Imprint alignment method, system and template

• US 8,366,434 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mii Newco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Molecular Imprints, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Voisin, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malekzadeh, Seyed Masoud
• Application Number:
  US12/835,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20100278955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 425/375, 425/385, 425/396, 425/400, 264/293, 264/494, 264/496, 430/22, 430/30, 356/399, 356/400, 356/401
• US Class Current: 425/385
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7035 Proximity or contact printers
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70633 Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/887 Nanoimprint lithography, i.e. nanostamp

Abstract

Sets of lithographic templates providing improved lithographic alignment are described. The sets include at least two templates. The first template has an array of first geometries and the second template has an array of second geometries. The second geometries correspond to the first geometries and at least one second geometry is intentionally offset from its corresponding first geometry.

Claims

1. A set of lithography templates providing improved lithographic alignment comprising:

a first template having an x,y grid such that a centermost point is arranged within a central region and has (x,y) coordinates (0,0), the first template includes an array of first geometries comprising N subfields arranged in J rows and K columns, wherein each column has a width ‘

w’

, and wherein each row has a height ‘

h’

;

a second template having an array of second-layer geometries, each second geometry corresponding to a first geometry, wherein a centermost point of a second geometry is a spaced distance ‘

w+Δ

w’

from a centermost point of an immediately laterally adjacent second geometry, and wherein a centermost point of a second geometry is a spaced distance ‘

h+Δ

h’

from a centermost point of an immediately vertically adjacent second geometry, wherein Δ

w is not equal to zero, and wherein Δ

h is not equal to zero.

2. The set of lithography templates as recited in claim 1, wherein Δ

h equals Δ

w.

3. The set of lithography templates as recited in claim 1, wherein ‘

h’

equals ‘

w’

.

4. The set of lithography templates as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one second geometry is not offset from its corresponding first geometry.

5. The set of lithography templates as recited in claim 1, wherein each second geometry comprises second features, further comprising a third template, wherein the third template comprises an array of third geometries, wherein each third geometry comprises third features, and wherein at least one of said third features has a corresponding second feature, and wherein at least one third feature is offset from its corresponding second feature.

6. The set of lithography templates as recited in claim 1, further comprising an ‘

n’

th template, wherein ‘

n’

is an integer greater than or equal to 3, wherein the ‘

n’

th template comprises an array of ‘

n’

th geometries, wherein each ‘

n’

th geometry comprises ‘

n’

th features, wherein at least one of said ‘

n’

th feature has a corresponding ‘

n−

1’

th geometry, and wherein at least one ‘

n’

th feature is offset from its corresponding ‘

n−

1’

th feature.