stored in the stocker 30, but the structures 3 may be brought in from outside the lithography system 100. In this case, the structures 3 are housed in a FOUP located in the interface module 10 and transported from the FOUP to the stocker 30. The transport unit 40 transports the structures from the stocker 30 to the substrate holding unit 61 of the molding apparatus 60.

[0056] In step S202, the control unit 70 causes the mold 2 of the structure 3, which is held by the substrate holding unit 61 (substrate chuck 61a), to be held by the mold holding unit 62 (mold chuck 62a), as shown in Figure 7C. For example, the control unit 70 drives the mold chuck 62a in the -Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62b and brings the mold chuck 62a into contact with the mold 2 of the structure 3, which is held by the substrate holding unit 61, thereby causing the mold 2 of the structure 3 to be held by the mold chuck 62a.

[0057] In step S203, the control unit 70 separates the mold 2, which is held by the mold holding unit 62, from the cured composition 4 in the structure 3, as shown in Figure 7D. For example, while the mold 2 is held by the mold chuck 62a, the control unit 70 separates the mold 2 from the cured composition 4 by driving the mold chuck 62a in the +Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62b. As a result, the mold 2 is attached to the mold holding unit 62 (mold chuck 62a). Here, the cured composition 4 in the structure 3 contains a release agent. Therefore, the flat surface 2a of the mold 2, which has been attached to the mold holding unit 62 (mold chuck 62) after the attachment process, is coated with a release agent.

[0058] In step S204, as shown in Figure 7E, the control unit 70 uses the transport unit 40 to remove the substrate 1 remaining after separating the mold 2 from the structure 3 (hardened composition 4) from the molding apparatus 60 (substrate holding unit 61). The substrate 1 removed from the molding apparatus 60 is transported by the transport unit 40 to the stocker 30, and then can be transported to the FOUP located in the interface module 10. The mounting process is performed in this manner.

[0059] Here, the mold 2, which has been attached to the mold holding section 62 through the mounting process, is used to perform molding on each of the multiple substrates 1. In other words, after the mold 2 has been attached to the mold holding section 62 through the mounting process, and before the mold 2 is recovered from the mold holding section 62 through the recovery process, multiple molding processes are performed consecutively using the mold 2 in common.

[0060] Next, a manufacturing process will be described for creating a structure 3 in which the mold 2 and the substrate 1 are integrated via the cured composition 4. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process. Figures 9A to 9D and 10A to 10D are diagrams illustrating each step in the manufacturing process. In the manufacturing process, the substrate 1 (first substrate) to which the composition 4 has been supplied is transported to the substrate holding section 61 by the transport section 40, and the mold 2 (first mold) is transported to the mold holding section 62 by the transport section 40. Then, the composition 4 is cured with the mold 2 in contact with the composition 4 on the substrate 1, and then the mold holding section 62 and the mold 2 are separated. This completes the manufacturing of the structure 3.

[0061] In step S301, the control unit 70 transports the mold 2 to the mold holding unit 62 of the molding apparatus 60 by the transport unit 40, as shown in Figure 9A. For example, the mold 2 used in the manufacturing process is transported from the FOUP located in the interface module 10 to the stocker 30. The transport unit 40 transports the mold 2 from the stocker 30 to the mold holding unit 62 of the molding apparatus 60. The mold 2 transported to the mold holding unit 62 is held by the mold chuck 62a, as shown in Figure 9B. At this time, the position of the mold 2 may be measured by detecting the marks on the mold 2 using the second scope 64, and the mold 2 may be positioned based on the measurement result.

[0062] In step S302, the control unit 70 transports the substrate 1 onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50 using the transport unit 40. For example, the substrate 1 used in the manufacturing process is unloaded from the FOUP located in the interface module 10, pre-processed in the pre-post processing module 20, and then transported to the stocker 30. The transport unit 40 transports the substrate 1 from the stocker 30 onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50.

[0063] In step S303, the control unit 70 controls the supply device 50 to supply the composition onto the substrate 1 that has been transported onto the stage 51 of the supply device 50. As described above, the supply device 50 supplies the composition onto the substrate 1 by moving the stage 51, thereby moving the substrate 1 below the droplet discharge unit 52, and discharging the composition as multiple droplets from the droplet discharge unit 52.

[0064] In step S304, as shown in Figure 9C, the control unit 70 transports the substrate 1, to which the composition 4 has been supplied by the supply device 50, to the substrate holding unit 61 of the molding apparatus 60 by the transport unit 40. The substrate 1 transported to the substrate holding unit 61 is held by the substrate chuck 61a, as shown in Figure 9D. At this time, the position of the substrate 1 may be measured by detecting marks on the substrate 1 using the second scope 64, and the substrate 1 may be positioned based on the measurement result.

[0065] In the example shown in Figure 8, steps S302 to S304, in which the substrate 1 is transported to and held in the substrate holding section 61, are performed after step S301, in which the mold 2 is transported to and held in the mold holding section 62. However, this is not the only way in which steps are performed. Steps S302 to S304 may be performed in parallel with step S301, or before step S301.

[0066] In step S305, as shown in Figure 10A, the control unit 70 brings the mold 2, which is held by the mold holding unit 62 (mold chuck 62a), into contact with the composition 4 on the substrate 1. For example, the control unit 70 drives the mold 2 in the -Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62b to bring the mold 2, which is held by the mold holding unit 62, into contact with the composition on the substrate 1. Next, in step S306, as shown in Figure 10B, with the composition 4 on the substrate 1 and the mold 2 in contact, the control unit 70 irradiates the composition 4 with light L using the curing unit 65 to cure the composition 4.

[0067] In step S307, the control unit 70 separates the mold holding part 62 (mold chuck 62a) from the mold 2 which is in contact with the cured composition 4 on the substrate 1, as shown in Figure 10C. For example, the control unit 70 releases the mold 2 from the mold chuck 62a and drives the mold chuck 62a in the +Z direction with the mold driving mechanism 62b, thereby separating the mold chuck 62a from the mold 2 which is in contact with the cured composition 4 on the substrate 1. As a result, a structure 3 is created in which the mold 2 and the substrate 1 are integrated via the cured composition 4.

[0068] In step S308, the control unit 70 unloads the structure 3 from the molding apparatus 60 (substrate holding unit 61) by the transport unit 40, as shown in Figure 10D. The structure 3 unloaded from the molding apparatus 60 is transported to the stocker 30 by the transport unit 40 and stored in the stocker 30. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the structure 3 created in the molding apparatus 60 is stored in the stocker 30, but the structure 3 may be unloaded outside the lithography system 100. In this case, the structure 3 may be transported to the FOUP located in the interface module 10.

[0069] Here, the thickness of the hardened composition 4 in the structure 3 produced in the manufacturing process is preferably thicker than the thickness of the substrate 1 formed in the molding process. This allows the structure 3 to be stored in the stocker 30 in a stable state. The stocker 30 may also be equipped with a detection unit 31 for detecting the storage status of the structure 3, as shown in Figure 1. The storage status of the structure 3 may include the number of structure 3 stored in the stocker 30. For example, the detection unit 31 may be configured to detect the storage status of the structure 3 (number of structure 3) by detecting whether or not a structure 3 is placed on each of the multiple shelves provided in the stocker 30. Alternatively, the detection unit 31 may be configured to detect the storage status of the structure 3 (number of structure 3) by detecting the weight of the stocker 30.

[0070] As described above, in this embodiment, the lithography system 100 is used to attach the mold 2 to the mold holding section 62 of the molding apparatus 60 using a structure 3 in which the mold 2 and the substrate 1 are integrated via a cured composition. As a result, the mold 2 attached to the mold holding section 62 is in a state where foreign matter has been removed by the cured composition 4 in the structure 3, and a release agent has been applied to the flat surface 2a without the need for separate priming. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the adhesion of foreign matter to the mold 2 and to have advantages in terms of productivity.

[0071] <Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a mold 2 to which a release agent 5 has been applied is transported to a mold holding unit 62 by a transport unit 40 in a lithography apparatus 100. This embodiment basically follows the first embodiment, and can be carried out according to the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below.

[0072] A mold 2 coated with a release agent 5 can be manufactured by a supply device 50 of a lithography system 100. In this case, the supply device 50 may be configured such that the stage 51 holds the mold 2, and the droplet dispensing unit 52 dispenses the release agent 5 as multiple droplets. For example, the supply device 50 moves the mold 2 below the droplet dispensing unit 52 by moving the stage 51, while dispensing the release agent as multiple droplets to the droplet dispensing unit 52. This allows the release agent 5 to be supplied (dispensed) as multiple droplets to the surface of the mold 2, as shown in Figure 11A. Over time, the multiple droplets spread on the surface of the mold 2, forming a liquid film as shown in Figure 11B. That is, the release agent 5 is coated onto the surface of the mold 2. If a coating device for coating the surface of the mold 2, such as a spin coater, is provided in the supply device 50, the release agent 5 may be applied (coated) to the surface of the mold 2 using this coating device.

[0073] The mold 2, to which the release agent 5 has been applied (coated) by the supply device 50, is transported from the supply device 50 to the stocker 30 (storage unit) by the transport unit 40 and stored in the stocker 30. The mold 2 to which the release agent 5 has been applied may be stored in the stocker 30 covered with a sheet 6, as shown in Figure 11C. This reduces the adhesion of foreign matter to the mold 2 (release agent 5) during storage.

[0074] As shown in Figure 1, the stocker 30 is provided with a covering mechanism 32 that covers the release agent 5 applied to the mold 2 with a sheet 6. The covering mechanism 32 also operates as a peeling mechanism that peels the sheet 6 from the release agent 5 on the mold 2, and when the mold 2 is discharged from the stocker 30 by the transport unit 40, the sheet 6 is peeled off from the release agent 5 on the mold 2. The mold 2 from which the sheet 6 has been peeled off from the release agent 5 is transported by the transport unit 40 from the stocker 30 to the mold holding units 62 of each molding device 60a to 60d.

[0075] Furthermore, the mold 2 to which the release agent 5 has been applied may be manufactured by an external supply device of the lithography system 100. The external supply device may be configured to dispense the release agent 5 as multiple droplets, similar to the supply device 50 inside the lithography system 100, or it may be configured to apply the release agent 5 to the surface of the mold 2, such as by a spin coater. The mold 2 to which the release agent 5 has been applied by the external supply device is placed in the interface module 10 in a container such as a FOUP, and the mold 2 is unloaded from the FOUP by a transport robot (not shown) and transported to the stocker 30. The mold 2 to which the release agent 5 has been applied is then transported by the transport unit 40 to the mold holding units 62 of each molding device 60a to 60d.

[0076] <Embodiment of Article Manufacturing Method> The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is suitable for manufacturing articles such as microdevices such as semiconductor devices and elements having a microstructure. The article manufacturing method of this embodiment includes the steps of forming a composition on a substrate using the above-described lithography system, processing the substrate having the formed composition, and manufacturing an article from the processed substrate. Furthermore, such a manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method of this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0077] The technical ideas derived from this disclosure are not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed, but are intended to encompass various modifications of the exemplary embodiments, or substitutions with equivalent structures or functions. The scope of the following claims should be interpreted in the broadest way to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0078] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-190072, filed on 29 October 2024, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

[0079] 1: Substrate, 2: Mold, 10: Interface module, 20: Pre- and post-processing module, 30: Stocker (storage unit), 40: Transport unit, 50: Supply device, 60: Molding device, 61: Substrate holding unit, 62: Mold holding unit, 70: Control unit, 100: Lithography system

Claims

1. A lithography system comprising: a molding apparatus having a mold holding section for holding a mold, and using the mold to form a composition on a substrate; and a transport section for transporting the mold to the mold holding section to which a release agent has been applied.

2. The lithography system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing the mold to which the release agent has been applied, wherein the transport unit transports the mold from the storage unit to the mold holding unit.

3. The lithography system according to claim 2, characterized in that the storage unit stores the mold on which the release agent has been applied to its surface, with the release agent covered by a sheet.

4. The lithography system according to claim 3, further comprising a peeling mechanism for peeling the sheet from the release agent, wherein the transport unit transports the mold from which the sheet has been peeled off the release agent by the peeling mechanism to the mold holding unit.

5. The lithography system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a supply device for applying the mold release agent to the mold, wherein the transport unit transports the mold to the mold holding unit with the mold release agent applied by the supply device.

6. The lithography system according to claim 5, characterized in that the supply device applies the release agent to the surface of the mold as a plurality of droplets.

7. The lithography system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the molding apparatus has a substrate holding section for holding the substrate, and the transport section transports the substrate to the substrate holding section.

8. The lithography system according to claim 7, further comprising a control unit for controlling mounting and molding processes, wherein in the mounting process, a structure in which a first mold and a first substrate are integrated via a composition is transported to the substrate holding unit by the transport unit, and the first mold is attached to the mold holding unit by separating the first mold from the composition of the structure while the first mold is held in the mold holding unit; and in the molding process, a second substrate to which the composition has been supplied is transported to the substrate holding unit by the transport unit, and the composition on the second substrate is molded using the first mold held in the mold holding unit after the mounting process.

9. The lithography system according to claim 8, characterized in that the control unit continuously performs the molding process on a plurality of second substrates using the first mold held by the mold holding unit in common.

10. The lithography system according to claim 9, characterized in that the control unit does not perform the mounting process between the molding processes performed sequentially on a plurality of second substrates.

11. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a storage unit for storing the structure, wherein the control unit, in the mounting process, transports the structure stored in the storage unit to the substrate holding unit by the transport unit.

12. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising a supply device for supplying a composition onto a substrate, wherein the control unit, in the molding process, transports the second substrate on which the composition has been supplied by the supply device to the substrate holding unit by the transport unit.

13. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the control unit, in the mounting process, transports the first substrate remaining after the first mold has been separated from the structure from the substrate holding unit.

14. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the structure is formed by integrating the first mold and the first substrate via a cured composition.

15. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the composition in the structure includes a release agent.

16. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that the film thickness of the composition in the structure is thicker than the film thickness of the composition on the second substrate formed in the molding process.

17. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 16, characterized in that the control unit performs a recovery process to recover the second mold held by the mold holding unit from the mold holding unit before the mounting process.

18. The lithography system according to claim 17, characterized in that, in the recovery process, the third substrate to which the composition has been supplied is transported to the substrate holding section by the transport section, and the second mold held by the mold holding section is separated from the mold holding section while the mold holding section is in contact with the composition on the third substrate, thereby recovering the second mold from the mold holding section.

19. The lithography system according to claim 18, characterized in that, in the recovery process, after separating the mold holding unit and the second mold, the third substrate, on which the second mold is integrated via the composition, is transported out of the substrate holding unit by the transport unit.

20. The lithography system according to any one of claims 8 to 19, characterized in that the control unit controls a manufacturing process for manufacturing the structure using the molding apparatus, and in the manufacturing process, the first substrate on which the composition is supplied is transported to the substrate holding unit by the transport unit, the first mold is transported to the mold holding unit by the transport unit, the composition on the first substrate is cured with the first mold in contact with the composition, and then the mold holding unit and the first mold are separated to manufacture the structure.

21. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: a step of forming a composition on a substrate using a lithography system according to any one of claims 1 to 20; a step of processing the substrate having the formed composition; and a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from the processed substrate.

Images