JP6178694B2 - Imprint apparatus and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus and an article manufacturing method.

  An imprint technique for forming an imprint material on a substrate with a mold has attracted attention as one of lithography techniques for mass production of magnetic storage media, semiconductor devices, and the like. In an imprint apparatus using such a technique, the imprint material is cured in a state where the imprint material supplied on the substrate is in contact with the mold. Then, a pattern is formed on the substrate by peeling (releasing) the mold from the cured imprint material.

  In the manufacture of semiconductor devices and the like, it is required to accurately overlay a mold on a shot region formed on a substrate. For this reason, a method of deforming the shot region by heating the substrate has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-89663 A

  The shot area to be subjected to the imprint process can be deformed by heating performed on other shot areas. Therefore, it is preferable to perform imprint processing while reducing the influence of heating of other shot regions on each shot region to be subjected to each imprint processing.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of overlay accuracy.

To achieve the above object, an imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an imprint apparatus performs the imprint process that forms on the substrate a pattern of the imprint material using Mo Rudo, the in- A heating unit that heats an area on the substrate to be printed and deforms the area, and one of the first area and the second area on the substrate to be imprinted is the area . A processing unit that determines an area to be subjected to imprint processing first, and determines the other region as a region to be subjected to imprint processing later, and the processing unit approximates the region on the substrate to a target shape. when the said other region and the one of the regions to a modified version in said heating unit is influence received has the other area so as to approach the target shape is deformed by the heating unit to Determining the one region to the impact from small Kunar so that serial one region undergoes a and the other region, and wherein the.

  Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, for example, an imprint apparatus that is advantageous in terms of overlay accuracy can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the imprint apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence in an imprint process. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the several shot area | region formed on the board | substrate. It is a figure for demonstrating position alignment with a shot area | region and the pattern area | region of a mold. It is a figure which shows the 1st shot area | region and 2nd shot area | region adjacent to each other on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the 1st shot area | region and 2nd shot area | region adjacent to each other on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the 1st shot area | region and 2nd shot area | region adjacent to each other on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning with a 1st shot area | region and a several shot area | region adjacent to it. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the several shot area | region formed on the board | substrate. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the several shot area | region contained in the shot area | region row | line L1.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference number is attached | subjected about the same member thru | or element, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

<First Embodiment>
An imprint apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The imprint apparatus 100 is used for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, and performs an imprint process in which an imprint material on a substrate is formed by a mold 21 to form a pattern on the substrate 11. For example, the imprint apparatus 100 cures the imprint material in a state where the mold 21 on which the pattern is formed is in contact with the imprint material (resin) on the substrate. The imprint apparatus 100 can transfer the pattern onto the substrate by widening the distance between the substrate 11 and the mold 21 and peeling the mold 21 from the cured imprint material. Methods for curing the imprint material include a thermal cycle method using heat and a photocuring method using light, and the imprint apparatus 100 of the first embodiment employs a photocuring method. In the photocuring method, an uncured ultraviolet curable resin (hereinafter referred to as a resin) is supplied onto a substrate as an imprint material, and the resin is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a state where the mold 21 and the resin are in contact with each other. It is a method of curing. After the resin is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, the pattern can be formed on the substrate by peeling the mold 21 from the resin.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The imprint apparatus 100 includes a substrate stage 2 that holds a substrate 11, a mold stage 3 that holds a mold 21, an alignment measurement unit 4, an irradiation unit 5, and a resin supply unit 6. The mold stage 3 is fixed to the bridge surface plate 42 supported by the base surface plate 41 via the support columns 43, and the substrate stage 2 is fixed to the base surface plate 41. The imprint apparatus 100 includes a control unit 7 and a processing unit 9. The control unit 7 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls imprint processing (controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 100). The processing unit 9 is configured by, for example, a computer having a CPU, a memory, and the like, and performs shots that perform imprint processing based on shape information (hereinafter, shape information) in each of a plurality of shot regions 8 formed on the substrate. The order of the area 8 is determined.

  As the substrate 11, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate, an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate, or the like can be used. Resin (ultraviolet curable resin) is supplied to the upper surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate 11 by a resin supply unit 6 described later. In addition, the mold 21 is usually made of a material such as quartz that can transmit ultraviolet rays, and in a part of the region (pattern region 21a) on the surface on the substrate side, an uneven pattern transferred to the substrate 11 is formed. Is formed.

  The substrate stage 2 includes a substrate holding unit 12 and a substrate driving unit 13. When the pattern region 21 a of the mold 21 and the resin on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, the substrate 11 is moved in the X direction and the Y direction to move the substrate 11. And mold 21 are aligned. The substrate holding unit 12 holds the substrate 11 by, for example, a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force. The substrate driving unit 13 mechanically holds the substrate holding unit 12 and drives the substrate holding unit 12 (substrate 11) in the X direction and the Y direction. Here, for example, a linear motor is used for the substrate driving unit 13 and may be configured by a plurality of driving systems such as a coarse driving system and a fine driving system. The substrate drive unit 13 also has a drive function for driving the substrate 11 in the Z direction, a position adjustment function for adjusting the position of the substrate by rotating the substrate 11 in the θ direction (rotation direction around the Z axis), and the substrate 11. It may have a tilt function for correcting the tilt.

  The mold stage 3 includes a mold holding unit 22 that holds the mold 21 by, for example, a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force, and a mold driving unit 23 that drives the mold holding unit 22 in the Z direction. The mold holding unit 22 and the mold driving unit 23 have an opening region at the center (inside) thereof, and are configured such that light emitted from the irradiation unit 5 is irradiated onto the substrate 11 through the mold 21. Has been. Here, the mold 21 may be deformed including components such as a magnification component and a base formation due to a manufacturing error, thermal deformation, and the like. Therefore, the mold stage 3 may be provided with a deforming portion 24 that deforms the mold 21 by applying a force to a plurality of locations on the side surface of the mold 21. For example, the deformable portion 24 is configured by a plurality of actuators arranged so as to apply force to a plurality of locations on each side surface of the mold 21. And the deformation | transformation part 24 can correct | amend the deformation | transformation in the pattern area | region 21a of the mold 21, when a some actuator applies force separately to the several location in each side surface of the mold 21. FIG. As the actuator of the deformation unit 24, for example, a linear motor, an air cylinder, a piezo actuator, or the like is used.

  The mold driving unit 23 includes an actuator such as a linear motor or an air cylinder, for example. The mold driving unit 23 moves the mold holding unit 22 (mold 21) to Z so that the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 and the resin on the substrate are brought into contact with each other or separated. Drive in the direction. The mold driving unit 23 is required to be positioned with high accuracy when the mold 21 and the resin on the substrate are brought into contact with each other. Therefore, the mold driving unit 23 may be configured by a plurality of driving systems such as a coarse driving system and a fine driving system. . The mold driving unit 23 has not only driving in the Z direction but also a position adjusting function for adjusting the position of the mold in the XY direction and the θ direction, a tilt function for correcting the tilt of the mold 21, and the like. Also good. Here, in the imprint apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, the operation of changing the distance between the substrate 11 and the mold 21 is performed by the mold driving unit 23, but may be performed by the substrate driving unit 13 of the substrate stage 2. It is good and you may carry out relatively in both.

  The alignment measurement unit 4 measures a difference (hereinafter, a shape difference) between the shape of the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 and the shape of the shot region 8 formed on the substrate. As a method of measuring the shape difference, for example, there is a method of detecting a plurality of alignment marks respectively provided in the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 and the shot region 8 on the substrate. The alignment mark of the pattern area 21a and the alignment mark of the shot area 8 are arranged so as to overlap each other when the pattern area 21a and the shot area 8 are matched in the XY direction. Then, the alignment measurement unit 4 observes the alignment mark in the pattern area 21a and the alignment mark in the shot area 8 corresponding to the alignment mark, and detects the amount of displacement. Thereby, the alignment measurement part 4 can measure the shape difference of the pattern area | region 21a and the shot area | region 8. FIG.

  The resin supply unit 6 supplies (applies) a resin (uncured resin) on the substrate. As described above, in the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, an ultraviolet curable resin having a property of being cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays is used as the imprint material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the resin (imprint material) supplied from the resin supply unit 6 to the substrate can be appropriately selected according to various conditions in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device. Further, the amount of resin discharged from the discharge nozzle of the resin supply unit 6 can be appropriately determined in consideration of the thickness of the pattern formed on the resin on the substrate, the density of the pattern, and the like. Here, in order to sufficiently fill the resin supplied on the substrate into the pattern formed in the pattern region 21a of the mold 21, it is preferable to allow a certain time to elapse while the mold and the resin are in contact with each other.

  The substrate 11 to be imprinted by the imprint apparatus 100 is carried into the imprint apparatus 100 after undergoing a heat treatment in a film forming process such as sputtering in a series of semiconductor device manufacturing processes. Therefore, the shot region 8 on the substrate may be deformed including components such as a magnification component, a platform formation component, a bow component, and a barrel component. In this case, it is difficult to achieve highly accurate alignment between the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 and the shot region 8 on the substrate only by deforming the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 by the deformation unit 24. . Therefore, it is desirable to deform the shot region 8 on the substrate so as to match the shape of the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 deformed by the deforming unit 24. Therefore, the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a heating unit 32 that deforms the shape of the shot region 8 by heating the substrate 11. Below, the structure of the irradiation part 5 containing the exposure part 31 and the heating part 32 is demonstrated.

  The irradiation unit 5 includes an exposure unit 31 that emits light for curing the resin on the substrate, a heating unit 32 that emits light that heats the substrate 11, and the light emitted from the exposure unit 31 and the heating unit 32. And an optical member 33 that guides the reflected light onto the substrate. The exposure unit 31 may include a light source that emits light (ultraviolet light) that cures the resin on the substrate, and a plurality of optical elements that adjust the light emitted from the light source to appropriate light in the imprint process. The heating unit 32 may include a light source that emits light for heating the substrate 11 and an optical system that changes the illuminance distribution of the light emitted from the light source to the substrate 11. The light source of the heating unit 32 emits light having a wavelength (for example, 400 nm to 2000 nm) suitable for heating the substrate 11 without curing the resin supplied on the substrate. The optical system of the heating unit 32 irradiates the substrate 11 from the light source of the heating unit 32 so that the heating distribution in the shot region 8 becomes a desired distribution, that is, the shape of the shot region 8 becomes a target shape. It includes an optical element that changes the illuminance distribution of light. As an optical element included in the optical system of the heating unit 32, for example, a DMD (digital micromirror device) or a liquid crystal element is used.

  For example, when the shot region 8 is deformed including a magnification component, the heating unit 32 irradiates the shot region 8 with light so that the amount of heating in the shot region 8 is uniform. Thereby, heat can be applied to the substrate 11 so that the temperature in the shot area becomes uniform, and the shot area in which the deformation including the magnification component has occurred can be deformed to have a target shape. On the other hand, when the shot region 8 is deformed including the formation of the platform, the heating unit 32 causes the heating amount in the shot region 8 to linearly decrease along the direction from the short side to the long side. The shot area 8 is irradiated with light. Thereby, heat can be applied to the substrate 11 so that the temperature in the shot region decreases linearly along the direction from the short side to the long side, and the shot region in which the deformation including the formation of the platform has occurred is set to the target shape. Can be transformed to The optical member 33 may include, for example, a beam splitter that reflects light (ultraviolet rays) emitted from the exposure unit 31 and transmits light (wavelengths 400 nm to 2000 nm) emitted from the heating unit 32.

  An imprint process for transferring the pattern of the mold 21 to the shot area 8 on the substrate in the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence in the imprint process for transferring the pattern of the mold 21 to the shot area 8 on the substrate.

  In S <b> 101, the control unit 7 controls a mold transport mechanism (not shown) so as to transport the mold 21 below the mold holding unit 22, and controls the mold holding unit 22 so as to hold the mold 21. Thereby, the mold 21 is arranged in the imprint apparatus 100. In S <b> 102, the control unit 7 controls a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) so as to transport the substrate 11 onto the substrate holding unit 12, and controls the substrate holding unit 12 so as to hold the substrate 11. Thereby, the substrate 11 is arranged in the imprint apparatus 100. In S103, the processing unit 9 acquires shape information in each of the plurality of shot regions 8 formed on the substrate. The processing unit 9 acquires the shape information of each shot region 8 by detecting the position of the alignment mark provided in each shot region 8 by the alignment measurement unit 4 described above, and acquiring the shape information based on the detected position of the alignment mark. May be. Further, the processing unit 9 may acquire the shape information of each shot area 8 measured by an external device. In S104, the processing unit 9 determines the order of the shot areas 8 on which imprint processing is performed based on the shape information of each shot area acquired in S103. A method for determining the order in which imprint processing is performed will be described later.

  In S105, the control unit 7 controls the resin supply unit 6 so as to supply resin (uncured resin) to the shot area 8 to be subjected to the imprint process. In S <b> 106, the control unit 7 moves the substrate 11 by controlling the substrate driving unit 13 so that the shot region 8 supplied with the resin is disposed below the pattern region 21 a of the mold 21. In S107, the control unit 7 controls the mold driving unit 23 so that the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 and the resin on the substrate are in contact with each other, that is, the distance between the substrate 11 and the mold 21 is shortened. In S <b> 108, the control unit 7 controls the alignment measurement unit 4 to detect the alignment mark formed on the shot region 8 and the alignment mark formed on the mold 21. Thereby, the alignment measurement part 4 can measure the shape difference of the shot area | region on a board | substrate and the area | region 21a on a mold (alignment measurement).

  In S109, the control unit 7 moves the substrate 11 by the substrate driving unit 13 based on the alignment measurement result in S108, and positions the substrate 11 and the mold 21. The positioning in S109 means correcting the translational shift component and the rotation component in the shape difference between the shot region 8 on the substrate and the pattern region 21a of the mold 21. In addition to the translation shift component and the rotation component, the shape difference may include deformation components such as a magnification component and a base formation component. In S110, the control unit 7 controls the deforming unit 24 and the heating unit 32, and corrects (shape correction) a shape difference (magnification component, part for forming a base) between the shot region 8 and the pattern region 21a. Here, the heating amount given to the substrate by the heating unit 32 can be determined by the processing unit 9 based on the shape information of each shot region 8 acquired in S103. However, the heating amount may be adjusted according to the order of the shot areas 8 on which the imprint process determined in S104 is performed. That is, the shot in which the imprint process is performed in consideration of the heating amount of the shot area 8 to be imprinted in consideration of the effect of the heating of the shot area 8 in which the imprint process has been performed earlier. You may adjust based on the heating amount of the area | region 8. FIG.

  In S111, the control unit 7 controls the exposure unit 31 to irradiate the resin with which the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 is contacted with ultraviolet rays, and cures the resin. In S112, the control unit 7 moves the mold drive unit 23 so that the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 is peeled off (released) from the resin on the substrate, that is, the distance between the substrate 11 and the mold 21 is increased. Control. In S113, the control unit 7 determines whether or not there is a shot area 8 (next shot area 8) to which the pattern of the mold 21 is subsequently transferred on the substrate. If there is a next shot area 8, the process proceeds to S104, and if there is no next shot area 8, the process proceeds to S114. In S <b> 114, the control unit 7 controls a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) so as to collect the substrate 11 from the substrate holding unit 12. In S115, the control unit 7 determines whether or not there is a substrate 11 (next substrate 11) on which imprint processing is to be continued. If there is a next substrate 11, the process proceeds to S102, and if there is no next substrate 11, the process proceeds to S114. In S <b> 116, the control unit 7 controls a mold transport mechanism (not shown) so as to collect the mold 21 from the mold holding unit 22.

  Here, the alignment of the shot region 8 on the substrate and the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 in the imprint apparatus 100 of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a plurality of shot regions 8 formed on the substrate. Each of the plurality of shot regions 8 may be deformed including components such as a magnification component, a base formation component, a bow component, and a barrel component. In the following description, the deformation including the trapezoid formation has occurred in each shot area 8, and the initial shape of each shot area 8 is a trapezoid. In addition, it is assumed that the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 is not deformed and the initial shape of the pattern region 21a is the design shape (rectangular shape). The initial shape refers to the shape of the shot region 8 (or pattern region 21a) before being deformed by the heating unit 32 (or the deforming unit 24).

  First, alignment of one shot region 8 (for example, the first shot region 8a) and the pattern region 21a of the mold 21 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the first shot region 8a formed on the substrate 11. As described above, the initial shape of the first shot region 8a is transformed into a trapezoidal shape A1. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the pattern region 21a of the mold 21. As described above, the initial shape of the pattern region 21a is a rectangular shape C1 that is a design shape.

  In order to align the first shot region 8a and the pattern region 21a, the control unit 7 controls the deformation unit 24 to deform the pattern region 21a so that the shape C1 of the pattern region 21a approaches a trapezoidal shape. At this time, if force is applied in the ± X direction by the deforming portion 24 to a plurality of locations on the side surface on the ± X direction side of the mold, the pattern region 21a is not only deformed in the ± X direction but also Poisson in the ± Y direction. A deformation consisting of a ratio will occur. Therefore, the shape C1 of the pattern region 21a is not a trapezoidal shape, but becomes a shape C2 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Next, the control unit 7 sets the shape C2 of the pattern region 21a deformed by the deformation unit 24 as the target shape A2, and the heating unit 32 moves the substrate 11 so that the shape A1 of the first shot region 8a approaches the target shape A2. Control heating. For example, the control unit 7 causes the heating amount distribution of the first shot region 8a to be a distribution in which the heating amount is uniform in the X direction and linearly decreases in the Y direction in the −Y direction. The substrate 11 is irradiated with light by the heating unit 32. At this time, the substrate 11 expands isotropically according to the temperature, and the first shot region 8a is deformed not only in the ± X direction but also in the ± Y direction according to the temperature. Thereby, the shape A1 of the first shot region 8a can be brought close to the shape C2 (target shape A2) of the pattern region deformed by the deforming unit 24. That is, the first shot region 8a on the substrate and the pattern region 21a on the mold can be aligned with high accuracy. Here, the amount of heating applied to the substrate 11 to deform the shot region 8 can be determined by the size and dimensions of the initial shape of the shot region 8.

  Next, the shot area 8 and the pattern area 21a in the case where imprint processing is successively performed on the first shot area 8a (first area) and the second shot area 8b (second area) adjacent to each other on the substrate. The alignment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a first shot region 8a and a second shot region 8b that are adjacent to each other on the substrate. As described above, the initial shape of the first shot region 8a and the initial shape of the second shot region 8b are trapezoidal shapes A1 and B1, respectively. Here, in order to simplify the description, the shape A1 of the first shot region 8a and the shape B1 of the second shot region 8b are described as having the same shape and dimensions, but are not limited thereto, and different shapes and It may be a dimension.

  For example, it is assumed that the imprint process for the first shot area 8a is performed first and the imprint process for the second shot area 8b is performed later (see FIG. 5). In this case, as shown in FIG. 5A, the controller 7 changes the shape A1 of the first shot region 8a to the target shape A2 when aligning the first shot region 8a with the pattern region 21a of the mold 21. The heating of the substrate 11 by the heating unit 32 is controlled so as to approach. Then, after the imprint process of the first shot area 8 a is completed, the control unit 7 starts alignment of the second shot area 8 b and the pattern area 21 a of the mold 21. At this time, since the heat when the substrate 11 is heated by the heating unit 32 so that the shape A1 of the first shot region 8a approaches the target shape A2 remains in the substrate 11, the second shot is affected by the influence of the heat. The shape B1 of the region 8b changes to the shape B1 ′ shown in FIG. That is, the amount of the base formation of the second shot region 8b increases, and the difference between the upper side and the lower side in the shape B1 before the second shot region 8b is deformed by the heating unit 32 increases. As described above, when the shape B1 of the second shot region 8b is changed to the shape B1 ′ due to the influence of the deformation of the first shot region, the heating part is moved so that the shape of the second shot region 8b approaches the target shape B2. The heating amount at the time of heating the substrate 11 by 32 may increase. If the heating amount increases in this way, it may be necessary to increase the time for heating the substrate 11 by the heating unit 32 or increase the output of the light source of the heating unit 32. It can lead to a decline.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the imprint process for the second shot area 8b is performed first and the imprint process for the first shot area 8a is performed later (see FIG. 6). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, the controller 7 changes the shape B1 of the second shot region 8b to the target shape B2 when aligning the second shot region 8b and the pattern region 21a of the mold 21. The heating of the substrate 11 by the heating unit 32 is controlled so as to approach. Then, after the imprint process of the second shot area 8 b is completed, the control unit 7 starts alignment of the first shot area 8 a and the pattern area 21 a of the mold 21. At this time, since the heat when the substrate 11 is heated by the heating unit 32 so that the shape B1 of the second shot region 8b approaches the target shape B2 remains in the substrate 11, the first shot is affected by the influence of the heat. The shape A1 of the region 8a changes to the shape A1 ′ shown in FIG.

However, the influence that the first shot area 8a is affected by the imprint process of the second shot area 8b first is the influence that the second shot area 8b is affected by the imprint process of the first shot area 8a first. Smaller. This is the difference from the target shape corresponding to that portion 8a ₁ of the second shot region side and in the first shot region 8a is a target shape corresponding to that portion 8b ₁ of the first shot region side and in the second shot region 8b This is because the difference is smaller. That is, the amount of heating applied to the portion 8a ₁ of the first shot region 8a is because less than the heating amount supplied to the portion 8b ₁ of the second shot region 8b. Therefore, the imprint process for the second shot area 8b first as shown in FIG. 6 is performed more than the imprint process for the first shot area 8a first as shown in FIG. The amount of heating applied to the shot area 8 to be performed later can be reduced. That is, in the imprint apparatus 100, the order in which the first shot area and the second shot area are imprinted is determined so that the amount of heat applied to the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b is reduced. It is preferable.

  Therefore, the imprint apparatus 100 (processing unit 9) of the first embodiment determines one of the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b as the shot area 8 in which the imprint process is performed first. Then, the imprint apparatus 100 determines the other of the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b as the shot area 8 that performs the imprint process later. Here, the influence that the other receives when the one is deformed by the heating unit 32 so as to approach the target shape is more than the influence that the one receives when the other is deformed by the heating unit so that the other approaches the target shape. small. By determining the order in which the imprint process is performed in this way, the amount of heat applied to the shot area 8 to be subjected to the imprint process increases due to the influence of the shot area that has been subjected to the imprint process before that. That can be suppressed.

As one method for determining the order in which imprint processing is performed, there is a method for determining based on the shape information of each shot area 8 acquired in S103 of FIG. For example, the processing unit 9, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), corresponding to the shape difference between the target shape and its corresponding portion 8a ₁ of the first shot area 8a, the portion 8b ₁ of the second shot region 8b The shape difference with the target shape to be compared is compared. Then, the processing unit 9 determines the shot area 8 having the smaller shape difference among the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b as the shot area 8 that performs the imprint process first. In the example shown in FIG. 7 (a), since towards the shape difference in the portion 8b ₁ of the second shot region 8b is smaller than the difference in shape between the part 8 _a1 of the first shot region 8a, processor 9 second shot The region 8b is determined as the shot region 8 in which the imprint process is performed first. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the deformation including the trapezoid formation occurs in each shot area 8, the order of the shot areas 8 on which the imprint process is performed is the short side of the trapezoidal upper and lower sides. To the long side (arrow S in FIG. 7A). That is, the processing unit 9 may determine the order in which the imprint process is performed based on the index indicating the type and orientation of the deformation component included in each shot area 8.

  Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the processing unit 9 deforms the side of each shot region 8 on the boundary line (line P1-P2) between the first shot region 8a and the second shot region 8b. The order in which imprint processing is performed may be determined based on the amount. The processing unit 9 determines the difference (deformation amount) between the side of the first shot region 8a on the line P1-P2 and the corresponding side of the target shape, the side of the second shot region 8b on the line P1-P2, and the side The difference (deformation amount) from the side of the corresponding target shape is compared. Then, the processing unit 9 determines the shot area 8 having the smaller deformation amount as the shot area where the imprint process is performed first, of the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the second shot area 8b has a smaller amount of deformation of the side on the line P1-P2 than the first shot area 8a. The shot area 8 to be subjected to imprint processing first is determined.

Further, as one method for determining the order in which the imprint process is performed, there is a method for determining based on the heating distribution given to each shot region 8 formed on the substrate. For example, the processing unit 9 determines the heating distribution given to each shot area based on the shape information of each shot area 8 acquired in S103 of FIG. An example of the determined heating distribution is shown on the right side of FIG. Then, the processing unit 9 compares the amount of heat applied to the portion 8a ₁ and heating amount given to the portion 8b ₁ of the second shot region 8b of the first shot area 8a, the shot area towards the heating amount is small 8 is determined as a shot area where imprint processing is performed first.

  Here, in the above-described example, the case where the deformation including the platform formation has occurred in each shot area has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the deformation including the bow-shaped component occurs in each shot area 8, the order of performing the imprint process may be determined based on the shape information and the heating distribution. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the imprint process may be performed on the two shot areas 8a and 8b in the order according to the direction of the arrow S. That is, by heating the second shot region 8b by the heating unit 32 first, the substrate 11 is corrected in order to correct the side on the boundary line (line P1-P2) between the first shot region 8a and the second shot region 8b. It is possible to reduce the amount of heating given to. Further, when a deformation in which the platform formation and the bow component are combined occurs in each shot area 8, it is preferable to provide an evaluation function for determination. For example, a trapezoidal coefficient in which the orientation of the trapezoidal shape shown in FIG. 7A is “+” and a bow-shaped coefficient in which the orientation of the arcuate shape shown in FIG. 7B is “+” are prepared. The value obtained by multiplying the amount of the trapezoid by the trapezoid coefficient and the value obtained by multiplying the amount of the bow component by the bow coefficient are added. Then, the order may be determined by the sign (positive / negative) of the added value.

  As described above, the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment determines the order in which the plurality of shot areas 8 are imprinted so that the amount of heat applied to each shot area 8 is small. For example, the imprint apparatus 100 determines one of the first shot area 8a and the second shot area 8b adjacent to each other as the shot area 8 in which the imprint process is performed first, and the other in which the imprint process is performed later. The region 8 is determined. And, when the one is deformed by the heating unit 32 so as to be close to the target shape, the influence that the other receives is more than the influence that the one receives when the other is deformed by the heating unit 32 so as to be close to the target shape. small. By determining the order in which the imprint process is performed in this manner, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of heat applied to each shot region 8 formed on the substrate due to the influence of heat remaining on the substrate 11. Here, in the first embodiment, a plurality of shot areas 8 adjacent to each other have been described as an example. However, in this case, the order in which imprint processing is performed on a plurality of shot areas 8 that are not adjacent to each other is determined. The present invention can also be applied.

Second Embodiment
An imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. The imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment compares the shape differences and the heating amounts in a plurality of shot areas, and determines the order in which imprint processing is performed on them. On the other hand, the imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment imprints next to the shot area 8 based on the heating distribution of the shot area 8 to be imprinted (target shot area 8d (first area)). The shot area 8 to be printed is sequentially determined. Here, since the imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment has the same apparatus configuration as the imprint apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, description of the apparatus configuration is omitted.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the target shot area 8d to be imprinted is deformed including the formation of the platform, and the initial shape of the target shot area 8d has a Y-side edge (upper side) of −. It is assumed that the trapezoidal shape D1 is shorter than the side (lower side) on the Y direction side. At this time, as shown in the upper side and the right side of FIG. 8, the heating distribution when the target shot region 8d is heated by the heating unit 32 has a constant heating amount in the X direction and goes in the -Y direction in the Y direction. According to the distribution, the heating amount decreases linearly. When the target shot region 8d is heated with such a heating distribution, the deformation amount on the lower side is smaller than the deformation amount on the upper side of the target shot region 8d. That is, of the plurality of shot areas 8e to 8h adjacent to the target shot area 8d, the shot area 8g arranged on the lower side of the shot area 8e arranged on the upper side of the target shot area 8d is the target shot. The influence when the region 8d is deformed is small. Therefore, the processing unit 9 selects the shot region 8g that is least affected by the deformation of the target shot region 8d by the heating unit 32 among the plurality of shot regions 8e to 8h adjacent to the target shot region 8d. It is determined based on the heating distribution. Then, the processing unit 9 determines the determined shot area 8g as the shot area 8 (second area) on which the imprint process is performed next to the target shot area 8d. Here, in FIG. 8, the shot area 8 to be imprinted next to the first shot area 8a is determined from the plurality of shot areas 8e to 8h adjacent to the target shot area 8d in the X direction and the Y direction. But it is not limited to that. For example, a shot area that is obliquely adjacent to the target shot area 8d may be determined as the shot area 8 on which imprint processing is performed next to the target shot area 8d.

  As described above, the imprint apparatus according to the second embodiment is based on the heating distribution when the target shot area 8d is heated in the shot area 8 in which the imprint process is performed next to the target shot area 8d in which the imprint process is performed. To decide. Thus, by determining the shot area 8 to be imprinted next to the target shot area 8d, the amount of heating given to each shot area 8 formed on the substrate is influenced by the heat remaining on the substrate 11. An increase can be suppressed.

<Third Embodiment>
An imprint apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, a method for determining the order in which imprint processing is performed for each shot area sequence including at least two shot areas 8 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of shot regions 8 on the substrate. As shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of shot regions 8 formed on the substrate includes a plurality of shot region rows L1 to L6 each including at least two shot regions 8 arranged along the Y direction (first direction). It is divided into. In the imprint apparatus according to the third embodiment, the order of the shot areas 8 on which the imprint process is performed for each shot area row L1 to L6 is the order according to the first direction (Y direction) and the first direction. One of the orders according to the opposite second direction (−Y direction) is determined. Hereinafter, a method of determining the order of the shot areas 8 on which imprint processing is performed in each of the shot area rows L1 to L6 will be described.

  As one method for determining the order of the shot areas 8 to be imprinted for each shot area row, for example, each shot area 8 is evaluated by an evaluation function indicating an index of the shape and orientation of the shot area 8, and the evaluation is performed. There is a method for determining the order based on the result. For example, it is assumed that the order in which imprint processing is performed in the four shot areas 8i to 8l included in the shot area row L1 is determined. As shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that deformation including a part for forming a base has occurred in each of the shot areas 8i to 8l included in the shot area row L1. At this time, if the trapezoidal shape index shown in FIG. 7A is “+”, the direction (shape) indices in the shot regions 8i, 8j, and 8l are “+”, and the direction in the shot region 8k ( The index of (shape) is “−”. Since the value obtained by adding the orientation indicators in the four shot areas 8i to 8l is “+”, the processing unit 9 performs imprint processing on the four shot areas 8i to 8l in the shot area row L1. The order to be performed is determined in the order according to the −Y direction (second direction). Similarly, with respect to the other shot region rows L2 to L6, the direction (shape) in each shot region is evaluated by the evaluation function, and the order in which the imprint process is performed in each shot region row L2 to L6 is based on the evaluation result. decide.

  Here, in the third embodiment, the order in which the imprint process is performed is determined based on the evaluation function indicating the direction (shape) of the shot region 8. However, if there is a constraint that differs from the direction (shape) of the shot area 8 in the order in which the imprint processing is performed, an evaluation function that matches the constraint may be applied as appropriate. Further, when the shot region 8 includes a shot region 8 in which the heating amount provided by the heating unit 32 exceeds the threshold value, the order in the shot region row is changed so that the shot region 8 is finally deformed by the heating unit 32. Good. For example, when the amount of heat applied to the shot region 8k of the shot region row L1 shown in FIG. 10 exceeds the threshold value, the shot region row is so arranged that the imprint process of the shot region 8k is performed after the shot regions 8i, 8j, and 8l. The order in L1 may be changed.

  As described above, the imprint apparatus according to the third embodiment determines the order in which imprint processing is performed for each shot area sequence including at least two shot areas 8. When determining the order in which the imprint processing is performed for each shot area sequence, the imprint apparatus evaluates each shot area 8 in each shot area sequence using an evaluation function that indicates an index of the shape or orientation of the shot area 8, for example. Then, the order is determined based on the evaluation result. Thus, by determining the order in which the imprint process is performed for each shot region row, the amount of heat applied to each shot region 8 remains on the substrate 11 while suppressing a decrease in productivity (throughput) of the imprint apparatus. An increase due to the influence of heat can be suppressed.

<Embodiment of Method for Manufacturing Article>
The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable, for example, for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. In the method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment, a pattern is formed in a step of forming a pattern on the resin applied to the substrate using the above-described imprint apparatus (step of performing imprint processing on the substrate). Processing the substrate. Further, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article as compared with the conventional method.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

Claims (13)

A imprint apparatus performs the imprint process that forms on the substrate a pattern of the imprint material using Mo Rudo,
A heating unit that heats a region on the substrate to be subjected to the imprint process and deforms the region;
Region for determining the one region of the first region and the second region on the substrate target of the imprint process as an area for performing the previously said imprinting process, the other area after the imprint process A processing unit determined as:
Including
Wherein the processing unit, the other area will be affected regions on the substrate when the one region so as to approach the target shape is deformed by the heating unit, the other area so as to approach the target shape the determining and said one region the more smaller Kunar so influence one region is subjected to a modified version of the heating unit and of the other region, the imprint apparatus, characterized in that.   The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first area and the second area are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. The processing unit includes a difference between the shape of the portion on the second region side in the first region and the corresponding target shape, the shape of the portion on the first region side in the second region, and the corresponding target shape. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one area and the other area are determined based on a difference between the imprint apparatus and the other area . The processing unit is configured to perform the one region based on a heating amount given to the second region side portion in the first region and a heating amount given to the first region side portion in the second region. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first area and the other area are determined. Wherein the processing unit is adjusted based on the heating amount for the other regions in the heating amount for the one area, it imprint apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in. A imprint apparatus performs the imprint process that forms on the substrate a pattern of the imprint material using Mo Rudo,
A heating unit that heats a region on the substrate to be subjected to the imprint process and deforms the region;
Of the plurality of regions adjacent to the first region subjected to the imprint process, the region having the smallest influence of heating by the heating unit on the first region is selected, and the imprint process is performed next to the first region. A processing unit that is determined as a second region to be performed;
An imprint apparatus comprising:   The imprint apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit determines the second region based on a heating distribution by the heating unit with respect to the first region. The processing unit sets, as the second region, a region having the smallest deformation amount due to heating by the heating unit with respect to the first region among a plurality of regions adjacent to the first region subjected to the imprint process. The imprint apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the imprint apparatus is determined. A imprint apparatus performs the imprint process that forms on the substrate a pattern of the imprint material using Mo Rudo,
A heating unit that heats a region on the substrate to be subjected to the imprint process and deforms the region;
For each region row on the substrate, the order in which the imprint process is performed is opposite to the order according to the first direction and the first direction based on the shape of each region to be subjected to the imprint process. A processing unit for determining one of the orders according to the second direction;
An imprint apparatus comprising: The imprint apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the processing unit evaluates the shape of each region using an evaluation function, and determines the order in which the imprint processing is performed based on the evaluation result. When the region where the heating amount by the heating unit exceeds the threshold is included in one region row, the processing unit performs the imprint processing in the one region row so that the imprint processing for the region is performed last. to change the order in which the imprint apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that. The heating unit includes a light source, in the described light emitted from the light source to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein heating the substrate by irradiating the substrate, and wherein Printing device. Forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , and
Processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the step;
A method for producing an article comprising:

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