Imprint apparatus and method of manufacturing article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10495989-B2
Application number	US-201615019038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 12, 2015
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which forms a pattern in an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus comprising a stage that can move while holding the substrate, and a control unit configured to control relative positions of the mold and the shot region so as to reduce a shift in the relative positions caused by tilting the stage when bringing the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other, based on a contacting force of bringing the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other, and a distance from a reference position of the substrate to the shot region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus comprising:
a first stage configured to be movable in a first direction;
a second stage configured to hold the substrate, and be supported by the first stage;
a detector configured to detect a position of the first stage in the first direction; and
a controller configured to control a process of bringing the mold and the imprint material on the shot region into contact with each other,
wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a shift in a relative position between the first stage and the second stage in the first direction, based on a pressing force of pressing the mold and the imprint material against each other, and a position of the shot region on the substrate, the shift being caused by a tilt of the second stage to the first stage during the process; and
control the position of the first stage in the first direction during the process, based on a value obtained by correcting a detection result of the detector by the determined shift.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a direction intersecting a direction of the pressing force of pressing the mold and the imprint material against each other.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the shift, based on a formula or a table indicating a relationship of a shift in the relative position with respect to the pressing force and the position of the shot region on the substrate.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain the value by correcting a deviation between a position of the first stage detected by the detector and a target position by the determined shift, and control the position of the first stage in the first direction during the process based on the obtained value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second stage is configured to be movable along the first stage in a second direction different from the first direction.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the shot region on the substrate includes a distance from a reference position of the substrate to the shot region.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the reference position is a center of the substrate.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving unit configured to drive at least one of the mold and the substrate so as to bring the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other,
wherein the control unit obtains the pressing force from a signal value to be supplied to the driving unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to detect the pressing force.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a second shift in the relative position in the first direction, the second shift being caused by a tilt of the second stage to the first stage during separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the shot region, based on a separating force of separating the mold from the cured imprint material, and the position of the shot region on the substrate; and
control the position of the first stage in the first direction during separating the mold, based on a value obtained by correcting a detection result of the detector by the determined second shift.

11. An imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus comprising:
a first stage configured to be movable in a first direction;
a second stage configured to hold the substrate, and be supported by the first stage;
a detector configured to detect a position of the first stage in the first direction; and
a controller configured to control a second process of separating the mold from the cured imprint material on the shot region,
wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a second shift in a relative position between the first stage and the second stage in the first direction, the second shift being caused by a tilt of the second stage to the first stage during the second process based on a separating force of separating the mold from the cured imprint material, and a position of the shot region on the substrate; and
control the position of the first stage in the first direction during the second process, based on a value obtained by correcting a detection result of the detector by the determined second shift.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, while sequentially determining the shift in accordance with a change of the pressing force, control the position of the first stage so as to correct the determined shift.

13. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the reference position is a position of the substrate where a tilt of the second stage becomes smallest when contacting the mold.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to further control an alignment between the mold and the substrate, after the process of bringing the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising a measurement device configured to measure a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate,
wherein the controller is configured to control the alignment based on the positional relationship measured by the measurement device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first stage is configured to be elongated in a second direction different form the first direction,
the second stage is configured to be movable along the first stage in the second direction.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Asano Tosiya
• Yoshida Takahiro

Classifications

• B29C2043/5833

  movement of moulds or mould parts, e.g. opening or closing, actuating · CPC title

• B29C2043/5808

  pressure or compressing force · CPC title

• B29C43/04

  using movable moulds · CPC title

• G03F9/7034 Primary

  Leveling · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title