IMPRINT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING ARTICLE

• US 20160363875A1
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shinoda, Ken-ichiro, Ota, Shunsuke, Miyaharu, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7042 Alignment for lithographic apparatus using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping or imprinting non-exposure lithographic processes per se G03F7/0002

Abstract

An imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material in a region to be processed on a substrate by using a mold includes an observing unit configured to include a light source which emits first light and a receiving unit which receives the first light which is emitted from the light source, is reflected by the region to be processed, and passes through the mold; a deforming unit configured to thermally deform the region to be processed by illumination with second light; and a combining member which combines the first light of the light source and the second light from the deforming unit and guides the first light and the second light to the region to be processed.

Claims

1. An imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material in a region to be processed on a substrate by using a mold, comprising:

an observing unit configured to include a light source which emits first light and a receiving unit which receives the first light which is emitted from the light source, is reflected by the region to be processed, and passes through the mold;

a deforming unit configured to thermally deform the region to be processed by illumination with second light; and

a combining member which combines the first light of the light source and the second light from the deforming unit and guides the first light and the second light to the region to be processed.

2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a wavelength band of the second light is different from a wavelength band of the first light, and the combining member is a dichroic mirror.

3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a wavelength band of the first light includes a wavelength band of the second light, and the combining member is a mirror which transmits a part of incident light and reflects residual light in a predetermined direction.

4. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a light shielding member capable of shielding the first light and the second light; and

a driving unit which drives the light shielding member, wherein

the first light and the second light which are directed to the region to be processed are selectively shielded by using the driving unit and the light shielding member.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, during a contact operation of making the mold and the imprint material contact with each other, the light shielding member is driven so that the light shielding member shields the second light and does not shield the first light.

6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, during a predetermined time period in a period until curing of the imprint material by a curing unit configured to cure the imprint material is finished after a contact operation is finished, the driving unit drives the light shielding member so that the light shielding member shields the first light and does not shield the second light.

7. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, during a predetermined time period in a period until curing of the imprint material by a curing unit configured to cure the imprint material is finished after the contact operation is finished, the driving unit drives the light shielding member so that the light shielding member shields the first light and does not shield the second light.

8. The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light shielding member has an opening part, and the driving unit moves a position of the opening part to thereby switch light to be shielded by the light shielding member.

9. The imprint apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the driving unit is a driving unit which rotates the light shielding member around a rotation axis, and

a position of the rotation axis on a plane along a light shielding plane of the light shielding member is between an optical path of the first light and an optical path of the second light.

10. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an optical member which has a property that transmittance of the first light is higher than transmittance of the second light and which is arranged on an optical path of the first light directed to the receiving unit from the combining member.

11. The imprint apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the optical member is a band pass filter.

12. The imprint apparatus according to claim 2, comprising an optical member which has a property that transmittance of the first light is higher than transmittance of the second light and which is arranged on an optical path of the first light directed to the receiving unit from the combining member.

13. The imprint apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the optical member is a band pass filter.

14. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the observing unit observes a state of the imprint material between the mold and the region to be processed by using the first light.

15. A method for producing article, comprising:

a step of, by using an imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material in a region to be processed on a substrate by using a mold, forming the pattern of the imprint material on the substrate; and

a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed at the forming step, wherein

the imprint apparatus comprises

an observing unit configured to include a light source which emits first light and a receiving unit which receives the first light which is emitted from the light source, is reflected by the region to be processed, and passes through the mold;

a deforming unit configured to thermally deform the region to be processed by illumination with second light; and

a combining member which combines the first light of the light source and the second light from the deforming unit and guides the first light and the second light to the region to be processed.