Imprint Apparatus Dual-Curing Controller Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Imprint apparatuses face alignment errors due to surface shape irregularities on substrates, which affect the transfer of patterns from templates to substrates during the imprint process.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus with a controller that adjusts the exposure conditions of a light source, including temporary curing followed by main curing, to align the substrate with the template by controlling the intensity and timing of light exposure based on specific regions of the substrate's topography, reducing alignment errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the resist is rapidly cured to improve productivity, then the pattern transfer speed increases, but alignment errors increase due to substrate surface irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing temporary curing before main curing. The resist is first temporarily cured to a degree where it has sufficient hardness to maintain alignment, then aligned with the template, and finally main curing is performed to complete the pattern transfer. This preliminary temporary curing enables the resist to maintain alignment during the critical alignment process while still allowing subsequent rapid curing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the curing parameter by using a light source with controllable intensity and duration. The controller adjusts the exposure conditions to achieve temporary curing at a lower intensity level, then increases intensity for main curing. This parameter change allows the resist to undergo different curing stages with different hardness levels, resolving the contradiction between rapid curing and alignment accuracy.
2Productivity
If the light intensity is increased to speed up curing, then the productivity improves, but the alignment precision deteriorates due to resist movement on uneven substrate surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary temporary curing at controlled intensity before alignment. This preliminary action creates a resist layer with sufficient hardness to prevent movement during alignment, while the full intensity curing is deferred to after alignment is complete, thus maintaining both precision and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic action by dividing the curing process into distinct phases: temporary curing phase, alignment phase, and main curing phase. The controller sequentially executes these phases with different light intensity levels, allowing the system to achieve both alignment precision and curing speed without simultaneous conflicts.
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 solution effectively reduces alignment errors by gradually increasing the hardness of the resist during temporary curing, allowing for precise alignment and improved pattern transfer accuracy, thereby enhancing the yield and reducing manufacturing costs of semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
a light source configured to emit light at different selectable intensities toward the transfer target material
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint apparatus includes a moveable substrate support configured to hold a substrate having a transfer target material thereon, a template holder configured to hold a template in which a pattern, which is to be transferred to the transfer target material, is formed, a light source configured to emit light at different selectable intensities toward the transfer target material, and a controller. The controller includes a processing unit and a storage unit, and is configured to retrieve exposure conditions for the transfer target material and control the intensity, and timing of initiation, of the light output by the light source, based on the retrieved exposure conditions, such that the transfer target material is subjected to main curing after undergoing temporary curing.