Forming apparatus and method of manufacturing article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11314165-B2
Application number	US-201916591962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2019
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

The present invention provides a forming apparatus that forms a composition on a substrate using a mold including a contact region to be brought into contact with the composition, comprising: a deformation unit configured to deform the contact region; and a controller configured to perform, for each of a first shot region and a second shot region on the substrate, a process of bringing the contact region and the composition on the substrate into contact with each other while controlling the deformation of the contact region, wherein an area where the mold faces the substrate during the process is different between the first and second shot regions, and wherein the controller is configured to change, between the first and second shot regions, a process condition for bringing the contact region and the composition into contact with each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A forming apparatus that forms a composition on a substrate using a mold including a contact region, wherein the contact region is a part of the mold and is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate, comprising:
a deformation unit configured to deform the contact region so as to bend toward the substrate by applying a deformation force to the mold; and
a controller configured to perform, for each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate, a contact process of bringing the contact region and the composition on the substrate into contact with each other by decreasing an interval between the mold and the substrate while controlling the deformation of the contact region by the deformation unit,
wherein the plurality of shot regions includes a first shot region and a second shot region each of which is brought into contact with the entire contact region via the composition, the first shot region and the second shot region being located on the substrate such that a size of a facing area where the mold and the substrate face each other during the contact process for the first shot region is different from a size of a facing area where the mold and the substrate where the mold and the substrate face each other during the contact process for the second shot region, and
wherein the controller is configured to change a process condition of the contact process between the first shot region and the second shot region, based on a size difference of the facing area during the contact process between the first shot region and the second shot region.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the contact process so as to bring the mold and the substrate close to each other at a first relative velocity so as to decrease the interval, switch the first relative velocity to a second relative velocity lower than the first relative velocity when the interval reaches a target interval, and then bring the mold and the substrate close to each other at the second relative velocity so as to decrease the interval, and
change the target interval, as the process condition.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to change the process condition so as to decrease the target interval as the size of the facing area is smaller.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change a relative velocity for relatively driving the mold and the substrate so as to decrease the interval, as the process condition.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the contact process so as to bring the mold and the substrate close to each other at a first relative velocity so as to decrease the interval, switch the first relative velocity to a second relative velocity lower than the first relative velocity when the interval reaches a target interval, and then bring the mold and the substrate close to each other at the second relative velocity so as to decrease the interval, and
change the first relative velocity, the second relative velocity, or the first relative velocity and the second relative velocity, as the process condition.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to change the process condition so as to increase the relative velocity as the size of the facing area is smaller.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change the deformation force applied to the mold by the deformation unit, as the process condition.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to change the process condition so as to increase the deformation force as the size of the facing area is smaller.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change a pressing force for pressing the contact region of the mold against the composition on the substrate, as the process condition.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to change the process condition so as to decrease the pressing force as the size of the facing area is smaller.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change the process condition between the first shot region and the second shot region so as to reduce a shape difference between the contact region in the contact process for the first shot region and the contact region in the contact process for the second shot region.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact region includes a pattern to be transferred to the composition on the substrate, and
the apparatus forms a pattern of the composition on the substrate by bringing the contact region of the mold into contact with the composition on the substrate.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact region is a flat surface, and
the apparatus planarizes the composition by bringing the contact region of the mold into contact with the composition on the substrate.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact process includes a first process of decreasing the interval by relatively driving the mold and the substrate at a first relative velocity, and a second process of decreasing the interval by relatively driving the mold and the substrate at a second relative velocity lower than the first relative velocity, the first process being switched to the second process when the interval reaches a target interval,
the process condition includes at least one of the target interval, the first relative velocity, the second relative velocity, the deformation force, and a pressing force of pressing the contact region of the mold against the composition on the substrate in the contact process.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the facing area is an area where the mold and the substrate overlap during the contact process when the substrate is viewed from above.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the contact region has a mesa shape formed as a level difference from a region other than the contact region in the mold.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yoshida Setsuo
• Asano Tosiya

Classifications

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• B29C43/36

  Moulds for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title

• B29C2043/3205

  Particular pressure exerting means for making definite articles · CPC title

• G03F7/002

  using materials containing microcapsules; Preparing or processing such materials, e.g. by pressure; Devices or apparatus specially designed therefor · CPC title

• G03F7/0022

  Devices or apparatus · CPC title