US20120261849A1 - Imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method using same - Google Patents
Imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method using same Download PDFInfo
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- US20120261849A1 US20120261849A1 US13/086,586 US201113086586A US2012261849A1 US 20120261849 A1 US20120261849 A1 US 20120261849A1 US 201113086586 A US201113086586 A US 201113086586A US 2012261849 A1 US2012261849 A1 US 2012261849A1
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- mold
- light
- imprint apparatus
- resin
- luminescent material
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- C09K11/00—Luminescent, e.g. electroluminescent, chemiluminescent materials
- C09K11/02—Use of particular materials as binders, particle coatings or suspension media therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C39/00—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor
- B29C39/003—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor characterised by the choice of material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C39/00—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor
- B29C39/22—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
- B29C39/44—Measuring, controlling or regulating
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C59/00—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor
- B29C59/005—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor characterised by the choice of material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C59/00—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor
- B29C59/02—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by mechanical means, e.g. pressing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C59/00—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor
- B29C59/02—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by mechanical means, e.g. pressing
- B29C59/026—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by mechanical means, e.g. pressing of layered or coated substantially flat surfaces
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y10/00—Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y40/00—Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/0002—Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
- B29K2105/0005—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing compounding ingredients
- B29K2105/0032—Pigments, colouring agents or opacifiyng agents
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2995/00—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds
- B29K2995/0018—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2995/00—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds
- B29K2995/0018—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent
- B29K2995/0035—Fluorescent
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, and an article manufacturing method using the same.
- Photo imprint technology is a technology in which a mold on which a fine concave and convex pattern is formed by using electron beam exposure or the like is imprinted against a substrate on which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied to thereby transfer the concave and convex pattern onto the ultraviolet curable resin.
- an imprint apparatus that employs a photo-curing type imprint technology and forms the concave and convex pattern of the mold onto a wafer, that is, a treatment object substrate
- an image is usually formed on an ultraviolet curable resin which is then subjected to etching processing, whereby fine processing is performed on the wafer.
- ultraviolet curable resin may remain on the concave and convex portion of the mold.
- the concave and convex pattern of the mold cannot be accurately transferred onto the wafer at the portions where the ultraviolet curable resin remains during a next imprint operation. Consequently, a device manufactured through that process may become defective.
- Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-194838 discloses a mold inspection method that detects a residual resin adhering to a mold using an atomic force microscope (AFM).
- Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-296823 discloses a mold-release processing method in which a labeling substance is adhered to a mold release agent as a method for confirming whether or not the surface of a mold is coated with a mold release agent in sufficient quantity to impart a mold-release capability in a quick and simple manner.
- 2007-081048 discloses an imprint apparatus that detects light, which is produced by a stress change upon mold-releasing, by incorporating a stress luminescent material in a resin, and detects a mold-release start point and a mold-release start timing to thereby control a mold-release operation.
- the present invention has been developed in consideration of the circumstances described above, and provides an imprint apparatus that is capable of inspecting an ultraviolet curable resin, which remains on the concave and convex portion formed on the pattern surface of a mold, in a short period of time, and an article manufacturing method using the same.
- an imprint apparatus that molds and cures a resin on a substrate using a mold to thereby form a pattern of the cured resin on the substrate
- a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from a luminescent material
- the resin is a mixture of an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by receiving ultraviolet light and the luminescent material that fluoresces or phosphoresces due to receiving ultraviolet light
- the light-emission detecting unit detects light emitted from a residual resin that has remained in the concave and convex portion of the pattern formed on the mold.
- the inspection of a mold to determine whether or not a residual resin is present on the concave and convex portion of the mold can be performed in a short period of time.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an apparatus after mold inspection processing.
- FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- the imprint apparatus according to the present embodiment is a processing apparatus that transfers the concave and convex pattern of a mold onto a wafer (onto a substrate), i.e., a treatment object substrate, which is used for a semiconductor device manufacturing process, and is an apparatus that employs a photo-curing method among the imprint technologies. Since mold inspection according to the present embodiment is performed after imprint processing, FIG. 1 shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing.
- An imprint apparatus 1 includes a light source 2 , an illumination unit 3 , a half mirror 4 , a mold stage 6 , a mold stage driving section 7 , and a wafer stage 9 .
- the light source 2 and the illumination unit 3 are an illumination optical system that irradiates a mold 5 with ultraviolet light during imprint processing.
- the illumination unit 3 is constituted by a plurality of optical elements that adjust ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 2 to a light suitable for imprint.
- an imaging element 16 disposed above the ultraviolet light irradiation face of the mold 5 , which will be described below.
- the light source 2 and the illumination unit 3 are disposed on the upper side of the ultraviolet light irradiation face of the mold 5 , and refracts ultraviolet light, which has been irradiated in a horizontal direction (X-axial direction), at a 90 degree angle using the half mirror 4 disposed between the mold 5 and the imaging element 16 to thereby irradiate the mold 5 with ultraviolet light.
- the mold 5 is a mold material in which a predetermined concave and convex pattern (e.g., circuit pattern) 10 is three-dimensionally formed on the opposite surface of a wafer 8 .
- the surface of the concave and convex pattern 10 is processed to a high flatness so as to maintain the adhesion between the surfaces of the concave and convex pattern 10 and the wafer 8 .
- the material of the mold 5 is a material such as quartz or the like through which ultraviolet light can pass.
- the mold stage 6 is a stage device that holds a side portion of the mold 5 and fixes the mold 5 .
- the mold stage driving section 7 has an actuator (not shown), and is a driving device that drives the mold stage 6 in the Z-axial direction so as to press the mold 5 against an ultraviolet curable resin formed on the wafer 8 .
- An actuator employed for the mold stage driving section 7 is not particularly limited provided that it can drive at least in the Z-axial direction.
- a linear motor, an air cylinder, and the like can be employed.
- an actuator may be employed to carry out a coarse operation and a micro operation in a divided manner.
- the wafer 8 is a treatment object substrate consisting of, for example, a single crystal silicon, and an ultraviolet curable resin 11 is applied on the treatment surface.
- the imprint apparatus 1 includes a resin container 12 , a luminescent material container 13 , and a dispenser 14 .
- the resin container 12 is a container that stores the ultraviolet curable resin 11 .
- the luminescent material container 13 is a container that stores a luminescent material 15 to be mixed with the ultraviolet curable resin 11 .
- the luminescent material 15 is a feature of the present invention.
- the luminescent material 15 is a material that serves as an index when a resin remaining on the mold 5 is inspected, and has properties that cause it to fluoresce or phosphoresce by receiving ultraviolet light. Platinum barium cyanide, zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfide, radium compound, promethium compound, and the like, for example, can be employed as the luminescent material 15 . Note that the ultraviolet curable resin 11 to be used may be changed appropriately depending on the type of circuit pattern for the device to be manufactured.
- a plurality of containers 12 and 13 may be provided so as to store a plurality of types of the ultraviolet curable resins 11 and the luminescent materials 15 , respectively, such that the luminescent material 15 to be mixed may be changed appropriately depending on the type of the ultraviolet curable resin 11 .
- the dispenser 14 is an application device that mixes the ultraviolet curable resin 11 and the luminescent material 15 , and applies the resulting mixture on the wafer 8 . While in the present embodiment, the dispenser 14 is a mixing unit configured to mix the ultraviolet curable resin 11 with the luminescent material 15 , a device (mixing unit) separate from the dispenser 14 may perform mixing processing. Further, a mixing unit need not be provided in the apparatus, and the ultraviolet curable resin 11 and the luminescent material 15 , which have already been mixed outside the apparatus, may be supplied to the dispenser 14 .
- the wafer stage 9 is a substrate stage that holds the wafer 8 by vacuum suction and is freely moveable in the XY plane.
- a linear motor can be employed, but this is not particularly limited.
- the imprint apparatus 1 further includes an imaging element 16 that is disposed above the irradiation axis (the Z axis) of ultraviolet light to be irradiated onto the mold 5 .
- the imaging element 16 is a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect an ultraviolet curable resin (a residual resin 22 ) remaining on the mold 5 .
- a CCD camera is employed but a CMOS camera or the like may also be employed.
- a magnifying lens 17 may be provided with the imaging element 16 as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the imprint apparatus 1 includes a control unit 18 configured to control a processing operation for the mold 5 depending on the inspection result of the mold 5 based on the image acquired by the imaging element 16 .
- a processing operation for the mold 5 includes, for example, at least one of displaying of the result of inspection, exchange of the mold 5 , or cleaning of the mold 5 .
- the control unit 18 is constituted by a computer, a sequencer, and the like that are connected to the components of the imprint apparatus 1 through a line, and executes an inspection method to be described below by a program or a sequence. Note that the control unit 18 may be integrated with the imprint apparatus 1 , or may be installed at a location separate from the location where the imprint apparatus 1 is installed to thereby be controlled remotely.
- the imprint apparatus 1 includes an alignment scope 19 that performs aligning of the wafer 8 , a laser interferometer 20 that measures the position of the wafer stage 9 , and a conveying robot 21 that places the wafer 8 onto the wafer stage 9 . Furthermore, the imprint apparatus 1 includes a chamber that keeps the interior of the apparatus clean and at a constant temperature, and a vibration isolation device that isolates vibrations from the outside (neither of which are not illustrated). Since these devices are not directly relevant to the present invention, no further description will be given here.
- the imprint apparatus 1 places and fixes a first wafer 8 on the wafer stage 9 , and then moves the wafer stage 9 to the application position of the dispenser 14 .
- the dispenser 14 applies the ultraviolet curable resin 11 containing the luminescent material 15 to a treatment surface of the wafer 8 .
- the content of the luminescent material 15 is not particularly limited, but may be set appropriately as long as the imaging element 16 can detect fluorescence or phosphorescence emitted from the luminescent material 15 .
- the imprint apparatus 1 moves the wafer stage 9 below the mold 5 , and then drives the mold stage driving section 7 to thereby imprint the mold 5 into the ultraviolet curable resin 11 that has been applied on the wafer 8 .
- the ultraviolet curable resin 11 flows along the concave and convex pattern 10 formed on the mold 5 by pressing the mold 5 .
- the light source 2 emits ultraviolet light from the rear side (upper side) of the mold 5 , and the ultraviolet curable resin 11 is cured by the ultraviolet light that has been transmitted through the mold 5 .
- the imprint apparatus 1 again drives the mold stage driving section 7 to thereby release the mold 5 from the wafer 8 .
- a three dimensionally shaped ultraviolet curable resin layer 11 following the concave and convex pattern of the mold 5 is formed on the surface of the wafer 8 .
- the conveying robot 21 carries the first wafer 8 on which the ultraviolet curable resin layer is formed out from the wafer stage 9 to a next step.
- the luminescent material 15 is previously contained in the ultraviolet curable resin 11 applied onto the wafer 8
- the residual resin 22 emits light when a very small amount of the residual resin 22 remains on the concave and convex portion (the concave and convex pattern 10 ) of the mold 5 .
- the imaging element 16 measures light emitted from the residual resin 22 from the rear surface of the mold 5 , and transmits the inspection result to the control unit 18 .
- the control unit 18 determines whether or not light emitted from the residual resin 22 has been detected.
- a CCD camera is employed as the imaging element 16 .
- the inspection result for the entire area of the concave and convex pattern 10 of the mold 5 can be output as a map based on two-dimensional coordinate data and image output data. In this manner, the position and the size of the residual resin 22 can be grasped accurately.
- the position of the CCD camera is brought close to the mold 5 , whereby the entire area of the concave and convex pattern 10 can be inspected even when the quantity of light emitted from the residual resin 22 is low.
- mold inspection processing may be performed in parallel with an application operation in which the ultraviolet curable resin 11 is applied onto a second wafer 8 , that is, a next treatment object substrate.
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation procedure performed by the imprint apparatus 1 after mold inspection processing.
- the imprint apparatus 1 implements the aforementioned mold inspection processing (step S 100 ).
- the control unit 18 determines whether or not light emitted from the residual resin 22 has been detected (step S 101 ).
- the control unit 18 determines that it is impossible to continuously use the mold 5 being currently used, outputs an error, and reports it to an operator of the imprint apparatus 1 (step S 102 ).
- the imprint apparatus 1 carries the mold 5 being currently used out from the mold stage 6 (step S 103 ).
- a cleaning device that performs the cleaning of the mold 5 is disposed on either interior or exterior of the imprint apparatus 1
- the mold 5 on which the residual resin 22 remains is transferred to the cleaning device for performing cleaning processing.
- the portions to be cleaned become clarified by the inspection result (data of two-dimensional coordinates and the image output of the residual resin 22 ) acquired by mold inspection processing, whereby mold cleaning can be efficiently performed.
- the control unit 18 does not detect light emitted from the residual resin 22
- the mold 5 being currently used can be used continuously.
- the imprint apparatus 1 proceeds to the next imprint processing for the second wafer 8 .
- the imprint apparatus 1 simply ends imprint processing (step S 104 ).
- the imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment when the residual resin 22 is present on the concave and convex portion of the mold 5 , the residual resin 22 can be detected in a short time. Therefore, the downtime of the imprint apparatus 1 can be suppressed to the minimum.
- FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a variant example thereof. Since a mold inspection of the present embodiment is carried out after imprint processing, each of FIGS. 3A and 3B shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing. Note that in FIGS. 3A and 3B , elements identical to those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and no further description will be given here.
- a feature of the imprint apparatus 30 of the present embodiment is that a light receiving sensor 31 , which is disposed at a position opposite to the concave and convex pattern surface of the mold 5 , is provided as a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from the residual resin 22 .
- the light receiving sensor 31 includes a rectilinear CMOS sensor 32 , and an array lens 33 that makes the illuminance uniform. As shown in FIG. 3A , the light receiving sensor 31 is moveable in the XY direction, and is disposed on a 2-axis drive unit (driving unit) 34 that changes the relative position with the mold 5 .
- the 2-axis drive unit 34 is constituted by a ball screw, a guide, and a servo motor that are provided at the respective shafts.
- the imprint apparatus 30 includes a control unit 35 configured to control a processing operation regarding the mold 5 depending on the inspection result of the mold 5 based on a light receiving signal acquired by the light receiving sensor 31 .
- the imaging element 16 observes light emitted from the residual resin 22 .
- the light receiving sensor 31 detects light emitted from the residual resin 22 .
- the imprint apparatus 30 moves the wafer stage 9 to the application position of the dispenser 14 after imprint processing.
- the 2-axis drive unit 34 moves the light receiving sensor 31 in the Y-axial direction to the measurement region for the concave and convex portion of the mold 5 , and then inspects the entire area of the concave and convex pattern of the mold 5 by scanning it in the X-axial direction.
- the light receiving sensor 31 is employed, and thus, the inspection result for the entire area of the concave and convex pattern 10 of the mold 5 can be output as map based on two-dimensional coordinate data and image output data. In this manner, the position and the size of the residual resin 22 can be grasped accurately.
- the light receiving sensor 31 may be disposed at the side of the wafer stage 9 as a variant example of the imprint apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 3A .
- an imprint apparatus 40 can perform mold inspection simultaneously when the wafer stage 9 is moved to the application position of the dispenser 14 . In this manner, the 2-axis drive unit 34 as shown in FIG. 3A becomes unnecessary, whereby the imprint apparatus can be produced at a low cost.
- an additional effect can be obtained in addition to the effect obtained by the first embodiment. Since a mold inspection is performed by scanning the light receiving sensor 31 , an imaging element having the same area as that of the concave and convex pattern 10 becomes unnecessary. Consequently, a mold inspection can be performed at a relatively low cost.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since a mold inspection of the present embodiment is carried out after imprint processing, FIG. 4 shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing. Note that in FIG. 4 , elements identical to those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and no further description will be given here.
- a feature of an imprint apparatus 50 of the present embodiment is that the configuration of the imprint apparatus 1 of the first embodiment further includes a wavelength filter 51 .
- the wavelength filter 51 is an optical filter that is disposed near the imaging surface of the imaging element 16 , and only transmits a light-emission wavelength from the residual resin 22 and excludes a light-emission wavelength of another component which may causes disturbances.
- the wavelength filter 51 is not shown in FIG. 4 , the wavelength filter 51 may be constituted by a plurality of elements, or may be constituted by a separate switching mechanism.
- a mold release agent may be applied on the concave and convex portion of the mold 5 in order to enhance the mold releasability of the mold 5 .
- another luminescent material (mold release agent-labeling material) may be mixed into the ultraviolet curable resin 11 .
- the imprint apparatus 50 can only transmit the wavelength of light emitted from the luminescent material 15 contained in the ultraviolet curable resin 11 . Consequently, light emitted from a mold release agent on the concave and convex portion can be distinguished from light emitted from the residual resin 22 . In this manner, the imprint apparatus 50 can obtain the inspection result more accurately than the imprint apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.
- a stress luminescent material may be mixed into the ultraviolet curable resin 11 upon releasing the mold 5 so as to detect the mold-release start timing.
- a switchable wavelength filter 51 is provided and the luminescent material 15 is selected such that the wavelength of light emitted from the stress luminescent material is different from the wavelength of light emitted from the luminescent material 15 .
- the imprint apparatus 50 can perform the timing detection upon mold releasing and the inspection of the residual resin 22 using a single imaging element 16 .
- a method of manufacturing devices as an article includes a process for transferring (forming) a pattern on a substrate (a wafer, glass plate, or film-like substrate) using the aforementioned imprint apparatus. Furthermore, the manufacturing method can include a process for etching the substrate on which the pattern is transferred. Note that upon manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) or optical elements, the manufacturing method can include other process for processing the substrate on which the pattern is transferred in place of etching.
- the article manufacturing method of this embodiment has an advantage, as compared with a conventional article manufacturing method, in at least one of performance, quality, productivity and production cost of an article.
- the respective imprint apparatuses perform mold inspection processing in the state where the mold 5 is held on the mold stage 6 after imprint processing
- the present invention is not limited thereto.
- the imaging element 16 may be disposed at a separate location within a conveyance path by which the mold 5 is conveyed to the mold stage 6 to thereby perform mold inspection processing. In this manner, for example, when the mold 5 is diverted from another imprint apparatus for usage, whether the mold 5 can be used or not can be determined in advance, resulting in an increase in productivity.
- the imaging element 16 is disposed above the ultraviolet light irradiation face of the mold 5
- the location at which the imaging element 16 is disposed is not limited thereto, but may be freely disposed depending on the layout of the imprint apparatus.
Abstract
The imprint apparatus of the present invention molds and cures a resin on a substrate using a mold to thereby form a pattern of the cured resin on the substrate. In this case, the resin is a mixture of an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by receiving ultraviolet light and a luminescent material that fluoresces or phosphoresces by receiving ultraviolet light. The imprint apparatus further includes a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from the luminescent material. After the mold is released from the ultraviolet curable resin, which is mixed with the luminescent material, on the substrate, the light-emission detecting unit detects light emitted from a residual resin that remains in a concave and convex portion of the pattern formed on the mold.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, and an article manufacturing method using the same.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Photo imprint technology is a technology in which a mold on which a fine concave and convex pattern is formed by using electron beam exposure or the like is imprinted against a substrate on which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied to thereby transfer the concave and convex pattern onto the ultraviolet curable resin. For example, in an imprint apparatus that employs a photo-curing type imprint technology and forms the concave and convex pattern of the mold onto a wafer, that is, a treatment object substrate, an image is usually formed on an ultraviolet curable resin which is then subjected to etching processing, whereby fine processing is performed on the wafer. However, when the mold is then released from the wafer, ultraviolet curable resin may remain on the concave and convex portion of the mold. In this case, the concave and convex pattern of the mold cannot be accurately transferred onto the wafer at the portions where the ultraviolet curable resin remains during a next imprint operation. Consequently, a device manufactured through that process may become defective.
- Accordingly, in recent years, various mold inspection apparatuses that detect an ultraviolet curable resin remaining on the concave and convex portion of a mold have been proposed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-194838 discloses a mold inspection method that detects a residual resin adhering to a mold using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-296823 discloses a mold-release processing method in which a labeling substance is adhered to a mold release agent as a method for confirming whether or not the surface of a mold is coated with a mold release agent in sufficient quantity to impart a mold-release capability in a quick and simple manner. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-081048 discloses an imprint apparatus that detects light, which is produced by a stress change upon mold-releasing, by incorporating a stress luminescent material in a resin, and detects a mold-release start point and a mold-release start timing to thereby control a mold-release operation.
- However, in the mold inspection method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-194838, since a probe for the atomic force microscope is so small (the diameter of the probe is equal to or less than approximately 20 nm), the inspection of the entire surface of the mold is time consuming. Also, in the mold-release processing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-296823, a mold release agent on the surface of the mold can be detected, whereas it is difficult to detect an ultraviolet curable resin remaining on the mold. Furthermore, in the imprint apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-081048, the stress of a resin can be detected from a stress luminescent material contained in the resin, whereas it is difficult to detect an ultraviolet curable resin remaining on the mold.
- The present invention has been developed in consideration of the circumstances described above, and provides an imprint apparatus that is capable of inspecting an ultraviolet curable resin, which remains on the concave and convex portion formed on the pattern surface of a mold, in a short period of time, and an article manufacturing method using the same.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, an imprint apparatus that molds and cures a resin on a substrate using a mold to thereby form a pattern of the cured resin on the substrate is provided that includes a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from a luminescent material, wherein the resin is a mixture of an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by receiving ultraviolet light and the luminescent material that fluoresces or phosphoresces due to receiving ultraviolet light, and after the mold is released from the ultraviolet curable resin, which is mixed with the luminescent material, on the substrate, the light-emission detecting unit detects light emitted from a residual resin that has remained in the concave and convex portion of the pattern formed on the mold.
- According to the present invention, since a luminescent material is mixed with an ultraviolet curable resin and light emitted from the luminescent material is detected by a light-emission detecting unit, the inspection of a mold to determine whether or not a residual resin is present on the concave and convex portion of the mold can be performed in a short period of time.
- Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an apparatus after mold inspection processing. -
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. - Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- First, the configuration of the imprint apparatus of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The imprint apparatus according to the present embodiment is a processing apparatus that transfers the concave and convex pattern of a mold onto a wafer (onto a substrate), i.e., a treatment object substrate, which is used for a semiconductor device manufacturing process, and is an apparatus that employs a photo-curing method among the imprint technologies. Since mold inspection according to the present embodiment is performed after imprint processing,FIG. 1 shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing. In the following drawings, a description will be given in which the Z axis is oriented parallel to the irradiation axis of ultraviolet light for a mold, the X axis is oriented in the direction in which a wafer stage moves with respect to adispenser 14 to be described below in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis is oriented in the direction perpendicular to the X axis. Animprint apparatus 1 includes alight source 2, anillumination unit 3, ahalf mirror 4, amold stage 6, a moldstage driving section 7, and awafer stage 9. - The
light source 2 and theillumination unit 3 are an illumination optical system that irradiates amold 5 with ultraviolet light during imprint processing. Theillumination unit 3 is constituted by a plurality of optical elements that adjust ultraviolet light emitted from thelight source 2 to a light suitable for imprint. Here, in theimprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, animaging element 16 disposed above the ultraviolet light irradiation face of themold 5, which will be described below. Therefore, thelight source 2 and theillumination unit 3 are disposed on the upper side of the ultraviolet light irradiation face of themold 5, and refracts ultraviolet light, which has been irradiated in a horizontal direction (X-axial direction), at a 90 degree angle using thehalf mirror 4 disposed between themold 5 and theimaging element 16 to thereby irradiate themold 5 with ultraviolet light. - The
mold 5 is a mold material in which a predetermined concave and convex pattern (e.g., circuit pattern) 10 is three-dimensionally formed on the opposite surface of awafer 8. The surface of the concave andconvex pattern 10 is processed to a high flatness so as to maintain the adhesion between the surfaces of the concave andconvex pattern 10 and thewafer 8. Note that the material of themold 5 is a material such as quartz or the like through which ultraviolet light can pass. - The
mold stage 6 is a stage device that holds a side portion of themold 5 and fixes themold 5. Also, the moldstage driving section 7 has an actuator (not shown), and is a driving device that drives themold stage 6 in the Z-axial direction so as to press themold 5 against an ultraviolet curable resin formed on thewafer 8. An actuator employed for the moldstage driving section 7 is not particularly limited provided that it can drive at least in the Z-axial direction. A linear motor, an air cylinder, and the like can be employed. Alternatively, in order to perform a mold-release operation with high precision so as to prevent the cured ultraviolet curable resin from being damaged when a mold-release operation for releasing themold 5 from the ultraviolet curable resin is performed, an actuator may be employed to carry out a coarse operation and a micro operation in a divided manner. - The
wafer 8 is a treatment object substrate consisting of, for example, a single crystal silicon, and an ultravioletcurable resin 11 is applied on the treatment surface. As units configured to apply the ultravioletcurable resin 11 on the treatment surface, theimprint apparatus 1 includes aresin container 12, aluminescent material container 13, and adispenser 14. Theresin container 12 is a container that stores the ultravioletcurable resin 11. Also, theluminescent material container 13 is a container that stores aluminescent material 15 to be mixed with the ultravioletcurable resin 11. Theluminescent material 15 is a feature of the present invention. Theluminescent material 15 is a material that serves as an index when a resin remaining on themold 5 is inspected, and has properties that cause it to fluoresce or phosphoresce by receiving ultraviolet light. Platinum barium cyanide, zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfide, radium compound, promethium compound, and the like, for example, can be employed as theluminescent material 15. Note that the ultravioletcurable resin 11 to be used may be changed appropriately depending on the type of circuit pattern for the device to be manufactured. In order to respond to such cases, a plurality ofcontainers curable resins 11 and theluminescent materials 15, respectively, such that theluminescent material 15 to be mixed may be changed appropriately depending on the type of the ultravioletcurable resin 11. Furthermore, thedispenser 14 is an application device that mixes the ultravioletcurable resin 11 and theluminescent material 15, and applies the resulting mixture on thewafer 8. While in the present embodiment, thedispenser 14 is a mixing unit configured to mix the ultravioletcurable resin 11 with theluminescent material 15, a device (mixing unit) separate from thedispenser 14 may perform mixing processing. Further, a mixing unit need not be provided in the apparatus, and the ultravioletcurable resin 11 and theluminescent material 15, which have already been mixed outside the apparatus, may be supplied to thedispenser 14. - The
wafer stage 9 is a substrate stage that holds thewafer 8 by vacuum suction and is freely moveable in the XY plane. As an actuator for driving thewafer stage 9, a linear motor can be employed, but this is not particularly limited. - The
imprint apparatus 1 further includes animaging element 16 that is disposed above the irradiation axis (the Z axis) of ultraviolet light to be irradiated onto themold 5. Theimaging element 16 is a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect an ultraviolet curable resin (a residual resin 22) remaining on themold 5. In the present embodiment, a CCD camera is employed but a CMOS camera or the like may also be employed. In order to detect small quantities of theresidual resin 22, a magnifyinglens 17 may be provided with theimaging element 16 as shown inFIG. 1 . Furthermore, theimprint apparatus 1 includes acontrol unit 18 configured to control a processing operation for themold 5 depending on the inspection result of themold 5 based on the image acquired by theimaging element 16. A processing operation for themold 5 includes, for example, at least one of displaying of the result of inspection, exchange of themold 5, or cleaning of themold 5. Thecontrol unit 18 is constituted by a computer, a sequencer, and the like that are connected to the components of theimprint apparatus 1 through a line, and executes an inspection method to be described below by a program or a sequence. Note that thecontrol unit 18 may be integrated with theimprint apparatus 1, or may be installed at a location separate from the location where theimprint apparatus 1 is installed to thereby be controlled remotely. - Also, the
imprint apparatus 1 includes analignment scope 19 that performs aligning of thewafer 8, alaser interferometer 20 that measures the position of thewafer stage 9, and a conveyingrobot 21 that places thewafer 8 onto thewafer stage 9. Furthermore, theimprint apparatus 1 includes a chamber that keeps the interior of the apparatus clean and at a constant temperature, and a vibration isolation device that isolates vibrations from the outside (neither of which are not illustrated). Since these devices are not directly relevant to the present invention, no further description will be given here. - Next, imprint processing performed by the
imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will now be described. First, theimprint apparatus 1 places and fixes afirst wafer 8 on thewafer stage 9, and then moves thewafer stage 9 to the application position of thedispenser 14. Next, thedispenser 14 applies the ultravioletcurable resin 11 containing theluminescent material 15 to a treatment surface of thewafer 8. In this case, the content of theluminescent material 15 is not particularly limited, but may be set appropriately as long as theimaging element 16 can detect fluorescence or phosphorescence emitted from theluminescent material 15. Next, theimprint apparatus 1 moves thewafer stage 9 below themold 5, and then drives the moldstage driving section 7 to thereby imprint themold 5 into the ultravioletcurable resin 11 that has been applied on thewafer 8. At this time, the ultravioletcurable resin 11 flows along the concave andconvex pattern 10 formed on themold 5 by pressing themold 5. Under this condition, thelight source 2 emits ultraviolet light from the rear side (upper side) of themold 5, and the ultravioletcurable resin 11 is cured by the ultraviolet light that has been transmitted through themold 5. After the ultravioletcurable resin 11 is cured, theimprint apparatus 1 again drives the moldstage driving section 7 to thereby release themold 5 from thewafer 8. By the aforementioned steps, a three dimensionally shaped ultravioletcurable resin layer 11 following the concave and convex pattern of themold 5 is formed on the surface of thewafer 8. - Next, the mold inspection processing performed by the
imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will now be described. First, the conveyingrobot 21 carries thefirst wafer 8 on which the ultraviolet curable resin layer is formed out from thewafer stage 9 to a next step. Here, since theluminescent material 15 is previously contained in the ultravioletcurable resin 11 applied onto thewafer 8, theresidual resin 22 emits light when a very small amount of theresidual resin 22 remains on the concave and convex portion (the concave and convex pattern 10) of themold 5. Thus, theimaging element 16 measures light emitted from theresidual resin 22 from the rear surface of themold 5, and transmits the inspection result to thecontrol unit 18. Then, based on the inspection result, thecontrol unit 18 determines whether or not light emitted from theresidual resin 22 has been detected. In the present embodiment, a CCD camera is employed as theimaging element 16. Hence, the inspection result for the entire area of the concave andconvex pattern 10 of themold 5 can be output as a map based on two-dimensional coordinate data and image output data. In this manner, the position and the size of theresidual resin 22 can be grasped accurately. The position of the CCD camera is brought close to themold 5, whereby the entire area of the concave andconvex pattern 10 can be inspected even when the quantity of light emitted from theresidual resin 22 is low. When the CCD camera is brought so close to themold 5, a field of view may be tightened, but the entire area of the concave andconvex pattern 10 can be inspected by driving the CCD camera to an arbitrary position. Note that such mold inspection processing may be performed in parallel with an application operation in which the ultravioletcurable resin 11 is applied onto asecond wafer 8, that is, a next treatment object substrate. - Next, a processing operation performed by the
imprint apparatus 1 after mold inspection processing will now be described.FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation procedure performed by theimprint apparatus 1 after mold inspection processing. First, theimprint apparatus 1 implements the aforementioned mold inspection processing (step S100). Next, thecontrol unit 18 determines whether or not light emitted from theresidual resin 22 has been detected (step S101). Here, when thecontrol unit 18 detects light emitted from theresidual resin 22, thecontrol unit 18 determines that it is impossible to continuously use themold 5 being currently used, outputs an error, and reports it to an operator of the imprint apparatus 1 (step S102). Then, with the instruction given by the operator or a pre-set transfer program, theimprint apparatus 1 carries themold 5 being currently used out from the mold stage 6 (step S103). When a cleaning device that performs the cleaning of themold 5 is disposed on either interior or exterior of theimprint apparatus 1, themold 5 on which theresidual resin 22 remains is transferred to the cleaning device for performing cleaning processing. In this case, the portions to be cleaned become clarified by the inspection result (data of two-dimensional coordinates and the image output of the residual resin 22) acquired by mold inspection processing, whereby mold cleaning can be efficiently performed. On the other hand, in step S101, when thecontrol unit 18 does not detect light emitted from theresidual resin 22, themold 5 being currently used can be used continuously. Thus, theimprint apparatus 1 proceeds to the next imprint processing for thesecond wafer 8. When a next treatment object substrate is absent, theimprint apparatus 1 simply ends imprint processing (step S104). - As described above, according to the
imprint apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when theresidual resin 22 is present on the concave and convex portion of themold 5, theresidual resin 22 can be detected in a short time. Therefore, the downtime of theimprint apparatus 1 can be suppressed to the minimum. - Next, an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described.
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a variant example thereof. Since a mold inspection of the present embodiment is carried out after imprint processing, each ofFIGS. 3A and 3B shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing. Note that inFIGS. 3A and 3B , elements identical to those shown inFIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and no further description will be given here. A feature of theimprint apparatus 30 of the present embodiment is that alight receiving sensor 31, which is disposed at a position opposite to the concave and convex pattern surface of themold 5, is provided as a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from theresidual resin 22. - The
light receiving sensor 31 includes arectilinear CMOS sensor 32, and anarray lens 33 that makes the illuminance uniform. As shown inFIG. 3A , thelight receiving sensor 31 is moveable in the XY direction, and is disposed on a 2-axis drive unit (driving unit) 34 that changes the relative position with themold 5. The 2-axis drive unit 34 is constituted by a ball screw, a guide, and a servo motor that are provided at the respective shafts. When thewafer stage 9 is moved to the application position of the ultravioletcurable resin 11 of thedispenser 14, the 2-axis drive unit 34 moves thelight receiving sensor 31 to the measurement region of themold 5. Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, theimprint apparatus 30 includes acontrol unit 35 configured to control a processing operation regarding themold 5 depending on the inspection result of themold 5 based on a light receiving signal acquired by thelight receiving sensor 31. - Next, mold inspection processing performed by the
imprint apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, theimaging element 16 observes light emitted from theresidual resin 22. In contrast, in the present embodiment, thelight receiving sensor 31 detects light emitted from theresidual resin 22. First, theimprint apparatus 30 moves thewafer stage 9 to the application position of thedispenser 14 after imprint processing. Next, the 2-axis drive unit 34 moves thelight receiving sensor 31 in the Y-axial direction to the measurement region for the concave and convex portion of themold 5, and then inspects the entire area of the concave and convex pattern of themold 5 by scanning it in the X-axial direction. In the present embodiment, thelight receiving sensor 31 is employed, and thus, the inspection result for the entire area of the concave andconvex pattern 10 of themold 5 can be output as map based on two-dimensional coordinate data and image output data. In this manner, the position and the size of theresidual resin 22 can be grasped accurately. - Alternatively, as shown in
FIG. 3B , thelight receiving sensor 31 may be disposed at the side of thewafer stage 9 as a variant example of theimprint apparatus 30 shown inFIG. 3A . In this case, in order to apply the ultravioletcurable resin 11 on thesecond wafer 8, that is, the next treatment object substrate, animprint apparatus 40 can perform mold inspection simultaneously when thewafer stage 9 is moved to the application position of thedispenser 14. In this manner, the 2-axis drive unit 34 as shown inFIG. 3A becomes unnecessary, whereby the imprint apparatus can be produced at a low cost. - As described above, according to the imprint apparatuses 30 and 40 of the present embodiment, an additional effect can be obtained in addition to the effect obtained by the first embodiment. Since a mold inspection is performed by scanning the
light receiving sensor 31, an imaging element having the same area as that of the concave andconvex pattern 10 becomes unnecessary. Consequently, a mold inspection can be performed at a relatively low cost. - Next, an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since a mold inspection of the present embodiment is carried out after imprint processing,FIG. 4 shows the state of the imprint apparatus after imprint processing. Note that inFIG. 4 , elements identical to those shown inFIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and no further description will be given here. A feature of animprint apparatus 50 of the present embodiment is that the configuration of theimprint apparatus 1 of the first embodiment further includes awavelength filter 51. Thewavelength filter 51 is an optical filter that is disposed near the imaging surface of theimaging element 16, and only transmits a light-emission wavelength from theresidual resin 22 and excludes a light-emission wavelength of another component which may causes disturbances. Although thewavelength filter 51 is not shown inFIG. 4 , thewavelength filter 51 may be constituted by a plurality of elements, or may be constituted by a separate switching mechanism. - For example, depending on the configuration of the imprint apparatus, a mold release agent may be applied on the concave and convex portion of the
mold 5 in order to enhance the mold releasability of themold 5. At this time, as a label for detecting the application amount of the mold release agent, another luminescent material (mold release agent-labeling material) may be mixed into the ultravioletcurable resin 11. Hence, by providing thewavelength filter 51, theimprint apparatus 50 can only transmit the wavelength of light emitted from theluminescent material 15 contained in the ultravioletcurable resin 11. Consequently, light emitted from a mold release agent on the concave and convex portion can be distinguished from light emitted from theresidual resin 22. In this manner, theimprint apparatus 50 can obtain the inspection result more accurately than theimprint apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. - Likewise, depending on the configuration of the imprint apparatus, a stress luminescent material may be mixed into the ultraviolet
curable resin 11 upon releasing themold 5 so as to detect the mold-release start timing. Thus, aswitchable wavelength filter 51 is provided and theluminescent material 15 is selected such that the wavelength of light emitted from the stress luminescent material is different from the wavelength of light emitted from theluminescent material 15. In this manner, by appropriately switching thewavelength filter 51, theimprint apparatus 50 can perform the timing detection upon mold releasing and the inspection of theresidual resin 22 using asingle imaging element 16. - A method of manufacturing devices (a semiconductor integrated circuit element, liquid crystal display element, and the like) as an article includes a process for transferring (forming) a pattern on a substrate (a wafer, glass plate, or film-like substrate) using the aforementioned imprint apparatus. Furthermore, the manufacturing method can include a process for etching the substrate on which the pattern is transferred. Note that upon manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) or optical elements, the manufacturing method can include other process for processing the substrate on which the pattern is transferred in place of etching. The article manufacturing method of this embodiment has an advantage, as compared with a conventional article manufacturing method, in at least one of performance, quality, productivity and production cost of an article.
- While in the aforementioned embodiments, the respective imprint apparatuses perform mold inspection processing in the state where the
mold 5 is held on themold stage 6 after imprint processing, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the configuration of the first embodiment, theimaging element 16 may be disposed at a separate location within a conveyance path by which themold 5 is conveyed to themold stage 6 to thereby perform mold inspection processing. In this manner, for example, when themold 5 is diverted from another imprint apparatus for usage, whether themold 5 can be used or not can be determined in advance, resulting in an increase in productivity. - While in the first embodiment, the
imaging element 16 is disposed above the ultraviolet light irradiation face of themold 5, the location at which theimaging element 16 is disposed is not limited thereto, but may be freely disposed depending on the layout of the imprint apparatus. - While the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
Claims (11)
1. An imprint apparatus that molds and cures a resin on a substrate using a mold to thereby form a pattern of the cured resin on the substrate, the imprint apparatus comprising:
a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from a luminescent material,
wherein the resin is a mixture of an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by receiving ultraviolet light and the luminescent material that fluoresces or phosphoresces by receiving ultraviolet light, and
wherein, after the mold is released from the ultraviolet curable resin, which is mixed with the luminescent material, on the substrate, the light-emission detecting unit detects light emitted from a residual resin that remains in a concave and convex portion of the pattern formed on the mold.
2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit configured to control a processing operation including at least one of the display of a result of the inspection, exchange of the mold, or cleaning of the mold,
wherein the control unit determines whether or not the residual resin is present in the concave and convex portion based on an inspection result by the light-emission detecting unit, and controls a processing operation regarding the mold.
3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the light-emission detecting unit is an imaging element, and the control unit determines whether or not the residual resin is present in the concave and convex portion based on an image output from the imaging element.
4. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the mold has an ultraviolet light transmission property, and the imaging element is disposed above the irradiation axis of ultraviolet light that is illuminated onto the mold.
5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the light-emission detecting unit is a light receiving sensor, and the control unit determines whether or not the residual resin is present in the concave and convex portion based on a light receiving signal obtained from the light receiving sensor.
6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the light receiving sensor is disposed at a position opposite to the pattern formed on the mold.
7. The imprint apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the light receiving sensor is disposed at a driving unit configured to change the relative position with the mold.
8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the light receiving sensor is disposed on a substrate stage that holds the substrate and allows it to be movable.
9. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an optical filter configured to distinguish light-emission wavelengths,
wherein, when the ultraviolet curable resin is mixed with a mold release agent-labeling material or a stress luminescent material in addition to the luminescent material, the luminescent material is a material having a light-emission wavelength different from that of the mold release agent-labeling material or the stress luminescent material.
10. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a mixing unit configured to mix the ultraviolet curable resin and the luminescent material.
11. An article manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
forming, in a pattern forming step, a pattern of a cured resin on a substrate by molding and curing the resin on the substrate using an imprint apparatus; and
processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the pattern forming step;
wherein the imprint apparatus comprises a light-emission detecting unit configured to detect light emitted from a luminescent material,
wherein the resin is a mixture of an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by receiving ultraviolet light and the luminescent material that fluoresces or phosphoresces by receiving ultraviolet light, and
wherein, after the mold is released from the ultraviolet curable resin, which is mixed with the luminescent material, on the substrate, the light-emission detecting unit detects light emitted from a residual resin that remains in a concave and convex portion of the pattern formed on the mold.
Priority Applications (3)
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US14/620,793 US9481114B2 (en) | 2011-04-14 | 2015-02-12 | Imprint method |
US15/290,502 US20170029694A1 (en) | 2011-04-14 | 2016-10-11 | Imprint material |
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US13/086,586 US20120261849A1 (en) | 2011-04-14 | 2011-04-14 | Imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method using same |
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US20180017863A1 (en) * | 2016-07-12 | 2018-01-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Imprint apparatus and method of manufacturing article |
JP2018074041A (en) * | 2016-10-31 | 2018-05-10 | キヤノン株式会社 | Imprint device, imprint method, and method for manufacturing article |
JP2018148215A (en) * | 2017-03-06 | 2018-09-20 | キヤノン株式会社 | Pattern forming method, imprint device, manufacturing method, and mixing method |
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JP6777977B2 (en) * | 2015-09-15 | 2020-10-28 | キヤノン株式会社 | Imprinting equipment, imprinting method and manufacturing method of goods |
JP6643022B2 (en) * | 2015-09-28 | 2020-02-12 | キヤノン株式会社 | Imprint apparatus, imprint method, foreign matter detection method, and article manufacturing method |
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US9481114B2 (en) | 2016-11-01 |
US20170029694A1 (en) | 2017-02-02 |
US20150151462A1 (en) | 2015-06-04 |
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