Recursive Drop Pattern Generation for Nanoimprint Lithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
In nanoimprint lithography, achieving precise control over the distribution of formable material volumes in imprint fields to ensure uniform pattern formation and efficient feature creation on substrates, while maintaining high production yields and throughput, remains a challenge due to variations in feature density and material distribution.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a field material map is used to recursively divide regions into smaller child regions until each region's material volume meets a specified threshold, allowing for the generation of a drop pattern with optimized drop locations that adapt to feature density, ensuring uniform material distribution and efficient material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the rectangular region is divided into smaller child regions recursively, then the manufacturing precision of material volume distribution is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by recursively dividing the rectangular region into smaller child regions until each region's material volume falls within the acceptable range. This is achieved through multiple division operations that split parent regions into child regions, progressively refining the material volume distribution precision while managing complexity through systematic subdivision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by adjusting the division strategy based on local material volume characteristics. Regions with material volumes outside the acceptable range undergo further division, while regions within range are left unchanged. This localized approach refines only the necessary areas, improving precision without unnecessarily increasing overall device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the region division is performed recursively until material volume is within range, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by calculating and storing material volume information for each region before performing divisions. The system determines which regions require further division based on pre-calculated volume assessments, allowing for optimized division sequences that reduce redundant computations and minimize processing time while maintaining precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the division axis is rotated by 90 degrees for each level of recursion, then the adaptability to feature density variations is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements asymmetry by alternating the division axis orientation between horizontal and vertical directions at each recursion level. This asymmetric division strategy adapts to different feature density distributions in various regions, improving the system's versatility in handling diverse patterns while managing complexity through a systematic alternating approach rather than requiring complex adaptive algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods (a) receive a field material map that represents of a spatial distribution of a volume of a material over a rectangular region; (b) divide the rectangular region into two rectangular child regions along a division axis; (c) determine if the material volume in each rectangular child region is within a range of a specific volume; (d) for each rectangular child region that is not within the range of the specific volume, perform (b) for each rectangular child region as the rectangular region along a division axis that has been rotated by 90 degrees relative to the division axis that was used to generate the rectangular child region; (e) repeat (b)-(d) until all rectangular child regions meet the criteria in (c); and (f) output a drop pattern that includes one or more drop locations inside each rectangular child region that meets the criteria in (c).