Imprint Mold Shape Correction for Stable Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imprint technologies face challenges in maintaining the initial position of the mold relative to the imprint head during the imprint cycle, leading to decreased productivity due to time-consuming alignment steps.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus equipped with a shape correction mechanism using contact portions to adjust the mold's shape, combined with detection units and control units to stabilize the mold's position by optimizing the drive timings of these contact portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the mold is mounted without initial position adjustment, then the mounting process is simpler and faster, but the mold position deviates during the imprint cycle requiring time-consuming alignment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary position adjustment of the mold during the mounting phase by detecting the initial position with the detection unit and adjusting it to a predetermined correct position before the imprint cycle begins. This preliminary action ensures that no additional alignment steps are needed during the actual imprinting process, thus improving productivity while maintaining precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If alignment steps are added to correct mold position deviation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to increased process time
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment is performed preliminarily during mold mounting rather than as a separate step during the imprint cycle. The detection unit detects the mold's initial position and the adjustment mechanism corrects it before production begins, eliminating the need for time-consuming alignment steps during actual manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the mold's own mounting process to perform the alignment function. By detecting the mold's position during mounting and automatically adjusting it to the correct position, the system makes the mounting process itself serve the dual purpose of installation and alignment, eliminating the need for separate alignment operations.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the detection unit and control system are added to adjust contact portion timings, then mold position stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection unit continuously monitors the mold's position during the imprint cycle and provides feedback to the control system. The control system adjusts the timing of the contact portions based on this feedback to maintain the mold at the correct position, creating a closed-loop control system that ensures stability without requiring overly complex mechanisms.
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 enhances positional accuracy and reduces the time required for mold alignment, thereby improving the productivity of the imprint process.
Implementation Method 1
a shape correction mechanism configured to correct a shape of the mold using a plurality of contact portions for applying a force to side surfaces of the mold
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint apparatus performing imprint processing for molding an imprint material on a substrate using a mold includes a shape correction mechanism configured to correct a shape of the mold using a plurality of contact portions for applying a force to side surfaces of the mold, a detection unit configured to detect contact states of the plurality of contact portions, and a control unit configured to perform a stabilizing operation of moving the mold toward a stable position by adjusting drive timings of the plurality of contact portions in accordance with an output of the detection unit.