Imprint Curable Composition Purity for Mold Durability and Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing curable compositions for imprinting used in nanoimprint lithography suffer from mold durability issues and etching defects due to the presence of particulate metals like iron, copper, and titanium, which act as etching stoppers and cause mold contamination, leading to processing failures and reduced yield in semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A curable composition for imprinting is formulated with controlled amounts of particulate metals (iron, copper, titanium, or lead) within the range of 100 ppt to 30 ppb by mass, along with other metals, to enhance mold durability and etching resistance, while minimizing contamination and etching defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a curable composition for imprinting is used in nanoimprint lithography, then fine patterns can be formed with high precision, but mold durability deteriorates and etching defects occur due to the presence of particulate metals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes particulate metals (iron, copper, titanium, lead) from the curable composition for imprinting through filtration processes. By taking out these harmful impurities that cause mold contamination and etching defects, the composition achieves both high pattern formation precision and improved mold durability without the adverse effects of metal particles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the purity parameter of the curable composition by controlling the content of particulate metals to be 50 ppb or less (preferably 10 ppb or less). This parameter change from containing metal particles to being substantially free of metal particles resolves the contradiction by eliminating the source of mold contamination while maintaining the composition's functionality for precise pattern formation
2Ease of manufacture
If particulate metals are present in the curable composition, then the composition can be formulated with standard materials, but etching defects occur due to etching stoppers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts particulate metals that act as etching stoppers from the curable composition. By removing these metal particles through filtration, the composition maintains ease of manufacture with standard materials while eliminating etching defects, achieving both formulation simplicity and etching accuracy
3Loss of substance
If the curable composition is applied using the ink jet method, then material loss is minimized, but contamination control becomes more critical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by filtering and removing particulate metals from the curable composition before the ink jet application process. This preliminary purification ensures that when the composition is applied with minimal material loss via ink jet method, there is no subsequent contamination risk from metal particles that could defect the printed patterns or clog the ink jet nozzles
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition improves mold durability, reduces etching defects, and enhances the yield of semiconductor elements by effectively managing the presence of particulate metals, thereby stabilizing the curable composition over time.
Implementation Method 1
after photocuring is performed in a state where a mold is pressed against a curable composition for imprinting
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a curable composition for imprinting including a polymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a particulate metal which has a particle diameter of 1 nm or larger, as measured by a single particle ICP-MASS method, and includes at least one kind of iron, copper, titanium, or lead, in which a content of the particulate metal is 100 ppt by mass to 30 ppb by mass with respect to a solid content of the composition; a method for producing the curable composition for imprinting; a cured product using the curable composition for imprinting; a pattern producing method; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element.