Imprint apparatus and article manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10558117-B2
Application number	US-201514717044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2015
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an imprint apparatus for contacting a mold with a resin applied to a substrate to perform patterning on the substrate is provided that comprises a dispenser configured to apply the resin to the substrate; and a resin supply unit configured to supply the resin to the dispenser, wherein the resin supply unit comprises a resin storage tank configured to store the resin; a pump configured to continuously circulate the resin between the resin storage tank and the dispenser, and a filter arranged at a flow path of circulated resin, configured to remove a foreign matter or a metal ion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a dispenser configured to apply an uncured material to a substrate;
a material supply unit configured to supply the uncured material to the dispenser; and
a controller configured to control the material supply unit,
wherein the material supply unit comprises:
a material storage tank configured to store the uncured material;
a pump configured to circulate the uncured material between the material storage tank and the dispenser, and
filters arranged at flow paths of circulated uncured material,
wherein the filters are arranged corresponding to the flow paths and each of the flow paths includes a first filter that removes ions and a second filter that removes particles in the corresponding flow path, and
wherein the controller is configured to control a pressure of an outlet of the material supply unit that is an outlet of a flow path from the material storage tank to the dispenser to be in a positive pressure state, and is configured to control a pressure of an inlet of the material supply unit that is an inlet of a flow path from the dispenser to the material storage tank to be in a negative pressure state, such that the uncured material is circulated so that a pressure of the dispenser becomes zero.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second filters are configured to remove particles having a diameter of 10 nm or greater.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pump is arranged at a supply line for supplying the uncured material from the material storage tank to the dispenser, and
wherein the first filter and the second filter in each of the flow paths are arranged at the supply line.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pump is arranged at a supply line for supplying the uncured material from the material storage tank to the dispenser, and wherein the filters include the first filter and the second filter, and wherein the first filter is arranged between the pump and the dispenser and the second filter is arranged between the pump and the material storage tank.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
another second filter that removes particles arranged at a recovery line for recovering the uncured material from the dispenser to the material storage tank.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
another first filter that removes ions and another second filter that removes particles arranged at a refill path for refilling an uncured material to the material storage tank.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the flow paths are arranged in parallel.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a first flow path of circulated uncured material among the flow paths of the circulated uncured material, the first filter that removes ions and the second filter that removes particles in the first flow path are arranged such that the first filter is directly connected to the second filter in the first flow path, and
wherein in a second flow path of circulated uncured material among the flow paths of the circulated uncured material, the first filter that removes ions and the second filter that removes particles in the second flow path are arranged such that the first filter is directly connected to the second filter in the second flow path.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first filter that removes ions and the second filter that removes particles are arranged in each of the flow paths such that the uncured material that passed through the first filter that removes ions passes through the second filter that removes particles, and such that the first filter that removes ions and the second filter that removes particles are both arranged between the pump and the dispenser in each of the flow paths.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Truskett Van Nguyen
• Shafran Matthew S
• Lee Saul
• Miyajima Yoshikazu

Classifications

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• B05C11/10

  Storage, supply or control of liquid or other fluent material; Recovery of excess liquid or other fluent material {(B05C1/0813, B05C5/0225, B05C17/002 and B05C19/06 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G03F9/7042

  Alignment for lithographic apparatus using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping or imprinting (non-exposure lithographic processes per se G03F7/0002) · CPC title

• G03F7/70916

  Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps · CPC title

• H10P72/0474

  comprising at least one lithography chamber · CPC title