Imprint Apparatus Gas Flow for Particle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imprint apparatuses face challenges in minimizing particle attachment to substrates during the imprint process, leading to pattern defects and potential mold damage, with limited effective techniques for suppressing particle attachment.
Innovation Solution
The imprint apparatus incorporates a gas supply unit that creates an airflow between a plate member and the substrate, using a clean gas like helium or nitrogen to reduce particle inflow and attachment, while maintaining a high ventilation rate without increasing the size of the air conditioning system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gas supply nozzle is arranged around a mold to substitute the space between mold and substrate with helium, then the resin on substrate is saturated with helium, but the apparatus becomes complex and the air conditioning system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas supply system is segmented into multiple nozzles positioned at different locations (upstream, downstream, and side positions) relative to the mold. This segmentation allows effective helium substitution in the critical pattern formation region without requiring a complete system overhaul, thus improving pattern quality while controlling apparatus complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Helium gas serves as an intermediary substance that mediates between the air conditioning system and the resin-substrate interface. By introducing helium through strategically positioned nozzles, the system achieves effective gas substitution in the pattern formation region without requiring direct contact between the mold and substrate, simplifying the overall apparatus structure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the air conditioning system is enlarged to increase ventilation rate, then particle attachment to substrate is reduced, but the apparatus size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing ventilation throughout the entire apparatus, the invention applies local quality improvement by positioning gas supply nozzles specifically in regions where particles most commonly attach to substrates. This targeted approach reduces particle attachment in critical areas without requiring a proportionate increase in overall air conditioning system size
Solution Approach 2:
The gas supply nozzles are asymmetrically positioned relative to the mold and substrate, with different nozzle configurations for upstream, downstream, and side positions. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes particle removal efficiency in specific high-risk regions without requiring symmetric enlargement of the entire air conditioning system
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 effectively reduces particle attachment to the substrate, minimizing pattern defects and enabling the production of high-quality devices with improved throughput and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a first supply unit configured to supply a first gas to a first space so as to form an air flow from the first space between the plate member and the substrate toward a second space outside the first space
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an imprint apparatus that performs imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the apparatus including a chuck configured to hold the mold, a head configured to support the chuck to be able to drive the chuck, the head being fixed to a base, a plate member configured to be arranged between the base and the substrate so as to surround the chuck, and a first supply unit configured to supply a first gas to a first space so as to form an air flow from the first space between the plate member and the substrate toward a second space outside the first space.