Imprint Underlayer Film Composition for Mold Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The repeated use of compositions for forming underlayer films in imprinting processes often results in mold defects and reduced durability due to contamination and damage from particulate metals, particularly those with particle diameters of 10 nm or larger, such as iron, copper, and lead.
Innovation Solution
A composition for forming an underlayer film containing particulate metals like iron, copper, or lead with particle diameters of 10 nm or larger, in specific concentrations (50 ppt to 10 ppb by mass), along with other metals, is used, which is filtered to minimize contamination and damage, enhancing mold durability and reducing defect generation during nanoimprint lithography.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a composition for forming an underlayer film is repeatedly used in imprinting processes, then productivity is improved through continuous manufacturing, but mold durability deteriorates due to contamination and damage from particulate metals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes particulate metals (iron, copper, lead, titanium) with particle diameters of 10 nm or larger from the underlayer film composition through filtration processes. This eliminates the harmful particles that cause mold contamination and damage, allowing the composition to be repeatedly used without degrading mold durability, thus resolving the contradiction between continuous manufacturing and mold reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the concentration parameters of particulate metals in the composition by establishing specific quantitative limits (50 ppt to 10 ppb by mass for iron, copper, titanium, and lead). By controlling these parameters within defined ranges, the composition maintains manufacturing efficiency while preventing mold contamination, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and mold durability
2Ease of manufacture
If particulate metals with particle diameters of 10 nm or larger are present in the underlayer film composition, then the composition can be applied and cured to form patterns, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to mold defects and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes particulate metals with particle diameters of 10 nm or larger through filtration, eliminating the source of mold defects that would compromise pattern formation accuracy. This extraction process maintains the composition's applicability while ensuring high manufacturing precision by preventing particle-induced defects
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes specific concentration parameters for particulate metals (50 ppt to 10 ppb by mass) that balance the composition's processability with pattern formation precision. By controlling particle concentration within these parameters, the composition remains easy to manufacture and apply while preventing defects that would reduce manufacturing precision
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a composition for forming an underlayer film for imprinting, including a curable component, and a particulate metal which has a particle diameter of 10 nm or larger, as measured by a single particle ICP-MASS method, and contains at least one kind of iron, copper, titanium, or lead, in which a content of the particulate metal is 50 ppt by mass to 10 ppb by mass with respect to the composition; a method for producing a composition for forming an underlayer film for imprinting; a pattern producing method; a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element; a cured product; and a kit.