Imprint Apparatus Alignment Control via Shift Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In imprint apparatuses, accurately aligning a mold and substrate in the surface direction while minimizing the time required for alignment is challenging, as the relative position between the mold and substrate is difficult to change when they are in contact, leading to potential shifts in the transferred mold pattern from the target position.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus with a control unit that aligns the mold and substrate using a shift amount to adjust the relative position before contact, ensuring the pattern is transferred within an allowable range, utilizing a combination of measurement units and correction maps to account for alignment errors and deformation corrections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If alignment is performed while the mold and imprint material are in contact with each other, then alignment can be performed, but the relative position is difficult to change and it takes considerable time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing alignment while the mold and imprint material are in contact, before the actual imprinting process. This allows the alignment to be established in advance when the relative position is still adjustable, avoiding the need for time-consuming re-alignment after contact is made during imprinting.
2Productivity
If alignment is performed in the surface direction while the mold and imprint material are not in contact with each other, then alignment can be performed efficiently, but the transferred mold pattern shifts from the target position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback by detecting the relative position between the mold and substrate during the approach process, and using this information to adjust the alignment. The control unit detects position information and corrects the alignment based on this feedback, ensuring the pattern transfers accurately to the target position while maintaining efficient alignment performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If the mold and imprint material are brought into contact after alignment, then the pattern can be transferred, but the relative position cannot be changed during contact making re-alignment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by completing all necessary alignment and position adjustment operations while the mold and imprint material are still in a non-contact state. The control unit performs position detection and alignment correction before contact is made, ensuring that the relative position can be optimized without the constraint of maintaining contact during adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which transfers the pattern of the mold to a target region on the substrate, comprising a control unit configured to align the mold and the target region in a surface direction parallel to a surface of the substrate, and drive at least one of the mold and the substrate so that the mold and an imprint material on the target region are brought into contact with each other, wherein in the alignment in the surface direction before the contact, the control unit shifts a relative position between the mold and the target region based on a shift amount of the pattern of the mold from the target region in the surface direction in the driving which causes the contact, so that the relative position after the contact is set within an allowable range.