JP2026005264A - Microstructure transfer device and microstructure transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

【assignment】
A fine structure transfer device and a fine structure transfer method are provided that are excellent in mass productivity and can reduce the installation area of the device.
[Solution]
The microstructure transfer device 1 has an imprint mechanism 2 and an inkjet mechanism 4, and the inkjet mechanism 4 applies a photocurable resin to multiple locations on a substrate 21, and the imprint mechanism 2 imprints a pattern onto the photocurable resin applied to multiple locations in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a microstructure transfer device and method that uses a mold with a fine concave-convex pattern on the surface, such as on the order of nanometers, to transfer a microstructure onto a substrate.

Ultraviolet/electron beam lithography, a microfabrication technology used in exposure equipment for semiconductor manufacturing, is expensive and the process is complex, posing problems in terms of improving manufacturing time and costs. However, advances in nanoimprint lithography (NIL), which directly transfers a mold (also called a stamper or template) with a finely etched pattern onto a resin material, have made it possible to easily realize fine patterns on the order of 10 nm to several hundred nm using simple equipment and processes, giving NIL an advantage in terms of equipment price and mass production costs. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for manufacturing a wide nanoimprint roll for a roll-type imprinting device, which involves enlarging the transfer area by repeating a transfer operation using a transfer medium having a pattern transfer layer of a small-area master on which a positive (or negative) pattern of sub-wavelength structures is formed. The method describes using a narrow nanoimprint roll as the transfer medium, in which the positive (or negative) pattern surface of the master is directly pressed and transferred onto an ultraviolet-curable or electron-beam-curable polysiloxane layer, and then irradiated with ultraviolet light or an electron beam to form a cured polysiloxane layer on the roll surface having a negative (or positive) pattern of the sub-wavelength structures formed thereon.

Patent Document 2 also discloses that a double-sided imprinting device has a pattern transfer mechanism consisting of at least an upper stamper device supported by an elevation mechanism, and a lower stamper device and transferee peeling device fixed to a moving table placed on a guide rail; the moving table can be reciprocated on the guide rail by a movement drive mechanism, thereby allowing the lower stamper device and transferee peeling device to move alternately to positions facing the upper stamper device, with the position of the upper stamper device as the center.

JP 2007-203576 A JP 2011-150780 A

However, neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2 gives any consideration to reducing the installation area of a micropattern transfer device equipped with an inkjet mechanism and an imprint mechanism.

The present invention provides a microstructure transfer device and a microstructure transfer method that are suitable for mass production and can reduce the installation area of the device.

To solve the above problems, the micropattern transfer device of the present invention has an imprint mechanism and an inkjet mechanism, and is characterized in that the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state onto a photocurable resin that has been applied to multiple locations on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention is a microstructure transfer device having a first imprint mechanism, a second imprint mechanism, and an inkjet mechanism, wherein the first imprint mechanism imprints a pattern at predetermined positions in the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum, and the second imprint mechanism imprints the one pattern or a pattern different from the one pattern at predetermined positions in the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint mechanism, or the first imprint mechanism and the second imprint mechanism, are equipped with an imprint head, which has a vacuum chamber and imprints the areas positioned in a step-and-repeat manner under a vacuum state.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head includes a curing light irradiator above the vacuum chamber, and in the vacuum state, the curing light irradiator irradiates the photocurable resin with ultraviolet light.

Another aspect of the micropattern transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin as a replica agent to the pattern portion of the individual mold, the imprint head is positioned over the pattern portion of the individual mold, and is pressed against the photocurable resin in the pattern portion of the individual mold inside the vacuum chamber, and ultraviolet light is irradiated from the curing light irradiator to form a replica.

Another aspect of the micropattern transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held by the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming the pattern of the individual mold.

The microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is characterized in that an inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin to multiple locations on a substrate, and an imprint mechanism imprints a pattern onto the photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head provided in the imprint mechanism has a vacuum chamber and imprints the area positioned in a step-and-repeat manner under a vacuum state.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head includes a curing light irradiator above the vacuum chamber, which irradiates the photocurable resin with ultraviolet light in the vacuum state.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is characterized in that the inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin as a replica agent to the pattern portion of the individual mold, the imprint head is positioned over the pattern portion of the individual mold, and is pressed against the photocurable resin in the pattern portion of the individual mold inside the vacuum chamber, and ultraviolet light is irradiated from the curing light irradiator to form a replica.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held by the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming the pattern of the individual mold.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fine structure transfer device and a fine structure transfer method that are excellent in mass productivity and can reduce the installation area of the device.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a micropattern transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the micropattern transfer device shown in FIG. 1, seen from the opposite direction. FIG. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the micropattern transfer device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a main configuration including the imprint head shown in FIG. 1 . 1 is a configuration diagram of an imprint head constituting a micropattern transfer device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an imprint head that constitutes the micropattern transfer device according to the first embodiment, which is different from FIG. 5 . 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the imprint operation of the imprint head shown in FIG. 4. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the micropattern transfer device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a replica creation process flow. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a pattern creation process flow. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when creating an individual replica from an individual mold. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of the operation when a pattern is produced on a substrate using an individual replica. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a micropattern transfer device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when creating an individual replica from an individual mold. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of the operation when a pattern is produced on a substrate using an individual replica.

In this specification, the term "substrate" includes, for example, a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate such as a wafer.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a micropattern transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the micropattern transfer device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the opposite direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the microstructure transfer device 1 according to this embodiment includes an imprint mechanism 2 having an imprint head 3, an inkjet mechanism 4 as a coating device having an inkjet head 5, a gantry 6, a stage 7 (Yθ axis), a heater 8, a spin coater 9, an aligner 10, a robot 11, and a substrate cassette 12. The stage 7 (Yθ axis) is configured to be movable in the Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be displaceable in the rotational direction (θ). The imprint mechanism 2 is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be movable in the Z direction. Similarly, the inkjet mechanism 4 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a coating device) is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be movable in the Z direction. In other words, the imprint mechanism 2 and the inkjet mechanism 4 are freely movable in X-Y positions in cooperation with the stage 7. In this embodiment, the inkjet mechanism 4 has three inkjet heads 5, but the number of inkjet heads 5 is not limited to this. For example, the number of inkjet heads 5 may be set to a desired value based on the material such as the replica agent 23 (FIG. 5) or the patterning agent 25 (FIG. 12).

Figure 3 is a top view showing the schematic configuration of the microstructure transfer device shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the spin coater 9, aligner 10, and heater 8 located above the aligner 10 in the Z direction constitute the pretreatment section 13. The pretreatment process will now be described. When a substrate 21 (Figure 4) is loaded from the substrate cassette 12, a primer or the like is applied to the surface of the substrate 21 by the spin coater 9 to improve adhesion between the substrate 21 and the replica agent 23 or pattern agent 25. The primer is then heated and dried by the heater 8. The pretreatment process is now complete, and the pretreated substrate 21 is roughly aligned by the aligner 10. The pretreated substrate 21 is then positioned (aligned) by mark detection (described below). The inkjet head 5 constituting the inkjet mechanism 4 applies the replica agent 23 to a predetermined position on the surface of the pretreated substrate 21. The pretreated substrate 21 (a glass substrate may be referred to as a replica base hereinafter) coated with the replica agent 23 is then heated and dried by the heater 8. The pre-processed substrate 21, onto which the dried replica agent 23 has been applied, is imprinted onto a piece of mold substrate 24 (Figure 11) by the imprint head 3 that constitutes the imprint mechanism 2, and a replica 22, which is an inverse transfer of the mold pattern in the piece of mold substrate 24, is collected by the imprint head 3. Details of the imprinting operation will be described later.

While this embodiment describes a configuration including a spin coater 9 and heater 8 that constitute the pretreatment unit 13, this is not limiting. For example, if a substrate 21 that has been pretreated in advance, i.e., a substrate 21 that has been coated with the above-mentioned primer and then heated and dried, is being carried in, the spin coater 9 is not necessarily required. This is because the heating and drying of the substrate 21 after primer application by the heater 8 is performed to remove or evaporate the solvent contained in the primer. Furthermore, if the adhesion of the photocurable resin used as the replica agent 23 or patterning agent 25 to the substrate 21 is improved, the application of the primer becomes unnecessary, and therefore the spin coater 9 and heater 8 are not necessarily required. Furthermore, if the photocurable resin does not contain a solvent, heating and drying by the heater 8 is unnecessary, and naturally, the heater 8 is not required. The heater 8 may also be used as a degassing station. That is, a configuration may be adopted in which a vacuum chamber and vacuum pump (not shown) are provided, and preliminary degassing (preliminary removal of air bubbles) is performed before the imprinting operation in accordance with the characteristics of the photocurable resin applied to the substrate 21 by the inkjet mechanism 4.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the main components including the imprint head shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 4, the microstructure transfer device 1 according to this embodiment includes an imprint head X-axis linear guide 15, a linear motor 14, a Z-axis actuator 16, an imprint head linear guide 17, a vacuum chamber linear guide 18, and an imprint head 3, all of which are provided on a gantry 6. The imprint head 3 includes a vacuum chamber 31, a buffer member 32, an inner cylinder 33, a spring 34 having one end fixed to a part of the imprint head X-axis linear guide 15 and the other end fixed to the upper end of the vacuum chamber 31, a glass window 35, and a seal member 36 provided at the lower end of the vacuum chamber 31 that comes into contact with and seals the substrate 21.

The vacuum chamber 31 is formed in a cylindrical or hollow prismatic shape. However, a cylindrical shape is preferable. A seal member 36 is provided at the lower end of the vacuum chamber 31 and comes into contact with the substrate 21 to seal it. The seal member 36 is made of an elastic material or a buffer material. For example, it may be an O-ring, an elastic material made of silicone rubber, or the like, as long as it comes into contact with the substrate 21 and has a sealing function.
For example, when the pattern formed on the individual mold is at the nano level, the parallelism and flatness of the buffer member 32 and the stage 7 that come into contact with the pattern become important for the imprint head 3. For this reason, the buffer member 32 is made of, for example, an elastic body or air (gas phase), which enables it to conform to the pattern formed on the individual mold. Examples of materials for the buffer member 32 include elastic bodies such as silicone rubber or latex, or hollow bodies (air cushions) made of these materials.

The buffer member 32 and glass window 35 are made of a light-transmitting material, and the light emitted from the curing light irradiator 19 is, for example, ultraviolet (UV) light, which passes through the glass window 35 and buffer member 32 and is irradiated onto the photocurable resin, which is the replica agent 23 or pattern agent 25.

The vacuum chamber 31 is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown) and is normally maintained at or below atmospheric pressure. Preferably, the pressure is maintained at several thousand Pa or less, depending on the material characteristics of the replica agent 23 or patterning agent 25. In this case, when the imprint head 3 imprints (presses the imprint head 3 against) the photocurable resin (replica agent 23 or patterning agent 25), a vacuum level sufficient to prevent air bubbles from being mixed into the photocurable resin is maintained. However, air bubbles may be present, so it is preferable to check for the presence or absence of air bubbles. For this reason, an observation camera 20 is installed, as shown in FIG. 4 . Naturally, the curing light irradiator 19 and the observation camera 20 are positioned so that the light emitted from the curing light irradiator 19 and the observation camera 20 do not interfere with each other. The vacuum level at which no air bubbles are mixed in may be confirmed using a pressure sensor (not shown).
One side of the vacuum chamber linear guide 18 is fixed to the imprint head linear guide 17, and the other side is fixed to the outer surface of the vacuum chamber 31 that constitutes the imprint head 3. This prevents the imprint head 3 from wobbling or tilting, even when the imprint head 3 is moved in the Z direction by the Z-axis actuator 16.

In Figure 4, the imprint head 3 can be moved in the depth direction, i.e., in the front-to-back direction relative to the drawing (the X direction described above), by a linear motor 14 and an imprint head X-axis linear guide 15. The imprint head 3 can also be moved in the Z direction by a Z-axis actuator 16.

Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the imprint head 3 that constitutes the microstructure transfer device 1 according to this embodiment. The example shown in Figure 5 shows a state in which a replica agent 23 is applied to a pattern portion of a piece of mold substrate 24 by an inkjet head 5. As described above, the replica agent 23 is a photocurable resin, and when the piece of mold substrate 24 is a glass substrate, the curing light irradiator 19 and observation camera 20 are arranged below the piece of mold substrate 24. In other words, the curing light irradiator 19 and observation camera 20 may be arranged on the opposite side of the imprint head 3, with the piece of mold substrate 24, which is a glass substrate, sandwiched between them.

Figure 6 is a structural diagram of the imprint head 3 constituting the microstructure transfer device 1 according to this embodiment, different from Figure 5. The example shown in Figure 6 shows a state in which a replica agent 23 is applied to the pattern portion of a piece of mold substrate 24 by an inkjet head 5. What differs from Figure 5 is that the piece of mold substrate 24 is a semiconductor substrate such as a wafer, and is not made of a material that transmits light. Therefore, the curing light irradiator 19 and the observation camera 20 cannot be placed below the piece of mold substrate 24, and are therefore positioned within the inner tube 33 so as not to interfere with each other.

Next, the imprinting operation will be described. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of the imprinting operation of the imprint head 3 shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 mainly describes the operation of obtaining a replica from a mold piece. As shown in the left diagram of Figure 7, first, the imprint head 3 is aligned with the mold piece 24, on which a replica agent 23, a photocurable resin, has been applied in advance to the pattern area of the mold piece 24 using the inkjet head 5. The vacuum chamber 31 constituting the inkjet head 5 is then pressed against the mold piece 24 via the seal member 36. The vacuum chamber 31 is then evacuated using a vacuum pump (not shown), and the left diagram of Figure 7 shows the state where the vacuum level has been adjusted to a level that prevents air bubbles from becoming mixed into the replica agent 23, a photocurable resin.

In the center diagram of Figure 7, the buffer member 32, glass window 35, and inner cylinder 33 that make up the imprint head 3 are pressed down together, pressing (stamping) the surface of the buffer member 32 against the photocurable resin replica agent 23. In this state, the curing light irradiator 19 irradiates the photocurable resin replica agent 23 with ultraviolet (UV) light, curing the replica agent 23. Here, a control unit (not shown) controls the curing light irradiator 19 so that the cumulative amount of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiated by the curing light irradiator 19 is an illuminance or irradiation time sufficient to cure the photocurable resin replica agent 23. The control unit (not shown) is realized, for example, by a processor (not shown) such as a CPU, a ROM for storing various programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data during the calculation process, and a storage device such as an external storage device. The processor (not shown) reads and executes the various programs stored in the ROM, and stores the execution results in the RAM or external storage device.

The right diagram in Figure 7 shows the state in which the vacuum chamber 31 constituting the imprint head 3 has been returned to atmospheric pressure, and the buffer member 32, glass window 35, and inner cylinder 33 constituting the imprint head 3 have been raised as a unit. At this time, a replica (piece replica 22) to which the pattern of the individual mold has been inversely transferred adheres (is held) to the surface of the buffer member 32. Due to the properties of the release agent, by controlling the load control timing, rising speed, and load for starting to raise the imprint head 3 as a unit at the same time as the vacuum chamber 31 begins to be returned to atmospheric pressure, release properties are improved by reducing the load on the spring 34 of the imprint head 3 and the downward load of the imprint head 3 due to the pressure increase to atmospheric pressure (load reduction effect).

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the micropattern transfer device 1 according to this embodiment shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 8, in step S11, the inkjet head 5 constituting the micropattern transfer device 1 applies the replica agent 23 to the individual mold.
In step S12, the imprint head 3 constituting the microstructure transfer device 1 is pressed against the individual mold, and in this state, ultraviolet light (UV) is irradiated from the curing light irradiator 19 onto the photocurable resin, which is the replica agent 23, to harden it, forming a replica (individual replica 22), also called a stamp mold, into which the pattern of the individual mold is inverted and transferred.

In step S13, a patterning agent 25, which is a photocurable resin, is applied to the entire surface or a part of the substrate 21. The application of this patterning agent 25 is carried out by the inkjet head 5 that constitutes the micropattern transfer device 1.
In step S14, the replica (individual replica 22) formed on the imprint head 3 is repeatedly pressed against the position of the substrate 21 where the patterning agent 25 has been applied (step and repeat), and the patterning agent 25, which is a photocurable resin, is cured by ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation from the curing light irradiator 19. This operation is repeated until all patterns are arranged on the substrate 21.
In step S15, the imprinted substrate is completed, that is, the substrate 21 on which the pattern of the piece mold is formed (the substrate 21 on which a plurality of patterns of the piece mold are formed) is completed.

Here, we will explain the replica creation process flow, which is steps S11 and S12 in Figure 8, using Figure 9. In Figure 9, the upper diagram shows the process of applying replica agent 23 (UV-curable resin) to a mold that has undergone release processing using an inkjet head 5. Here, "release-processed" means that a release agent has been applied in advance to the pattern formation portion (concave and convex portions) of the mold, or that a film of release agent has been formed on the surface.

The middle diagram of Figure 9 shows the process of pressing the replica base (glass substrate) against the replica agent 23 (UV-curable resin) in the state shown in the top diagram, and curing the replica agent 23 by irradiating it with ultraviolet light (UV) using a curing light irradiator 19.
The lower diagram in Figure 9 shows the process of obtaining a replica (individual replica) by hardening the resin by irradiating it with ultraviolet light (UV) and then lifting the replica base (glass substrate) to separate it from the mold (individual mold).

10, the pattern creation process flow, which is steps S13 to S15 in Fig. 8, will be described. In Fig. 10, the upper diagram shows the process of applying a patterning agent 25 (UV curable resin) by an inkjet head 5 to a substrate 21 that has been treated to improve adhesion with a primer or the like.
The middle diagram in Figure 10 shows a process in which a replica base (glass substrate) on which a replica (individual replica 22) has been formed is pressed against a patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) so that the replica (individual replica 22) faces the patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin), and the patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) is cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet light (UV) using a curing light irradiator 19.
The lower diagram in Figure 10 shows the process of lifting the replica base (glass substrate) and replica (individual replica 22) to separate them from the hardened pattern agent 25 (UV-cured resin), thereby obtaining an inverted transferred pattern (corresponding to the pattern of the individual mold) of the replica.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when creating a piece replica from a piece mold. An inkjet head 5 applies a replica agent 23 (UV-curable resin) to a pattern area of a piece mold substrate 24, which is the piece mold shown in the left diagram of FIG. 11 . In this case, alignment can be performed using a cross-shaped recognition mark. Then, an imprint head 3 is placed on the piece mold substrate 24 on which the replica agent 23 (UV-curable resin) has been applied, and a vacuum chamber 31 constituting the imprint head 3 is evacuated via a seal member 36. Then, a stamp (imprint) operation is performed by pressing a buffer member 32 constituting the imprint head 3, thereby creating a replica. Of course, with the buffer member 32 constituting the imprint head 3 stamped, the replica agent 23 (UV-curable resin) in the pattern area is cured by ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation from a curing light irradiator 19, thereby obtaining a replica (piece replica 22).

12 is a diagram illustrating the operation of producing a pattern on a substrate using an individual replica. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 12, for example, an 8-inch wafer or the like is used as the substrate 21, and the production of a substrate having the same pattern will be described.
As shown in the center diagram of Fig. 12, patterning agent 25 (UV curable resin) is applied to substrate 21 by inkjet head 5 so that the dots are spaced apart at a predetermined interval. Thereafter, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 12, imprint head 3 is moved repeatedly over the patterning agent 25 (UV curable resin) portion as indicated by the dotted arrow, i.e., imprint head 3 performs a stamp (imprint) operation over the patterning agent 25 (UV curable resin) portion in a step-and-repeat manner, to produce all patterns.

As described above, this embodiment shows an example in which the individual replicas 22 are created from the individual mold, the imprint head 3 is moved in a step-and-repeat manner, and the individual replicas 22 are imprinted onto the patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) applied to the substrate 21, thereby forming the same pattern as the individual mold on one substrate 21. However, this is not limiting. For example, steps S11 and S12 shown in FIG. 8 may be repeatedly performed to form multiple replicas of the same pattern on a replica base (glass substrate), thereby stopping at the creation of multiple replicas. The multiple replicas formed on the replica base (glass substrate) may then be transported to a stamper device (equipped with a substrate-sized vacuum chamber) separate from the microstructure transfer device 1 of this embodiment, where they are transferred en bloc (en bloc vacuum imprinting) to form a pattern.

Furthermore, when considering handling of the device, it is desirable that the size of the substrate 21 on which the above-mentioned piece mold is formed and the size of the substrate 21 on which the pattern is formed by transfer are the same, but this is not limited to this. For example, the sizes of the substrates 21 may be different from each other. For example, the size of the substrate 21 on which the piece mold is formed may be smaller than the size of the substrate 21 on which the pattern is formed by transfer.

As described above, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a microstructure transfer device and a microstructure transfer method that are suitable for mass production and can reduce the installation area of the device.

Figure 13 is an external perspective view of a micropattern transfer device 1a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that it is equipped with a first imprint mechanism 2a having a first imprint head 3a and a second imprint mechanism 2b having a second imprint head 3b. Components that are the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted below.

The microstructure transfer device 1a according to this embodiment comprises a first imprint mechanism 2a having a first imprint head 3a, and a second imprint mechanism 2b having a second imprint head 3b. Both the first imprint mechanism 2a and the second imprint mechanism 2b are configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 13, and to be movable in the Z direction.

Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when creating a piece replica from a piece mold. As shown in the left diagram of Figure 14, the piece mold of this embodiment has two pattern areas (pattern portions) with mutually different pattern shapes. As shown in the center diagram of Figure 14, an inkjet head 5 applies a replica agent 23 to each of the two pattern areas (pattern portions) formed on a piece mold substrate 24. In the right diagram of Figure 14, imprinting is performed in a vacuum state using a first imprint head 3a and a second imprint head 3b, and then the pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure and released, thereby simultaneously obtaining replicas (two piece replicas 22) with two different patterns. Note that, depending on the characteristics of the release agent, it is expected that release performance will be improved if release is initiated at the same time as the vacuum state begins to be returned to atmospheric pressure, rather than release control after the vacuum state is completely returned to atmospheric pressure.

Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when creating a pattern on a substrate using an individual replica. As shown in the left diagram of Figure 15, two different patterns are formed in pairs on an 8-inch wafer or the like. In the center diagram of Figure 15, an inkjet head 5 applies a patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) to a substrate 21 so that the patterns are spaced apart at a predetermined distance. Then, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 15, the first imprint head 3a and the second imprint head 3b are repeatedly applied to the patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) portion as indicated by the dotted arrows. That is, the first imprint head 3a and the second imprint head 3b stamp (imprint) the patterning agent 25 (UV-curable resin) portion in a step-and-repeat manner to create all of the patterns. This allows the first imprint head 3a and the second imprint head 3b to form patterns in pairs in a step-and-repeat manner, thereby improving throughput.

Furthermore, because the mold patterns to be transferred are becoming increasingly finer and denser, when the first imprint head 3a and second imprint head 3b are paired, the total number of two different patterns that can be formed on the substrate 21 is expected to be limited by the structure of the vacuum chamber 31 that constitutes the first imprint head 3a and second imprint head 3b, i.e., if the vacuum chamber 31 is cylindrical, its diameter. In other words, the total number of two different patterns that can be obtained from one substrate 21 will decrease, and although throughput will improve, the benefits of mass production cannot be expected. Needless to say, even in this case, the installation area of the microstructure transfer device 1a of this embodiment can be reduced.

As shown in the right diagram of Figure 15, instead of the first imprint head 3a and the second imprint head 3b forming a pattern in pair using step and repeat, while the first imprint head 3a is forming a pattern using step and repeat, the second imprint head 3b moves in the X direction from the area where the stage 7 shown in Figure 1 is present toward the inkjet mechanism 4 and waits. It is also possible to configure the system so that after the first imprint head 3a forms a pattern at the desired position, the second imprint head 3b forms a pattern different from the first pattern using step and repeat. While the second imprint head 3b is forming a pattern using step and repeat, the first imprint head 3a moves in the X direction from the area where the stage 7 shown in Figure 1 is present toward the inkjet mechanism 4 and waits. This slightly reduces throughput, but still achieves the benefits of mass production, and it goes without saying that even in this case, the installation area of the micropattern transfer device 1a according to this embodiment can be reduced.

In other words, simultaneous stamping of two different patterns reduces the total number of two different patterns obtained from one substrate 21, and although throughput improves, it is expected that the benefits of mass production cannot be expected. However, by performing operations such as stamping two different patterns separately, it can contribute to higher resolution or higher density.

The microstructure transfer device 1a according to this embodiment is expected to be applicable to the manufacture of glasses when, for example, the pattern formed on the right-eye glass of AR glasses is different from the pattern formed on the left-eye glass.

It is also possible to use the same pattern in the second imprint mechanism 2b as in the first imprint mechanism 2a for production. This can contribute to shortening the time required for production (improving throughput) or extending the time during which continuous production is possible without replacing damaged replicas (improving production efficiency).

As described above, this embodiment achieves the effects of Example 1 and also improves throughput. It also makes it possible to form two mutually different patterns.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the described configurations.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a... Microstructure transfer device 2... Imprint mechanism 2a... First imprint mechanism 2b... Second imprint mechanism 3... Imprint head 3a... First imprint head 3b... Second imprint head 4... Inkjet mechanism 5... Inkjet head 6... Gantry 7... Stage (Yθ axis)
8... heater 9... spin coater 10... aligner 11... robot 12... substrate cassette 13... pre-processing unit 14... linear motor 15... imprint head X-axis linear guide 16... Z-axis actuator 17... imprint head linear guide 18... vacuum chamber linear guide 19... curing light irradiator 20... observation camera 21... substrate 22... individual replica 23... replica agent 24... individual mold substrate 25... pattern agent 31... vacuum chamber 32... buffer member 33... inner cylinder 34... spring 35... glass window 36... sealing member

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a microstructure transfer device that includes an imprint mechanism and an inkjet mechanism, and the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state onto a photocurable resin that has been applied to multiple locations on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism . The microstructure transfer device includes a stage that carries the substrate and a gantry that is arranged above the stage, and the inkjet mechanism is configured to be movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry within a horizontal plane and to be movable in a Z direction, the imprint mechanism has an imprint head within a vacuum chamber and is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry within a horizontal plane and to be movable in the Z direction, and the stage is configured to be movable in a Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry within the horizontal plane and to be movable in a rotational direction .

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention includes a first imprint mechanism, a second imprint mechanism, and an inkjet mechanism, and the first imprint mechanism imprints one pattern at predetermined positions of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum, and the second imprint mechanism imprints one pattern or a pattern different from the one pattern at predetermined positions of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum. the inkjet mechanism is configured to be movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and to be movable in a Z direction; the first and second imprint mechanisms have imprint heads within vacuum chambers and are configured to be movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and to be movable in the Z direction; and the stage is configured to be movable in a Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry in the horizontal plane and to be movable in a rotational direction .

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device of the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held on the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming a pattern of the individual mold.

A microstructure transfer method according to the present invention is a method for transferring a microstructure using a microstructure transfer device, the method comprising: an imprint mechanism; an inkjet mechanism; a stage for mounting a substrate; and a gantry disposed above the stage; the inkjet mechanism is configured to be movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry within a horizontal plane, and to be movable in a Z direction; the imprint mechanism has an imprint head within a vacuum chamber, and is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry within a horizontal plane, and to be movable in the Z direction; and the stage is configured to be movable in a Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry within the horizontal plane, and to be movable in a rotational direction ; the inkjet mechanism applies photocurable resin to a plurality of locations on the substrate; and the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern into the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of locations on the substrate in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method of the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held on the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming a pattern of the individual mold.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a micropattern transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the micropattern transfer device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the opposite direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the microstructure transfer apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes an imprint mechanism 2 having an imprint head 3, an inkjet mechanism 4 as a coating device having an inkjet head 5, a gantry 6, a stage 7 (Yθ axis), a heater 8, a spin coater 9, an aligner 10, a robot 11, and a substrate cassette 12. The stage 7 (Yθ axis) is configured to be movable in the Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be displaceable in the rotational direction (θ). The imprint mechanism 2 is also configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be movable in the Z direction. Similarly, the inkjet mechanism 4 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a coating device) is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 within a horizontal plane, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 , and to be movable in the Z direction. In other words, the imprint mechanism 2 and the inkjet mechanism 4 are freely movable in X-Y positions in cooperation with the stage 7. In this embodiment, the inkjet mechanism 4 has three inkjet heads 5, but the number of inkjet heads 5 is not limited to this. For example, the number of inkjet heads 5 may be set to a desired value based on the material such as the replica agent 23 (FIG. 5) or the patterning agent 25 (FIG. 12).

The microstructure transfer device 1a according to this embodiment comprises a first imprint mechanism 2a having a first imprint head 3a, and a second imprint mechanism 2b having a second imprint head 3b. Both the first imprint mechanism 2a and the second imprint mechanism 2b are configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 6 and in the Z direction within a horizontal plane, as shown by the arrows in Figure 13.

In order to solve the above problems, a fine structure transfer apparatus according to the present invention includes an imprint mechanism and an inkjet mechanism, and the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state onto a photocurable resin that has been applied to a plurality of locations on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism. The fine structure transfer apparatus has a stage on which the substrate is mounted and a gantry that is disposed above the stage and fixed to a base , and the inkjet mechanism is configured to be movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry within a horizontal plane and to be movable in a Z direction, and the imprint mechanism is configured to imprint a pattern in a vacuum chamber. The imprint head has a print head, is configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and to be movable in the Z direction, and is arranged on the opposite side of the inkjet mechanism across the stage, and the stage is configured to be movable in the Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and to be movable in a rotational direction, the imprint head is equipped with a curing light irradiator and an observation camera above the vacuum chamber, and the light irradiated from the curing light irradiator and the observation camera are arranged so as not to interfere with each other, and in a vacuum state, ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the photocurable resin from the curing light irradiator .

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention is a microstructure transfer device comprising a first imprint mechanism, a second imprint mechanism, and an inkjet mechanism, wherein the first imprint mechanism imprints one pattern at predetermined positions of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum, and the second imprint mechanism imprints the one pattern or a pattern different from the one pattern at predetermined positions of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum, and the microstructure transfer device has a stage on which the substrate is mounted and a gantry arranged above the stage and fixed to a base , and the inkjet mechanism imprints one pattern at predetermined positions of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of positions in a step-and-repeat manner under vacuum. the first and second imprint mechanisms have imprint heads within a vacuum chamber and are configured to be movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry and in the Z direction within a horizontal plane, the stage being configured to be movable in the Y direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gantry and in a rotational direction within the horizontal plane , the imprint head is provided with a curing light irradiator and an observation camera above the vacuum chamber, and the light irradiated from the curing light irradiator and the observation camera are arranged so as not to interfere with each other, and ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the photocurable resin from the curing light irradiator in a vacuum state .

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held by the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming a pattern of an individual mold.

A method for transferring a fine structure according to the present invention includes an imprint mechanism, an inkjet mechanism, a stage for mounting a substrate , and a gantry disposed above the stage and fixed to a base , the inkjet mechanism being movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and movable in a Z direction, the imprint mechanism having an imprint head within a vacuum chamber being movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and movable in the Z direction, and being disposed on the opposite side of the stage from the inkjet mechanism, the stage being movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in the horizontal plane. and a rotational direction of the imprint head, the imprint head having a curing light irradiator and an observation camera above the vacuum chamber, the light irradiated from the curing light irradiator and the observation camera being arranged so as not to interfere with each other, the curing light irradiator irradiating ultraviolet light onto the photocurable resin in a vacuum state, the method being characterized in that the inkjet mechanism applies the photocurable resin to a plurality of locations on the substrate, and the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern onto the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of locations on the substrate in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state.

Another aspect of the microstructure transfer method of the present invention is characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held on the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism to form a pattern of an individual mold.

A method for transferring a fine structure according to the present invention includes an imprint mechanism, an inkjet mechanism, a stage for mounting a substrate, and a gantry disposed above the stage and fixed to a base, the inkjet mechanism being movable in an X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and movable in a Z direction, the imprint mechanism having an imprint head within a vacuum chamber being movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in a horizontal plane and movable in the Z direction, and being disposed on the opposite side of the stage from the inkjet mechanism, the stage being movable in the X direction along the longitudinal direction of the gantry in the horizontal plane. a curing light irradiator and an observation camera above the vacuum chamber, the curing light irradiator and the observation camera being arranged so that the light irradiated from the curing light irradiator and the observation camera do not interfere with each other; and a method for transferring a fine structure using a fine structure transfer device in which ultraviolet light is irradiated onto a photocurable resin from the curing light irradiator in a vacuum state, the method being characterized in that the inkjet mechanism applies the photocurable resin to a plurality of locations on the substrate, and the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern into the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of locations on the substrate in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state.

Claims (11)

A microstructure transfer device having an imprint mechanism and an inkjet mechanism,
A micropattern transfer device, characterized in that the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state onto the photocurable resin that has been applied to multiple locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism. A microstructure transfer device having a first imprint mechanism, a second imprint mechanism, and an inkjet mechanism,
the first imprint mechanism imprints one pattern at a predetermined position of the photocurable resin applied to the plurality of locations on the substrate by the inkjet mechanism in a step and repeat manner in a vacuum state;
A microstructure transfer device characterized in that the second imprint mechanism imprints a pattern different from the first pattern or the first pattern at a predetermined position in the photocurable resin applied to the multiple locations in a step and repeat manner in a vacuum state. 3. The micropattern transfer device according to claim 1, wherein:
the imprint mechanism, or the first imprint mechanism and the second imprint mechanism, each include an imprint head;
The imprint head has a vacuum chamber and imprints areas positioned in a step-and-repeat manner under a vacuum state. 4. The micropattern transfer device according to claim 3,
the imprint head includes a curing light irradiator above the vacuum chamber;
A micropattern transfer device characterized in that, in the vacuum state, the photocurable resin is irradiated with ultraviolet light from the curing light irradiator. 5. The micropattern transfer device according to claim 4,
the inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin as a replica agent to a pattern portion of the individual mold;
The imprint head is positioned in the pattern portion of the piece mold, and is pressed against the photocurable resin in the pattern portion of the piece mold inside the vacuum chamber, and ultraviolet light is irradiated from the curing light irradiator to form a replica. 6. The micropattern transfer device according to claim 5,
The imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held by the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming a pattern of the individual mold. A method for transferring a fine structure using a fine structure transfer device having an imprint mechanism and an inkjet mechanism,
the inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin to a plurality of locations on a substrate;
A microstructure transfer method, characterized in that the imprint mechanism imprints a pattern onto a photocurable resin applied to a plurality of locations on the substrate in a step-and-repeat manner in a vacuum state. The method for transferring a fine structure according to claim 7,
A method for transferring a fine structure, wherein the imprint head of the imprint mechanism has a vacuum chamber and imprints the area positioned in a step-and-repeat manner under a vacuum state. 9. The method for transferring a microstructure according to claim 8,
A method for transferring a fine structure, characterized in that a curing light irradiator provided in the imprint head above the vacuum chamber irradiates the photocurable resin with ultraviolet light in the vacuum state. The method for transferring a microstructure according to claim 9,
the inkjet mechanism applies a photocurable resin as a replica agent to a pattern portion of the individual mold;
A microstructure transfer method characterized in that the imprint head is positioned at the pattern portion of the piece mold, pressed against the photocurable resin of the pattern portion of the piece mold inside the vacuum chamber, and irradiated with ultraviolet light from the curing light irradiator to form a replica. The method for transferring a microstructure according to claim 10,
A microstructure transfer method characterized in that the imprint head has a buffer member inside the vacuum chamber, and the replica held on the buffer member is pressed against photocurable resin applied to multiple locations on a substrate by the inkjet mechanism, thereby forming a pattern of the individual mold.