System for determining characteristics of substrates employing fluid geometries

• US 6,990,870 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mii Newco, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Molecular Imprints, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sreenivasan, Sidlgata V., Choi, Byung J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELLAMY, TAMIKO D
• Application Number:
  US10/923,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20050028618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 731/05, 731/49, 734/321, 738/689, 738/658, 738/659
• US Class Current: 73/865.9
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for determining characteristics of substrates, such as the presence of contaminants, shape, as well as the spatial relationships between spaced-apart substrates. The spatial relationships include distance and angular orientation, between first and second spaced apart substrates. The technique includes forming a volume of fluid on the second substrate, with the volume of fluid having an area associated therewith. The volume of fluid is compressed between the first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of the area, defining changed properties. The changed properties are sensed, and the characteristics of the first and second substrates are determined as a function of the changed properties.

Claims

1. A system to determine system conditions by measuring characteristics of a volume of fluid disposed between a first substrate, lying in a first plane, and a second substrate, lying in a second plane, said system comprising:

a displacement mechanism to cause relative movement between said volume and one of said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in area of said first and second substrates in superimposition with said volume;

a detector system to sense said change in area and produce signals carrying information concerning said change in area;

a memory containing a look-up table of data relating differing shapes of said volume to differing processing conditions; and

a processing system, in data communication with said memory, to receive said signals and compare said information with said data and produce information corresponding to said system conditions.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions include a relative angular position between said first and second substrate.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions including a relative parallel orientation of said first and second planes.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a defect in one of said first and second substrates.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a defect in one of said first and second substrates and distinguishing between said first and second substrates as a source of said defect.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a particulate contaminant on one of said first and second substrates.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a particulate contaminant on one of said first and second substrates and distinguishing between said first and second substrates as a source of said particulate contaminant.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing conditions further includes a distance between said first and second substrates.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processor determines said processing conditions in response to said change in areas measured during a period of time.

10. A system to determine processing conditions by measuring characteristics of a volume of imprinting material disposed between a first substrate, lying in a first plane, and a second substrate, lying in a second plane, said system comprising:

a displacement mechanism to cause relative movement between said volume and one of said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in area of a portion of said first and second substrates in superimposition with said volume;

a detector system to sense said change in area and produce signals carrying information concerning said change in area;

a memory containing a look-up table of data relating differing shapes of said volume to differing processing conditions; and

a processing system, in data communication with said memory, to receive said signals and compare said information with said data and determine one of said differing processing conditions associated therewith.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said processing conditions situations include a relative angular position between said first and second substrate.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said processing conditions including a relative parallel orientation of said first and second planes.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a particulate contaminant on one of said first and second substrates.

14. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a particulate contaminant on one of said first and second substrates and distinguishing between said first and second substrates as a source of said particulate contaminant.

15. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said processing conditions further includes a distance between said first and second substrates.

16. A system to determine processing conditions by measuring characteristics of a volume of imprinting material disposed between a first substrate, lying in a first plane, and a second substrate, lying in a second plane, said system comprising:

a displacement mechanism to cause relative movement between said volume and one of said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in area of said first and second substrates in superimposition with said volume;

a detector system to sense said change in area and produce signals carrying information concerning said change in area;

a memory containing a look-up table of data relating differing shapes of said volume to differing processing conditions; and

a processing system, in data communication with said memory, to receive said signals and compare said information with said data and determine one of said differing processing conditions associated therewith.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said processing condition is one of a set of conditions selected from a set consisting essentially of a relative angular position between said first and second substrates, a relative parallel orientation of said first and second planes, a presence of a particulate contaminant on one of said first and second substrates, and a distance between said first and second substrates.

18. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a defect in one of said displacement mechanism, said first substrate and said second substrate.

19. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said processing conditions further includes a presence of a defect in one of said displacement mechanism, said first substrate and said second substrate and distinguishing between said displacement mechanism, said first substrate and said second substrates as a source of said defect.