JP2014069339A - Stamper, stamper production apparatus and production method of the same, and fine structure transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
The present invention relates to a stamper capable of transferring a fine structure to a transfer target by reducing bubble intrusion with a relatively compact apparatus, a stamper manufacturing apparatus or method for manufacturing the stamper, and a high throughput using the stamper. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for transferring a fine structure to a transfer object.
[Solution]
The present invention has a stamper base material and a fine structure pattern along a convex curved surface formed of a pattern forming resin on the surface of the stamper base material. In the present invention, the master is deformed into a convex curved shape on the side opposite to the one side on which the fine structure pattern is formed, and the stamper base material coated with the pattern forming resin has the convex curved shape. The master disk is pressed to transfer the fine structure pattern to the applied pattern forming resin, and the master disk is returned to the original state in the transferred state, and then the transfer fine structure pattern is exposed to a stamper base. A stamper having a transfer fine structure pattern along a convex curved shape on the material is manufactured.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a stamper transferred from a pattern master having a fine structure, a stamper manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, and a fine structure transfer method for transferring a fine structure onto a surface of an object to be transferred by the stamper.

  In recent years, an imprint technique for forming a fine pattern at a low cost has been proposed. In this imprint technique, a stamper having unevenness (surface shape) corresponding to the unevenness of a predetermined pattern to be formed is embossed on a transfer target obtained by forming a resin layer on a predetermined substrate, for example. Therefore, a fine structure pattern can be formed on the resin layer of the transfer object. The imprint technique is being studied for application to the formation of a recording bit pattern on a large-capacity recording medium such as a hard disk or the formation of a pattern of a semiconductor integrated circuit.

  In an imprint apparatus in a manufacturing process of a recording medium such as a hard disk, a stamper is required as a master for a transfer pattern. In this stamper manufacturing process, a stamper is manufactured by transferring an upper pattern master, which has been finely processed by an electron beam processing apparatus or the like, to a resin layer on a stamper base material. This transfer manufacturing method is performed using thermal imprinting or optical imprinting.

  There exists patent document 1 as such a conventional imprint technique. In Patent Document 1, in a method of transferring a fine structure, when a stamper is brought into close contact with a transfer target having a surface coated with a resist (pattern forming resin) by vacuum suction, the stamper is convex. There is described an invention relating to preventing bubbles from entering between the transfer target and the stamper by deforming and expanding the contact surface from the central portion to the peripheral portion.

JP 2011-2111157 A

  However, the transfer method described in Patent Document 1 described above is a method in which a stamper is deformed into a convex shape using a vacuum, and a transfer target that is a flat surface is brought into close contact from the center to the periphery to prevent bubbles from entering. It is. Therefore, in the process of bringing the deformed stamper into close contact with the transfer target, the contact area between the stamper and the transfer target is enlarged and the vacuum is broken due to the rigidity of the stamper at the periphery where the stamper is near the end of the pattern. There was a possibility that it could not be maintained. When the deformation cannot be maintained, the bubbles do not adhere in order from the center to the peripheral portion, and bubbles enter. In order to solve this problem, there is a problem that the distance between the stamper end and the pattern end is increased to reduce the rigidity, that is, the stamper size must be increased and the apparatus size must be increased.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a stamper capable of transferring a fine structure to a transfer target body with a relatively compact apparatus while reducing the entry of bubbles.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a stamper manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof that can manufacture a stamper that can achieve the first object.
Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a method for transferring a fine structure to a transferred material having a high throughput capable of transferring the fine structure to the transferred material using a stamper that can achieve the first object.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has at least the following features.
The present invention is characterized by having a stamper base material and a fine structure pattern along a convex curved surface formed of a pattern forming resin on the surface of the stamper base material.

  Further, the present invention provides a coating unit that applies a pattern forming resin to a stamper base material, a master holding base that holds a master on which the pattern is formed on one side, and the master is deformed into a convex curved surface. And pressing the master having the convex curved surface on the opposite side of the stamper base to the stamper base coated with the pattern forming resin. A transfer exposure unit that transfers the fine structure pattern to form a transfer fine structure pattern along a convex curved surface, and exposes the transfer fine structure pattern in a state where the master returns to the original state; and the transfer fine structure A peeling unit for peeling a pattern from the fine structure pattern of the master, and producing a stamper having the transfer fine structure pattern on the stamper base material. To.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a coating step for applying a pattern forming resin to a stamper base material, a master holding step for holding a master on which a fine structure pattern is formed on one side by a master holding base, and the master and the one side. A first master convex deformation step that deforms the first convex curved surface on the opposite side, and the master having the convex curved shape is pressed against the stamper base material coated with the pattern forming resin. A transfer step for transferring the fine structure pattern to the applied pattern forming resin; a master return step for returning the master in the transferred state; and a transfer fine structure pattern after the master return step. Exposing step, and after the exposing step, a peeling step of peeling the transferred fine structure pattern from the pattern of the master, Characterized in that to produce a stamper having the transfer microstructured pattern along a second convex curved surface shape in serial stamper substrate.

  Further, according to the present invention, the fine structure pattern is formed along the application step of applying the first pattern forming resin to the transfer object and the convex curved surface shape formed of the second pattern forming resin on the surface. First transfer for transferring the fine structure pattern by pressing a stamper against the first pattern forming resin and sequentially spreading the contact surface between the second pattern forming resin and the first pattern forming resin to the periphery. A second transfer step in which the stamper is further pressed against the first pattern forming resin so as to obtain a predetermined fine structure pattern in which the fine structure pattern is planar, and the second transfer step. An exposure step of exposing the fine predetermined pattern later; and a peeling step of peeling the fine predetermined pattern from the stamper after the exposure step, Characterized by transferring the fine prescribed pattern to Utsushitai.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stamper that can transfer a fine structure to a transfer target body with a relatively compact apparatus while reducing the entry of bubbles.
Further, according to the present invention, a stamper manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof that can manufacture the stamper can be provided.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for transferring a fine structure to a transfer target having a high throughput that can transfer a fine structure to the transfer target using the stamper.

It is a figure which shows embodiment of a stamper manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows embodiment of the fine structure transfer apparatus for to-be-transferred bodies. It is a figure which shows the flow of the whole process of a stamper manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the first half of the transfer processing flow which transfers a stamper from a master. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a transfer exposure unit and illustrating the transfer processing flow shown in FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the latter half of the detailed transcription | transfer peeling process flow until it peels a stamper from an original disk. It is the figure which illustrated transfer transcription | transfer processing of the latter half shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the graph which plotted the surface height of the original disk in order to show the curved state of the original disk in a stamper manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the processing flow which forms a fine structure pattern in a disk substrate with the fine structure transfer apparatus for to-be-transferred bodies. It is a figure which shows the more detailed flow of the processing operation of the transfer part which transfers the fine structure pattern of the surface of both stampers to the pattern formation resin on a disc substrate. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the process of carrying out transfer exposure of the fine structure pattern of a stamper on both surfaces of a disk substrate. It is the figure which illustrated the processing flow of the transfer exposure process shown in FIG.

  The fine structure transfer apparatus according to the embodiment is formed on a stamper manufacturing apparatus 500 that manufactures a stamper from a stamper master (hereinafter simply referred to as a master) having a microstructure pattern shown in FIG. 1 and the stamper shown in FIG. A fine structure transfer device 700 for a transferred object that transfers a fine structure pattern, which is a fine structure, to the transferred object. In the present embodiment, a resin stamper (hereinafter simply referred to as a stamper) is manufactured from a master having a fine structure by the stamper manufacturing apparatus 500, and a fine structure pattern is transferred and exposed to a transfer object such as a disk using the stamper.

Example 1
First, a first embodiment for carrying out the invention of a stamper manufacturing apparatus 500 and a stamper manufacturing method for manufacturing a stamper from a master having a fine structure pattern which is a fine structure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overall processing flow of the stamper manufacturing apparatus 500.

  In FIG. 1, the stamper base material 109 is moved to the substrate transfer stage 502 (S301). The stamper base material 109 moved to the substrate transport stage 502 is coated with a pattern forming resin (resist) on the upper surface of the stamper base material by the nozzle 503 (S302). The stamper base material 109 is conveyed to the transfer exposure unit 504 in a state in which the pattern forming resin is applied on the upper surface of the stamper base material (S303). The stamper base material 109 conveyed to the transfer exposure unit 504 is adjusted so that the stamper base material comes to a normal position, and is installed in the transfer exposure unit 504 (S304).

  On the stamper base material 109, a fine structure previously drawn on the master is transferred and exposed (S305). When the exposure is completed, the pattern forming resin solidified and adhered to the stamper base material and the fine structure transferred, that is, the stamper is peeled off from the master (S306). The stamper substrate 109 onto which the fine structure previously drawn on the master is transferred is transferred to the stamper standby area 506 by the substrate transfer stage 505 (S307).

  In addition, the control apparatus 520 controls each component and the whole according to the above-mentioned flow. The input device 530 inputs manufacturing conditions such as the number of stampers to be manufactured and items necessary for manufacturing. The monitor 531 can display the status and conditions of the apparatus, display the number of manufactured stampers, and display a support screen during input.

  In order to manufacture the stamper, there is a transfer peeling process in which a fine structure previously drawn on the master disk is transferred from the master disk 103 to the stamper, and the stamper is peeled off from the master disk 103 after the transfer.

  First, a detailed processing flow in the first half of the transfer process of the transfer peeling process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows the first half of the transfer processing flow for transferring the stamper from the master. FIG. 5 shows the structure of the transfer exposure unit 504 and illustrates the transfer processing flow shown in FIG.

  The transfer exposure unit 504 includes a master holding base 104 and a vacuum pump 101 that sucks and holds the master 103 having a predetermined fine structure pattern P on the master holding base 104. The master holding base 104 is provided with a master-deforming chamber 102 that forms a space therein, and the master holding base surface can be deformed into a convex shape or a concave shape by controlling the pressure in the space. . This shape can be arbitrarily adjusted by pressure.

  Next, the transfer process flow will be described. First, the master 103 is chucked on the master holding base 104, the master is fixed to the master holding base, and is sucked and held by the vacuum pump 101 on the master holding base 104 (S401 in FIG. 4, S701 in FIG. 5 (hereinafter in the same order). Show)). At this time, the pattern surface (front surface) of the master 103 is directed opposite to the surface in contact with the master holding base 104. The back surface of the master 103 and the master holding base surface are smooth, and the master 103 and the master holding base 104 can be firmly adhered to each other.

  When the space in the master holding base 104 is set to a negative pressure by the vacuum pump 105, the contact surface of the master holding base 104 in contact with the master 103 becomes a concave 104a, and the master becomes a convex curved surface (S402, S702). . Since the master 103 is lower in rigidity than the master holding base 104 and is firmly fixed to the master holding base 104 by negative pressure, the master 103 on the master holding base becomes a convex 103a. The uneven shape is determined within the elastic range of the master 103 and the master holding base 104.

  In the substrate transport stage 502, the stamper base material 109 is moved to the vicinity of the convex master 103a (S403, S702).

  The stamper base material 109 onto which the photocurable pattern forming resin (resist) 108 is dropped is carried into the transfer exposure unit 504 (S404, S702). The dripping amount is defined by calculation from the finished area and thickness of the pattern forming resin 108.

  By uniformly pressing the stamper base material 109, the pattern forming resin 108 sandwiched between the convex master 103a and the stamper base material 109 is gradually pushed from the central portion to the peripheral portion 108a (S405). , S703). The stamper base material 109 has been previously subjected to a process for increasing the adhesion with the pattern forming resin 108a.

  It is confirmed that the pattern forming resin 108a spreads to a predetermined position on the master 103a and that the pattern forming resin 108a is filled along the deformed convex master 103a (S406, S704). For example, it is assumed that the filling is performed along the convex master 103a after a certain period of time. The pattern forming resin 108a sandwiched between the convex master 103a and the stamper base 109 is further spread thinly.

  At this time, the pattern forming resin 108a generates a force to strongly bring the convex master 103a and the stamper base material 109 into close contact with each other due to surface tension. However, since the master 103a is firmly fixed by the negative pressure, it is not deformed by the drawing force. On the other hand, since the stamper base material 109 is merely placed and not fixed, the stamper base material 109 is deformed into a convex shape following the convex master 103a. However, the curvature of the stamper base material 109a is smaller than the curvature of the master disk 103a due to the generation of elastic force due to contact and deformation of the master 103a and the end of the stamper base material 109a.

  This difference in curvature causes a difference in space height between the master surface and the stamper base material surface. That is, along with this, the pattern forming resin 108b has a gentle thickness gradient from the center of the master to the periphery and a concave curved surface. The pattern forming resin 108a further spreads between the master surface and the stamper base surface having different curvatures. When the pattern forming resin is filled to the specified range, a shape 108b having a slightly convex curved surface with a thickness gradient is formed from the center to the periphery.

  Next, the latter half of the transfer peeling step will be described. FIG. 6 shows the second half of the detailed transfer peeling process flow until the stamper is peeled off from the master 103a. FIG. 7 illustrates the latter half of the transfer peeling process flow shown in FIG.

  After confirming that the pattern forming resin 108b has spread and spread within the specified range, the negative pressure of the master holding base 104 is released to atmospheric pressure (S601, S705). Thereby, the master holding base 104 recovers the original flat surface. Similarly, the master disk recovers the planar state 103 from the convex state 103a.

  However, since the thickness of the pattern resin 108b having this gradient is as very thin as 10 μm to 100 μm in the central part and 50 μm or less in the peripheral part, the fluidity is hindered. Therefore, the pattern resin 108b formed as described above has a convex thickness gradient in the direction opposite to the convex shape 108b, that is, a concave shape 108c, and the shape is maintained for a certain time. At this time, the fine structure pattern P transferred to the pattern resin 108c becomes a flat state as the flat state of the master 103 is restored. The stamper base material 109 also follows the pattern resin 108c and becomes a shape 109b having a concave curved surface. In addition, when left for a long time, the thickness gradient is released, and the stamper base material is changed from the concave shape 109b to the original flat state 109.

  In a state where the thickness gradient of the pattern forming resin is maintained, UV is irradiated from the UV light source 116 to cure the pattern forming resin 108c 108d (S602, S706). Due to the curing 108d of the pattern forming resin 108, the fine structure pattern is transferred from the flat master 103 to the pattern forming resin. The UV light source 116 was an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an Hg lamp.

  After curing, the master holding base 104 is deformed into a convex state 104b by introducing pressurized air 105b into the master deforming chamber 102. Accordingly, the master 103 on the master holding base is also in a convex state 103b, and the pattern forming resin 108d and the master 103b that are in close contact with each other have a strong adhesion between the pattern forming resin 108d and the stamper base material 109. Are peeled off (S603, S707).

  After peeling, the stamper base material 109b that has been deformed into a convex shape recovers the planar state 109. Due to the separation from the master disk 103b, the pattern forming resin 108d that has connected the master disk 103b and the stamper base material 109 by surface tension comes into close contact with only the stamper base material 109. Since the stamper base material 109 has higher rigidity than the pattern forming resin 108c, the stamper base material 109 can be restored to a flat state, and accordingly, the pattern forming resin 108d has a convex curved surface.

  After the peeling, the pressurization of the master holding base 104 is released and the atmospheric pressure is set (S604, S708). As a result, the master holding base 104 recovers the original flat state. Similarly, the master 103 also recovers the flat state. The master 103 in the flat state is continuously held on the master holding base 104 by the negative pressure.

  As shown in S708, the stamper 207 having the pattern forming resin 108d having a convex curved surface on the stamper base material 109 in a planar state is manufactured. The manufactured stamper 207 moves to the stamper standby area and waits (S605).

  Here, FIG. 8 shows a graph 800 in which the surface height of the master disk is plotted in order to show the curved state of the master disk 103 in the stamper manufacturing apparatus 500 described above. A state before deformation is indicated by 801, and a state after deformation (four steps) is indicated by 802 to 805. That is, the master 103 in the initial state described above is in the state of the curve 801 in the graph. In addition, the master S103a (see S702) in a state where the master deforming chamber 102 of the master holding base 104 is evacuated and deformed into a convex shape is in a state of 802 to 803. Furthermore, the master S103b (see S707 in FIG. 7) in a state where the master deforming chamber 102 of the master holding base 104 is pressurized and deformed into a convex shape is in a state of 804 to 805.

  Therefore, the concave shape of the master holding base 104, that is, the shape of the transferred object can be optimally changed according to the state suitable for the material of the transferred object or according to the size of the transferred object. it can.

  In the first embodiment described above, the shape of the master 103 is controlled by changing the pressure in the internal space of the master holding base 104. As shown in S702 of FIG. 5, the master holding base 104 may have a convex curved surface from the beginning, and the shape of the master may be controlled by changing the pressure in the external space between the master 103 and the master.

  According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a stamper having a fine structure pattern along a convex curved surface on a transfer surface.

  Furthermore, according to Example 1 demonstrated above, the stamper manufacturing apparatus which can manufacture the stamper which has the fine structure pattern along a convex-shaped curved surface in a to-be-transferred surface, and its manufacturing method can be provided.

(Example 2)
Next, an embodiment of a fine structure transfer apparatus 700 for a transferred object that transfers a fine structure to a transferred object such as a disk substrate using the stamper 100 manufactured as described above, and a fine structure transfer method thereof will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a fine structure transfer apparatus 700 for a transfer object that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The apparatus mainly includes a disk supply material 702 for moving a disk substrate 109D as a transfer object, a transfer unit 703 for transferring a concavo-convex pattern to the surface of the disk substrate 109D, and a disk discharge material handling for moving the disk substrate 109D after the transfer is completed. 709.

  Further, the fine structure transfer apparatus 700 for a transfer object includes the above-described components and a control unit 720 that performs overall control, an input device 730, and a monitor 731. The input device 730 is used to input manufacturing conditions such as the number of discs transferred and items necessary for manufacturing. The monitor 731 can display the state and conditions of the apparatus, display the cumulative number of processed sheets processed by the same stamper, and display the support screen during input.

  A processing flow for forming a fine pattern on the disk substrate 109D by the fine structure transfer apparatus 700 for a transfer object will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the disk substrate 109D before transfer is moved from the previous disk standby field 711 to the disk standby stage 704 in the transfer unit 703 by the disk supply material 702 in order to transfer the uneven pattern on both sides (S901). The transfer unit 703 includes a disk standby stage 704, a transfer material handling unit 705, a resist coating unit 706, a transfer exposure unit 707, a peeling unit 708, and an image pickup unit 710 for imaging. The imaging unit 710 images the disk substrate 109D being transported from the resist coating unit 706 to the transfer exposure unit 707. The transfer unit 703 is singly or plurally arranged depending on the set production capacity of the apparatus.

  The disk substrate 109D transferred to the disk standby stage 704 is moved to the resist coating unit 706 by the transfer material handling unit 705 (S902), and the pattern forming resin (resist) 110 is applied to both surfaces of the disk substrate 109D (S903). ). For this coating method, spin coating or ink jet is used. After the application is completed, the disk substrate 109D is moved to the transfer exposure unit 707 on which the stamper and the exposure apparatus are mounted (S904).

  During the movement, the disk substrate 109D is imaged by the imaging unit 710 (S905), the image is processed by the control unit 720, and the positional information of the disk substrate 109D is acquired, and the stampers 207u and 207d of the transfer exposure unit 707 (FIG. 10). In step S906, the position coordinates for placing the requested disk substrate 109D on the pressure exposure unit 707 are determined so as to come into contact with the desired position of the disk substrate 109D (S906). .

  A fine structure pattern is formed on the surface of the stamper 207, and is brought into close contact with a disk substrate 109 </ b> D coated with the pattern forming resin 110 on both sides at a desired position. In this state, exposure light is patterned through the stamper 207. The resin 110 is irradiated for exposure (S907). By this exposure, the aforementioned pattern forming resin 110 is solidified, and the fine structure pattern on the surface of the stamper 207 is transferred to the pattern forming resin 110 on both sides of the disk substrate 109D.

  Next, the disk substrate 109D is separated from the lower stamper 207d while being in close contact with the upper stamper 207u, and the upper stamper 207u and the disk substrate are separated by the transfer material handling unit 705 while being in close contact with the upper stamper 207u. 109D is transferred to the peeling unit 708 (S908). In the peeling unit 708, the upper stamper 207u and the disk substrate 109D are separated (S909). The disk substrate 109D on which the fine structure is formed on the pattern forming resin layer on the surface separated from the upper stamper 207u is discharged from the transfer unit 703 by the discharge material handler 709 and stored in the transfer completion disk standby area 713 (S910). ). In addition, the stamper 207 mounted on the transfer exposure unit 707 is appropriately replaced by a stamper stored in the stamper standby stage 712 and a discharge material handler 709.

  Next, a more detailed flow of the processing operation of the transfer unit 703 will be described with reference to FIG. The transfer unit 703 closely contacts the stamper 207 having a fine structure pattern formed on the surface thereof with the disk substrate 109D coated with the pattern forming resin 110, and the fine structure pattern on the surface of the stamper 207 is transferred to the pattern forming resin 110 on the disk substrate 109D. Transcript to.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the transfer unit 703 mainly includes a resist coating unit 706, a transfer exposure unit 707, and a peeling unit 708, and is installed on a common base plate 220.
First, the disk substrate 109D is placed on the spin coating spindle 203 in the resist coating unit 706 from the disk standby stage 704 by the transfer material handling unit 705 controlled by the stage control unit 721 of the controller 720. The spindle 203 is surrounded by a protective wall 201 in order to prevent the pattern forming resin 110 from scattering. Thereafter, the pattern forming resin 110 is applied to both surfaces of the disk substrate 109D from a dispenser (not shown) while rotating the spindle 203 under the control of the application control unit of the control unit 720, and the pattern forming resin 110 is applied to both surfaces of the disk substrate 109D. The thin film is formed (S101).

  The disk substrate 109D on which the thin film of the pattern forming resin 110 is formed is moved to the transfer exposure unit 707 by the transfer material handling unit 705. The transfer exposure unit 707 includes an upper surface pressure contact unit 205, an upper surface backup glass 206, an upper surface UV exposure unit 214, an upper surface stamper 207u attached to the upper surface pressure contact unit 205, a lower surface pressure contact unit 208, a lower surface backup glass 209, and a lower surface. The lower surface stamper 207 d attached to the UV exposure unit 215 and the lower surface pressure contact unit 208 is configured and installed on the base 211. The disk substrate 109D on which the thin film of the pattern forming resin 110 is formed is introduced between the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface stamper 207d (S102).

  Thereafter, the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 is driven and lowered by the driving means (see FIG. 5), and the disk substrate 109D sandwiched between the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface stamper 207d is in close contact with the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface stamper 207d. A fine structure pattern is formed on the surfaces of the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface stamper 207d. UV light (ultra violet light) emitted from the upper surface UV exposure unit 214 and the lower surface UV exposure unit 215 in a state of being in close contact with the disk substrate 109D coated with the pattern forming resin 110 on both surfaces, and the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface The pattern forming resin 110 is irradiated and exposed through the stamper 207d. By this exposure, the above-described pattern forming resin 110 is solidified, and the fine structure pattern on the stamper surface is transferred to both surfaces of the disk substrate. This UV light is emitted using a plurality of LEDs 216 as light sources (S103).

  The disk substrate 109D to which the fine structure pattern formed on the upper surface stamper 207u and the lower surface stamper 207d is transferred is peeled off from the lower surface stamper 207d as described later when moved to the peeling unit 708 by the transfer material handling unit 705. It is in close contact with the upper surface stamper 207u side. After completion of the movement to the peeling unit 708, the transferred disk substrate 109D is fixed using the disk fixing tool 213 installed on the base 212. Thereafter, the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 is raised by the driving means to separate the upper surface stamper 207u from the disk substrate 109D to which the fine structure pattern is transferred (S104).

  The disk substrate 109D separated from the upper surface stamper 207u is taken out from the peeling unit 708 by the transfer material handling unit 705 and stored in the transfer completion disk standby area 113.

  Next, the step of S907 in FIG. 9, that is, the step of transferring and exposing the pattern of the stamper 207 on both sides of the disk substrate 109D, that is, the step of S103 of FIG. 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the transfer exposure process. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the processing flow of the transfer exposure step shown in FIG. Incidentally, since the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 and the lower surface pressure contact unit 208 are basically the same mechanism, the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 will be described.

  The upper surface pressing contact unit 205 includes an upper surface stamper 207u, a spheroidizing elastic body 303 for spheroidizing a stamper formed of a stamper elastic body, a pressing base 304, a pressing elastic body 305, an upper surface backup glass 206, an upper surface A UV exposure unit 214 is provided. Here, the surface on the upper surface stamper 207u side of the spheroidizing elastic body 303 and the surface on the upper surface stamper 207u side of the pressing elastic body 305 have the same height, or the pressing elastic body 305 is in a slightly lower state. It has become. The spherical elastic body 303 is made of a material softer (higher elastic modulus) than the pressing elastic body 305.

  First, the image of the disk substrate 109 </ b> D obtained by imaging with the imaging unit 710 is processed by the alignment control unit of the control unit 720. The control unit 720 controls the transfer material handling unit 705 based on the position information of the disk substrate 109D obtained as a result of the processing, and positions the disk substrate 109D coated with the pattern forming resin (resist) 110 and the upper surface stamper 207u. The disc substrate 109D is placed in the exposure transfer unit 707 so that the relationship is in a predetermined state (S111, S121 in FIG. 12 (hereinafter the same order)).

  Next, the space on the back surface (the surface on which the fine structure pattern is not formed) of the upper surface stamper 207u is evacuated by the evacuation means 320 to a slight negative pressure (about −5 to −15 kPaG). As a result, the upper surface stamper 207u is sucked by the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure, the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface stamper 207u is pressed against the spherical elastic body 303 formed of an elastic body, and is held by the upper surface pressure contact unit 205. (S112, S121 of FIG. 10). The evacuation unit 320 includes a evacuation pump 321 and a vacuum gauge 323 connected by a vacuum pipe 322.

  Next, while the pressure is monitored by the vacuum gauge 323, the vacuum exhaust means 320 evacuates and the pressure in the space 307 on the back surface of the upper surface stamper 207u is further reduced. Here, since the spheroidizing elastic body 303 is formed of an elastic body, when the pressure in the space 307 on the back surface of the upper surface stamper 207u decreases, the spheroidizing elastic body 303 is changed according to the differential pressure from the atmospheric pressure generated thereby. It is pressed and deformed by being pressed by the peripheral portion of the upper surface stamper 207u (S113, S122).

  On the other hand, the vicinity of the center portion of the upper surface stamper 207 u is in contact with the pressing elastic body 305. The pressurizing elastic body 305 is pressed and compressed by the vicinity of the center portion of the upper surface stamper 207u according to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the spheroidizing elastic body 303 is formed of a material softer (higher elastic modulus) than the pressing elastic body 305 and moves mechanically while maintaining a vacuum. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the spherical elastic body 303 that is in contact with the peripheral portion of the disk substrate 109D is larger than that of the pressing elastic body 305. The upper surface stamper 207u is deformed in a convex shape toward the disk substrate 109D. This convex shape becomes a steeper convex curved surface because the pattern forming resin 108d having the fine structure pattern P provided on the transfer surface is also convex (S113, S122).

  The deformation of the end face of the upper stamper does not need to be increased because the pattern P has a steeper convex shape, and the possibility that the stamper is destroyed is greatly reduced.

  The pressure in the space 307 on the back surface of the upper surface stamper 207u is about −10 kPa to −90 kPa, and the optimum value is determined according to the pattern area and the stamper material. In this example, the deformation was performed at -20 kPa to -60 kPa.

  Next, the drive mechanism 310 drives the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 to move the pressure base 304 in the direction of the disk substrate 109D, and the convex stamper 207u contacts and contacts the disk substrate 109D (S114, S123). ). At this time, the drive mechanism 310 outputs the motor 311 with the torque sensor 313 and drives the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 via the drive shaft 312.

Since the upper surface stamper 207u is in a convex state, the upper surface stamper 207u sequentially contacts from the central portion of the disk substrate 109D toward the outer peripheral portion, and the contact surface is gradually spread to the periphery. At this time, in the middle of the sequential contact, the negative pressure in the space 307 is released to atmospheric pressure, the steep convex curved surface shown in S122 is relaxed, and the end of the upper surface stamper is the end of the pattern forming resin. The side is easily contacted (S115, S124).
At this time, the end of the disk substrate 109D is not in contact with the upper surface stamper because the surface of the upper surface stamper 207u is steep, and bubble entrainment can be reduced.

  In order to obtain the transfer of the predetermined fine structure pattern to the disk substrate 109D, the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 is driven by the drive mechanism 310, the pressure base 304 is further lowered, and the upper surface of the upper surface stamper 207u is pressurized. The stamper base material 109 (see S708 in FIG. 7) is deformed by this pressurization and follows the disk substrate 109D that is a transfer object (S116, S125). Therefore, it is necessary to make the rigidity of the disk substrate 109D, which is a transfer target, higher than that of the stamper base material 109.

  This state is a state in which the stamper 207 shown in S706 of FIG. That is, when the stamper 207 is manufactured, the master 103 serving as a stamper is in a flat plate state, and the stamper base material 109 (pattern forming resin 108d) that is a transfer target is in a curved surface state. On the other hand, as shown in S125 of FIG. 12, the stamper base material 109D of the upper surface stamper 207u is in a curved surface state, and the disk substrate 109D (pattern forming resin 110) as a transfer target is in a flat plate state.

  Therefore, the fine structure pattern transferred to the disk substrate 109D is the same as the fine structure pattern P of the master 103. That is, as shown in S125 of FIG. 12, the state in which the stamper 207 is in contact with the master 103 is reproduced on the transfer object (disk substrate 109D).

  Therefore, after S116 (S125), the UV light 116 is exposed in this tight contact state, the pattern forming resin 110 is cured, and a predetermined fine structure pattern identical to the surface of the master 103 is formed on the surface of the transfer object. (S117, S125).

  Finally, the upper surface pressure contact unit 205 is raised and retracted by the drive mechanism 310, the upper surface stamper 207u and the disk substrate 109D (transfer object) are peeled off (S118, S127), and the disk substrate 109D is taken out. A fine structure pattern is formed on the disk substrate surface by a stamper.

  In the above description, the section 307 shown in S121 of FIG. 12 has a negative pressure, and the stamper 207 has a convex shape. However, depending on the convex curved surface shape of the pattern forming resin 108d on the stamper, the negative pressure may not be directly applied to the upper surface. The pressure contact unit may be lowered and transferred.

  According to the second embodiment described above, the use of a stamper having a convex transfer portion can suppress the deformation of the stamper end face. The fine structure can be transferred to the object to be transferred.

  Further, according to the second embodiment described above, the stamper breaks the stamper by using the stamper having the convex shape so that the stamper end face does not contact the spherical elastic body and the fine structure can be transferred to the transfer target. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable fine structure transfer method.

  Further, according to the second embodiment described above, by using a stamper having a convex transfer portion, the contact surface can be gradually spread to the periphery, and the entrainment of bubbles can be reduced.

101: Vacuum pump 102: Master disk deformation chamber 103: Master disk 104: Master disk holding base 105: Vacuum pump 108, 108a, 108b, 108c, 108d: Pattern forming resin 109: Stamper base material 109D: Disk substrate 110: Pattern forming resin 116 : UV light source 205: Upper surface pressure contact unit 206: Upper surface backup glass 207, 207d, 207u: Stamper 208: Lower surface pressure contact unit 209: Lower surface backup glass 214: Upper surface UV exposure unit 215: Lower surface UV exposure unit 216: LED
310: Drive mechanism 320: Vacuum evacuation means 500: Stamper manufacturing apparatus 502: Substrate transport stage 503: Nozzle 504: Transfer exposure unit 505: Substrate transport stage on which a stamper substrate onto which a fine structure has been transferred is placed 506: Stamper standby area 520: Stamper Manufacturing device control device 700: Fine structure transfer device for transfer target 702: Disc supply material handling 703: Transfer section 704: Disc standby stage 705: Transfer material handling unit 706: Resist coating unit 707: Transfer exposure unit 708: Stripping unit 709: Material ejection for disk ejection 710: Imaging unit 711: Front disk standby field 712: Stamper standby stage 713: Transfer completion disk standby field 720: Control unit P: Fine structure pattern

Claims (11)

  A stamper comprising: a stamper base material; and a fine structure pattern along a convex curved surface formed of a pattern forming resin on a surface of the stamper base material. An application unit for applying a pattern forming resin to a stamper substrate;
A master holding base for holding a master on which the pattern is formed on one side;
A master deforming means capable of deforming the master into a convex curved surface and returning it to the original state;
The master disk having the convex curved surface on the opposite side of the stamper base is pressed against the stamper base coated with the pattern forming resin, and the fine structure pattern is transferred along the convex curved surface. A transfer exposure unit for forming the transfer microstructure structure pattern, and exposing the transfer microstructure structure pattern in a state in which the master has returned to its original state;
A peeling unit for peeling the transfer fine structure pattern from the fine structure pattern of the master;
And a stamper manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a stamper having the transferred fine structure pattern on the stamper base material. The stamper manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2,
The holding surface of the master holding base that holds the master can be transformed into a convex curved surface,
The deformation means includes an internal space provided inside the master holding base, and pressure control means for controlling the pressure in the space.
The stamper manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The stamper manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2,
The holding surface for holding the master disc has a convex curved surface and is deformable,
The deformation means includes pressure control means for controlling the pressure of an external space formed by the holding surface and the master.
The stamper manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The stamper manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4,
The stamper manufacturing apparatus, wherein the deforming means includes pressure control means for projecting the internal space or the external space toward the stamp base material. An application step of applying a pattern forming resin to the stamper substrate;
A master holding step for holding a master on which a fine structure pattern is formed on one side by a master holding base;
A first master convex deformation step for deforming the master into a first convex curved surface on the side opposite to the one side;
A transfer step of pressing the master having the convex curved shape onto the stamper base material to which the pattern forming resin is applied, and transferring the fine structure pattern to the applied pattern forming resin;
A master return step for returning the master to the original state in the transferred state;
An exposure step of exposing the transferred fine structure pattern after the master return step;
After the exposure step, a peeling step for peeling the transfer microstructure pattern from the pattern of the master,
And a stamper having the transfer fine structure pattern along the second convex curved surface shape is manufactured on the stamper base material. The stamper manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein
After the exposure step, a second master disk convex deformation step for deforming the master disk into a third convex curved surface shape on the stamper base side,
The stamper manufacturing method, wherein the peeling step is performed after the second master disk convex deformation step. An application step of applying a first pattern forming resin to a transfer object;
A stamper having a microstructure pattern formed along a convex curved surface formed of a second pattern forming resin on the surface is pressed against the first pattern forming resin, and the second pattern forming resin and the A first transfer step of transferring the fine structure pattern by sequentially spreading the contact surface with the first pattern forming resin to the periphery; and
A second transfer step of further pressing the stamper against the first pattern forming resin so as to obtain a predetermined fine structure pattern in which the fine structure pattern is planar;
An exposure step of exposing the fine predetermined pattern after the second transfer step;
A peeling step for peeling the fine predetermined pattern from the stamper after the exposure step;
And transferring the predetermined fine pattern to the subject. Before the first transfer step, a curved surface forming step for making the fine structure pattern of the stamper a steeper convex curved surface shape;
A relaxation step for relaxing the steep convex curved surface shape after the first transfer step and during the execution of the first transfer step;
The fine structure transfer method according to claim 8, comprising:   The fine structure transfer method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the stamper is provided on both sides of the transfer object, and the steps are performed on both sides.   10. The microstructure transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the rigidity of the transfer target is higher than the rigidity of a stamper base material that fixes the microstructure pattern.

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