US20050214398A1 - Assembly and method for transferring imprint lithography templates - Google Patents
Assembly and method for transferring imprint lithography templates Download PDFInfo
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- US20050214398A1 US20050214398A1 US10/437,476 US43747603A US2005214398A1 US 20050214398 A1 US20050214398 A1 US 20050214398A1 US 43747603 A US43747603 A US 43747603A US 2005214398 A1 US2005214398 A1 US 2005214398A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- template
- template transfer
- mold
- transfer substrate
- imprint material
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/0002—Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C43/00—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor
- B29C43/003—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor characterised by the choice of material
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y10/00—Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y40/00—Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C43/00—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor
- B29C43/02—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
- B29C43/021—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles characterised by the shape of the surface
- B29C2043/023—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles characterised by the shape of the surface having a plurality of grooves
- B29C2043/025—Compression moulding, i.e. applying external pressure to flow the moulding material; Apparatus therefor of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles characterised by the shape of the surface having a plurality of grooves forming a microstructure, i.e. fine patterning
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to imprint lithography. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an assembly and method to transfer templates during imprint lithography processes.
- Micro-fabrication techniques can produce structures having features on the order of nanometers. Micro-fabrication is used in a wide variety of applications, such as the manufacturing of integrated circuits (i.e. semiconductor processing), biotechnology, optical technology, mechanical systems, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (“MEMS”).
- integrated circuits i.e. semiconductor processing
- biotechnology i.e., biotechnology
- optical technology i.e., optical technology
- mechanical systems i.e. optical technology
- MEMS micro-electro-mechanical systems
- Imprint lithography is a type of micro-fabrication technique that is becoming increasingly important in semiconductor processing and other applications. Imprint lithography provides greater process control and reduction of the minimum feature dimension of the structures formed. This in turn provides higher production yields and more integrated circuits per wafer, for example.
- Micro-fabrication can be used to form a relief image on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer.
- the substrate typically has a transfer layer that is coated with a thin layer of polymerizable fluid, thermoplastic, or other imprint material capable of being formed (i.e. molded or imprinted) into a desired structure.
- a mold with a relief structure makes mechanical contact with the substrate and the polymerizable fluid or other imprint material fills the relief structure of the mold.
- the polymerizable fluid is then polymerized to form the desired structure on the transfer layer, which is complimentary to the relief structure of the mold.
- the transfer layer and the solidified polymeric material can then be etched to form a relief image in the transfer layer, or coated with a thin-film layer of other material, for example.
- Imprint lithography systems often use an imprint head with a mold, also called a template, which can be installed and removed from the imprint head. This allows the imprint lithography system to be used to imprint different patterns. In this manner, the imprint lithography system can be used to fabricate various types of circuits or other devices, or imprint various structures on a substrate.
- a mold also called a template
- a template transfer assembly and method features a template transfer substrate and a template having first and second sides, with the first side facing away from the template transfer substrate and the second side facing the template transfer substrate and having mold pattern formed thereon.
- Polymerized imprint material is disposed between the second side and the template transfer substrate to fixedly attach the template to the template transfer substrate.
- the method of transferring an imprint lithography template includes dispensing a selected volume of imprinting fluid onto the template transfer substrate, placing the template upon the selected volume and converting the imprinting fluid to solid imprint material.
- the selected volume of imprint material is of sufficient quantity to fixedly attach the template to the template transfer substrate while maintaining a space between the mold and the template transfer substrate.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imprint lithography system for practicing embodiments of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the imprint lithography system, shown in FIG. 1 , demonstrating the spatial relationship between the mold and the wafer having imprinting material disposed thereon;
- FIG. 3 is a simplified side view of the mold of FIG. 2 in contact with the imprinting layer
- FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of an imprinting layer, shown in FIG. 2 , patterned according to the template;
- FIG. 5 is a simplified side view of the lithographic system, shown in FIG. 1 , with a template transfer holder in a motion stage according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 6 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder of FIG. 5 in position to load the template in an imprint head;
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a template transfer holder of the template transfer system, shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the template transfer holder, shown in FIG. 7 , taken along lines 8 - 8 ;
- FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the template transfer holder, shown in FIG. 7 , taken along lines 9 - 9 , and having a template disposed therein;
- FIG. 10 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder, shown in FIG. 7 , taken along lines 10 - 10 ;
- FIG. 11 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder on a transfer substrate, shown in FIG. 5 , according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a simplified side view of a template transfer holder on a transfer substrate above the wafer chuck, shown in FIG. 5 , according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 13 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly that may be employed in the lithographic system, shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 , having a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with imprint material according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 14 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown in FIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 15 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown in FIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to a second embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 16 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown in FIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to a third alternate embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 17 is a simplified flow chart of a method of handling a template in a lithographic system, shown in FIGS. 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 , according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 18 is a simplified flow chart of a method of removing a template from an imprint head of a lithographic imprinting system, shown in FIG. 17 , according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 19 is a simplified flow chart of a method of installing a template from a template transfer substrate into an imprint head of a lithographic imprinting system, shown in FIG. 17 , according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imprint lithography system 10 for practicing embodiments of the present invention.
- a pair of spaced-apart bridge supports 12 having a bridge 14 and a stage support 16 extending therebetween.
- Bridge 14 and stage support 16 are spaced-apart.
- Coupled to bridge 14 is an imprint head 18 that extends from bridge 14 toward stage support 16 and may move along and/or rotate about, X, Y and/or Z axes.
- a motion stage 20 and a template transfer system 40 Disposed upon stage support 16 to face imprint head 18 .
- Motion stage 20 is configured to move with respect to stage support 16 along one or more degrees of freedom. For example, motion stage 20 may move along and/or rotate about, X, Y and/or Z axes.
- motion stage 20 holds a wafer 30 on a wafer chuck 21 , which is typically a vacuum chuck, and moves wafer 30 along the X and Y axes.
- a radiation source 22 is coupled to imprint lithography system 10 to impinge actinic radiation upon motion stage 20 .
- Radiation source 22 is coupled to bridge 14 and includes a power generator 23 connected to radiation source 22 .
- a template 26 is removably connected to imprint head 18 .
- Template 26 has first and second sides 26 a and 26 b .
- First side 26 a faces imprint head 18
- second side 26 b has a mold 28 thereon facing away from imprint head 18 toward wafer chuck 21 .
- Mold 28 generally includes a plurality of features defined by a plurality of spaced-apart recessions 28 a and protrusions 28 b , having a step height, h, on the order of nanometers (e.g. 100 nanometers).
- the plurality of features defines an original pattern that is to be transferred onto a wafer 30 positioned on motion stage 20 .
- a distance, d, between mold 28 and a surface 32 of wafer 30 may be varied.
- surface 32 may comprise of material from which wafer 30 is formed, including any native oxide formed thereon and/or one or more layers of material deposited on wafer 30 .
- Imprinting layer 34 is disposed on wafer 30 .
- Imprinting layer 34 is generally a selected volume of imprint material, such as polymerizable fluid, applied to wafer 30 , either as a plurality of spaced-apart beads 36 , as shown, or in a continuous film.
- Exemplary imprint material is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/178,947, filed Jun. 24, 2002 and entitled “Low Viscosity High Resolution Patterning Material”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- An exemplary method and system for depositing the imprint material is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/191,749, filed Jul. 2, 2002 and entitled “System and Method for Dispensing Liquids”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- Imprinting layer 34 is generally flowable when mold 28 is brought into contact with imprinting layer 34 by creating relative movement between the imprint head 18 , shown in FIG. 1 , and wafer 30 along the Z axis. In the present example, the relative movement is achieved by moving imprint head 18 along the Z axis.
- the imprint material flows to form a contiguous layer that fills mold 28 .
- the imprint material is then converted to a non-flowable (i.e. solid) state, such as by polymerization with actinic radiation, in the case of a polymerizable fluid imprint material, or by cooling, in the case of a thermoplastic imprint material.
- FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of imprinting layer 34 ′ patterned according to mold 28 .
- Mold 28 has been removed from imprinting layer 34 ′ by moving the imprint head 18 , shown in FIG. 1 , away from wafer 30 .
- a structure 28 ′ recorded in imprinting layer 34 ′ is produced, in part, by mechanical contact with mold 28 , and is generally an image of mold 28 . Wafer 30 with structure 28 ′ may then be further processed.
- Mold 28 has features sized according to the structure 28 ′ desired to be imprinted to imprinting layer 34 ′, which can be on the order of nanometers. It is important to protect mold 28 from physical damage and/or contamination so that the desired structure 28 ′ is obtained when imprinting substrates.
- Template 26 is removable from imprint head 18 of imprint lithography system 10 , shown in FIG. 1 . Another template can then be installed in imprint head 18 . For example, if template 26 wears out or is damaged, a replacement template may be installed, or a template with a different mold (i.e. structure or pattern) may be installed to imprint a different structure.
- Template 26 is removably secured to imprint head 18 with vacuum and/or mechanical means, such as pins or clips. Mechanical means are desirable to ensure retention of template 26 in imprint head 18 in the event of a vacuum failure or in the event that vacuum is turned off during processing. Mechanical means of securing template 26 in imprint head 18 may also be convenient when installing or removing template 26 .
- the template 26 is typically stored on template transfer system 40 so that first side 26 a faces imprint head 18 .
- template 26 and imprint head 18 are placed in very close proximity (e.g. 10's of microns or less) to one another so that the template 26 can be secured to imprint head 18 by vacuum and/or mechanical contact.
- Manual insertion of the template 26 into imprint head 18 is typically avoided due to the increased probability of damage to the template 26 and/or imprint head 18 , as well as the increased probability of contamination of the imprint lithography system 10 , particularly the motion stage 20 .
- Template transfer system 40 may be permanently affixed to motion stage 20 , or alternatively, may be removably mounted to motion stage 20 .
- An advantage of template transfer system 40 being permanently affixed to motion stage 20 is that the position of template transfer system 40 is precisely repeatable.
- An advantage of template transfer system 40 being removably attached to motion stage 20 is that template transfer system 40 may be removed after installing template 26 into imprint head 18 , which reduces the mass of motion stage 20 and therefore does not affect stage performance during imprinting.
- sensors and vacuum conduits might be more easily implemented if template transfer system 40 is permanently affixed to motion stage 20 , and would not require attachment or alignment mechanisms to repeatedly install template transfer system 40 on motion stage 20 .
- template transfer system 40 be located in a position on motion stage 20 that allows template transfer system 40 to be brought to a convenient position for loading template 26 into template transfer system 40 , and then to be brought underneath imprint head 18 without compromising wafer imprinting.
- Many motion stages have a range of motion greater than the range required to imprint the entire surface of a wafer 30 , shown in FIG. 1 , mounted on wafer chuck 21 , and allow mounting template transfer system 40 on a portion of motion stage 20 that is accessible by imprint head 18 , but that does not interfere with wafer imprinting.
- FIG. 6 shown is a simplified side view of template transfer system 40 of FIG. 5 , in position to load template 26 in imprint head 18 .
- motion stage 20 has been moved so that template 26 in template transfer system 40 is beneath imprint head 18 .
- Imprint head 18 includes a pocket 42 or other structure for receiving template 26 . Vacuum and/or mechanical retention means for holding template 26 in imprint head 18 are omitted for simplicity of illustration. Imprint head 18 and template 26 are placed in close proximity to one another, and template 26 is securely retained in imprint head 18 .
- template 26 After loading template 26 into imprint head 18 , the relative positions of imprint head 18 and motion stage 20 are established to imprint a wafer (not shown) loaded onto wafer chuck 21 . Upon completion of imprinting processes, template 26 may be removed from imprint head 18 by reversing the sequence of loading steps, and load another template into imprint head 18 , if desired.
- template transfer system 40 includes a template transfer holder 40 a and, optionally, a template transfer gimbal 40 b .
- Template transfer gimbal 40 b allows angular movement of template transfer holder 40 a about three orthogonal axes.
- Template transfer holder 40 a includes a body 50 having a plurality of tines 52 extending from a common side 54 of body 50 . Also protruding from side 54 is a plurality of compliant members 56 , each of which has a throughway 58 . Throughway 58 is in fluid communication with a channel 60 , shown in FIG. 8 , extending from side 54 into body 50 . A central channel 62 is in fluid communication with one or more exit channels 64 that have couplings 66 connected to a side 68 of body 50 disposed opposite to side 54 . Couplings 66 facilitate connecting channels 60 to a pump system 70 via elastic tubing 67 coupled between channels 60 and couplings 66 . Pump system 70 may create vacuum or positive pressure, dependent upon the application.
- each of tines 52 includes an oblique surface 52 a that is substantially smooth.
- Oblique surface 52 a extends from a first end 52 b of tine 52 , disposed opposite to side 54 and extends toward a second end 52 c of tine 52 positioned between oblique surface 52 a and end 52 b .
- End 52 c is coupled to, or integrally formed with, a resilient member 53 coupled between body 50 and tine 52 .
- Side 54 extends from end 52 b and angles inwardly toward the tine 52 disposed on an opposite edge of body 50 . In this manner, a length l 1 between ends 52 b of opposed tines 52 is greater than a length l 2 between ends 52 c of opposed tines 52 .
- resilient member 53 includes a body 53 a having a void 53 b formed therein.
- a detent 53 c is positioned proximate to end 52 c and extends therefrom to selectively contact a perimeter region 26 d of template 26 .
- a gap 53 d In superimposition with detent 53 c is a gap 53 d extending through body 53 a into void 53 b to facilitate bending of resilient member 53 about pivot point 53 e .
- Pivot point 53 e is positioned substantially opposite to gap 53 d , and a moment arm 53 f extends between detent 53 c and pivot point 53 e . Tine 52 rests upon moment arm 53 f.
- tines 52 function to guide template 26 onto template transfer holder 40 a , shown in FIG. 1 , so as to minimize frictional contact with template 26 .
- tines 52 shown in FIG. 7 , are formed from a compound having minimal friction, such as a Teflon®-containing material, e.g., a PTFE-filled Acetal.
- An exemplary material is sold under the tradename Delrin AF®, available from DuPont®.
- Resilient members 53 are structured to allow tines 52 to bend toward template 26 and clamp against template edge 26 c to center template 26 on transfer template holder 40 a.
- compliant members 56 are formed from Delrin AF® and include a suction cup 56 a and a detent 56 b disposed opposite to suction cup 56 a .
- Body 50 includes a chamber 55 in which a boss 56 c is disposed, with detent 56 b being disposed in chamber 55 resting on boss 56 c .
- the volume of chamber 55 is greater than the volume of either detent 56 b or boss 56 c , allowing the same to move freely within chamber 55 along three orthogonal axes.
- Chamber 55 includes an opening 55 a disposed in side 54 through which a sub-portion of compliant member 56 passes to allow suction cup 56 a to extend from side 54 .
- the cross section of opening 55 a is less than a cross section of boss 56 c .
- the region of body 50 surrounding opening 55 a forms a bearing surface 55 b against which boss 56 c bears when a vacuum is applied to template 26 .
- Boss 56 c is coupled to a channel 60 that extends through chamber 55 .
- Detent 56 b is resiliently biased against a portion of boss 56 c positioned proximate to opening 55 a . In this manner, compliant member 56 , boss 56 c and channel 60 move as a unit within chamber 55 .
- boss 56 c rests against a bushing 56 d disposed in chamber 55 to maintain boss 56 c within chamber 55 .
- An interface 56 e of a surface of boss 56 c and a surface of bushing 56 d has a frusto-conical shape that is symmetrical about an axis 55 c of chamber 55 .
- the frusto-conical shape of interface 56 e centers suction cup 56 a with respect to chamber 55 .
- tubing 67 functions as a dead weight under force of gravity g, pulling channel 60 downwardly.
- pump system 70 operates to evacuate central channel 62 , thereby exerting a compression force between compliant member 56 and template 26 .
- boss 56 c urges boss 56 c against bearing surface 55 b . Once boss 56 c bears against bearing surface 55 b , movement along Z axis is minimized, if not prevented. However, boss 56 c may still move along the X and Y axes.
- a perimeter region 26 d of template 26 bears against detent 53 c and moves along the Z axis about pivot point 53 e .
- Member arm 53 f cantilevers toward surface 52 a causing end tines 52 to move inwardly toward template 26 until template edge 26 c is compressed by ends 52 c .
- Each of tines 52 is arranged to move approximately the same extent as the remaining tines 52 on body 50 .
- the free movement of detent 56 b and boss 56 c along X and Y axes, as well as the movement of tines 52 results in template 26 being placed at a predefined location on body 50 , each time template 26 is loaded thereon.
- template 26 is centered on body 50 . This is referred to as the final seating position.
- mold 28 In the final seating position, mold 28 is spaced-apart from side 54 .
- gap 53 d is provided with a height h 1
- mold 28 extends from side 26 b having a height, h 2 . Heights h 1 and h 2 are established to ensure that upon reaching the final seating position mold 28 does not contact surface 52 a .
- the structural integrity of mold 28 is preserved, while allowing template 26 to be removed and inserted into template transfer holder 40 a with imprint head 18 , shown in FIG. 1 .
- Template transfer system 140 includes a transfer substrate 144 , and template 126 may be affixed thereto using imprint material, discussed more fully below.
- Transfer substrate 144 can be made from any of a variety of materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel, glass, ceramic, silicon and the like. Further, the transfer substrate 144 may be bigger or smaller than the production wafers (substrates) that will be imprinted.
- a transfer substrate 144 that is the same size as production wafers enables using the alignment structure on wafer chuck 21 , normally used for production wafers. With this configuration, transfer substrate 144 is compatible for use with existing wafer handling systems, e.g., robots, cassettes and the like. This is beneficial because template 126 and transfer substrate 144 may be manipulated using a wafer handling system, instead of manually.
- Template transfer system 140 can be located anywhere on transfer substrate 144 accessible by the imprint head 18 . Motion stage 20 does not need additional motion range to position template transfer system 140 under imprint head 18 . Contamination of wafer chuck 21 by the backside of transfer substrate 144 may be reduced by proper handling of transfer substrate 144 .
- FIGS. 1 and 12 shown is a simplified side view of a template transfer system 240 on a transfer substrate 244 spaced-apart from wafer chuck 21 , according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- the position of template 226 and template transfer substrate 244 may be fixed employing imprint material, discussed more fully below.
- Legs 246 support transfer substrate 244 above wafer chuck 21 , thereby avoiding contamination of the surface of wafer chuck 21 from contact with the backside of transfer substrate 244 (i.e. the side opposite template transfer system 240 ).
- legs 246 that extend from transfer substrate 244 onto a perimeter region of wafer chuck 21 , or a perimeter ledge or other structure, are used to support transfer substrate 244 above wafer chuck 21 .
- Template transfer assembly 340 having template 326 coupled to a template transfer substrate 344 with solid imprint material 334 , according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- Template transfer substrate 344 could be a process wafer, for example.
- Template 326 is stored on template transfer substrate 344 when not in use, and template 326 can be loaded from template transfer substrate 344 into imprint head 18 .
- template transfer substrate 344 is mounted on wafer chuck 21 .
- a selected volume of imprinting material is applied in a fluid state to the region of template transfer substrate 344 that template 326 will be attached to.
- the volume of fluid may be less than, the same as, or greater than the volume of imprinting material that would be used to imprint a production wafer.
- Template 326 is brought into contact with the imprinting material, and the imprinting material is polymerized or otherwise solidified fixedly affixing template 326 to template transfer substrate 344 .
- vacuum and/or mechanical retaining means may be deactivated to release template 326 from the imprint head 18 .
- Template 326 adheres to template transfer substrate 344 with solid imprint material 334 , and may be moved therewith to a remote storage location.
- template transfer substrate 344 may be left on the wafer chuck 21 and template 326 is removed from or retained in the imprint head 18 .
- solid imprint material 334 protects the mold pattern 328 on template 326 when not in use.
- Solid imprint material 334 seals template 326 from contamination and the mold pattern 328 on the face of template 326 is protected from damage. This may be achieved by covering the entire area of mold pattern 328 with the imprint material 334 , thereby hermetically sealing mold pattern 328 .
- template transfer substrate 344 is reworked by removing solid imprint material 334 from template transfer substrate 344 . Process wafers rejected before imprinting are often convenient for use as template transfer substrates 344 .
- template transfer holder 440 may include having imprinting material 434 applied to a sub-portion 428 a of mold pattern 428 .
- the imprint material 434 is applied in sufficient quantity to allow sub-portion 428 a to be spaced-apart from both the template transfer substrate 444 and the imprint material 434 .
- sub-portion 428 a may be encapsulated, e.g., hermetically sealed so that the only atmosphere to which mold pattern 428 is exposed is present in volume 434 a to which sub-portion 428 a is exposed. This prevents ingress of contamination into sub-portion 428 a of mold pattern 428 during storage.
- template transfer substrate 444 When it is desired to store template 426 , the same may be attached to template transfer substrate 444 with solid imprint material 434 to fixedly attach template transfer substrate 444 to template 426 .
- template transfer substrate 444 having imprinting material 434 , is loaded onto the wafer chuck 21 and template 426 is moved to a position underneath the imprint head 18 (if not already loaded). Relative movement between the imprint head 18 and template 426 is achieved to reduce the spacing therebetween, placing the imprint head 18 and the template 426 in close proximity or contact.
- the template 426 is secured to the imprint head 18 by means of a vacuum and/or mechanical coupling.
- the imprint head 18 along with template 426 is placed in superimposition with template transfer substrate 444 . Thereafter, contact is made between template 426 and imprint material 434 present on template transfer substrate 444 .
- the imprint material 434 is then solidified, as discussed above, securely affixing template 426 to template transfer substrate 444 .
- FIG. 15 shown is a simplified cross section of a template transfer holder 540 having a template 526 coupled to the template transfer substrate 544 with a perimeter of solid imprint material 534 according to another embodiment of the present invention to fixedly attach template transfer substrate 544 to template 526 .
- the entire mold pattern 528 may be encapsulated, e.g., hermetically sealed as discussed above with respect to FIG. 14 .
- template 526 may, optionally, include a perimeter mesa 536 that forms a perimeter recess 537 around the mold pattern 528 .
- Imprint material 534 does not adhere to a mold pattern 528 on template 526 , thus facilitating mold fidelity.
- a selected volume of imprinting material 534 is applied in a fluid state to a surface 531 of template transfer substrate 544 .
- the imprinting material 534 may be applied to a selected area (e.g. an area corresponding to the perimeter of template 526 ), or the volume of imprinting material 534 is selected to adhere to the perimeter mesa 536 only, and to not fill in areas of mold pattern 528 on template 526 .
- Recess 537 prevents fluid imprinting material 534 from reaching mold pattern 528 when mechanical contact is made between the imprinting material 534 and template 526 .
- FIG. 16 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly 640 having a template 626 , a mesa 636 and a major surface 626 a disposed opposite to the mesa 636 .
- a mold pattern 628 is included on the mesa 636 as having grooves 628 a and protrusions 628 b .
- the grooves 628 a include a nadir surface 628 c and the protrusions 628 b include an apex surface 628 d .
- a surface 638 circumscribes, if not all, then a subset of the grooves 628 a and the protrusions 628 b .
- nadir surfaces 628 c are spaced apart from major surface 626 a a first distance d 1
- one or more apex surfaces 628 d are spaced-apart from major surface 626 a a second distance, d 2
- Surface 638 is spaced apart from major surface 626 a a third distance, d 3
- Mesa 636 is defined by ensuring third distance d 3 differs from both first and second distances, d 1 and d 2 . In the specific example, distance d 3 is less than either of distances d 1 and d 2 .
- Imprinting material 634 is disposed in regions between surface 638 and surface 631 of template transfer substrate 644 .
- imprint material 634 may be employed to maintain a fixed position between template 626 and template transfer substrate 644 without imprint material 634 contacting mold pattern 628 on template 626 . Additionally, imprinting material 634 may be disposed so as to encapsulate mold pattern 628 , e.g., hermetically seal the same, as discussed above. In this manner, mold pattern 628 is protected from physical damage and contamination.
- a selected volume of imprinting material 634 is applied in a fluid state to a surface 631 of template transfer substrate 644 .
- the imprinting material 634 is applied to a region of surface 631 that will be in superimposition with surface 638 .
- the volume of imprinting material 634 typically selected is sufficient to adhere template 626 to the template transfer substrate 644 so that mold pattern 628 is spaced-apart from surface 631 .
- imprinting material 634 may circumscribe mold pattern 628 , thereby encapsulating the same to prevent contamination by particulate matter.
- template 26 is loaded onto template transfer system 40 at step 702 .
- Template 26 is moved to a position beneath an imprint head 18 at step 704 and the spacing between the imprint head 18 and template 26 is reduced at step 706 to place the imprint head 18 in close proximity, or in contact, with the template 26 .
- the template 26 is secured to the imprint head 18 at step 708 , and the distance between template transfer holder 40 a and imprint head 18 is increased at step 710 .
- the template transfer holder 40 a is moved to a second position that is not beneath the imprint head 18 at step 712 .
- the template transfer holder 40 a is removed from the motion stage 20 at step 714 and a process wafer 30 is loaded on a wafer chuck 21 of the motion stage 20 for imprinting with the template 26 .
- a process wafer 30 is loaded on a wafer chuck 21 of the motion stage 20 for imprinting with the template 26 .
- FIG. 18 is a simplified flow chart of a method 720 of removing a template 26 , shown in FIG. 1 , from an imprint head 18 in an imprint lithography system 10 , according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- a template transfer substrate such as template transfer substrates 144 , 244 , 344 , 444 , 544 and 644 , shown in FIGS. 11, 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 , respectively, may be employed.
- the present example is discussed with respect to template transfer substrate 444 , shown in FIG. 14 , and applies with equal weight to the aforementioned template transfer substrates.
- template transfer substrate 444 is loaded onto a wafer chuck 21 in imprint lithography system 10 .
- a selected volume of imprinting fluid is dispensed onto the surface of the template transfer substrate 444 at step 724 .
- Relative movement between the imprint head 18 holding a template 26 and the template transfer substrate 444 is achieved so that the template 26 contacts the imprinting fluid at step 726 .
- the imprinting fluid is converted to solid imprint material at step 728 .
- the template 26 is released from the imprint head 18 (e.g. by turning off the securing means and raising the imprint head 18 ) and the template transfer substrate 444 with the attached template 26 is removed from the wafer chuck 21 and transferred to a storage location at step 730 .
- the template 26 remains attached to the template transfer substrate 444 on the wafer chuck 21 and the imprint head 18 and the template 26 are arranged to be spaced-apart at step 730 a .
- the template 26 is left in the imprint head 18 attached to the template transfer substrate 444 for storage on the wafer chuck 21 at step 730 b.
- FIG. 19 is a simplified flow chart of a method 740 of installing a template 26 , shown in FIG. 1 , from a template transfer substrate 444 , shown in FIG. 14 , into an imprint head 18 of an imprint lithography system 10 , according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
- a template transfer substrate 444 with a template 26 adhered to the template transfer substrate 444 with imprint material 434 is provided at step 742 .
- the template transfer substrate 444 is loaded onto a wafer chuck 21 of a wafer 30 in imprint lithography system 10 at step 744 .
- the template transfer substrate 444 is already on the wafer chuck 21 , as when the template 26 is stored in this fashion between uses.
- the wafer chuck 21 is moved to position the template 26 beneath an imprint head 18 of the wafer 30 in imprint lithography system 10 at step 746 .
- a template 26 stored on a template transfer substrate 444 is already beneath the imprint head 18 . Relative movement between the imprint head 18 and the template 26 is achieved to place the imprint head 18 and template 26 in close proximity or contact at step 748 .
- the template 26 is secured to the imprint head 18 at step 750 .
- the distance between imprint head 18 and template transfer substrate 444 is increased at step 752 , releasing the template 26 from the imprint material 434 .
- the template transfer substrate 444 is removed from the wafer chuck 21 and a process wafer 30 may then be loaded onto the wafer chuck 21 for imprinting with the template 26 .
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates generally to imprint lithography. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an assembly and method to transfer templates during imprint lithography processes.
- Micro-fabrication techniques can produce structures having features on the order of nanometers. Micro-fabrication is used in a wide variety of applications, such as the manufacturing of integrated circuits (i.e. semiconductor processing), biotechnology, optical technology, mechanical systems, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (“MEMS”).
- Imprint lithography is a type of micro-fabrication technique that is becoming increasingly important in semiconductor processing and other applications. Imprint lithography provides greater process control and reduction of the minimum feature dimension of the structures formed. This in turn provides higher production yields and more integrated circuits per wafer, for example.
- Micro-fabrication can be used to form a relief image on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. The substrate typically has a transfer layer that is coated with a thin layer of polymerizable fluid, thermoplastic, or other imprint material capable of being formed (i.e. molded or imprinted) into a desired structure. A mold with a relief structure makes mechanical contact with the substrate and the polymerizable fluid or other imprint material fills the relief structure of the mold. The polymerizable fluid is then polymerized to form the desired structure on the transfer layer, which is complimentary to the relief structure of the mold. The transfer layer and the solidified polymeric material can then be etched to form a relief image in the transfer layer, or coated with a thin-film layer of other material, for example.
- Imprint lithography systems often use an imprint head with a mold, also called a template, which can be installed and removed from the imprint head. This allows the imprint lithography system to be used to imprint different patterns. In this manner, the imprint lithography system can be used to fabricate various types of circuits or other devices, or imprint various structures on a substrate.
- To ensure high resolution imprinting it is generally desirable to minimize handling of the template in order to avoid damage to the template and contamination to the template and imprint lithography system with dust or other particulates. To that end, there is a need to store, load, and unload templates in a manner that avoids physical damage to the relief pattern of the mold and contamination to the template and imprint lithography system.
- A template transfer assembly and method features a template transfer substrate and a template having first and second sides, with the first side facing away from the template transfer substrate and the second side facing the template transfer substrate and having mold pattern formed thereon. Polymerized imprint material is disposed between the second side and the template transfer substrate to fixedly attach the template to the template transfer substrate. The method of transferring an imprint lithography template includes dispensing a selected volume of imprinting fluid onto the template transfer substrate, placing the template upon the selected volume and converting the imprinting fluid to solid imprint material. The selected volume of imprint material is of sufficient quantity to fixedly attach the template to the template transfer substrate while maintaining a space between the mold and the template transfer substrate. These and other embodiments are described more fully below.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imprint lithography system for practicing embodiments of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the imprint lithography system, shown inFIG. 1 , demonstrating the spatial relationship between the mold and the wafer having imprinting material disposed thereon; -
FIG. 3 is a simplified side view of the mold ofFIG. 2 in contact with the imprinting layer; -
FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of an imprinting layer, shown inFIG. 2 , patterned according to the template; -
FIG. 5 is a simplified side view of the lithographic system, shown inFIG. 1 , with a template transfer holder in a motion stage according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder ofFIG. 5 in position to load the template in an imprint head; -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a template transfer holder of the template transfer system, shown inFIGS. 1, 5 and 6, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the template transfer holder, shown inFIG. 7 , taken along lines 8-8; -
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the template transfer holder, shown inFIG. 7 , taken along lines 9-9, and having a template disposed therein; -
FIG. 10 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder, shown inFIG. 7 , taken along lines 10-10; -
FIG. 11 is a simplified side view of the template transfer holder on a transfer substrate, shown inFIG. 5 , according to another embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 12 is a simplified side view of a template transfer holder on a transfer substrate above the wafer chuck, shown inFIG. 5 , according to another embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 13 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly that may be employed in the lithographic system, shown inFIGS. 1 and 5 , having a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with imprint material according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 14 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown inFIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 15 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown inFIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to a second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 16 is a simplified cross section of a template transfer assembly, shown inFIG. 13 , with a template coupled to a template transfer substrate with a perimeter of imprint material according to a third alternate embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 17 is a simplified flow chart of a method of handling a template in a lithographic system, shown inFIGS. 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 18 is a simplified flow chart of a method of removing a template from an imprint head of a lithographic imprinting system, shown inFIG. 17 , according to another embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 19 is a simplified flow chart of a method of installing a template from a template transfer substrate into an imprint head of a lithographic imprinting system, shown inFIG. 17 , according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of animprint lithography system 10 for practicing embodiments of the present invention. A pair of spaced-apart bridge supports 12 having abridge 14 and astage support 16 extending therebetween.Bridge 14 andstage support 16 are spaced-apart. Coupled tobridge 14 is animprint head 18 that extends frombridge 14 towardstage support 16 and may move along and/or rotate about, X, Y and/or Z axes. Disposed uponstage support 16 to faceimprint head 18 is amotion stage 20 and atemplate transfer system 40.Motion stage 20 is configured to move with respect tostage support 16 along one or more degrees of freedom. For example,motion stage 20 may move along and/or rotate about, X, Y and/or Z axes. In the present example,motion stage 20 holds awafer 30 on awafer chuck 21, which is typically a vacuum chuck, andmoves wafer 30 along the X and Y axes. Aradiation source 22 is coupled toimprint lithography system 10 to impinge actinic radiation uponmotion stage 20.Radiation source 22 is coupled tobridge 14 and includes apower generator 23 connected toradiation source 22. - Referring to both
FIGS. 1 and 2 , atemplate 26 is removably connected toimprint head 18.Template 26 has first andsecond sides First side 26 afaces imprint head 18, andsecond side 26 b has amold 28 thereon facing away fromimprint head 18 towardwafer chuck 21.Mold 28 generally includes a plurality of features defined by a plurality of spaced-apart recessions 28 a andprotrusions 28 b, having a step height, h, on the order of nanometers (e.g. 100 nanometers). The plurality of features defines an original pattern that is to be transferred onto awafer 30 positioned onmotion stage 20. To that end, a distance, d, betweenmold 28 and asurface 32 ofwafer 30 may be varied. It should be understood thatsurface 32 may comprise of material from whichwafer 30 is formed, including any native oxide formed thereon and/or one or more layers of material deposited onwafer 30. - An
imprinting layer 34 is disposed onwafer 30.Imprinting layer 34 is generally a selected volume of imprint material, such as polymerizable fluid, applied to wafer 30, either as a plurality of spaced-apart beads 36, as shown, or in a continuous film. Exemplary imprint material is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/178,947, filed Jun. 24, 2002 and entitled “Low Viscosity High Resolution Patterning Material”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. An exemplary method and system for depositing the imprint material is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/191,749, filed Jul. 2, 2002 and entitled “System and Method for Dispensing Liquids”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , a simplified side view ofmold 28 is shown in contact withimprinting layer 34. Imprintinglayer 34 is generally flowable whenmold 28 is brought into contact withimprinting layer 34 by creating relative movement between theimprint head 18, shown inFIG. 1 , andwafer 30 along the Z axis. In the present example, the relative movement is achieved by movingimprint head 18 along the Z axis. The imprint material flows to form a contiguous layer that fillsmold 28. The imprint material is then converted to a non-flowable (i.e. solid) state, such as by polymerization with actinic radiation, in the case of a polymerizable fluid imprint material, or by cooling, in the case of a thermoplastic imprint material. -
FIG. 4 is a simplified side view ofimprinting layer 34′ patterned according tomold 28.Mold 28 has been removed from imprintinglayer 34′ by moving theimprint head 18, shown inFIG. 1 , away fromwafer 30. Astructure 28′ recorded inimprinting layer 34′ is produced, in part, by mechanical contact withmold 28, and is generally an image ofmold 28.Wafer 30 withstructure 28′ may then be further processed. -
Mold 28 has features sized according to thestructure 28′ desired to be imprinted toimprinting layer 34′, which can be on the order of nanometers. It is important to protectmold 28 from physical damage and/or contamination so that the desiredstructure 28′ is obtained when imprinting substrates.Template 26 is removable fromimprint head 18 ofimprint lithography system 10, shown inFIG. 1 . Another template can then be installed inimprint head 18. For example, iftemplate 26 wears out or is damaged, a replacement template may be installed, or a template with a different mold (i.e. structure or pattern) may be installed to imprint a different structure. -
Template 26 is removably secured toimprint head 18 with vacuum and/or mechanical means, such as pins or clips. Mechanical means are desirable to ensure retention oftemplate 26 inimprint head 18 in the event of a vacuum failure or in the event that vacuum is turned off during processing. Mechanical means of securingtemplate 26 inimprint head 18 may also be convenient when installing or removingtemplate 26. - To facilitate
coupling template 26 toimprint head 18, thetemplate 26 is typically stored ontemplate transfer system 40 so thatfirst side 26 afaces imprint head 18. When coupling togethertemplate 26 andimprint head 18,template 26 andimprint head 18 are placed in very close proximity (e.g. 10's of microns or less) to one another so that thetemplate 26 can be secured toimprint head 18 by vacuum and/or mechanical contact. Manual insertion of thetemplate 26 intoimprint head 18 is typically avoided due to the increased probability of damage to thetemplate 26 and/orimprint head 18, as well as the increased probability of contamination of theimprint lithography system 10, particularly themotion stage 20. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , shown is a simplified side view of a portion ofimprint lithography system 10, shown inFIG. 1 , withtemplate transfer system 40 on amotion stage 20, according to an embodiment of the present invention.Template transfer system 40 may be permanently affixed tomotion stage 20, or alternatively, may be removably mounted tomotion stage 20. An advantage oftemplate transfer system 40 being permanently affixed tomotion stage 20 is that the position oftemplate transfer system 40 is precisely repeatable. An advantage oftemplate transfer system 40 being removably attached tomotion stage 20 is thattemplate transfer system 40 may be removed after installingtemplate 26 intoimprint head 18, which reduces the mass ofmotion stage 20 and therefore does not affect stage performance during imprinting. Similarly, sensors and vacuum conduits might be more easily implemented iftemplate transfer system 40 is permanently affixed tomotion stage 20, and would not require attachment or alignment mechanisms to repeatedly installtemplate transfer system 40 onmotion stage 20. - It is generally desirable that
template transfer system 40 be located in a position onmotion stage 20 that allowstemplate transfer system 40 to be brought to a convenient position for loadingtemplate 26 intotemplate transfer system 40, and then to be brought underneathimprint head 18 without compromising wafer imprinting. Many motion stages have a range of motion greater than the range required to imprint the entire surface of awafer 30, shown inFIG. 1 , mounted onwafer chuck 21, and allow mountingtemplate transfer system 40 on a portion ofmotion stage 20 that is accessible byimprint head 18, but that does not interfere with wafer imprinting. - Referring to
FIG. 6 , shown is a simplified side view oftemplate transfer system 40 ofFIG. 5 , in position to loadtemplate 26 inimprint head 18. To that end,motion stage 20 has been moved so thattemplate 26 intemplate transfer system 40 is beneathimprint head 18.Imprint head 18 includes apocket 42 or other structure for receivingtemplate 26. Vacuum and/or mechanical retention means for holdingtemplate 26 inimprint head 18 are omitted for simplicity of illustration.Imprint head 18 andtemplate 26 are placed in close proximity to one another, andtemplate 26 is securely retained inimprint head 18. - After loading
template 26 intoimprint head 18, the relative positions ofimprint head 18 andmotion stage 20 are established to imprint a wafer (not shown) loaded ontowafer chuck 21. Upon completion of imprinting processes,template 26 may be removed fromimprint head 18 by reversing the sequence of loading steps, and load another template intoimprint head 18, if desired. - Referring to
FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, important characteristics demonstrated bytemplate transfer system 40 is to prevent movement oftemplate 26 when housed therein, as well as to preventmold pattern 28 from being damaged and minimize particulate contamination as a result of movement of thetemplate 26 to and fromtemplate transfer system 40. To that end,template transfer system 40 includes atemplate transfer holder 40 a and, optionally, atemplate transfer gimbal 40 b.Template transfer gimbal 40 b allows angular movement oftemplate transfer holder 40 a about three orthogonal axes. -
Template transfer holder 40 a includes abody 50 having a plurality oftines 52 extending from acommon side 54 ofbody 50. Also protruding fromside 54 is a plurality ofcompliant members 56, each of which has athroughway 58.Throughway 58 is in fluid communication with achannel 60, shown inFIG. 8 , extending fromside 54 intobody 50. Acentral channel 62 is in fluid communication with one ormore exit channels 64 that havecouplings 66 connected to aside 68 ofbody 50 disposed opposite toside 54.Couplings 66 facilitate connectingchannels 60 to apump system 70 viaelastic tubing 67 coupled betweenchannels 60 andcouplings 66.Pump system 70 may create vacuum or positive pressure, dependent upon the application. - Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8 , each oftines 52 includes anoblique surface 52 a that is substantially smooth.Oblique surface 52 a extends from afirst end 52 b oftine 52, disposed opposite toside 54 and extends toward asecond end 52 c oftine 52 positioned betweenoblique surface 52 a and end 52 b.End 52 c is coupled to, or integrally formed with, aresilient member 53 coupled betweenbody 50 andtine 52.Side 54 extends fromend 52 b and angles inwardly toward thetine 52 disposed on an opposite edge ofbody 50. In this manner, a length l1 between ends 52 b ofopposed tines 52 is greater than a length l2 between ends 52 c ofopposed tines 52. The dimensions of l2 are established to be slightly larger than thetemplate 26, shown more clearly inFIG. 9 . Referring to bothFIGS. 8 and 9 ,resilient member 53 includes abody 53 a having a void 53 b formed therein. Adetent 53 c is positioned proximate to end 52 c and extends therefrom to selectively contact aperimeter region 26 d oftemplate 26. In superimposition withdetent 53 c is agap 53 d extending throughbody 53 a intovoid 53 b to facilitate bending ofresilient member 53 aboutpivot point 53 e.Pivot point 53 e is positioned substantially opposite to gap 53 d, and amoment arm 53 f extends betweendetent 53 c andpivot point 53 e.Tine 52 rests uponmoment arm 53 f. - Referring to both
FIGS. 8 and 9 , oblique surfaces 52 a function to guidetemplate 26 ontotemplate transfer holder 40 a, shown inFIG. 1 , so as to minimize frictional contact withtemplate 26. To that end,tines 52, shown inFIG. 7 , are formed from a compound having minimal friction, such as a Teflon®-containing material, e.g., a PTFE-filled Acetal. An exemplary material is sold under the tradename Delrin AF®, available from DuPont®.Resilient members 53 are structured to allowtines 52 to bend towardtemplate 26 and clamp against template edge 26 c to centertemplate 26 ontransfer template holder 40 a. - Referring to
FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, to facilitate clamping oftemplate 26 bytines 52, shown inFIG. 7 ,compliant members 56 are formed from Delrin AF® and include asuction cup 56 a and adetent 56 b disposed opposite tosuction cup 56 a.Body 50 includes achamber 55 in which aboss 56 c is disposed, withdetent 56 b being disposed inchamber 55 resting onboss 56 c. The volume ofchamber 55 is greater than the volume of eitherdetent 56 b orboss 56 c, allowing the same to move freely withinchamber 55 along three orthogonal axes.Chamber 55 includes anopening 55 a disposed inside 54 through which a sub-portion ofcompliant member 56 passes to allowsuction cup 56 a to extend fromside 54. However, the cross section of opening 55 a is less than a cross section ofboss 56 c. As a result, the region ofbody 50 surroundingopening 55 a forms a bearingsurface 55 b against whichboss 56 c bears when a vacuum is applied totemplate 26.Boss 56 c is coupled to achannel 60 that extends throughchamber 55.Detent 56 b is resiliently biased against a portion ofboss 56 c positioned proximate to opening 55 a. In this manner,compliant member 56,boss 56 c andchannel 60 move as a unit withinchamber 55. In the absence of a vacuum,boss 56 c rests against abushing 56 d disposed inchamber 55 to maintainboss 56 c withinchamber 55. Aninterface 56 e of a surface ofboss 56 c and a surface ofbushing 56 d has a frusto-conical shape that is symmetrical about anaxis 55 c ofchamber 55. The frusto-conical shape ofinterface 56 ecenters suction cup 56 a with respect tochamber 55. To that end,tubing 67 functions as a dead weight under force of gravity g, pullingchannel 60 downwardly. Upon application of a vacuum totemplate 26,pump system 70 operates to evacuatecentral channel 62, thereby exerting a compression force betweencompliant member 56 andtemplate 26. The compression force urgesboss 56 c against bearingsurface 55 b. Onceboss 56 c bears against bearingsurface 55 b, movement along Z axis is minimized, if not prevented. However,boss 56 c may still move along the X and Y axes. - As a result of compression of
template 26 againstcompliant members 56, aperimeter region 26 d oftemplate 26 bears againstdetent 53 c and moves along the Z axis aboutpivot point 53 e.Member arm 53 f cantilevers towardsurface 52 a causingend tines 52 to move inwardly towardtemplate 26 until template edge 26 c is compressed by ends 52 c. Each oftines 52 is arranged to move approximately the same extent as the remainingtines 52 onbody 50. The free movement ofdetent 56 b andboss 56 c along X and Y axes, as well as the movement oftines 52, results intemplate 26 being placed at a predefined location onbody 50, eachtime template 26 is loaded thereon. In the present example,template 26 is centered onbody 50. This is referred to as the final seating position. In the final seating position,mold 28 is spaced-apart fromside 54. To that end,gap 53 d is provided with a height h1, andmold 28 extends fromside 26 b having a height, h2. Heights h1 and h2 are established to ensure that upon reaching the finalseating position mold 28 does not contactsurface 52 a. Thus, the structural integrity ofmold 28 is preserved, while allowingtemplate 26 to be removed and inserted intotemplate transfer holder 40 a withimprint head 18, shown inFIG. 1 . - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 11 , shown is a simplified side view of atemplate transfer system 140 that is removably mounted tomotion stage 20.Template transfer system 140 includes atransfer substrate 144, andtemplate 126 may be affixed thereto using imprint material, discussed more fully below.Transfer substrate 144 can be made from any of a variety of materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel, glass, ceramic, silicon and the like. Further, thetransfer substrate 144 may be bigger or smaller than the production wafers (substrates) that will be imprinted. Atransfer substrate 144 that is the same size as production wafers enables using the alignment structure onwafer chuck 21, normally used for production wafers. With this configuration,transfer substrate 144 is compatible for use with existing wafer handling systems, e.g., robots, cassettes and the like. This is beneficial becausetemplate 126 andtransfer substrate 144 may be manipulated using a wafer handling system, instead of manually. -
Template transfer system 140 can be located anywhere ontransfer substrate 144 accessible by theimprint head 18.Motion stage 20 does not need additional motion range to positiontemplate transfer system 140 underimprint head 18. Contamination ofwafer chuck 21 by the backside oftransfer substrate 144 may be reduced by proper handling oftransfer substrate 144. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 12 , shown is a simplified side view of atemplate transfer system 240 on atransfer substrate 244 spaced-apart fromwafer chuck 21, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The position oftemplate 226 andtemplate transfer substrate 244 may be fixed employing imprint material, discussed more fully below.Legs 246support transfer substrate 244 abovewafer chuck 21, thereby avoiding contamination of the surface ofwafer chuck 21 from contact with the backside of transfer substrate 244 (i.e. the side opposite template transfer system 240). Alternatively,legs 246 that extend fromtransfer substrate 244 onto a perimeter region ofwafer chuck 21, or a perimeter ledge or other structure, are used to supporttransfer substrate 244 abovewafer chuck 21. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 13 , shown is a simplified cross section of atemplate transfer assembly 340 havingtemplate 326 coupled to atemplate transfer substrate 344 withsolid imprint material 334, according to an embodiment of the present invention.Template transfer substrate 344 could be a process wafer, for example.Template 326 is stored ontemplate transfer substrate 344 when not in use, andtemplate 326 can be loaded fromtemplate transfer substrate 344 intoimprint head 18. - When it is desired to unload and
store template 326 from imprint head 18 (e.g. after imprinting a run of process wafers),template transfer substrate 344 is mounted onwafer chuck 21. A selected volume of imprinting material is applied in a fluid state to the region oftemplate transfer substrate 344 thattemplate 326 will be attached to. The volume of fluid may be less than, the same as, or greater than the volume of imprinting material that would be used to imprint a production wafer. -
Template 326 is brought into contact with the imprinting material, and the imprinting material is polymerized or otherwise solidified fixedly affixingtemplate 326 totemplate transfer substrate 344. Rather than increasing a distance between theimprint head 18 and thewafer chuck 21, vacuum and/or mechanical retaining means may be deactivated to releasetemplate 326 from theimprint head 18.Template 326 adheres totemplate transfer substrate 344 withsolid imprint material 334, and may be moved therewith to a remote storage location. - Alternatively,
template transfer substrate 344 may be left on thewafer chuck 21 andtemplate 326 is removed from or retained in theimprint head 18. In each case,solid imprint material 334 protects themold pattern 328 ontemplate 326 when not in use.Solid imprint material 334seals template 326 from contamination and themold pattern 328 on the face oftemplate 326 is protected from damage. This may be achieved by covering the entire area ofmold pattern 328 with theimprint material 334, thereby hermetically sealingmold pattern 328. - When
template 326 is removed from theimprint head 18 for storage again, a new or reworked template transfer substrate is used. Alternatively, the same substrate may be employed to storetemplate 326, but thetemplate 326 would be stored in a differing region thereof. Atemplate transfer substrate 344 is reworked by removingsolid imprint material 334 fromtemplate transfer substrate 344. Process wafers rejected before imprinting are often convenient for use astemplate transfer substrates 344. - Alternatively, as shown in
FIG. 14 , template transfer holder 440 may include havingimprinting material 434 applied to a sub-portion 428 a ofmold pattern 428. To that end, theimprint material 434 is applied in sufficient quantity to allow sub-portion 428 a to be spaced-apart from both thetemplate transfer substrate 444 and theimprint material 434. Further, by circumscribing sub-portion 428 a withimprinting material 434, sub-portion 428 a may be encapsulated, e.g., hermetically sealed so that the only atmosphere to whichmold pattern 428 is exposed is present involume 434 a to which sub-portion 428 a is exposed. This prevents ingress of contamination intosub-portion 428 a ofmold pattern 428 during storage. - When it is desired to store template 426, the same may be attached to
template transfer substrate 444 withsolid imprint material 434 to fixedly attachtemplate transfer substrate 444 to template 426. To that end,template transfer substrate 444, havingimprinting material 434, is loaded onto thewafer chuck 21 and template 426 is moved to a position underneath the imprint head 18 (if not already loaded). Relative movement between theimprint head 18 and template 426 is achieved to reduce the spacing therebetween, placing theimprint head 18 and the template 426 in close proximity or contact. The template 426 is secured to theimprint head 18 by means of a vacuum and/or mechanical coupling. Theimprint head 18, along with template 426 is placed in superimposition withtemplate transfer substrate 444. Thereafter, contact is made between template 426 andimprint material 434 present ontemplate transfer substrate 444. Theimprint material 434 is then solidified, as discussed above, securely affixing template 426 totemplate transfer substrate 444. - Referring to
FIG. 15 , shown is a simplified cross section of atemplate transfer holder 540 having atemplate 526 coupled to thetemplate transfer substrate 544 with a perimeter ofsolid imprint material 534 according to another embodiment of the present invention to fixedly attachtemplate transfer substrate 544 totemplate 526. In this configuration, theentire mold pattern 528 may be encapsulated, e.g., hermetically sealed as discussed above with respect toFIG. 14 . Further,template 526 may, optionally, include aperimeter mesa 536 that forms aperimeter recess 537 around themold pattern 528.Imprint material 534 does not adhere to amold pattern 528 ontemplate 526, thus facilitating mold fidelity. - To
store template 526 ontemplate transfer substrate 544, a selected volume ofimprinting material 534 is applied in a fluid state to asurface 531 oftemplate transfer substrate 544. Theimprinting material 534 may be applied to a selected area (e.g. an area corresponding to the perimeter of template 526), or the volume ofimprinting material 534 is selected to adhere to theperimeter mesa 536 only, and to not fill in areas ofmold pattern 528 ontemplate 526.Recess 537 preventsfluid imprinting material 534 from reachingmold pattern 528 when mechanical contact is made between theimprinting material 534 andtemplate 526. -
FIG. 16 is a simplified cross section of atemplate transfer assembly 640 having atemplate 626, amesa 636 and amajor surface 626 a disposed opposite to themesa 636. Amold pattern 628 is included on themesa 636 as havinggrooves 628 a andprotrusions 628 b. Thegrooves 628 a include anadir surface 628 c and theprotrusions 628 b include anapex surface 628 d. Asurface 638 circumscribes, if not all, then a subset of thegrooves 628 a and theprotrusions 628 b. One or more of nadir surfaces 628 c are spaced apart frommajor surface 626 a a first distance d1, and one or moreapex surfaces 628 d are spaced-apart frommajor surface 626 a a second distance, d2.Surface 638 is spaced apart frommajor surface 626 a a third distance, d3.Mesa 636 is defined by ensuring third distance d3 differs from both first and second distances, d1 and d2. In the specific example, distance d3 is less than either of distances d1 and d2.Imprinting material 634 is disposed in regions betweensurface 638 andsurface 631 of template transfer substrate 644. In this fashion,imprint material 634 may be employed to maintain a fixed position betweentemplate 626 and template transfer substrate 644 withoutimprint material 634 contactingmold pattern 628 ontemplate 626. Additionally, imprintingmaterial 634 may be disposed so as to encapsulatemold pattern 628, e.g., hermetically seal the same, as discussed above. In this manner,mold pattern 628 is protected from physical damage and contamination. - To
store template 626 a selected volume ofimprinting material 634 is applied in a fluid state to asurface 631 of template transfer substrate 644. Theimprinting material 634 is applied to a region ofsurface 631 that will be in superimposition withsurface 638. The volume ofimprinting material 634 typically selected is sufficient to adheretemplate 626 to the template transfer substrate 644 so thatmold pattern 628 is spaced-apart fromsurface 631. Although it is not necessary, imprintingmaterial 634 may circumscribemold pattern 628, thereby encapsulating the same to prevent contamination by particulate matter. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 17 , during operation ofimprint lithography system 10,template 26 is loaded ontotemplate transfer system 40 atstep 702.Template 26 is moved to a position beneath animprint head 18 atstep 704 and the spacing between theimprint head 18 andtemplate 26 is reduced atstep 706 to place theimprint head 18 in close proximity, or in contact, with thetemplate 26. Thetemplate 26 is secured to theimprint head 18 atstep 708, and the distance betweentemplate transfer holder 40 a andimprint head 18 is increased atstep 710. Thetemplate transfer holder 40 a is moved to a second position that is not beneath theimprint head 18 atstep 712. In a further embodiment, thetemplate transfer holder 40 a is removed from themotion stage 20 atstep 714 and aprocess wafer 30 is loaded on awafer chuck 21 of themotion stage 20 for imprinting with thetemplate 26. Although the foregoing has been discussed with respect totemplate transfer system 40, it should be understood that the operation discussed with respect toFIG. 17 applies when using template transfer systems, 140, 240, 340, 440, 540 and 640, shown inFIGS. 11, 12 , 13, 14, 15 and 16, respectively. -
FIG. 18 is a simplified flow chart of amethod 720 of removing atemplate 26, shown inFIG. 1 , from animprint head 18 in animprint lithography system 10, according to another embodiment of the present invention. A template transfer substrate, such astemplate transfer substrates FIGS. 11, 12 , 13, 14, 15 and 16, respectively, may be employed. For simplicity of discussion, the present example is discussed with respect totemplate transfer substrate 444, shown inFIG. 14 , and applies with equal weight to the aforementioned template transfer substrates. Atstep 722,template transfer substrate 444 is loaded onto awafer chuck 21 inimprint lithography system 10. A selected volume of imprinting fluid is dispensed onto the surface of thetemplate transfer substrate 444 atstep 724. Relative movement between theimprint head 18 holding atemplate 26 and thetemplate transfer substrate 444 is achieved so that thetemplate 26 contacts the imprinting fluid atstep 726. The imprinting fluid is converted to solid imprint material atstep 728. Thetemplate 26 is released from the imprint head 18 (e.g. by turning off the securing means and raising the imprint head 18) and thetemplate transfer substrate 444 with the attachedtemplate 26 is removed from thewafer chuck 21 and transferred to a storage location atstep 730. Alternatively, thetemplate 26 remains attached to thetemplate transfer substrate 444 on thewafer chuck 21 and theimprint head 18 and thetemplate 26 are arranged to be spaced-apart at step 730 a. In yet another alternative, thetemplate 26 is left in theimprint head 18 attached to thetemplate transfer substrate 444 for storage on thewafer chuck 21 at step 730 b. -
FIG. 19 is a simplified flow chart of amethod 740 of installing atemplate 26, shown inFIG. 1 , from atemplate transfer substrate 444, shown inFIG. 14 , into animprint head 18 of animprint lithography system 10, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Atemplate transfer substrate 444 with atemplate 26 adhered to thetemplate transfer substrate 444 withimprint material 434 is provided atstep 742. Thetemplate transfer substrate 444 is loaded onto awafer chuck 21 of awafer 30 inimprint lithography system 10 atstep 744. Alternatively, thetemplate transfer substrate 444 is already on thewafer chuck 21, as when thetemplate 26 is stored in this fashion between uses. Thewafer chuck 21 is moved to position thetemplate 26 beneath animprint head 18 of thewafer 30 inimprint lithography system 10 atstep 746. Alternatively, atemplate 26 stored on atemplate transfer substrate 444 is already beneath theimprint head 18. Relative movement between theimprint head 18 and thetemplate 26 is achieved to place theimprint head 18 andtemplate 26 in close proximity or contact atstep 748. Thetemplate 26 is secured to theimprint head 18 atstep 750. The distance betweenimprint head 18 andtemplate transfer substrate 444 is increased atstep 752, releasing thetemplate 26 from theimprint material 434. Thetemplate transfer substrate 444 is removed from thewafer chuck 21 and aprocess wafer 30 may then be loaded onto thewafer chuck 21 for imprinting with thetemplate 26. - The embodiments of the present invention described above are exemplary. Many changes and modifications may be made to the disclosure recited above, while remaining within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US10/437,476 US6951173B1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2003-05-14 | Assembly and method for transferring imprint lithography templates |
EP10151773A EP2177951A1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | Method, system, holder and assembly for transferring templates during imprint lithography processes |
DE602004030001T DE602004030001D1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | METHOD, SYSTEM, HOLDER AND ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSMITTING TEMPLATES IN IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHIC PROCEDURE |
PCT/US2004/014720 WO2004103666A2 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | Method, system, holder and assembly for transferring templates during imprint lithography processes |
AT04751888T ATE487579T1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | METHOD, SYSTEM, HOLDER AND ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSFERRING TEMPLATES IN IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY PROCESSES |
EP04751888A EP1622750B1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | Method, system, holder and assembly for transferring templates during imprint lithography processes |
JP2006532954A JP4937750B2 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | Method, system, holder, assembly for moving a template during an imprint lithography process |
KR1020057021605A KR101055640B1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2004-05-11 | Mold transfer methods, systems, holders and assemblies during an imprint lithography process |
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US10/437,476 US6951173B1 (en) | 2003-05-14 | 2003-05-14 | Assembly and method for transferring imprint lithography templates |
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