Imprint apparatus, imprint method, article manufacturing method, and storage medium

An imprint apparatus capable of stably maintaining the concentration of gas supplied for imprint processing is provided even after the moving direction of a substrate is changed by comprising a gas supply port, and when the moving direction or the substrate is changed so that a next target shot region is to be imprinted, the substrate is moved to a position in the order of the next target shot region, the gas supply port, and the pattern region of a mold from the upstream in a predetermined direction, the substrate is then moved in the predetermined direction so that the next target shot region and the pattern region face each other while supplying the gas from the gas supply port, and then the next target shot region is imprinted by the pattern region.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to for example, an imprint apparatus using a mold.

Description of the Related Art

A microfabrication technique in which uncured resin is molded on a substrate to form a pattern of resin on the substrate is attracting attention, in addition to conventional photolithography techniques, due to the increase in demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices and MEMS (Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems). This technique is also referred to as an “imprint technique”, by which a fine structure having a few nanometer-order can be formed on the substrate.

For example, one of the imprint techniques is a photo-curing method. In an imprint apparatus employing this photo-curing method, first, an ultraviolet curing resin (imprint material, photocurable resin) is coated on an imprint region (shot region) on a substrate. Next, this resin (uncured resin) is molded by a mold. Subsequently, ultraviolet ray is irradiated to cure the resin and the mold is separated, thereby a pattern of resin is formed on the substrate.

In such an imprint apparatus, when a fine concave-convex pattern formed on the mold is filled with resin while pressing of the mold against the resin on the substrate, unfilled portions are generated due to residual bubbles, and thereby, a normal resin pattern may not be formed. Accordingly, there has been proposed an imprint apparatus that reduces the residual bubbles by filling a gap space between the mold and the substrate with gas (hereinafter, referred to as “replacement gas”) having high solubility, high diffusively, or having both, curing the pressing of the mold against the resin on the substrate.

Japanese Patent No. 5868215 discloses a method for efficiently supplying a replacement gas based on a distance from a mold to a gas supply unit and a distance from an imprint region to an end face of a substrate holding unit. Additionally, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2019-186477 discloses a method for reducing an amount of consumption of the replacement gas by reducing a distance between the mold and the substrate during movement between shot regions rather than the distance between the mold and the substrate when the replacement gas is supplied.

However, in the conventional exposure apparatuses, it is difficult to maintain the concentration of the replacement gas in the shot regions when imprinting is continuously performed over a plurality of shot regions, and it is necessary to increase the time for filling so as to avoid the occurrence of a defect due to an unfilled portion in some shot region. Additionally, there has been a similar problem in maintaining the concentration of the replacement gas in the first imprinting after the substrate is carried in, where the moving direction of the substrate is significantly changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus capable of stably maintaining the concentration of a gas supplied for imprint processing even after the moving direction of a substrate is changed.

An imprint apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an imprint apparatus that performs imprint processing for forming a pattern by bringing a pattern region of a mold into contact with an imprint material on a substrate comprising:a substrate driving unit for moving the substrate; anda gas supply port provided at the periphery of the pattern region and for supplying gas to a space between the pattern region and the substrate,further comprising:at least one processor or circuit configured to function as:
a control unit configured to perform control so that, in a case where the moving direction of the substrate by the substrate drive unit is changed so that a next target shot region is to be imprinted by the imprint processing, the substrate is moved to a position in the order of the next target shot region, the gas supply port, and the pattern region from the upstream in a predetermined direction, the substrate is then moved in the predetermined direction by the substrate driving unit so that the next target shot region and the pattern region face each other while supplying the gas from the gas supply port, and then the pattern region is brought into contact with the imprint material on the next target shot region of the substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, favorable mode of the present invention will be described using Embodiments. In each diagram, the same reference signs are applied to the same members or elements, and duplicate description will be omitted or simplified.

First, an imprint apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.FIG.1is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an imprint apparatus1according to the present embodiment. The imprint apparatus1is used for manufacturing devices such as a semiconductor device as an article, and performs the imprint processing for forming a pattern by bringing a pattern region of a mold into contact with an uncured imprint material on a substrate, which is a substrate to be processed.

In the present embodiment, an imprint apparatus employing a photo-curing method will be described. In the drawings below, the Z-axis is parallel to the optical axis of an illumination system that irradiates the imprint material on the substrate with ultraviolet ray, and the X-axis and the Y-axis are orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis. The imprint apparatus1includes a light irradiation unit2, a mold holding unit3, a gas supply unit4, a substrate holding unit5, a controller6, and an alignment measurement unit7.

In the imprint processing, the light irradiation unit2irradiates a dichroic mirror8and a transparent mold9with ultraviolet ray10. The light irradiation unit2includes a light source (not illustrated) and an illumination optical system that adjusts an amount of light of an ultraviolet ray10emitted from the light source to an amount of light suitable for curing the imprint material, and irradiates the mold9. Although a lamp, for example, a mercury lamp, is employed as the light source, the type of light source is not limited in particular if the light source transmits through the mold9and emits light having a wavelength at which an imprint material11to be described below is hardened.

The illumination optical system may include a lens, a mirror, an aperture, or a shutter for switching between irradiation and light-shielding. In the present embodiment, the light irradiation unit2is provided for employing the photo-curing method. However, when, for example, the photo-curing method is employed, a heat source unit for curing an imprint material is provided instead of the light irradiation unit2.

The peripheral shape of the mold9is polygonal (preferably, rectangular or square), and includes the pattern region9aon a surface facing the substrate12on which a concave-convex pattern to be transferred, for example, a circuit pattern, is formed in a three-dimensional shape. There are various pattern sizes depending on an article to be manufactured, in which a fine pattern of lens of nanometers is included. The pattern of the surface of the mold includes a flat surface.

The material of the mold9is preferably capable of transmitting the ultraviolet ray10and preferably has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, and may be, for example, quart. Further, the mold9may have a cavity having a circular planar shape and a certain depth on the surface irradiated by the ultraviolet ray10.

The mold holding unit3has a mold suction unit13that holds the mold9, a mold driving unit14that movably holds the mold suction unit13, and a magnification correction mechanism (not illustrated) for correcting the shape of the mold9(pattern region9a). The mold suction unit13can hold the mold9by attracting the outer peripheral region of the surface irradiated by the ultraviolet ray10in the mold9by a vacuum suction force or an electrostatic force.

For example, when the mold9is held by a vacuum suction force, the mold suction unit13is connected to a vacuum pump (not illustrated) installed outside, and a suction force (holding force) to the mold9can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting a suction pressure by evacuation of the vacuum pump.

The mold driving unit14moves the mold9in each axial direction so as to selectively press or separate the mold9against or from the imprint material11on the substrate12. A power source that can be employed for this mold drive unit14is, for example, a linear motor and an air cylinder.

Additionally, the mold driving unit14can be configured by a plurality of driving systems such as a coarse motion system and a fine motion system in order to correspond to the positioning of the mold9with a high accuracy. Further, the mold driving unit14may have a position adjustment function not only in the Z-axis direction but also in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the θ (rotation around the Z axis) direction, and a tilt function for correcting the tilting of the mold9.

The pressing and separating operations in the imprint apparatus1may be realized by moving the mold9in the Z axis direction or may be realized by moving the substrate holding unit5in the Z axis direction, or realized by relatively moving both the mold9and the substrate holding unit5. The position of the mold9when the mold driving unit14is driven can be measured by position measuring units such as an optical displacement meter (not illustrated) that measures the distance between the mold9and the substrate12.

The magnification correction mechanism is disposed on a side of the mold suction unit13on which the mold9is held, and corrects the shape of the mold9(pattern region9a) by mechanically applying an external force or displacement to the side surface of the mold9. Further, the mold suction unit13and the mold driving unit14have an opening region15at the center portion (inner side) in the plane direction, and the ultraviolet ray10irradiated from the light irradiation unit2can irradiate the imprint material11on the substrate12through the mold9via the opening region15.

The gas supply unit4supplies the replacement gas16as a predetermined gas to a space between the mold9and the substrate12during pressing operation. This is for improving the filling property by shortening the time required for filling the concave-convex pattern of the pattern region9awith the imprint material11, and by suppressing the residual bubbles in the filled portion. Additionally, the gas supply unit4can supply the replacement gas16even during the separating operation in order to reduce a separation force as much as possible and improve the mold releasability.

FIG.2illustrates the gas supply unit4viewed from below. As shown inFIG.2, the gas supply unit4of the present embodiment is disposed near the four side surfaces of the mold9, and has a plurality of gas supply ports17ato17dfor supplying the replacement gas16toward the substrate holding unit5. Additionally, there is provided with a plurality of gas controllers18ato18deach connected to the gas supply pons17ato17d, which adjusts a supply amount, a concentration, and the like of the replacement gas16.

In particular, the gas supply unit4of the present embodiment includes a first supply port17aand a second supply port17brespectively disposed in the vicinity of both side surfaces of the mold9in the X-axis direction, and a third supply port17cand a fourth supply port17drespectively disposed in the vicinity of both side surfaces of the mold9in the Y-axis direction.

The supply ports17ato17deach have a plurality of supply holes. The plurality of gas supply ports17ato17dare provided around the pattern region and function as gas supply pons for supplying a predetermined gas (replacement gas) to a space between the pattern region and the substrate.

The first supply port17ais connected to the first gas controller18a, the second supply port17bis connected to the second gas controller18b, the third supply port17cis connected to the third gas controller18c, and the fourth supply port17dis connected to the fourth gas controller18d. The gas controllers18a,18b,18c, and18dare each connected to the controller6. The replacement gas16to be used is a gas having high solubility and diffusivity in the resin11, a permeable gas, a condensable gas, or a gas obtained by mixing both, in view of the above features in filling and mold-releasing.

That is, for example, a gas containing at least one of helium, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, xenon, pentafluoropropane, hydrofluorocarbon, and hydrofluoroether is used as the replacement gas16.

The substrate12is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate, an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate, or a glass substrate. In a plurality of shot regions that are pattern forming regions on the substrate12, patterns (layers including patterns) of the imprint material11are each formed by the pattern region9a.

The substrate holding unit5is movable while holding the substrate12, and performs, for example, positioning between the pattern region9aand the shot region when the mold9is pressed against the imprint material11on the substrate12. The substrate holding unit5has a substrate suction unit19that holds the substrate12by a suction force and a substrate driving unit20that mechanically holds the substrate suction unit19and can move the substrate suction unit19in each axial direction. The substrate suction unit19supports the rear surface of the substrate12by, for example, a plurality of pins having uniform height, and holds the substrate12by reducing the pressure of a part other than the pins by evacuation.

The substrate driving unit20is a power source with less vibration during driving and during rest, and examples of the power source include a linear motor and a plane motor. The substrate driving unit20may also be configured by a plurality of driving systems such as a coarse motion system and a fine motion system in each direction of the X-axis and the Y-axis. Further, the substrate driving unit20may be configured to have a drive system for adjusting the position of the substrate12in the Z-axis direction, a function for adjusting the position of the substrate12in the θ-direction, a tilting function for correcting the tilting of the substrate12, and the like.

In order to measure the position of be substrate holding unit5, an encoder system21corresponding to each direction of the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis is arranged. The encoder system21can measure the position of the substrate holding unit5by irradiating a beam from an encoder head22to an encoder scale23. The encoder system21measures the position of the substrate holding unit5in real time.

The controller6can control the operation and adjustment of each component of the imprint apparatus1. The controller6is configured by a computer such as a CPU and is connected to each component of the imprint apparatus1via a line.

Additionally, the controller6can execute control for each component according to a computer program stored in a memory (not illustrated) as shown in, for example, the flowchart ofFIG.7. The controller6of the present embodiment controls the operation for at least the gas supply unit4and the substrate holding unit5. The controller6may be integrally configured with the other parts of the imprint apparatus1(in a common housing) or may be formed separately from the other parts of the imprint apparatus1(in a different housing).

In the imprint processing, the alignment measurement unit7measures the positional deviation between the mold9and the substrate12by irradiating the mold9and the substrate12with alignment light24and detecting light from alignment marks formed on the mold9and the substrate12.

The imprint apparatus1is also provided with a surface plate25on which the substrate holding unit5is disposed and that forms a reference plane, a bridge surface plate26that fixes the mold holding unit3, and a support28that extends from the surface plate25and supports the bridge surface plate26via a vibration isolator27that removes vibration from the floor surface. Further, the imprint apparatus1may include a mold conveyance mechanism (not illustrated) that conveys the mold9between the outside of the imprint apparatus and the mold holding unit3, and a substrate conveyance mechanism (not illustrated) that conveys the substrate12between the outside of the imprint apparatus and the substrate holding unit5.

Next, the imprint processing (imprint method) performed by the imprint apparatus1will be described. First, the controller6causes a substrate transport mechanism to place and fix the substrate12on the substrate suction unit19. It is assumed that the substrate12is coated with the imprint material11in advance. Next, the controller6drives the substrate driving unit20to appropriately change the position of the substrate12, and causes the alignment measuring unit7to sequentially measure the alignment marks on the substrate12to detect the position of the substrate12with a high accuracy.

Subsequently, the controller6calculates each transfer coordinate based on the detection result, and based on the calculation result, patterns for each predetermined shot region are sequentially formed. As a flow of pattern formation for one shot region, the controller6first causes the substrate driving unit20to move and position the substrate12so that the shot region is located at a pressing position directly under the pattern region9a.

Next, the controller6performs positioning for the pattern region9aand the shot region, and then drives the mold driving unit14to press the pattern region9aagainst the imprint material11on the shot region (mold pressing step). Due to this pressing, the imprint material11is filled in the concave-convex pattern of the pattern region9a.

The controller6determines whether or not the pressing has been completed by a load sensor (not illustrated) installed inside the mold holding unit3. In this state, the light irradiation unit2performs irradiation with ultraviolet ray10from the back surface (upper surface) of the mold9for a predetermined time, and as a result, the imprint material11is cured by the ultraviolet ray10that has been transmitted through the mold9(curing step).

After the imprint material11has been cured, the controller6drives the mold driving unit14again to separate the pattern region9afrom the substrate12(mold releasing step). Thus, a three-dimensional resin pattern (laser) following the concave-convex pattern of the pattern region9ais formed on the surface of the shot region on the substrate12.

By performing such a series of imprint processing operations a plurality of times while changing the shot regions by driving the substrate holding unit5, the imprint apparatus1can form a plurality of patterns of the imprint material on one substrate12. In the present embodiment, although it is assumed that the substrate12has already been coated with the imprint material11, a coating step for coating a predetermined region on the substrate12with the imprint material11may be provided as one step of the imprinting processing in the imprint apparatus1.

In the above mold pressing step, when the mold9is pressed against the imprint material11on the substrate12, the imprint material11needs to be uniformly filled into the concave-convex pattern of the pattern region9a. However, there are cases in which bubbles remain in the imprint material11, and if the imprint material11is cured in that state, the pattern of the imprint material formed on the shot region may not have a desired shape. As a result, there are cases in which a defect occurs in manufactured articles such as a semiconductor device.

Accordingly, during pressing (at least when pressing starts), the gas supply unit4supplies the replacement gas16to the space between the mold9and the substrate12, as described above. Accordingly, the concentration of the replacement gas in the vicinity of the pattern region9abecomes sufficiently high, for example, 70% or more, with the passage of a predetermined time, due to the diffusion effect of the replacement gas16itself, thereby the residual bubbles can be efficiently suppressed.

However, in the method for suppressing the residual bubbles by such a gas filling method, a predetermined waiting time is conventionally required until the gas concentration becomes sufficiently high in the space between the mold9and the substrate12. For example, although this waiting time may vary depending on the surrounding configuration of the mold9and the required gas concentration, the waiting time is from one second to several ten seconds or more, assuming a typical imprint apparatus is used.

That is, since this waiting time may affect the production efficiency of the imprint apparatus, it is desirable that the waiting time is shortened as much as possible. Accordingly, in the imprint apparatus1of the present embodiment, the operation below is executed when the replacement gas16is supplied in order to increase the concentration of the replacement gas in the space between the mold9and the substrate12more quickly.

First, assuming that the target shot region29that is a target for the imprint processing this time is present on the substrate12, the operation of the imprint apparatus1will be described in each time series with reference toFIG.3toFIG.6.FIG.3toFIG.6respectively illustrate the supply operation of the replacement gas16by the gas supply unit4and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit5during movement of the target shot region29to the pressing position directly under the pattern region9a.FIG.3toFIG.6are diagrams all viewed from the + side to − side in the Z-axis direction ofFIG.1.

FIG.3illustrates an example of the supply operation of the replacement gas16and the driving operation of the substrate holding unit5respectively performed on the first shot region (initial shot region) in the present embodiment, and illustrates an operation when the first shot region is the target shot region29a. The controller6carries-in the substrate12, detects the position on the substrate12, and then drives the substrate holding unit5to the position shown inFIG.3A. At this time, the moving direction of the substrate is changed by carrying the substrate in the imprint apparatus.

Subsequently, the substrate driving unit moves the substrate in a predetermined direction (drive direction30) for the target shot region29awhere the imprint processing is to be performed first. That is, next, the substrate holding unit5moves the substrate12from right to left along the drive direction30. At this time, the substrate holding unit5is driven so that the target shot region29aof the substrate12passes under the gas supply port17a, and further moves directly under the pattern region9aof the mold9.

In the example ofFIG.3, the controller6selects the gas supply port17alocated upstream of the pattern region9ain the drive direction30to serve as the gas supply port. That is, a predetermined gas is supplied front at least a gas supply port disposed between the target shot region and the pattern region from among the plurality of gas supply ports. When the target shot region passes through the gas supply port or before the target shot region passes through the gas supply port, a predetermined gas is supplied through the gas supply port, and the predetermined gas is supplied even during the imprint processing.

Subsequently, as shown inFIG.3B, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5along the drive direction30while supplying the replacement gas16from the gas supply port17a. At this time, the replacement gas16is drawn into the space between the mold9and the target shot region29aaccording to the drive of the substrate holding unit5. That is, a Couette flow is generated in the gas supplied from the gas supply port to draw the gas under the mold.

Even during the imprinting processing after the target shot region29ahas moved directly under the pattern region9a, the replacement gas16is supplied to the space between the target shot region29aand the pattern region9a(FIG.3C).

Due to this control, in the space between the pattern region9aand the target shot region29a, a replacement gas concentration that is sufficient to suppress the residual bubbles during the pressing of the mold9can be obtained. In this state, the imprint processing is executed in which the mold9is pressed against the imprint material of the target shot region29ato form a pattern.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, control is performed such that the imprint processing is performed after the gas supply port located at the upstream side in the moving direction from among the plurality of supply ports passes through a position facing the first shot region where the imprint processing is to be performed first after the substrate is supplied.

Specifically, the substrate is moved so that the target shot region, the gas supply port, and the pattern region are arranged in this order from the upstream in the moving direction, and then the substrate is moved in the predetermined direction while a predetermined gas is supplied from the gas supply port. Then, the imprint processing is performed while facing the target shot region and the pattern region, and thereby defects in pattern formation are less likely to occur.

Next,FIG.4illustrates an example of operations subsequent toFIG.3, in which an operation when the next target shot region29bis placed to the right ofFIG.3after the operation inFIG.3cwill be described with reference toFIG.4.FIG.4Aillustrates a slate immediately after the imprint processing on the target shot region29ais completed and the mold is released. At this time, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5in a driving direction31in order to move the target shot region29bdirectly under the pattern region9a.

The driving direction31is the same as the drive direction30of the substrate holding unit5when the target shot region29bis moved directly under the pattern region9a. Therefore, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5while supplying the replacement gas16from the gas supply port17alocated upstream of the pattern region9ain the driving direction31of the substrate holding unit5.

At this time, the substrate holding unit5is driven to draw the replacement gas16that has already been filled in the space between the mold9, the substrate12, and the substrate holding unit5, and the replacement gas16supplied from the gas supply port17adownstream in the driving direction31.FIG.4Billustrates a case in which the target shot region29barrives directly under the pattern region9a. As shown inFIG.4B, the replacement gas16is supplied to the space between the pattern region9aand the target shot region29bwhile maintaining a sufficient concentration.

After the imprint processing for the target shot region29b, the imprint processing is sequentially performed on the target shot regions in the same manner as the target shot region29b, and the imprint processing is performed up to the target shot region29cshown inFIG.5A.FIG.5illustrates an operation example when the substrate driving direction is switched.

With reference toFIG.5, an operation in imprinting the next target shot region29dafter the imprinting processing for the target shot region29cwill be described.FIG.5Aillustrates a state immediately after the imprint processing is performed on the target shot region29c. Here, in order to move the next target shot region29ddirectly under the pattern region9a, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5in a direction, for example, in a driving direction32, which is different from the driving direction31(shown inFIG.4A) of the substrate holding unit5from the target shot region29ato the target shot region29c.

However, in the above-described method, the replacement gas16is drawn in the direction of the driving direction32and it is difficult to maintain a sufficient replacement gas concentration in the space between the target shot region29dand the pattern region9a. Additionally, even if the replacement gas16is supplied not only from the gas supply port17abut also from the gas supply port17cat the same time, the replacement gas16insufficiently reaches the target shot region29das shown inFIG.5B.

Hence, in the example ofFIG.5, it is necessary to wait until the space between the pattern region9aand the target shot region29dis filled with the replacement gas16at a sufficient concentration while the replacement gas16is supplied from the gas supply port.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, after the imprint processing is performed on the target shot region29c, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5in the driving direction33as shown inFIG.6A.FIG.6illustrates an operation example of the present embodiment when the substrate driving direction is changed, andFIG.6Billustrates a positional relation after driving. As shown inFIG.6B, the present embodiment is characterized in that the target shot region29dand the pattern region9aare arranged to align with each other across the gas supply port17b.

Subsequently, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5in the direction of the driving direction34in order to move the target shot region29dimmediately under the pattern region9a. In the present embodiment, as shown inFIG.6B, the target shot region29d, the gas supply port17b, and the pattern region9aare temporarily arranged in this order from the upstream of the driving direction34. Accordingly, the replacement gas16is drawn in the driving direction of the substrate holding unit5by driving the substrate holding unit5directly under the pattern region9awhile supplying the replacement gas16from the gas supply port17b.

The state at this time is shown inFIG.6C. As shown inFIG.6C, the space between the pattern region9aand the target shot region29dis filled with the replacement gas16at a sufficient concentration, and thereby the imprint processing can be quickly executed in a state in which defects are less likely to occur. Subsequently, the imprint processing is sequentially perforated in the same manner on the remaining unprocessed shot regions on the left side of the target shot region29dwhile moving the substrate along the driving direction34. After the imprinting processing has been performed on all the target shot regions on the substrate, the substrate12is carried out.

Thus, the substrate is moved to the position shown inFIG.6Bwhen the substrate is moved in the driving direction34for the target shot region29dwhere the first imprint processing is performed after the moving direction of the substrate is changed after the imprint processing is performed on the target shot region29c. The substrate is moved to the position where the target shot region29d, the gas supply port17b, and the pattern region9aare arranged in this order from the upstream of the driving direction34, then the substrate is moved in the driving direction34while supplying the replacement gas from the gas supply port, and then the imprint processing for the target shot region29dis performed.

Next,FIG.7is a flow chart showing the processes of the gas supply step, and a flow from the step of the pattern formation for the previous shot region to the step of pattern formation for the next target shot region29in the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.7. The flow ofFIG.7shows a control step executed by the controller6based on a computer program stored in a memory (not illustrated).

First, in step S101, after the pattern formation for the previous shot region, the controller6determines whether or not a driving direction for moving the next target shot region29toward directly under the pattern region9ais the same as the driving direction when the previous shot region has been moved toward directly under the pattern region9a. If the driving directions are the same, the process proceeds to step S103(refer toFIG.4). If the driving directions are not the same, the process proceeds to step S102(refer toFIG.6). If the target shot region29is the first shot region of the substrate12after the substrate is carried in, the process proceeds to step S102(refer toFIG.3).

In step S102, the substrate holding unit5is driven to be placed at, for example, the position shown inFIG.3Aor the position shown inFIG.6B. Specifically, before the target shot region29is driven to face the pattern region9a, the substrate12is temporarily moved to the position shown inFIG.3Aor the position shown inFIG.6Bso as to be arranged in the order of the target shot region29, the gas supply port17, and the pattern region9afrom the upstream in the driving direction of the substrate holding unit5.

In step103, the supply of the replacement gas16from the gas supply port starts. At this time, the controller6selects at least a gas supply port located upstream of the substrate holding unit5in the driving direction from among the gas supply ports17a,17b,17c, and17d. Subsequently, in step S104, the controller6drives the substrate holding unit5while drawing the replacement gas16into the space between the mold9, the substrate12, and the substrate holding unit5so that the target shot region29is located directly under the pattern region9a.

In step S105, a pattern forming step (imprint processing) is performed on the target shot region29. When step S105is completed, the controller6determines whether or not an unprocessed shot region exists on the substrate12, and if unprocessed shot region does not exist, the process shifts to the next step such as the transfer of the substrate.

In the present embodiment, although, inFIG.3toFIG.6, the description has been given of the example in which the imprint processing is sequentially performed in the horizontal direction, the imprint processing may be performed in the vertical direction, or in the vertical and horizontal directions alternately. In the imprint processing performed in the vertical direction, the controller6selects a gas supply port located on the upstream side of the pattern region9ain the driving direction of the substrate bolding unit5from among the gas supply ports17cand17d.

When the gas supply port is selected, the gas may be supplied not only from one gas supply port located on the upstream side, but also from a gas supply port in the vicinity of the one gas supply port. Accordingly, the replacement gas at a sufficient concentration can be obtained more quickly.

Thus, in the imprint apparatus1, the replacement gas16is supplied to the space between the mold9and the substrate12by the gas supply unit4in order to suppress the occurrence of unfilled portions in the pattern of the imprint material11being formed on the substrate12.

At this time, even if the target shot region29exists at any position on the substrate12, control is performed such that the replacement gas16is supplied while the target shot region29is passing directly under the gas supply port as described above, and as a result, the concentration of the replacement gas16can be maintained at a sufficient concentration. Consequently, the imprint processing can be executed in a short time while maintaining a sufficient concentration for the replacement gas16even when imprinting is performed in the first shot region, or when imprinting is continuously performed while changing the driving direction over a plurality of shot regions.

As a result for using the imprint apparatus in the present embodiment, productivity in manufacturing articles such as microdevices including a semiconductor device and components having a microstructure is increased. A manufacturing method of a device (for example, a semiconductor device, a magnetic storage media, and a liquid crystal display device) as articles will be described.

Such a manufacturing method may include a step of forming a pattern of a mold on the surface of a substrate (for example, a wafer, a glass plate, and a film-like substrate) by using the imprint apparatus. The step of transferring a mold pattern may include a flattening step. Additionally, the substrate is not limited to a substrate made of a single base material and may include a substrate having a multilayer structure. The manufacturing method further includes a step of processing the substrate before or after the step of forming a pattern of a mold. For example, the processing step may include a step of removing a remaining film of the pattern and a developing step.

The manufacturing method may also include known steps such as a step of etching the substrate by using the pattern as a mask, a step of cutting a chip from the substrate (dicing), a step of placing the chip on the frame and electrically connecting it (bonding), and a step of sealing with a resin (molding). The article manufacturing method using the imprint apparatus 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.

In addition, as a part or the whole of the control according to this embodiment, a computer program realizing the function of the embodiment described above may be supplied to the imprint apparatus through a network or various storage media. Then, a computer (or a CPU, an MPU, or the like) of the imprint apparatus may be configured to read and execute the program. In such a case, the program and the storage medium storing the program configure the present invention.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-filed on Dec. 11, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.