Transfer method and apparatus and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10538017-B2
Application number	US-201515511394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A method of transferring a flexible layer to a substrate makes use of a partial bulge in the flexible layer, which does not make contact with the substrate. The partial bulge advances to the location of an alignment marker on the substrate. When alignment adjustments are needed, they are made with the partial bulge in place so that more reproducible positioning is possible when fully advancing the flexible layer against the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for mechanically contacting a flexible stamp to a substrate, comprising:
forming at least a partial stamp bulge, the stamp bulge having a stamp bulge portion;
positioning the flexible stamp such that the stamp bulge portion is at a first non-zero distance to the substrate without contact with the substrate and closer to the substrate than a portion of the flexible stamp outside the partial stamp bulge portion;
measuring a lateral alignment between the stamp bulge portion and the substrate, wherein the lateral alignment is determined by obtaining a relative position between a first marker on a surface of a flexible stamp feature located in the stamp bulge portion and a second marker on a surface of a substrate feature located on the substrate;
determining whether adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, while the stamp bulge portion is kept in place;
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, making a lateral adjustment by lateral translation of at least the stamp bulge portion relative to the substrate, while maintaining the partial stamp bulge portion in place and
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is not needed or after the lateral adjustment has been made, advancing the stamp bulge portion towards the substrate to form a full stamp bulge portion in contact with the substrate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: forming the partial stamp bulge portion at the first non-zero distance, wherein the distance between the portion of the flexible stamp outside the stamp bulge portion and the substrate defines a gap distance; and wherein a height of the partial stamp bulge portion is at least 20% of the gap distance.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising growing the partial stamp bulge portion.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible stamp feature located in the stamp bulge portion or the substrate feature located in the substrate are alignment markers.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising comparing the measured lateral alignment with a predetermined minimum lateral alignment and determining that adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed when the measured lateral alignment is greater than the predetermined minimum lateral alignment.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible stamp comprises a stamping area, and further comprising:
moving the at least partial stamp bulge across the flexible stamp such that the at least the entire stamping area is part of the at least partial stamp bulge.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the at least partial stamp bulge is a full partial stamp bulge of which the stamp bulge portion is in mechanical contact with a dummy substrate, further comprising:
after the moving the at least partial stamp bulge across the flexible stamp, retracting the full partial stamp bulge from the dummy substrate to form the at least partial stamp bulge; and
replacing the dummy substrate with the substrate.

8. An imprinting method, comprising:
forming at least a partial stamp bulge, the partial stamp bugle having a stamp bulge portion;
positioning the flexible stamp such that the stamp bulge portion is a partial stamp bulge portion at a first non-zero distance to the substrate without contact with the substrate and closer to the substrate than a portion of the flexible stamp outside the partial stamp bulge portion, or a full stamp bulge portion in contact with the substrate;
measuring a lateral alignment between the stamp bulge portion and the substrate, wherein the lateral alignment is determined by obtaining a relative position between a first marker on a surface of a flexible stamp feature located in the stamp bulge portion and a second marker on a surface of a substrate feature located on the substrate;
determining whether adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, while the stamp bulge portion is kept in place;
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, making a lateral adjustment by lateral translation of at least the stamp bulge portion relative to the substrate, while maintaining the partial stamp bulge portion in place; and
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is not needed or after the lateral adjustment has been made, advancing the stamp bulge portion towards the substrate to form a full stamp bulge portion in contact with the substrate, wherein the flexible stamp comprises a stamping area that includes a relief pattern to be transferred to an imprintable surface of the substrate.

9. An apparatus, comprising: controller circuitry to;
form an at least partial stamp bulge, the stamp bulge having a stamp bulge portion;
position the flexible stamp such that the stamp bulge portion is at a first non-zero distance to the substrate without contact with the substrate and closer to the substrate than a portion of the flexible stamp outside a partial stamp bulge portion;
measure a lateral alignment between the stamp bulge portion and the substrate, wherein the lateral alignment is determined by obtaining a relative position between a first marker on a surface of a flexible stamp feature located in the stamp bulge portion and a second marker on a surface of a substrate feature located on the substrate;
determine whether adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, while the stamp bulge portion is kept in place;
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is needed, making a lateral adjustment by lateral translation of at least the stamp bulge portion relative to the substrate while maintaining the partial stamp bulge portion in place; and
if adjustment of the lateral alignment is not needed or after the lateral adjustment has been made, advancing the stamp bulge portion towards the substrate to form a full stamp bulge portion in contact with the; and
a stamp carrier controlled by the controller circuitry, the stamp carrier comprising a plurality of engaging elements disposed across the area of the stamp carrier, each engaging element being individually switchable by the controller circuitry between a first configuration in which a flexible stamp is pulled towards the stamp carrier and a second configuration in which the flexible stamp is pushed away from the stamp carrier; and
a substrate carrier for carrying the substrate or a dummy substrate.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each engaging element comprises an aperture, each aperture comprising a valve for switching the aperture between an under-pressure channel in a first configuration and an overpressure channel in a second configuration, the valve being controlled by the controller.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for mechanically contacting a flexible stamp to a substrate, the method comprising:
forming at least a partial stamp bulge, the partial stamp bulge having a stamp bulge portion;
positioning the flexible stamp such that the stamp bulge portion is either a partial stamp bulge portion at a first non-zero distance to the substrate without contact with the substrate and closer to the substrate than a portion of the flexible stamp outside the partial stamp bulge portion or a full stamp bulge portion in contact with the substrate;
measuring a lateral alignment between the stamp bulge portion and the substrate, wherein the lateral alignment is determined by obtaining a relative position between a first marker on a surface of a flexible stamp feature located in the stamp bulge portion and a second marker on a surface of a substrate feature located on the substrate;
determining whet

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Verschuuren Marcus Antonius

Classifications

• G03F7/00

  Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H10P76/00, H05K) · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• G03F7/16

  Coating processes; Apparatus therefor (applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74) · CPC title

• B05D1/28

  performed by transfer from the surfaces of elements carrying the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. brushes, pads, rollers · CPC title

• G03F7/0037

  Production of three-dimensional images · CPC title