Imprint Apparatus Peripheral Member Particle Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing imprint techniques face issues with pattern defects and damage to substrates and molds due to particles being readily released from peripheral members, which are attracted by strong electrostatic forces, leading to particle attachment to the mold instead of the substrate or peripheral member.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus with a substrate chuck and a peripheral member surrounding the substrate, equipped with a cleaning unit that uses a charging member to attract and remove particles from the peripheral member by moving the cleaning member relative to the peripheral member, thereby reducing particle attachment to the mold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a peripheral member is arranged to surround the side surface of the substrate to efficiently supply purge gas, then the volume of the space under the mold is reduced and purge gas is efficiently maintained, but the electrostatic force acting on particles on the peripheral member becomes considerably larger than on the substrate holder, causing particles to be readily released from the peripheral member and attach to the mold
Solution Approach 1:
A cleaning member is introduced as an intermediary between the peripheral member and the mold. This cleaning member includes a charging unit that generates electrostatic force to attract and remove particles from the peripheral member, preventing them from reaching the mold. The cleaning member acts as a mediator that resolves the harmful effect caused by the peripheral member's electrostatic charge.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning member performs preliminary cleaning of the peripheral member before the imprint process. By removing particles from the peripheral member in advance through electrostatic attraction, the system prevents particle contamination of the mold that would otherwise occur during the imprint process.
2Reliability
If particles are attached to the mold through processing of a large number of substrates, then the mold accumulates particles that can cause pattern defects or damage, but removing particles requires additional cleaning processes that reduce productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral member serves a dual function: it supplies purge gas during the imprint process and simultaneously accumulates particles through electrostatic attraction. This self-service approach allows the peripheral member to protect the mold from particles while maintaining substrate processing throughput, as the particle accumulation occurs passively during normal operation without requiring separate cleaning actions.
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 solution effectively reduces pattern defects and damage by ensuring particles are removed from the peripheral member, preventing them from attaching to the mold or substrate, thus maintaining pattern integrity and apparatus integrity.
Implementation Method 1
An electrostatic force (Coulomb force) is applied to particles by an electric field formed by this charging. This makes it possible to attract the particles to the mold and attach the particles to the mold.
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint apparatus forms a pattern on a substrate by curing an imprint material on the substrate while the imprint material is in contact with a mold. The imprint apparatus includes a substrate chuck having a substrate holding region for holding the substrate, a peripheral member arranged to surround the side surface of the substrate held by the substrate chuck, and a control unit configured to control a cleaning process for cleaning at least a partial region of the peripheral member by using a cleaning member including a charging unit. The cleaning process includes an operation for attracting a particle in the partial region to the charging unit by moving the cleaning member relative to the peripheral member while the charging unit faces at least the partial region of the peripheral member.