Imprint Template Alignment Mark Depth Differentiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imprint lithography techniques face challenges in achieving high-accuracy alignment and pattern formation due to resist material absorption in grooves and difficulties in distinguishing alignment marks from pattern regions, leading to incomplete resist coverage and inaccurate pattern transfer.
Innovation Solution
A template with optically-transparent material features a contact surface with concave portions for resist pattern formation and alignment marks, where the alignment mark concave portions have a larger opening area or deeper depth than the resist pattern concave portions, allowing for optical alignment and preventing resist material filling, thereby enabling precise alignment and pattern transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If grooves are formed to prevent resist filling in alignment mark regions, then alignment marks can be distinguished from pattern regions, but substrate regions exist that are not covered with resist leading to incomplete pattern transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different depth characteristics to different regions of the template: the alignment mark region has a first depth while the pattern region has a second depth. This local differentiation allows the alignment marks to be distinguished from pattern regions while ensuring complete resist coverage in the pattern transfer regions, resolving the contradiction between mark distinguishability and pattern transfer accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If resist is coated on the entire template surface including alignment mark regions, then complete resist coverage is achieved, but alignment marks are filled with resist making high-accuracy alignment impossible
Solution Approach 1:
By forming alignment mark regions with a different depth (first depth) compared to pattern regions (second depth), the invention creates local quality differences that prevent resist filling in alignment mark regions while maintaining complete resist coverage in pattern regions. This enables both complete resist coverage and high-accuracy alignment to be achieved simultaneously.
3Measurement precision
If grooves are formed between pattern region and alignment marks to prevent resist filling, then alignment marks remain visible, but the density of resist pattern is affected leading to incorrect pattern sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses depth differentiation (first depth for alignment marks, second depth for patterns) as the local quality mechanism to prevent resist filling in alignment regions without creating grooves between pattern and alignment regions. This eliminates the groove-induced density variations that cause pattern dimension errors, while still maintaining alignment mark visibility.
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 enhances alignment accuracy and dimension precision, increases productivity by eliminating the need for grooves to prevent resist filling, and improves the yield and performance of semiconductor devices by ensuring complete resist coverage and accurate pattern transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a template with optically-transparent material features a contact surface with concave portions for resist pattern formation and alignment marks, where the alignment mark concave portions have a larger opening area or deeper depth than the resist pattern concave portions, allowing for optical alignment
Implementation Method 2
filling the concave portion with the resist material so that a filled region and an unfilled region are formed in the concave portion for alignment mark
Data Source
AI summary
A template formed of an optically-transparent material according to an embodiment includes a contact surface which contacts a resist material, a concave portion for resist pattern formed on the contact surface in which the resist material is filled and cured so as to form a resist pattern part, and a concave portion for alignment mark formed on the contact surface which is used for an optical alignment of the template, includes an opening and a bottom portion and has a shape that an area of the opening is larger than that of the bottom portion or a shape that a depth thereof is deeper than that of the concave portion for resist pattern.