Imprint Mold Peripheral Curing to Minimize Uncured Material Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imprint methods face contamination issues due to uncured photocurable material protruding from mold mesa portions, which can contaminate the apparatus with volatile components and foreign matter.
Innovation Solution
The imprint apparatus includes a first irradiation unit to cure the imprint material on the substrate and a second irradiation unit to cure the uncured material protruding from the mold's mesa portions, minimizing contamination by ensuring precise light irradiation and curing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single irradiation unit is used to cure the imprint material on the substrate, then the curing process is simple, but uncured material protruding from the mold may contaminate the apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The irradiation system is divided into two separate irradiation units: a first irradiation unit for curing the imprint material on the substrate, and a second irradiation unit for curing uncured material protruding from the mold. This segmentation allows each unit to perform its specific function independently, ensuring complete curing and preventing contamination while maintaining overall system manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The second irradiation unit acts as an intermediary component that specifically targets and cures uncured material at the mold periphery. This intermediary unit bridges the gap between the main curing process and the contamination prevention requirement, eliminating harmful factors without interfering with the primary imprinting function
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the irradiation range is expanded to cover the entire mold surface, then all uncured material is cured, but the risk of irradiating non-pattern regions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second irradiation unit is designed with localized irradiation capability that specifically targets only the peripheral region of the mold where uncured material protrudes. This local quality approach ensures that curing is applied precisely where needed without affecting non-pattern regions, eliminating contamination while avoiding unwanted irradiation
Solution Approach 2:
The second irradiation unit performs a partial curing action by focusing only on the uncured material at the mold periphery rather than the entire mold surface. This partial action is sufficient to prevent contamination while avoiding the harmful effect of irradiating non-pattern regions that would occur with full-surface irradiation
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 minimizes contamination within the apparatus by ensuring that uncured material is fully cured, reducing the risk of pollution from uncured material and volatile components.
Implementation Method 1
a first irradiation unit that irradiates an imprint material on a substrate with light for performing curing
Implementation Method 2
a second irradiation unit that irradiates a peripheral region of the pattern portion of the mold with light
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint apparatus in which contamination in an apparatus due to an uncured material or the like can be minimized is provided. The imprint apparatus includes: a first irradiation unit configured to irradiate an imprint material on a substrate with light for performing curing in a state in which the imprint material is brought into contact with a pattern portion having a concave and convex pattern formed in a mold; and a second irradiation unit configured to irradiate a peripheral region of the pattern portion of the mold after the irradiation of the light using the first irradiation unit.