Imprinting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021302832-A1
Application number	US-202117209814-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2021
Priority date	Mar 27, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An imprinting apparatus includes a silicon master and an anti-stick layer coating the silicon master. The silicon master includes a plurality of features positioned at an average pitch of less than about 425 nm, each of the plurality of features comprises a depression having an opening with its largest opening dimension being less than about 300 nm. The anti-stick layer includes a crosslinked silane polymer network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An imprinting apparatus, comprising:
a silicon master including a plurality of features positioned at an average pitch of less than about 425 nm, each of the plurality of features comprising a depression having an opening with its largest opening dimension being less than about 300 nm; and an anti-stick layer coating a surface of the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including a crosslinked silane polymer network.

2 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein less than about 0.15% of a total number of the plurality of features has a membrane defect.

3 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the anti-stick layer is generated with a formulation including:
a first silane monomer:

and
less than about 1.4 wt %, based on a total amount of silanes present in the formulation, of a second silane monomer including a hydrolyzable chloride group.

4 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the anti-stick layer coats a wall of each of the depressions without capping the opening or without fully filling the depression.

5 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the largest opening dimension of each of the plurality of features ranges from about 170 nm to about 290 nm.

6 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the largest opening dimension of each of the plurality of features ranges from about 200 nm to about 250 nm.

7 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the average pitch ranges from about 340 nm to about 410 nm.

8 . The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the average pitch ranges from about 350 nm to about 400 nm.

9 . A method, comprising:
applying a formulation on a surface of a silicon master including a plurality of features positioned at an average pitch of less than about 425 nm, each of the plurality of features having a largest opening dimension being less than about 300 nm, the formulation including:
a first silane monomer:

 and
less than about 1.4 wt %, based on a total amount of silanes present in the formulation, of a second silane monomer including a hydrolyzable chloride group; and

curing the applied formulation, thereby forming an anti-stick layer.

10 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the second silane monomer is:

11 . The method as defined in claim 10 , wherein the formulation includes from about 0.28 wt % to about 1.1 wt % of the second silane monomer.

12 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the formulation further includes:
i) a dimer including two bonded units of the first silane monomer; ii) a trimer including three bonded units of the first silane monomer; iii) a higher molecular species including more than three bonded units of the first silane monomer; iv) the first silane monomer having at least one hydrolyzed ethoxy group; or v) any combination of i), ii), iii), and iv).

13 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein curing involves:
an incubation process; a rinsing process after the incubation process; and a heating process after the rinsing process.

14 . The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the incubation process and the heating processes are independently performed at a temperature ranging from about 20° C. to about 250° C., for a time ranging from about 1 minute to about 30 minutes.

15 . The method as defined in claim 9 , further comprising generating the formulation by:
diluting a neat silane material including the first and second silane monomers in a first solvent to form a precursor solution; exposing the precursor solution to an aqueous, basic solution to generate an aqueous phase and an organic phase, wherein the organic phase includes the first solvent; removing the aqueous phase; removing the first solvent from the organic phase to obtain a purified silane material; and diluting the purified silane material in a second solvent.

16 . The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the second solvent is an aprotic solvent that i) solvates the purified silane material and ii) has a boiling point ranging from about 50° C. to about 250° C.

17 . The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the purified silane material is present in the formulation in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % to about 20 wt %.

18 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein applying the formulation involves spin coating.

19 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein one of:
the formulation is solvent free; or the formulation includes from about 1 wt % to about 20 wt % of the first silane monomer.

20 . A method, comprising:
forming an imprinting apparatus by:
depositing a formulation on a silicon master including a plurality of features positioned at an average pitch of less than about 425 nm, each of the plurality of features having a largest opening dimension of less than about 300 nm, and the formulation including:
a first silane monomer:

 and
less than 1.4 wt %, based on a total amount of silanes present in the formulation, of a second silane monomer including a hydrolyzable chloride group; and

curing the formulation, thereby forming an anti-stick layer on the silicon master;

depositing a silicon-based working stamp material on the anti-stick layer of the imprinting apparatus;
curing the silicon-based working stamp material to form a working stamp including a negative replica of the plurality of features; and
releasing the working stamp from the imprinting apparatus.

21 . The method as defined in claim 20 , wherein curing the formulation involves:
an incubation process; a rinsing process after the incubation process; and a heating process after the rinsing process.

22 . The method as defined in claim 21 , wherein the incubation and heating processes are independently performed at a temperature ranging from about 20° C. to about 250° C., for a time ranging from about 1 minute to about 30 minutes.

23 . The method as defined in claim 20 , wherein the silicon-based working stamp material includes a silicon acrylate monomer.

Assignees

• Illumina Inc

Inventors

• Merkel Timothy J
• Wang Ruibo
• Wright Daniel
• Chan Danny Yuan
• Aiyar Avishek
• Ghonge Tanmay
• Brahma Neil
• Pitera Arthur

Classifications

• G03F7/168

  Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking · CPC title

• G03F7/162

  Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner · CPC title

• G03F7/0755

  Non-macromolecular compounds containing Si-O, Si-C or Si-N bonds (G03F7/0752 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• C09D183/14

  in which at least two but not all the silicon atoms are connected by linkages other than oxygen atoms (C09D183/10 takes precedence) · CPC title