Imprint Apparatus Droplet Dispensing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing micropatterning techniques face issues with imprint material leakage due to uneven spreading and timing variations, leading to pattern defects on substrates during the imprint process.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus that uses a supplying unit with orifices to discharge droplets of imprint material, where the positions for dispensing are determined based on elapsed time and predicted spread, ensuring precise targeting to prevent leakage and defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the imprint material is continuously supplied to multiple shot regions, then the productivity is improved, but the imprint material may leak outside the shot region due to uneven spreading and timing variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations to determine the optimal supply position for each droplet based on predicted spread characteristics and elapsed time. By pre-calculating the necessary position adjustments, the system ensures that even when continuously supplying multiple shot regions, the imprint material remains contained within the intended boundaries, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different supply position adjustments for different shot regions based on their specific characteristics, elapsed times, and predicted spread patterns. This localized approach allows each shot region to receive material at the optimal position to prevent leakage, while maintaining continuous operation across multiple regions, thereby balancing productivity with manufacturing precision.
2Device complexity
If the supply position is fixed for all shot regions, then the device complexity is reduced, but the imprint material spreads unevenly and leaks outside the shot region
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the supply position for each droplet based on real-time parameters including elapsed time, shot region position, and predicted spread characteristics. This dynamic position adjustment mechanism allows the system to maintain manufacturing precision across different shot regions without requiring complex physical adjustments to the supply device itself, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and manufacturing precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the elapsed time varies for each shot region, then the flexibility in processing is improved, but the imprint material spread becomes unpredictable and causes leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor elapsed time and predicted spread characteristics for each shot region. Based on this feedback, the system adjusts the supply position to compensate for variations in elapsed time, ensuring that the imprint material remains contained within the shot region boundaries. This feedback-based adjustment maintains manufacturing precision while preserving processing flexibility.
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 apparatus effectively reduces pattern defects by accurately controlling the dispensing of imprint material droplets, containing them within the intended regions and preventing leakage, thereby enhancing the quality of the formed patterns on substrates.
Implementation Method 1
a supplying unit including a plurality of orifices which discharge droplets of an imprint material
Implementation Method 2
the imprint material droplets on the substrate will spread in accordance with the elapsed time since the imprint material has been supplied
Implementation Method 3
the imprint material droplets on the substrate will spread in accordance with the elapsed time since the imprint material has been supplied
Data Source
AI summary
The preset invention provides an imprint apparatus including a supplying unit including a plurality of orifices which discharge droplets of an imprint material, and configured to supply the imprint material onto a substrate via the plurality of the orifices, and a processing unit configured to perform processing to determine positions where the droplets of the imprint material are to be supplied on the substrate based on information, which indicates a relationship between an elapsed time since the supplying unit has supplied the imprint material on the substrate and a spread of the droplets of the imprint material on the substrate corresponding to the elapsed time, and a predicted time since the supplying unit has supplied the imprint material onto the substrate until a mold is brought into contact with imprint material.