Imprint Lithography Gas Circulation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Imprint lithography faces challenges with gas pockets trapped between the imprint template and the imprintable medium leading to defects, and existing methods for providing a highly diffusive gas atmosphere are inefficient, causing increased evaporation and high running costs due to excessive gas usage.
Innovation Solution
An imprint lithography apparatus with a chamber and gas circulation system that recirculates and purifies a highly diffusive gas, such as helium, to reduce defects and evaporation, while minimizing gas usage through controlled gas flow and pressure management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a highly diffusive gas atmosphere is provided during imprinting, then gas pocket diffusion is improved and throughput is increased, but evaporation rate of imprintable medium increases and gas consumption becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a gas recirculation system where gas exiting the imprinting chamber is captured, purified to remove contaminants, and returned to the chamber. This recovering approach reduces gas consumption while maintaining the highly diffusive atmosphere needed for rapid gas pocket diffusion and high throughput imprinting
Solution Approach 2:
The gas circulation system operates continuously to maintain a stable highly diffusive gas atmosphere in the chamber. This continuous provision of fresh purified gas ensures consistent rapid diffusion of gas pockets during imprinting, sustaining high throughput without requiring excessive gas input
2Reliability
If a highly diffusive gas atmosphere is provided during imprinting, then gas pocket diffusion is improved, but evaporation rate of imprintable medium increases making imprinting more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gas circulation system provides different gas flow conditions to different regions. Gas is directed specifically toward the imprint template and substrate interface where rapid diffusion is needed to eliminate gas pockets, while reduced gas flow minimizes evaporation from the bulk imprintable medium, thus improving pattern quality without excessive evaporation
Solution Approach 2:
The gas circulation operates in controlled cycles or pulses during the imprinting process, providing enhanced gas flow during critical phases when gas pocket diffusion is most needed, while reducing flow during phases where evaporation control is prioritized, thereby balancing pattern quality and evaporation management
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 recirculation and purification of the gas atmosphere reduce defects and evaporation, enhance throughput, and lower operational costs by minimizing gas consumption.
Implementation Method 1
A highly diffusive, such as helium, can be used as an atmosphere in which imprinting takes place. Any trapped gas pockets may thus diffuse more rapidly into the imprintable medium, the substrate or the imprint template.
Implementation Method 2
Existing apparatuses and methods for providing such a gaseous atmosphere can, for example, lead to an increase in the evaporation rate of imprintable medium.
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint lithography apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an imprint template arrangement for use in imprinting a pattern into a substrate provided with an amount of imprintable medium, a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate, and a chamber having an inlet to allow gas to flow into the chamber and an outlet to allow gas to flow out of the chamber, wherein the imprint template arrangement and the substrate holder are located within the chamber, the chamber, in use, being arranged to contain a gaseous atmosphere. The chamber may be part of a gas circulation system, the inlet and outlet of the chamber being connected to further components of the gas circulation system, the further components of the gas circulation system including: a gas circulation driver configured to drive gas around the gas circulation system; and/or a gas purification unit configured to purify the gas as it circulates around the gas circulation system.