Method and system for controlled ultraviolet light exposure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9971249-B1
Application number	US-201715443196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for identifying a non-rectangular shape outline of a first field of a substrate, the first field directly adjacent to a second field; adjusting an exposure profile of an ultraviolet light beam based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide a non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam; disposing a polymerizable composition on the first field of the substrate; contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with an imprint lithography template; and while contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with the imprint lithography template, directing the ultraviolet light beam having the non-rectangular exposure profile towards the substrate such that the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imprint lithography method comprising:
identifying a non-rectangular shape outline of a first field of a substrate, the first field directly adjacent to a second field;
adjusting an exposure profile of an ultraviolet light beam based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide a non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam;
disposing a polymerizable composition on the first field of the substrate;
contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with an imprint lithography template; and
while contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with the imprint lithography template, directing the ultraviolet light beam having the non-rectangular exposure profile towards the substrate such that the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam is perpendicular to a path along which the ultraviolet light beam is directed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam comprises adjusting one or more parameters of the ultraviolet light beam to achieve the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the one or more parameters of the ultraviolet light beam comprises inhibiting a portion of the ultraviolet light beam from irradiating the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam comprises matching the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam to the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein matching the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam to the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field comprises:
identifying a first portion of the ultraviolet light beam that corresponds to the first field of the substrate;
identifying a second portion of the ultraviolet light beam that corresponds to the second field of the substrate;
directing the first portion of the ultraviolet light beam towards the substrate such that the first portion of the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate; and
inhibiting the second portion of the ultraviolet light beam from irradiating the second field of the substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second field of the substrate is not irradiated with the ultraviolet light beam.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first field tessellates with the second field of the substrate based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field of the substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining an energy threshold to cure the polymerizable composition disposed in the first field of the substrate;
adjusting an energy profile of the ultraviolet light beam based on the energy threshold to provide an adjusted energy profile associated with a particular duty cycle; and
while contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with the imprint lithography template, directing the ultraviolet light beam having the non-rectangular exposure profile and the adjusted energy profile towards the substrate such that the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate at the particular duty cycle.

10. An imprint lithography system comprising
a substrate chuck configured to hold a substrate, the substrate comprising a surface having a first field and a second field, the first field directly adjacent to the second field, the first field associated with a non-rectangular shape outline;
a template chuck configured to hold an imprint lithography template, the imprint lithography template comprising a patterning surface;
an imprint head coupled to the template chuck and configured to adjust a distance between the surface of the substrate and the patterning surface of the imprint lithography template;
a digital micromirror device (DMD) configured to direct an ultraviolet light beam towards the substrate; and
a processor in communication with the DMD and the imprint head, the processor configured to:
i) provide a first signal to the DMD to adjust an exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide a non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam, and
ii) provide a second signal to the DMD to direct the ultraviolet light beam having the non-rectangular exposure profile towards the substrate such that the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate.

11. The system of claim 10 , comprising an ultraviolet light source configured to provide the ultraviolet light beam.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein, in response to the first signal, the DMD adjusts one or more parameters of the ultraviolet light beam to achieve the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light bream.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein, in response to the second signal, the DMD inhibits a portion of the ultraviolet light beam from irradiating the substrate.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first field tessellates with the second field of the substrate based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field of the substrate.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to provide the first signal to the DMD to match the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam to the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to provide the second signal to the DMD to i) direct a first portion of the ultraviolet light beam towards the substrate such that the first portion of the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate and ii) inhibit a second portion of the ultraviolet light beam from irradiating the second field of the substrate.

17. An imprint lithography method of manufacturing an article, the method comprising:
identifying a non-rectangular shape outline of a first field of a substrate, the first field directly adjacent to a second field;
adjusting an exposure profile of an ultraviolet light beam based on the non-rectangular shape outline of the first field to provide a non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam;
disposing a polymerizable composition on the first field of the substrate;
contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with an imprint lithography template;
while contacting the polymerizable composition in the first field with the imprint lithography template, directing the ultraviolet light beam having the non-rectangular exposure profile towards the substrate such that the ultraviolet light beam irradiates only the first field of the substrate to yield a polymeric layer in contact with the imprint lithography template; and
separating the imprint lithography template from the polymeric layer to yield the article.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein adjusting the exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam includes adjusting one or more parameters of the ultraviolet light beam to achieve the non-rectangular exposure profile of the ultraviolet light beam.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein adjusting the one or more parameters of the ultraviolet light beam comprises in

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Bamesberger Seth J
• Srinivasan Yeshwanth

Classifications

• G03F7/7035

  Proximity or contact printers · CPC title

• G03F7/7045 Primary

  Hybrid exposures, i.e. multiple exposures of the same area using different types of exposure apparatus, e.g. combining projection, proximity, direct write, interferometric, UV, x-ray or particle beam · CPC title

• G03F7/2047

  Exposure with radiation other than visible light or UV light, e.g. shadow printing, proximity printing · CPC title

• G03F7/70033

  by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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