Imprint Gas Flow Control for Substrate Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing imprint apparatuses require a significant amount of expensive gas to facilitate the filling of concave portions in the mold pattern with imprint material, leading to increased costs and potential pattern defects due to reduced gas usage.
Innovation Solution
A shaping apparatus that includes a gas supply system with a gas supply port between the dispenser and the mold positioning mechanism, where the gas flow rate decreases as the substrate is driven, optimizing gas usage by controlling the flow rate during the movement of the imprint material under the mold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If gas is supplied between substrate and mold to facilitate filling of concave portions, then filling speed is improved, but gas consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Gas is supplied in advance before the substrate reaches the mold position, and the supply is continued after the substrate passes through. This preliminary and extended gas supply ensures that the concave portions are properly filled without requiring excessive gas flow rates, thereby reducing overall gas consumption while maintaining filling speed
Solution Approach 2:
The gas supply is made dynamic by adjusting the supply timing based on substrate position. The gas supply starts before the substrate arrives and continues after it passes, creating an optimized gas presence window that maintains effective filling while minimizing total gas usage compared to continuous high-flow supply
2Loss of substance
If gas flow rate is reduced to decrease gas consumption, then gas cost is reduced, but pattern defects occur due to filling failure
Solution Approach 1:
Gas supply begins before the substrate reaches the mold position, ensuring that gas is already present in the concave portions when the imprint material arrives. This preliminary gas presence prevents filling failures and pattern defects even when the gas flow rate is reduced, thereby maintaining pattern quality with lower gas consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The gas supply continues after the substrate passes through the mold position, ensuring continuous gas presence in the concave portions throughout the filling process. This continuous gas action prevents filling failures and maintains pattern quality while allowing for reduced peak gas flow rates, thus reducing overall gas consumption
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
This approach reduces the consumption of expensive gases while maintaining pattern quality by ensuring adequate filling of the concave portions, thereby enhancing the throughput and reducing pattern defects.
Implementation Method 1
by supplying a gas (for example, helium gas) having high solubility and/or diffusibility with respect to the imprint material between the substrate and the mold, it is possible to reduce an inhibition in filling the concave portion in the pattern region of the mold with the imprint material by a gas in the concave portion
Data Source
AI summary
A shaping apparatus that shapes a composition on a substrate by using a mold, includes a substrate positioning mechanism for positioning the substrate, a mold positioning mechanism for positioning the mold, a dispenser for arranging the composition on a shot region of the substrate, and a gas supply for supplying a gas onto the substrate from a gas supply port in a state in which the substrate is driven by the substrate positioning mechanism. A flow rate of the gas supplied onto the substrate by the gas supply starts to decrease in a period during which the substrate is driven by the substrate positioning mechanism so that the shot region where the composition is arranged by the dispenser is moved under the mold.