JP2018137361A - Imprint apparatus, imprint method, and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imprinting apparatus advantageous in terms of throughput. An imprinting apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate by using a mold having a pattern region includes a deformed portion that deforms at least one of the pattern region and the shot region, and said. In a state where the measuring unit that measures the amount of misalignment between the pattern region and the shot region and the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, the pattern region is based on the measurement result by the measuring unit. The control unit includes a control unit that controls the relative position between the mold and the substrate so that the positional deviation from the shot region is corrected, and the control unit is a relative position for correcting the positional deviation. The relative shape change amount between the pattern region and the shot region that may occur due to the control is estimated, and the deformed portion is controlled based on the estimated shape change amount. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, an imprint method, and an article manufacturing method.

  An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold has attracted attention as one of mass production lithography apparatuses such as semiconductor devices. In the imprint apparatus, in order to accurately transfer the mold pattern to the imprint material on the substrate, the mold and the substrate are aligned in a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact (hereinafter referred to as a contact state). Can be done. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for aligning a mold and a substrate in a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-137051

  In the alignment between the mold and the substrate, a measurement process for measuring the positional deviation amount and the shape difference between the mold and the substrate, and the relative position and relative shape between the mold and the substrate are determined based on the measured positional deviation amount and the shape difference. The correction process for correcting is repeated. In the imprint apparatus, it is preferable in terms of throughput to reduce the number of times the measurement process and the correction process are repeated.

  However, if the relative position of the mold and the substrate is changed in the contact state, the viscoelasticity of the imprint material generates a force for returning the relative position of the mold and the substrate, and the relative shape between the mold and the substrate is generated. New changes will occur. Therefore, in the correction process, simply correcting the relative position and the relative shape based on the positional deviation amount and the shape difference measured in the measurement process can improve the throughput by reducing the number of repetitions of the measurement process and the correction process. Can be difficult.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of throughput.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a shot area of a substrate using a mold having a pattern area, A deformation unit that deforms at least one of the pattern region and the shot region, a measurement unit that measures a positional deviation amount between the pattern region and the shot region, and the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. A control unit that controls a relative position between the mold and the substrate so that a positional deviation between the pattern region and the shot region is corrected based on a measurement result by the measurement unit. The control unit includes the pattern region and the shim that may be generated due to the control of the relative position for correcting the positional deviation. Estimating the relative shape variation amount of the Tsu bets area, controls the deformation portion based on the estimated shape variation amount, and wherein the.

  Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, for example, an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of throughput can be provided.

It is a figure which shows an imprint apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an imprint process. It is a figure for demonstrating correction | amendment of a positional offset amount and a shape difference. It is a figure for demonstrating generation | occurrence | production of a shape change. It is a figure for demonstrating generation | occurrence | production of a shape change. It is a block diagram which shows control of position alignment with a mold and a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the measurement timing by a measurement part, the correction timing of the positional offset amount by a substrate stage, and the correction timing of the shape difference by a deformation | transformation part. It is a block diagram which shows control of position alignment with a mold and a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of articles | goods.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference number is attached | subjected about the same member thru | or element, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. In the following embodiments, the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate (the direction along the surface of the substrate) is the X direction and the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate (the optical axis direction of light incident on the substrate) is Let it be the Z direction.

<First Embodiment>
An imprint apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The imprint apparatus is an apparatus that forms a cured product pattern in which the concave / convex pattern of the mold is transferred by bringing the imprint material supplied on the substrate into contact with the mold and applying energy for curing to the imprint material. It is. For example, the imprint apparatus cures the imprint material in a state in which the mold (mold) on which the uneven pattern is formed is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate, widens the space between the mold and the substrate, and cures. The mold is peeled off (released) from the imprint material. Thereby, the pattern of the imprint material can be formed on the substrate.

  As the imprint material, a curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when given energy for curing is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like is used. The electromagnetic wave is, for example, light such as infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light whose wavelength is selected from a range of 10 nm to 1 mm.

  A curable composition is a composition which hardens | cures by irradiation of light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition cured by light contains at least a polysynthetic compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polysynthetic compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polysynthetic compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component.

  The imprint material is applied in a film form on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the liquid ejecting head may be applied on the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The imprint material has a viscosity (viscosity at 25 ° C.) of, for example, 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less.

[Configuration of imprint device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an imprint apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The imprint apparatus 10 includes, for example, a mold holding unit 3 that holds the mold 1, a substrate stage 4 that holds the substrate 2, a measurement unit 5, a curing unit 6, a supply unit 7, and a control unit 8. sell. The control unit 8 is configured by, for example, a computer having a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls imprint processing (controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 10).

  The mold 1 is usually made of a material that can transmit ultraviolet rays, such as quartz, and a partial area (pattern area 1a) on the surface on the substrate side is made of an imprint material supplied on the substrate. An uneven pattern for transfer is formed. Moreover, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, etc. are used as the board | substrate 2, and the member which consists of a material different from a board | substrate may be formed in the surface as needed. Specifically, the substrate 2 is a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, or the like. Further, before applying the imprint material, an adhesion layer may be provided to improve the adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate 2 as necessary.

  The mold holding unit 3 includes a mold chuck 3a and a mold driving unit 3b. The mold chuck 3a holds the mold 1 by, for example, a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. The mold driving unit 3b includes an actuator such as a linear motor or an air cylinder, and drives the mold 1 (mold chuck 3a) in the Z direction. The mold driving unit 3b of the present embodiment is configured to drive the mold 1 in the Z direction, but is not limited thereto, and for example, drives the mold 1 in the XY direction and the θ direction (rotation direction around the Z axis). It may have a function to do. Here, the mold holding unit 3 is provided with a deforming unit 9 as a mechanism for deforming the pattern region by applying a force to a plurality of locations on the side surface of the mold 1. The deformation unit 9 may include a plurality of actuators such as piezo elements.

  The substrate stage 4 (substrate holding unit, stage) includes a substrate chuck 4a and a substrate driving unit 4b. The substrate chuck 4a holds the substrate 2 by, for example, vacuum suction force or electrostatic force. The substrate driving unit 4b includes an actuator such as a linear motor, and drives the substrate 2 (substrate chuck 4a) in the XY directions. The substrate drive unit 4b of the present embodiment is configured to drive the substrate 2 in the XY directions, but is not limited thereto, and may have a function of driving the substrate 2 in the Z direction and the θ direction, for example. Good. Here, in the present embodiment, the operation of changing the distance between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 (distance in the Z direction) is performed by the mold holding unit 3, but may be performed by the substrate stage 4, or by both of them. It may be performed relatively. Moreover, although the operation | movement which changes the relative position of the mold 1 and the board | substrate 2 in XY direction is performed by the substrate stage 4, it may be performed by the mold holding | maintenance part 3 and may be relatively performed by both of them. .

  The measurement unit 5 includes a detection unit (scope) that detects a mark provided on the mold 1 (pattern region 1a) and a mark provided on the substrate 2 (shot region 2a), and the pattern region 1a and shot region 2a. Measure the amount of misalignment and the shape difference. For example, the measurement unit 5 detects the marks provided at the four corners of the pattern area 1a and the marks provided at the four corners of the shot area 2a by the detection unit. Thereby, the measurement part 5 can measure the shape difference between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a as well as the positional deviation amount between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a.

  The curing unit 6 (irradiation unit) irradiates the imprint material on the substrate with light (ultraviolet rays) via the mold 1 in a state where the mold 1 and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. The print material is cured. The supply unit 7 supplies (applies) an imprint material onto the substrate.

[Imprint processing]
Next, the imprint process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the imprint process. The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 shows an imprint process performed for each substrate, and each process can be controlled by the control unit 8. Description of mounting / collecting the mold 1 on the mold holding unit 3 and mounting / collecting the substrate 2 on the substrate stage 4 is omitted.

  In S11, the control unit 8 controls the substrate stage 4 so that the target shot area 2a (hereinafter referred to as the target shot area 2a) to be subjected to the imprint process is arranged below the supply unit 7, so that the target shot area 2a is moved to the target shot area 2a. The supply unit 7 is controlled to supply the imprint material. In S <b> 12, the control unit 8 controls the substrate stage 4 so that the target shot region 2 a is disposed below the pattern region 1 a of the mold 1. In S13, the control unit 8 controls the mold holding unit 3 (mold driving unit 3b) so that the distance between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is reduced, thereby bringing the mold 1 and the imprint material on the substrate into contact with each other. .

  In S14, the control unit 8 causes the measurement unit 5 to measure the positional deviation amount and the shape difference between the pattern region 1a of the mold 1 and the target shot region 2a of the substrate 2 (measurement process). In S15, the control unit 8 determines the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 so that the positional deviation and the shape difference between the pattern region 1a and the target shot region 2a are corrected based on the measurement result by the measurement unit 5. The relative shape is changed (correction process). The relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 can be changed by moving the substrate stage 4 in the XY directions. The relative shape of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 can be changed by deforming the pattern region 1a by the deforming portion 9. Here, in the present embodiment, a mechanism that deforms the pattern region 1a by applying a force to the side surface of the mold 1 is used as the deforming portion 9 that deforms at least one of the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a mechanism for deforming the shot region 2a by applying heat to the substrate 2 by light irradiation or the like may be used. That is, the deforming unit 9 may be configured to include at least one of a mechanism for deforming the pattern area 1a and a mechanism for deforming the shot area 2a.

  In S16, the control unit 8 causes the measurement unit 5 to again measure the positional deviation amount and the shape difference between the pattern region 1a of the mold 1 and the target shot region 2a of the substrate 2 (measurement process). In S17, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the positional deviation amount and the shape difference measured by the measurement unit 5 in S16 are within allowable ranges. When the positional deviation amount and the shape difference are not within the allowable ranges, the process returns to S15, and the correction process of S15 and the measurement process of S16 are performed again. On the other hand, if the positional deviation amount and the shape difference are within the allowable ranges, the process proceeds to S18. As described above, in the imprint apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the position of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is changed by repeating the correction process of S15 and the measurement process of S16 until the positional deviation amount and the shape difference are within the allowable ranges. Matching is done.

  In S18, the control unit 8 controls the curing unit 6 to irradiate the imprint material on the substrate with light through the mold 1, and cures the imprint material. In S <b> 19, the control unit 8 controls the mold holding unit 3 so that the distance between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is widened, and peels (releases) the mold 1 from the cured imprint material. In S20, the control unit 8 determines whether or not there is a shot area (next shot area) on which the imprint process is to be continued on the substrate. If there is a next shot area, the process returns to S11, and if there is no next shot area, the process ends.

[Correction process]
Next, the correction process of S15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The correction process of S15 is performed in a state where the mold 1 and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a contact state). And the correction process of S15 can include the process of correcting the positional deviation between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a and the process of correcting the shape difference between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a as described above.

  FIG. 3A is a view of the pattern region 1a (two-dot chain line) and the shot region 2a (broken line) before being subjected to the correction process, as viewed from above (Z direction). Then, it is assumed that the positional deviation amount and the shape difference between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a in this state are measured by the measuring unit 5. In the example shown in FIG. 3 (a), in order to simplify the description, the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a are expressed as a positional deviation (translational shift) and a shape difference including only a magnification component. ing. However, in practice, not only the magnification component but also various components such as a trapezoidal component and an arcuate component can be included as the shape difference.

  When correcting the positional deviation between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a, for example, by moving the substrate stage 4, the pattern area 1a (mold 1) and the shot area 2a (substrate 2) are moved as shown in FIG. Change the relative position. In FIG. 3B, the shot area 2a before the relative position is changed is indicated by a broken line, and the shot area 2a 'after the relative position is changed is indicated by a solid line. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the relative positions of the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a are changed so that the center of the shot region 2a coincides with the center of the pattern region 1a.

  Further, when correcting the shape difference between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a, for example, by deforming the pattern region 1a by the deformation unit 9, as shown in FIG. 3C, the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a are Change the relative shape. In FIG. 3C, the pattern area 1a before changing the relative shape is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the pattern area 1a ′ after changing the relative shape is indicated by a solid line (shot after changing the relative position). It overlaps the region 2a ′). The correction of the shape difference shown in FIG. 3C may be performed simultaneously with the correction of the positional deviation shown in FIG. 3B, or may be performed before the correction of the positional deviation.

  Here, in the imprint apparatus 10, it is preferable in terms of throughput to reduce the number of times the measurement process and the correction process are repeated. However, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is changed in the contact state, a force is generated to return the relative position to the original due to the viscoelasticity of the imprint material. A relative change in shape between 1 and the substrate 2 is newly generated. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the throughput by reducing the number of times the measurement process and the correction process are repeated only by the above-described process.

  For example, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the mold 1 and the imprint material 6a on the substrate are in contact with each other, and FIG. 5 is a diagram of the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a viewed from above. Assume that the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a are arranged as shown in FIG. 5A in the state shown in FIG. In this case, when the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 4A to the state shown in FIG. 4B, the pattern region 1a is shown by the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 6a. 5 (b) is deformed into a shape 1a "indicated by a solid line. At this time, not only in the pattern area 1a but also in the shot area 2a due to the viscoelasticity of the imprint material 6a, not shown in FIG. 5 (b). That is, a relative shape change newly occurs between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a, and the shape change occurs every time the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is changed. Therefore, it has been difficult to reduce the number of repetitions of the measurement process and the correction process.

  Therefore, in the imprint apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the pattern region 1a and the shot that may be generated due to the control of the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 for correcting the positional deviation between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a. The amount of change in shape relative to the region 2a is estimated. Then, the deforming unit 9 is controlled based on the estimated shape change amount. In the following, “the relative shapes of the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a that may be caused by the control of the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 for correcting the positional deviation between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a”. “Change (amount)” may be simply referred to as “shape change (amount)”.

[Correction of shape change amount]
The control unit 8 estimates the shape change amount based on the positional deviation amount between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a measured by the measurement unit 5 in the measurement process of S14 or S16. Then, in the correction step of S15, the deformation unit 9 is controlled so that the relative shape change between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a is corrected based on the estimated shape change amount. At this time, the control unit 8 controls the deformation unit 9 based on the estimated shape change amount while controlling the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 based on the positional deviation amount measured by the measurement unit 5. It is preferable in terms of throughput. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and before the next measurement by the measurement unit 5, after the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is controlled based on the positional deviation amount, the estimated shape change amount is obtained. The deformation unit 9 may be controlled based on this. Further, the control unit 8 may perform the control of the deformation unit 9 based on the estimated shape change amount in parallel with the control of the deformation unit 9 based on the shape difference measured by the measurement unit 5. That is, the control unit 8 may control the deformation unit 9 based on a value obtained by combining the estimated shape change amount and the shape difference measured by the measurement unit 5.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing control of alignment between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state. The displacement 11 and the shape difference 21 measured by the measuring unit 5 are input to the subtracters 12 and 22, respectively. The subtractor 12 supplies a deviation 14 between the positional deviation amount 11 measured by the measuring unit 5 and a target value 13 (for example, zero) to the substrate stage 4 and the estimating unit 8a (control unit 8). The substrate stage 4 moves based on the deviation 14 supplied from the subtractor 12, and changes the relative position between the pattern region 1a (mold 1) and the shot region 2a (substrate 2). At this time, as described above, a change in shape may occur as the disturbance 15 due to a change in the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2. Therefore, the estimation unit 8 a estimates the shape change amount based on the deviation 14 (position shift amount) supplied from the subtractor 12 and supplies the shape change amount estimated value 16 to the adder 25. A method for estimating the shape change amount will be described later.

  On the other hand, the subtractor 22 supplies the adder 25 with a deviation 24 between the shape difference 21 measured by the measuring unit 5 and a target value 23 (for example, zero). The adder 25 synthesizes the estimated value 16 of the shape change amount output from the estimation unit 8a (control unit 8) and the deviation 24 (shape difference) output from the subtractor 22 and combines the synthesized value with the deformation unit 9. To supply. The deforming unit 9 operates based on the value supplied from the adder 25, and changes the relative shape between the pattern area 1a and the shot area 2a. In this way, by controlling the deformation unit 9 based on the estimated value 16 of the shape change amount obtained by the estimation unit 8a, the shape change generated as the disturbance 15 due to the change in the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 can be obtained. Correction can be made before the next measurement by the measurement unit 5.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a measurement timing by the measurement unit 5, a positional deviation correction timing by the substrate stage 4, and a shape difference correction timing by the deformation unit 9 in the imprint apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the transition between the execution state and the standby state. That is, in the measurement by the measurement unit 5, “1” is an execution state in which measurement is being executed, and “0” is a standby state in which measurement is not being executed. Similarly, the correction of the positional deviation by the substrate stage 4 and the correction of the shape difference by the deforming unit 9 are the execution state in which the correction is executed when “1”, and the correction is executed when “0”. Not in standby state. In the correction of the shape difference by the deformation unit 9, correction based on the estimated value of the shape change amount obtained by the estimation unit 8a (control unit 8) can also be performed in parallel. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the correction of the positional deviation and the correction of the shape difference can be performed in parallel in a period A between measurement by the measurement unit 5.

[Method for estimating shape change]
Next, a method for estimating the amount of change in shape will be described. For example, the control unit 8 determines the amount of change in the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state, and the pattern region 1a and shot region 2a based on the amount of change. First information (for example, an expression) indicating a relationship with the relative deformation amount is included, and the shape change amount is estimated based on the first information. Specifically, the control unit 8 estimates (determines) the deformation amount obtained when the positional deviation amount measured by the measurement unit 5 is applied to the first information as the change amount, as the shape change amount. The first information can be acquired, for example, by measuring the shape difference by the measurement unit 5 while changing the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state.

  Here, the first information may differ depending on conditions (imprint conditions) when performing imprint processing. Therefore, the control unit 8 may have a plurality of first information for each imprint condition, and select the first information corresponding to the imprint condition to be used from among the first information. The imprint conditions include, for example, the type of imprint material (imprint material characteristics), the thickness of the imprint material to be formed on the shot area, and the shape of the pattern formed on the pattern area 1a (mold to be used). 1) may be included. The characteristics of the imprint material can include, for example, viscoelastic properties, viscosity, elastic modulus, rigidity, and the like of the imprint material.

  Further, the control unit once obtains the force for changing the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in order to correct the misregistration amount based on the misregistration amount measured by the measurement unit. From the above, the amount of change in shape may be estimated. In this case, the control unit 8 changes the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state, and a force (also called a shearing force) for changing the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 by the change amount ( Hereinafter, it has the 2nd information which shows the relationship with the shear force)). Further, the control unit 8 has third information indicating the relationship between the shear force and the relative deformation amount of the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a due to the shear force. And the control part 8 calculates | requires shear force by applying the positional offset amount measured by the measurement part 5 to 2nd information as change amount, and the deformation amount obtained when the calculated | required shear force is applied to 3rd information Is estimated (determined) as a shape change amount.

  Here, the second information may differ depending on the imprint conditions. Therefore, the control unit 8 may have a plurality of second information for each imprint condition, and select the second information corresponding to the imprint condition to be used from among the second information. On the other hand, the third information may vary depending on the type of the mold 1 to be used, but hardly changes depending on the type of the imprint material and the thickness of the imprint material. Therefore, the control part 8 should just have 3rd information for every kind of mold which should be used.

  As described above, the imprint apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment estimates the shape change amount based on the positional deviation amount measured by the measurement unit 5 and controls the deformation unit 9 based on the estimated shape change amount. . Thereby, the frequency | count of repeating a measurement process and a correction process can be reduced, and a through-put can be improved.

Second Embodiment
An imprint apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment takes over the imprint apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, and only differences from the first embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, the example in which the shape change amount is estimated based on the positional deviation amount measured by the measurement unit 5 has been described. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the shape change amount is based on the force applied to at least one of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in order to change the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 so that the displacement amount is corrected. An example in which is estimated will be described. In the present embodiment, the force applied to at least one of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 may be referred to as a driving force generated in at least one of the mold holding unit 3 and the substrate stage 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as “driving force”). ) Will be described. However, it is not limited to the driving force, and for example, a result obtained by actually measuring the force applied to at least one of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 may be used.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing control of alignment between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state. The positional deviation amount 11 and the shape difference 21 measured by the measuring unit 5 are input to the subtracters 12 and 22. The subtractor 12 supplies a deviation 14 between the positional deviation amount 11 measured by the measuring unit 5 and a target value 13 (for example, zero) to the substrate stage 4. The substrate stage 4 moves based on the deviation 14 supplied from the subtractor 12, and changes the relative position between the pattern region 1a (mold 1) and the shot region 2a (substrate 2). At this time, as described above, a change in shape may occur as the disturbance 15 due to a change in the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2. Therefore, the estimation unit 8a (control unit 8) is based on the driving force 17 generated in the substrate stage 4 when the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is changed so that the deviation 14 (positional deviation) is corrected. The shape change amount is estimated, and the estimated value 16 of the shape change amount is supplied to the adder 25. A method for estimating the shape change amount will be described later. Here, the operations of the subtracter 22, the adder 25, and the deforming unit 9 are the same as the operations described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.

Next, a method for estimating the shape change amount will be described. For example, the control unit 8 includes fourth information indicating the relationship between the driving force and the relative deformation amount between the pattern region 1a and the shot region 2a due to the driving force. (E.g., an equation), and the shape change amount is estimated based on the fourth information. Specifically, the control unit 8 estimates (determines) the deformation amount obtained when the driving force for correcting the displacement amount measured by the measurement unit 5 is applied to the fourth information as the shape change amount. To do. The driving force can be obtained from, for example, a voltage value or a current value supplied to at least one actuator of the mold holding unit 3 and the substrate stage 4. The fourth information can be acquired, for example, by measuring the shape difference by the measurement unit 5 while changing the driving force in the contact state. Here, since the fourth information may differ depending on the imprint condition, the control unit 8 has a plurality of fourth information for each imprint condition, and corresponds to the imprint condition to be used. The fourth information may be selected.

  The fourth information can also be obtained by applying vibration to the mold 1 and the substrate 2 in the contact state. For example, vibration (sweep vibration) is applied to the mold 1 and the substrate 2 by at least one of the mold holding unit 3 and the substrate stage 4 so that the frequency changes with time. Alternatively, a plurality of sinusoidal vibrations having different frequencies may be applied. Thereby, the frequency response about the relationship between the force applied to at least one of the mold 1 and the substrate 2 and the relative position between the mold 1 and the substrate 2 is known. The viscoelasticity of the imprint material can be calculated from this frequency response, and the fourth information can be obtained from the calculated viscoelasticity of the imprint material using a numerical simulation or the like.

<Embodiment of Method for Manufacturing Article>
The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable, for example, for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. In the method of manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment, a pattern is formed on the imprint material supplied (applied) to the substrate using the above-described imprint apparatus (imprint method), and the pattern is formed in this process. Processing the substrate. Further, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article as compared with the conventional method.

  The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when various articles are manufactured. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include an imprint mold.

  The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as a constituent member of at least a part of the article or temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation or the like is performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

  Next, a specific method for manufacturing an article will be described. As shown in FIG. 9A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared. Subsequently, the substrate 1z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. A printing material 3z is applied. Here, a state is shown in which the imprint material 3z in the form of a plurality of droplets is applied on the substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the imprint mold 4z is made to face the imprint material 3z on the substrate with the side having the concave / convex pattern formed thereon. As shown in FIG. 9C, the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in a gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated as energy for curing through the mold 4z, the imprint material 3z is cured.

  As shown in FIG. 9D, when the imprint material 3z is cured and then the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of a cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. This cured product pattern has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, and the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, that is, the concave / convex pattern of the die 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z. It will be done.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an anti-etching mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured product or remains thin is removed, and the grooves 5z and Become. As shown in FIG. 9 (f), when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article in which the groove 5z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the cured product pattern is removed here, it may be used as, for example, a film for interlayer insulation contained in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a constituent member of an article without being removed after processing.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

1: mold, 1a: pattern region, 2: substrate, 2a: shot region, 3: mold holding unit, 4: substrate stage, 5: measurement unit, 6: curing unit, 7: supply unit, 8: control unit, 9 : Deformation unit, 10: imprint apparatus

Claims (11)

An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate using a mold having a pattern region,
A deforming portion that deforms at least one of the pattern region and the shot region;
A measurement unit for measuring a positional deviation amount between the pattern region and the shot region;
In a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, the mold and the shot area are corrected based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the positional deviation between the pattern area and the shot area is corrected. A control unit for controlling the relative position to the substrate;
Including
The control unit estimates a relative shape change amount between the pattern region and the shot region that may be generated due to the control of the relative position for correcting the positional deviation, and the estimated shape change amount The imprinting apparatus characterized by controlling the said deformation | transformation part based on.   The said control part controls the said deformation | transformation part based on the estimated said amount of shape changes, controlling the said relative position so that the said position shift is correct | amended. Imprint device.   2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the deformation unit based on the estimated shape change amount after controlling the relative position so that the positional deviation is corrected. The imprint apparatus described. The measurement unit measures a shape difference between the pattern region and the shot region together with the positional deviation amount,
The said control part controls the said deformation | transformation part based on the value which match | combined the said amount of shape changes estimated and the said shape difference measured by the said measurement part, Among Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The imprint apparatus according to any one of the above.   5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates the shape change amount based on the displacement amount measured by the measurement unit.   The control unit has information indicating a change amount of a relative position between the mold and the substrate, and a relationship between a relative deformation amount of the pattern region and the shot region according to the change amount, and the measurement unit The imprint apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the deformation amount obtained when the positional deviation amount measured by the method is applied to the information as the change amount is estimated as the shape change amount.   The said control part estimates the said amount of shape changes based on the driving force which drives at least one of the said mold and the said board | substrate in order to correct | amend the said position shift, Any one of the Claims 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1.   The control unit has information indicating a relationship between a force applied to at least one of the mold and the substrate and a relative deformation amount of the pattern region and the shot region due to the force, and the positional deviation is determined. The imprint apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the deformation amount obtained when the driving force for correction is applied to the information as the force is estimated as the shape change amount.   The deformation portion includes at least one of a mechanism for deforming the pattern region by applying a force to a side surface of the mold and a mechanism for deforming the shot region by applying heat to the substrate. Item 9. The imprint apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 8. A forming step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the forming step, and
A method for manufacturing an article, wherein the article is manufactured from the substrate processed in the processing step. An imprint method for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate using a mold having a pattern region,
A measurement step of measuring a positional deviation amount between the pattern region and the shot region;
In a state where the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, the mold and the mold area are corrected based on the measurement result in the measurement step so that the positional deviation between the pattern area and the shot area is corrected. A control step for controlling the relative position with the substrate;
An estimation step for estimating a relative shape change amount between the pattern region and the shot region that may be caused by the control of the relative position for correcting the positional deviation;
A deformation step of deforming at least one of the pattern region and the shot region based on the shape change amount obtained in the estimation step;
The imprint method characterized by including.

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