JP6066764B2 - Pattern forming apparatus and pattern forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for transferring a pattern supported on a carrier to a transfer target, and more particularly to alignment between the support and the transfer target.

  As a technique for forming a pattern on a substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate, there is a technique of transferring a pattern by bringing a carrier carrying the pattern into close contact with a transfer target (substrate). In such a transfer technique, in order to properly manage the pattern transfer position to the transfer target, it is important to align the carrier before transfer and the transfer target. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose techniques for such alignment.

  In these techniques, the alignment marks are previously imaged with a camera in a state where a carrier and a transfer target, which are previously formed with alignment marks, are arranged in close proximity to each other. Then, a relative positional shift amount between the carrier and the transfer target is obtained from the positional relationship of the alignment marks in the image, and the support and the transfer target are moved relative to each other so as to correct the positional shift. Perform alignment. The technique described in Patent Document 2 is not related to pattern transfer but relates to alignment between a mask and a substrate for pattern formation by vacuum deposition, but the alignment method itself is a pattern formation technique by transfer. It is also applicable to.

JP 2009-212489 A JP 2006-172930 A

  In these prior arts, it is assumed that alignment marks formed on the carrier and the transfer target are arranged in advance at positions where they can be imaged by the camera. However, as will be described below, in recent years, there are cases where such a premise is not satisfied, and it is sometimes difficult to perform highly accurate alignment with the above-described conventional technology.

  That is, the position of the carrier or the transfer object is adjusted to a position where the alignment mark is within the imaging field of view. In other words, the rough alignment is conventionally performed by, for example, a position restriction member provided at an appropriate position on the support or the transfer object. Has been made by hitting. However, in recent years, since the pattern is required to be finer, the size of the alignment mark is reduced, and the required positional accuracy is also reduced. For this reason, a high-resolution and high-magnification camera is used for imaging, and the imaging field of view has become smaller due to this. On the other hand, the size of the transfer object is also increasing, and due to this, the weight of the support and transfer object is increased and bending tends to occur. It has become difficult to position the body and the transfer target at an appropriate position.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of highly accurately aligning a carrier carrying a pattern and a transfer target to which the pattern is transferred. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, a pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a first holding unit that holds a carrier that carries a pattern on a pattern carrying surface; and a transfer body that has a transfer surface to which the pattern is transferred. A second holding means for holding the transfer surface facing the pattern carrying surface of the carrier, a push-up means for pushing up the carrier held by the first holding means, and the first holding A first moving means for moving the means parallel to the pattern holding surface; a second moving means for moving the second holding means parallel to the transfer surface; and the carrier held by the first holding means. At least a part of the outer edge of the image is imaged, and the first moving unit is operated based on the imaging result to position the carrier at a predetermined first target position, and is held by the second holding unit. Preliminarily aligning means for imaging at least a part of the outer edge of the transferred object and operating the second moving means based on the imaging result to position the transferred object at a predetermined second target position; The first alignment mark formed on the carrier positioned at one target position and the second alignment mark formed on the transfer target positioned at the second target position are imaged, and based on the imaging result And a precision alignment unit that operates at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit to align the carrier and the transfer target, and the first holding unit includes the carrier. And holding the carrier in a horizontal posture with the pattern carrying surface facing upward, and in a state where the lower part of the central part inside the peripheral part is opened. Push means, it is brought into contact with the pattern carried on the carrier by pushing the central portion of the carrier from below the transferred surface of the transferred object.

  In the invention configured as described above, the outer edges of the carrier held by the first holding unit and the transfer target held by the second holding unit are imaged, and the first moving unit and the first moving unit are captured based on the imaging result. Two moving means move the carrier and the transfer target to respective target positions. Here, it is only necessary that the positions of the outer edges of the carrier and the transfer target can be detected, and it is preferable that the imaging field of view is wider than that of high resolution.

  Even if the positioning accuracy to each target position at this time is not necessarily high, the positions of the first alignment mark formed on the carrier and the second alignment mark formed on the transferred body are within a certain range. Is possible. That is, by appropriately setting the first and second target positions, it is possible to perform position adjustment so that the first and second alignment marks can be imaged by the precision alignment means. Therefore, the imaging field of view by the precision alignment means may be relatively narrow, which enables imaging with high resolution and high alignment accuracy.

  In these cases, the carrier and the transfer target are moved together with the first and second holding means by moving the first and second holding means for holding them. For this reason, even a large and heavy carrier or transfer target can be reliably moved to the target position without being deformed.

As described above, in the present invention, the first and second alignment marks can be moved within a predetermined range by the preliminary alignment without using the alignment marks, and the positions are narrowed down to some extent in this way. High-precision alignment is possible by the precise alignment using, so that the carrier carrying the pattern and the transfer target to which the pattern is transferred can be aligned with high accuracy. In particular, the first holding means holds the peripheral portion of the support, holds the support in a horizontal posture with the pattern support surface facing upward, and in a state where the lower portion of the central portion inside the peripheral portion is opened, Further, in the configuration in which the push-up means pushes up the central portion of the carrier from below to bring the pattern carried on the carrier into contact with the transfer surface of the transfer body, the carrier having the peripheral edge held by the first holding means The center part of the body is bent downward by its own weight, and even if it tries to move the carrier by pushing it from the side, it is absorbed by the bending and is difficult to align. In such a configuration, the effect of the present invention is particularly remarkable.

  In the present invention, the precision alignment means may be configured to simultaneously image the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark in the same field of view, for example. By imaging the alignment marks formed on each of the carrier and the transferred body in the same field of view, the positional relationship between the two can be grasped more accurately and the positioning of the carrier and the transferred body can be performed with higher accuracy. be able to.

  In addition, for example, the preliminary alignment unit has a preliminary alignment imaging unit that images the outer edges of the carrier and the transfer object, while the precision alignment unit has a higher resolution than the preliminary alignment imaging unit, and the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark. The structure which has the imaging part for precise alignment which images the image may be sufficient. As described above, by providing the imaging units having different resolutions according to the purpose, it is possible to balance the apparatus cost and the required performance.

  In this case, the precision alignment imaging unit may have, for example, an imaging optical system with a fixed magnification. Optical axis misalignment when the magnification is variable and distortion of the image at high magnification may cause a decrease in detection accuracy. However, by fixing the magnification, this problem can be avoided and the alignment mark can be positioned with high accuracy. Detection and high-precision alignment based on the detection are possible.

  On the other hand, the preliminary alignment means may have a plurality of preliminary alignment imaging units that respectively image a plurality of different locations on the outer edge of the carrier and a plurality of different locations on the outer edge of the transferred body. By imaging the outer edges of the carrier and the transferred body at a plurality of locations, the amount of positional deviation within these planes can be grasped, and the movement to the target position can be performed more accurately.

In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the pattern forming method according to the present invention holds the carrier carrying the pattern by the first holding means, and holds the transferred body onto which the pattern is transferred by the second holding means. The pattern carrying surface of the carrier and the transfer surface of the transfer body are arranged to face each other, and at least a part of the outer edge of the carrier is imaged. The first holding unit is moved to position the carrier at a predetermined first target position, and at least a part of the outer edge of the transferred body is imaged, and the second holding unit is moved based on the imaging result. A preliminary alignment step of positioning the transferred body at a predetermined second target position, a first alignment mark formed on the carrier, and a second alignment formed on the transferred body. And a precise alignment step of positioning at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit based on the imaging result to align the carrier and the transfer target. The first holding means holds the peripheral portion of the carrier, has a horizontal posture with the pattern carrying surface facing upward, and opens the lower portion of the central portion inside the peripheral portion. The body is held, and the central portion of the carrier is pushed up from below by a push-up means, so that the pattern carried on the carrier is brought into contact with the transfer surface of the transfer body .

  In the invention configured as described above, as in the case of the above-described pattern forming apparatus, the alignment mark is adjusted after the position of the first and second alignment marks is adjusted to some extent without using the alignment mark in the preliminary alignment step. By executing the precision alignment process used, it is possible to align the carrier carrying the pattern and the transfer medium onto which the pattern is transferred with high accuracy.

  Also in the present invention, in the precision alignment process, the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark may be imaged simultaneously in the same field of view, so that the positional relationship between both alignment marks can be grasped more accurately. Thus, the positioning of the carrier and the transfer target can be performed with higher accuracy.

  In the present invention, the position of the carrier when the first alignment mark is positioned in the field of view of the imaging unit that performs imaging in the precision alignment step is set as the first target position, while the second alignment is in the field of view of the imaging unit. The position of the transfer object when the mark is positioned is preferably set as the second target position. By doing so, it is possible to securely place both alignment marks in the field of view of the imaging unit by executing the preliminary alignment step, and then performing the precision alignment step on the carrier and the transfer target. High-precision alignment is possible.

  Further, for example, in the preliminary alignment step, a plurality of different positions on the outer edge of the carrier are imaged to determine the amount of positional deviation of the carrier from the first target position, and the first holding means moves according to the amount of positional deviation. On the other hand, a plurality of different locations on the outer edge of the transferred body are imaged to determine the amount of positional deviation of the transferred body from the second target position, and the second holding means is moved in accordance with the positional deviation amount. You may do it. By doing so, similarly to the above-described invention of the pattern forming apparatus, it is possible to grasp the amount of positional deviation in the plane of the carrier and the transfer target, and more accurately move to the target position. .

  Further, after the precision alignment step, a transfer step of transferring the pattern from the support to the transfer target by bringing the support and the transfer target into contact with each other may be provided. A pattern can be formed at an appropriate position of the transferred body by performing pattern transfer by bringing the carrier and the transferred body into contact with each other in a state of being accurately aligned.

  According to the present invention, the outer edges of the carrier and the transfer object are imaged to perform approximate alignment without using the alignment mark, and then the first alignment mark of the support and the second of the transfer object are transferred. By imaging the alignment mark and performing more precise alignment, alignment between the carrier and the transfer target can be performed with high accuracy.

It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a pattern formation device concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of this pattern formation apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a lower stage block. It is a figure which shows the structure of a raising / lowering hand unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of a transfer roller unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of an upper stage assembly. It is a flowchart which shows a pattern formation process. It is a 1st figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a 2nd figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a 3rd figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a 4th figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a 5th figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a 6th figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of processing. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a plate | board or a board | substrate, and a blanket. It is a 7th figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of an alignment process. It is a 1st figure for demonstrating the principle of pre-alignment. It is a 2nd figure for demonstrating the principle of pre-alignment.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pattern forming apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the external cover is removed to show the internal configuration of the apparatus. In order to uniformly indicate the direction in each figure, XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are set as shown in the lower right of FIG. Here, the XY plane represents a horizontal plane and the Z axis represents a vertical axis. More specifically, the (+ Z) direction represents a vertically upward direction. The front direction when viewed from the apparatus is the (−Y) direction, and access to the apparatus from the outside, including loading and unloading of articles, is made along the Y-axis direction.

  The pattern forming apparatus 1 has a structure in which an upper stage block 4 and a lower stage block 6 are attached to a main frame 2. In FIG. 1, in order to clearly show the distinction between the blocks, the upper stage block 4 is provided with dots having a coarse pitch, and the lower stage block 6 is provided with dots having a finer pitch. In addition to the above, the pattern forming apparatus 1 has a control unit 8 (FIG. 2) that controls each part of the apparatus according to a processing program stored in advance and executes a predetermined operation. Detailed configurations of the upper stage block 4 and the lower stage block 6 will be described later. First, the overall configuration of the apparatus 1 will be described.

  The pattern forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus that forms a pattern by bringing the blanket BL held by the lower stage block 6 and the plate PP or the substrate SB held by the upper stage block 4 into contact with each other. More specifically, the pattern forming process by the apparatus 1 is as follows. First, the coated layer carried on the blanket BL is patterned by bringing a plate PP created corresponding to the pattern to be formed into contact with the blanket BL on which the pattern forming material is uniformly applied (see FIG. Patterning process). Then, by bringing the blanket BL thus patterned and the substrate SB into contact, the pattern carried on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB (transfer process). As a result, a desired pattern is formed on the substrate SB.

  As described above, the pattern forming apparatus 1 can be used for both the patterning process and the transfer process in the pattern forming process for forming a predetermined pattern on the substrate SB. However, the pattern forming apparatus 1 is responsible for only one of these processes. May be used.

  The lower stage block 6 of the pattern forming apparatus 1 is supported by the base frame 21 of the main frame 2. On the other hand, the upper stage block 4 is attached to a pair of upper stage support frames 22 and 23 that are erected from the base frame 21 and extend in the Y direction so as to sandwich the lower stage block 6 from the X direction.

  Further, a pre-alignment camera for detecting the positions of the substrate SB and the blanket BL carried into the apparatus is attached to the main frame 2. More specifically, three substrate pre-alignment cameras 241, 242, and 243 for detecting the edge of the substrate SB carried into the apparatus along the Y-axis direction at three different positions are provided on the upper stage support frame 22. , 23 are respectively attached to booms erected. Similarly, three blanket pre-alignment cameras 244, 245 and 246 for detecting the edge of the blanket BL carried into the apparatus along the Y-axis direction at three different positions are provided from the upper stage support frames 22 and 23. Each is attached to a standing boom. In FIG. 1, one blanket pre-alignment camera 246 located behind the upper stage block 4 does not appear. In FIG. 2, the substrate pre-alignment camera is abbreviated as “substrate PA camera”, and the blanket pre-alignment camera is abbreviated as “blanket PA camera”.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the lower stage block. In the lower stage block 6, pillars 602 are erected in the vertical direction (Z direction) at the four corners of a plate-shaped alignment stage 601 with an opening at the center, and the stage support plate 603 is supported by these pillars 602. ing. Although not shown, at the lower part of the alignment stage 601, there are three degrees of freedom in the rotational direction (hereinafter referred to as “θ direction”), the X direction and the Y direction with the rotational axis extending in the vertical direction Z as the rotational center. An alignment stage support mechanism 605 (FIG. 2) such as a cross roller bearing is provided, and the alignment stage 601 is attached to the base frame 21 via the alignment stage support mechanism 605. Therefore, the alignment stage 601 can move in a predetermined range in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction with respect to the base frame 21 by the operation of the alignment stage support mechanism 605.

  An annular rectangular lower stage 61 having an upper surface substantially coincident with a horizontal plane and having an opening window 611 formed at the center is disposed above the stage support plate 603. A blanket BL is placed on the upper surface of the lower stage 61, and the lower stage 61 holds it.

  The opening size of the opening window 611 needs to be larger than the planar size of the effective area (not shown) in the central portion that effectively functions as the pattern formation area in the surface area of the blanket BL. That is, when the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61, the entire area corresponding to the effective area on the lower surface of the blanket BL faces the opening window 611, and the lower part of the effective area needs to be completely open. is there. The coating layer made of the pattern forming material is formed so as to cover at least the entire effective area.

  On the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61, a plurality of grooves 612 are provided along the peripheral edges of the opening window 611. Each groove 612 is connected to a negative pressure supply section of the control unit 8 via a control valve (not shown). 804 is connected. Each groove 612 is disposed in a region having a planar size smaller than the planar size of the blanket BL. Then, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61 so as to cover all the grooves 612. In order to enable this, a stopper member 613 for restricting the position of the blanket BL is appropriately disposed on the lower stage upper surface 61a.

  By supplying negative pressure to each groove 612, each groove 612 functions as a vacuum suction groove, and thus the four sides of the peripheral portion of the blanket BL are sucked and held on the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. By configuring the vacuum suction groove with a plurality of independent grooves 612, even if a vacuum break occurs in some of the grooves for some reason, the suction of the blanket BL by other grooves is maintained, so that the blanket BL can be securely attached. Can be held. Further, the blanket BL can be adsorbed with a stronger adsorbing force than when a single groove is provided.

  Below the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, there are provided lifting hand units 62 and 63 for moving the blanket BL up and down in the Z-axis direction, and a transfer roller unit 64 that abuts and pushes up the blanket BL from below. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the lifting hand unit. Since the structures of the two lifting hand units 62 and 63 are the same, the structure of one lifting hand unit 62 will be described here. The elevating hand unit 62 has two support columns 621 and 622 erected in the Z direction from the base frame 21, and a plate-like slide base 623 can move up and down with respect to these support columns 621 and 622. It is attached. More specifically, guide rails 6211 and 6221 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) are attached to the two support columns 621 and 622, respectively, and attached to the rear surface of the slide base 623, that is, the (+ Y) side main surface. The slider (not shown) is slidably attached to the guide rails 6211 and 6221. Then, for example, an elevating mechanism 624 including an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism moves the slide base 623 up and down in accordance with a control command from the control unit 8.

  A plurality (four in this example) of hands 625 are attached to the slide base 623 so as to be movable up and down. The structure of each hand 625 is basically the same except that the shape of the base portion differs depending on the arrangement position. Each hand 625 is fixed to a slider 627 that is slidably engaged with a guide rail 626 that is attached to the front surface of the slide base 623, that is, the (−Y) side main surface along the vertical direction (Z direction). Has been. The slider 627 is connected to an elevating mechanism 628 having an appropriate drive mechanism such as a rodless cylinder attached to the back surface of the slide base 623, and moves up and down with respect to the slide base 623 by the operation of the elevating mechanism 628. To do. Each hand 625 is provided with an independent lifting mechanism 628, and each hand 625 can be moved up and down individually.

  That is, in the elevating hand unit 62, the elevating mechanism 624 moves the slide base 623 up and down to integrally move the hands 625 up and down, and the elevating mechanisms 628 operate independently to allow the hands 625 to move up and down. Can be raised and lowered individually.

  The upper surface 625a of the hand 625 is finished in an elongated flat surface with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction, and the upper surface 625a can be brought into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL to support the blanket BL. The upper surface 625a is provided with an adsorption hole 625b that communicates with a negative pressure supply unit 804 provided in the control unit 8 via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). Thereby, negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 804 is supplied to the suction hole 625b as necessary, and the blanket BL can be sucked and held on the upper surface 625a of the hand 625. Therefore, it is possible to prevent slipping when the hand 625 supports the blanket BL.

  In addition, an appropriate gas, for example, dry air or inert gas, is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b from a gas supply unit 806 of the control unit 8 through a pipe and a control valve (not shown) as necessary. That is, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 804 and the gas from the gas supply unit 806 are selectively supplied to the suction hole 625 b by opening and closing each control valve controlled by the control unit 8.

  When the gas from the gas supply unit 806 is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b, a small amount of gas is discharged from the adsorption hole 625b. Thereby, a minute gap is formed between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the upper surface 625a of the hand, and the hand 625 is in a state of being separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL while supporting the blanket BL from below. Therefore, the blanket BL can be moved in the horizontal direction without being rubbed against each hand 625 while the blanket BL is supported by each hand 625. In addition, you may provide a gas discharge hole in the hand upper surface 625a separately from the adsorption hole 625b.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in the lower stage block 6, the lifting hand units 62, 63 having the above-described configuration are disposed facing each other so as to face the Y direction with the hand 625 facing inward. In the state where each hand 625 is lowered most, the upper surface 625a of the hand is located below the lower stage upper surface 61a, that is, a position that is largely retracted in the (−Z) direction. On the other hand, in the state where each hand 625 is raised most, the tip of each hand 625 protrudes upward from the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, and the hand upper surface 625a is above the lower stage upper surface 61a, that is, in the (+ Z) direction. To the position protruding.

  Further, when viewed from above, a certain distance is provided between the tips of the hands 625 facing each other of the elevating hand units 62 and 63 so that they do not come into contact with each other. Further, as will be described next, the transfer roller unit 64 moves in the X direction using this gap.

  FIG. 5 shows the structure of the transfer roller unit. The transfer roller unit 64 includes a transfer roller 641 that is a cylindrical roller member extending in the Y direction, and a support frame that extends in the Y direction along the lower side of the transfer roller 641 and rotatably supports the transfer roller 641 at both ends thereof. 642 and an elevating mechanism 644 that has an appropriate drive mechanism and moves the support frame 642 up and down in the Z direction. The transfer roller 641 is not connected to a rotation drive mechanism and rotates freely. Further, the support frame 642 is provided with a backup roller 643 that comes into contact with the surface of the transfer roller 641 from below to prevent the transfer roller 641 from bending.

  The length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction is shorter than the length of the four sides of the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61 along the Y direction, that is, the opening dimension of the opening window 611 in the Y direction, and will be described later. It is longer than the length along the Y direction of the plate PP or the substrate SB when held on the upper stage. Since the effective area effective as a pattern formation area in the blanket BL is naturally equal to or shorter than the length of the plate PP or the substrate SB, the transfer roller 641 is longer than the effective area in the Y direction.

  The elevating mechanism 644 includes a base portion 644a and support legs 644b extending upward from the base portion 644a and connected to the vicinity of the center of the support frame 642 in the Y direction. The support leg 644b can move up and down with respect to the base portion 644a by an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor or a cylinder. The base portion 644a is slidably attached to a guide rail 646 extending in the X direction, and is further coupled to a moving mechanism 647 having an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. . A guide rail 646 is attached to the upper surface of the lower frame 645 that extends in the X direction and is fixed to the base frame 21. By operating the moving mechanism 647, the transfer roller 641, the support frame 642, and the lifting mechanism 644 integrally travel in the X direction.

  As will be described in detail later, in this pattern forming apparatus 1, the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 641 to partially lift the blanket BL, whereby the blanket BL is held on the upper stage. The blanket BL is brought into contact with the plate PP or the substrate SB arranged in close proximity to each other.

  The elevating mechanism 644 travels through a gap formed by the hands 625 facing each other of the elevating hand units 62 and 63. Each hand 625 has an upper surface 625 a that can be retracted in the (−Z) direction from the lower surface of the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 to the lower side. Therefore, when the elevating mechanism 644 runs in this state, the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 passes over the upper surface 625a of each hand 625, and the transfer roller unit 64 and the hand 625 are prevented from colliding. .

  Next, the structure of the upper stage block 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper stage block 4 is erected from an upper stage assembly 40 that is a structure extending in the X direction and upper stage support frames 22 and 23. A pair of support columns 45 and 46 for supporting each of them, and an elevating mechanism 47 that includes an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism and moves the entire upper stage assembly 40 up and down in the Z direction.

  FIG. 6 shows the structure of the upper stage assembly. The upper stage assembly 40 is coupled to the upper stage 41 holding the plate PP or the substrate SB on the lower surface, a reinforcing frame 42 provided on the upper stage 41, and extends horizontally along the X direction. A beam-like structure 43 and an upper suction unit 44 mounted on the upper stage 41 are provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper stage assembly 40 has substantially symmetric shapes with respect to the XZ plane and the YZ plane including the center on the outer shape.

  The upper stage 41 is a flat member slightly smaller than the plane size of the plate PP or the substrate SB to be held, and a lower surface 41a held in a horizontal posture holds the plate PP or the substrate SB in contact with the holding plane. It has become. Since the holding plane is required to have a high degree of flatness, quartz glass or a stainless steel plate is suitable as the material. The holding plane is provided with a through hole for mounting a suction pad of the upper suction unit 44 described later.

  The reinforcing frame 42 is composed of a combination of reinforcing ribs extending in the Z direction on the upper surface of the upper stage 41. As shown in the drawing, the upper stage 41 is prevented from being bent and its lower surface (holding plane) 41a In order to maintain the flatness, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 421 parallel to the YZ plane and reinforcing ribs 422 parallel to the XZ plane are appropriately combined. The reinforcing ribs 421 and 422 can be made of, for example, a metal plate.

  Further, the beam-like structure 43 is a structure formed by combining a plurality of metal plates and having a longitudinal direction in the X direction, and both ends thereof are supported by the support columns 45 and 46 so as to be vertically movable. Yes. Specifically, guide rails 451 and 461 extending in the Z direction are provided on the support columns 45 and 46, respectively, and a slider (not shown) is attached to the (+ Y) side main surface of the beam-like structure 43 facing the support pillars 45 and 46, respectively. These are slidably engaged. As shown in FIG. 1, the beam-like structure 43 and the support column 46 are connected by an elevating mechanism 47, and the elevating mechanism 47 operates to keep the beam-like structure 43 in a horizontal posture. Move in the vertical direction (Z direction). Since the upper stage 41 is integrally coupled to the beam-like structure 43 via the reinforcing frame 42, the upper stage 41 moves up and down with the holding plane 41 a kept horizontal by the operation of the elevating mechanism 47.

  The structures of the reinforcing frame 42 and the beam-like structure 43 are not limited to those illustrated. Here, a necessary strength is obtained by combining a plate-like member parallel to the YZ plane and a plate-like member parallel to the XZ plane, but a sheet metal, an angle member, or the like may be appropriately combined with other shapes. The reason for this structure is to make the upper stage assembly 40 lightweight. In order to reduce the deflection of each part, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the upper stage 41 or to use the beam-like structure 43 as a solid body, but if so, the mass of the entire upper stage assembly 40 will increase.

  The increase in the weight of the structure disposed on the upper part of the apparatus requires additional strength and durability for a mechanism for supporting and moving the structure, and the entire apparatus becomes very large and heavy. It is more realistic to reduce the weight of the entire structure while obtaining the required strength by combining plate materials and the like.

  A pair of upper suction units 44 are mounted on the upper stage 41 surrounded by the reinforcing frame 42. A state where one upper suction unit 44 is taken out upward is shown in the upper part of FIG. In the upper suction unit 44, for example, rubber suction pads 443 are attached to lower ends of a plurality of pipes 442 extending downward from the support frame 441, respectively. The upper end side of each pipe 442 is connected to a negative pressure supply unit 804 of the control unit 8 via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). The support frame 441 has a shape that does not interfere with the ribs 421 and 422 constituting the reinforcing frame 42.

  The support frame 441 is supported movably in the vertical direction with respect to the base plate 446 through a pair of sliders 444 and a pair of guide rails 445 engaged therewith. Further, the base plate 446 and the support frame 441 are coupled by an elevating mechanism 447 having an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. By the operation of the lifting mechanism 447, the support frame 441 moves up and down with respect to the base plate 446, and the pipe 442 and the suction pad 443 move up and down integrally therewith.

  The upper suction unit 44 is integrated with the upper stage 41 by fixing the base plate 446 to the side surface of the beam-like structure 43. In this state, the lower end of each pipe 442 and the suction pad 443 are inserted through through holes (not shown) provided in the upper stage 41. Then, by the operation of the elevating mechanism 447, the suction pad 443 has the lower surface discharged to the lower side of the lower surface (holding plane) 41a of the upper stage 41 and the lower surface inside the through hole of the upper stage 41 (upper). It moves up and down with the retracted position. When the lower surface of the suction pad 443 is positioned at substantially the same height as the holding plane 41a of the upper stage 41, the upper stage 41 and the suction pad 443 cooperate to hold the plate PP or the substrate SB on the holding plane 41a. can do.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the upper stage assembly 40 configured as described above is provided on a base plate 481. More specifically, the support columns 45 and 46 are respectively erected on the base plate 481, and the upper stage assembly 40 is attached to the support columns 45 and 46 so as to be movable up and down. The base plate 481 is attached to the upper stage support frames 22 and 23, and is supported by an upper stage block support mechanism 482 including an appropriate movable mechanism such as a cross roller bearing.

  Therefore, the entire upper stage assembly 40 can be moved horizontally with respect to the main frame 2. Specifically, the base plate 481 moves horizontally in the horizontal plane, that is, the XY plane by the operation of the upper stage block support mechanism 482. A pair of base plates 481 provided corresponding to the support pillars 45 and 46 can move independently of each other, and the upper stage assembly 40 moves with respect to the main frame 2 in accordance with these movements. It is possible to move in a predetermined range in the direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction.

  Each part of the pattern forming apparatus 1 configured as described above is controlled by the control unit 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 8 includes a CPU 801 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a motor control unit 802 that controls a motor provided in each unit, and a valve control unit that controls control valves provided in each unit. 803 and a negative pressure supply unit 804 that generates a negative pressure to be supplied to each unit. In addition, when the negative pressure supplied from the outside can be utilized, the control unit 8 does not need to be provided with the negative pressure supply part.

  The motor control unit 802 controls positioning and movement of each part of the apparatus by controlling a motor group provided in each functional block. Further, the valve control unit 803 controls a valve group provided on a negative pressure piping path connected from the negative pressure supply unit 804 to each functional block and on a piping path connected from the gas supply unit 806 to the hand 625. Thus, the vacuum suction by the negative pressure supply is executed and released, and the gas is discharged from the hand upper surface 625a.

  The control unit 8 includes an image processing unit 805 that performs image processing on an image captured by the camera. The image processing unit 805 performs predetermined image processing on images captured by the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 and the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 attached to the main frame 2, so that the substrate SB and The approximate position of the blanket BL is detected. Further, the positional relationship between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is detected more precisely by performing predetermined image processing on an image picked up by an alignment camera 27 for precision alignment described later. The CPU 801 controls the upper stage block support mechanism 482 and the alignment support mechanism 605 based on these position detection results, and the plate PP or substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61. Alignment (pre-alignment processing and precision alignment processing) is performed.

  Next, a pattern forming process in the pattern forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. In this pattern forming process, the plate PP or the substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 are arranged close to each other with a minute gap therebetween. Then, the transfer roller 641 contacts the lower surface of the blanket BL and moves along the lower surface of the blanket BL while locally pushing up the blanket BL. The pushed blanket BL first locally contacts the plate PP or the substrate SB, and the contact portion gradually expands as the roller moves, and finally contacts the entire plate PP or the substrate SB. Thus, patterning from the plate PP to the blanket BL or pattern transfer from the blanket BL to the substrate SB is performed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the pattern forming process. FIGS. 8 to 15 are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus at each stage of processing. The operation of each part in the pattern forming process will be described below with reference to FIGS. In addition, in order to show the relationship between the respective units at each stage of the process in an easy-to-understand manner, a configuration that is not directly related to the process at the stage or a reference numeral to be attached thereto may be omitted. In addition, since the operation is the same except when a processing object held on the upper stage 41 is a plate PP and a substrate SB, the plate PP and the substrate SB are shown in common in the figure. Will be read as appropriate.

  In this pattern forming process, the plate PP corresponding to the pattern to be formed is first loaded into the initialized pattern forming apparatus 1 and set on the upper stage 41 (step S101). A blanket BL on which such a coating layer is formed is carried and set on the lower stage 61 (step S102). The plate PP is loaded with the effective surface corresponding to the pattern facing downward, and the blanket BL is loaded with the coating layer facing upward.

  FIG. 8 shows a process until the plate PP or the substrate SB is carried into the apparatus and set on the upper stage 41. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the initial state, the upper stage 41 is retracted upward and the distance from the lower stage 61 is increased, and a wide processing space SP is formed between both stages. Each hand 625 is retracted below the upper surface of the lower stage 61. The transfer roller 641 is the position closest to the (−X) direction among the positions facing the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, and the position retracted below the upper surface of the lower stage 61 in the vertical direction (Z direction). is there. Each control valve connected to the negative pressure supply unit 804 is closed.

  In this state, from the front side of the apparatus, that is, from the (−Y) direction to the (+ Y) direction, the plate PP placed on the external plate hand HP is processed after its thickness is measured in advance. It is carried into the space SP. The plate hand HP may be an operation jig manually operated by an operator, or may be a hand of an external transfer robot. At this time, since the hand 625 and the transfer roller 641 are retracted downward, the carrying-in operation can be facilitated. When the plate PP is positioned at a predetermined position, the upper stage 41 is lowered as indicated by an arrow.

  When the upper stage 41 is lowered to a predetermined position close to the plate PP, the suction pad 443 provided on the upper stage 41 is below the lower surface of the upper stage 41, that is, the holding plane 41a, as shown in FIG. Until it touches the upper surface of the plate PP. When the control valve connected to the suction pad 443 is opened, the upper surface of the plate PP is sucked by the suction pad 443 and the plate PP is held. Then, the plate PP is lifted from the plate hand HP by raising the suction pad 443 while continuing the suction. At this point, the plate hand HP moves out of the apparatus.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 8C, the lower surface of the suction pad 443 rises to a position that is the same height as or slightly higher than the holding plane 41a, so that the upper surface of the plate PP becomes higher than that of the upper stage 41. It is held in close contact with the holding plane 41a. A configuration may be adopted in which suction grooves or suction holes are provided on the lower surface of the upper stage 41 so that the plate PP delivered from the suction pad 443 is sucked and held. In this way, the holding of the plate PP is completed. By the same procedure, the substrate SB can be loaded by the substrate hand HS.

  9 and 10 show a process from the loading of the plate PP until the blanket BL is loaded and held on the lower stage 61. FIG. When the holding of the plate PP by the upper stage 41 is completed, as shown in FIG. 9A, the upper stage 41 is raised to form a wide processing space SP again, and each hand 625 is moved from the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. Also raise to the top. At this time, the upper surfaces 625a of the hands 625 are all set to the same height.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, the blanket BL having the coating layer PT made of the patterning material formed on the upper surface is placed on the external blanket hand HB and carried into the processing space SP. Accept. The thickness of the blanket BL is measured prior to loading. The blanket hand HB is preferably of the fork type having fingers extending in the Y direction so that the blanket hand HB can enter through the gap without interfering with the hand 625.

  When the blanket hand HB descends after entering or the hand 625 rises, the upper surface 625a of the hand 625 comes into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. Is supported by By supplying a negative pressure to the suction hole 625b (FIG. 4) provided in the hand 625, the support can be made more reliable. Thus, the blanket BL is transferred from the blanket hand HB to the hand 625, and the blanket hand HB can be discharged out of the apparatus.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10A, the hand 625 is lowered with the height of the upper surface 625 a of each hand 625 aligned, and finally the hand upper surface 625 a is made to be the same height as the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. . As a result, the peripheral portions of the four sides of the blanket BL abut against the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 10B, a negative pressure is supplied to the vacuum suction groove 612 provided on the lower stage upper surface 61a to suck and hold the blanket BL. Accordingly, the suction with the hand 625 is released. As a result, the blanket BL is in a state in which the peripheral portions of the four sides are sucked and held by the lower stage 61. In FIG. 10B, the blanket BL and the hand 625 are separated to clearly indicate that the suction holding by the hand 625 has been released, but in actuality, the lower surface of the blanket BL is in contact with the upper surface 625a of the hand. Is maintained.

  If the hand 625 is separated in this state, it is considered that the blanket BL is bent downward at its center by its own weight, and has a convex shape as a whole. By maintaining the hand 625 at the same height as the lower stage upper surface 61a, it is possible to suppress the bending and maintain the blanket BL in a planar state. In this way, the blanket BL is held by the lower stage 61 by suction and the central portion is supplementarily supported by the hand 625, and the holding of the blanket BL is completed.

  The order of loading the plate PP and the blanket BL may be reversed. However, when the plate PP is loaded after the blanket BL is loaded, there is a risk that foreign matter may fall on the blanket BL when the plate PP is loaded, thereby contaminating the coating layer PT with the pattern forming material or causing defects. By setting the blanket BL on the lower stage 61 after setting the plate PP on the upper stage 41 as described above, such a problem can be avoided in advance.

  Returning to FIG. 7, when the plate PP and the blanket BL are set on the upper and lower stages in this way, the plate PP and the blanket BL are pre-aligned (step S103). Furthermore, gap adjustment is performed so that both face each other across a preset gap (step S104).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of gap adjustment processing and alignment processing. Among them, the precision alignment process shown in FIG. 11C is a process necessary only for the transfer process described later, and will be described in the later description of the transfer process. As described above, the plate PP, the substrate SB, or the blanket BL is carried in from the outside, but a positional shift may occur during the delivery. The pre-alignment process is a process for roughly positioning the plate PP or substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 at positions suitable for the subsequent processes.

  FIG. 11A is a side view schematically showing the arrangement of a configuration for executing pre-alignment. As described above, in this embodiment, a total of six pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246 are provided in the upper part of the apparatus. Among these, the three cameras 241 to 243 are substrate pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) held on the upper stage 41. The other three cameras 244 to 246 are blanket pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the blanket BL. Here, the pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 are referred to as “substrate pre-alignment cameras” for the sake of convenience, but these can be used for both the alignment of the plate PP and the alignment of the substrate SB. The processing contents are also the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 (a), the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 and 242 are installed at substantially the same position in the X direction and different positions in the Y direction. The (-X) side outer edge is imaged from above. Since the upper stage 41 is formed in a plane size slightly smaller than the substrate SB, the (-X) side outer edge portion of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) extending outward from the end portion of the upper stage 41 is imaged from above. be able to. Further, although not shown in the figure, another substrate pre-alignment camera 243 is provided on the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 11A, and the camera 243 is (−) of the plate PP (or the substrate SB). Y) Take an image of the side outer edge from above.

  On the other hand, the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 and 246 are installed in substantially the same position in the X direction and different positions in the Y direction, and the (+ X) side outer edge portion of the blanket BL placed on the lower stage 61. Are imaged from above. Further, another blanket pre-alignment camera 245 is provided on the front side of FIG. 11A, and the camera 245 images the outer edge of the blanket BL on the (−Y) side from above.

  The positions of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are grasped from the imaging results of these pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246, respectively. Then, when the upper stage block support mechanism 482 and the alignment stage support mechanism 605 operate as necessary, the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are respectively positioned at preset target positions.

  When the blanket BL is moved horizontally together with the lower stage 61, it is preferable that the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 and the lower surface of the blanket BL are slightly separated from each other as shown in FIG. For this purpose, the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 806 can be discharged from the suction hole 625 b of the hand 625. The same applies to the precision alignment process described later.

  In addition, for a thin or large substrate SB that is likely to be bent, the substrate SB may be subjected to processing with a plate-like support member in contact with the back surface, for example, in order to facilitate handling. In such a case, even if the support member is larger than the substrate SB, for example, the support member is made of a transparent material, or a partially transparent window or through hole is provided in the support member. If the position of the outer edge portion is set to be easy to detect, pre-alignment processing similar to the above can be performed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the upper stage 41 holding the plate PP is lowered with respect to the lower stage 61 holding the blanket BL, and a gap G between the plate PP and the blanket BL is determined in advance. To the set value. At this time, the thicknesses of the plate PP and the blanket BL measured in advance are taken into consideration. That is, the distance between the upper stage 41 and the lower stage 61 is adjusted so that the gap between the plates PP and the blanket BL takes a predetermined value in consideration of the thickness. The gap value G here can be set to about 300 μm, for example.

  Regarding the thicknesses of the plate PP and the blanket BL, there are individual differences due to dimensional variations in manufacturing, and even for the same part, for example, a change in thickness due to swelling is conceivable. Further, the gap G may be defined between the lower surface of the plate PP and the upper surface of the blanket BL, and between the lower surface of the plate PP and the upper surface of the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material carried on the blanket BL. May be defined between. As long as the thickness of the coating layer PT is strictly controlled in the coating stage, it is technically equivalent.

  Returning to FIG. 7, when the plate PP and the blanket BL are arranged to face each other with a gap G therebetween, the plate PP is moved by moving the transfer roller 641 in the X direction while contacting the lower surface of the blanket BL. And the blanket BL are brought into contact with each other. Thereby, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material on the blanket BL is patterned by the plate PP (patterning process; step S105).

  FIG. 12 shows the patterning process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12A, the transfer roller 641 is raised to a position immediately below the blanket BL, and the center line of the transfer roller 641 is substantially the same as the end of the plate PP in the X direction. Alternatively, the transfer roller 641 is disposed at a position slightly deviated in the (−X) direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12B, the transfer roller 641 is further raised and brought into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL at the contacted position is locally pushed upward. As a result, the blanket BL (more precisely, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material carried on the blanket BL) is pressed against the lower surface of the plate PP with a predetermined pressing force. Since the transfer roller 641 is longer than the plate PP (and the effective region) in the Y direction, an elongated region along the Y direction from one end to the other end in the Y direction on the lower surface of the plate PP contacts the blanket BL.

  Thus, the lifting mechanism 644 travels in the (+ X) direction while the transfer roller 641 presses the blanket BL, thereby moving the push-up position of the blanket BL in the (+ X) direction. At this time, in order to prevent the hand 625 from coming into contact with the transfer roller 641, as shown in FIG. 12C, at least the hand 625 with respect to the hand 625 whose X-direction distance to the transfer roller 641 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. The upper surface 625a is retracted downward until it is positioned lower than the lower surface of the support frame 642.

  Since the suction by the hand 625 has already been released, the blanket BL is not lowered downward as the hand 625 is lowered. Further, by appropriately managing the timing of starting the descent in synchronization with the travel of the transfer roller 641, it is possible to prevent the blanket BL that has lost support by the hand 625 from drooping downward due to its own weight.

  FIG. 13 shows the running process of the transfer roller 641. Since the plate PP and the blanket BL that have been in contact with each other are maintained in close contact with each other through the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material, the plate PP is moved along with the travel of the transfer roller 641 as shown in FIG. And the area where the blanket BL is in close contact gradually expands in the (+ X) direction. At this time, as shown in the figure, the hand 625 is sequentially lowered as the transfer roller 641 approaches.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 13B, all the hands 625 are lowered, and the transfer roller 641 reaches the vicinity of the (+ X) side end below the lower stage 61. At this time, the transfer roller 641 has reached a position substantially directly below or slightly to the (+ X) side of the end of the (+ X) side of the plate PP, and the entire lower surface of the plate PP is applied to the coating layer PT on the blanket BL. Abutted.

  While the transfer roller 641 travels while maintaining a constant height, the area of the area pressed by the transfer roller 641 on the lower surface of the blanket BL is constant. Therefore, when the lifting mechanism 644 applies a constant load and presses the transfer roller 641 against the blanket BL, the plate PP and the blanket BL are pressed against each other with a constant pressing force with the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material interposed therebetween. Will be. Thereby, patterning from the plate PP to the blanket BL can be performed satisfactorily.

  In patterning, it is ideal that the entire surface area of the plate PP can be used effectively. However, an area that cannot be effectively used due to scratches, contact with the hand during transportation, or the like is unavoidable at the periphery of the plate PP. To occur. As shown in FIG. 13B, when the central area excluding the end area of the plate PP is an effective area AR that functions effectively as a plate, at least the effective area AR has a pressing force and a traveling speed of the transfer roller 641. It is desirable that is constant. For this purpose, the length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction needs to be longer than the length of the effective area AR in the same direction. In the X direction, the transfer roller 641 starts traveling from a position on the (−X) side of the end of the effective area AR in the (−X) direction, and reaches at least the end of the effective area AR in the (+ X) direction. Until then, it is desirable to maintain a constant speed. The surface area of the blanket BL facing the effective area AR of the plate PP is the effective area on the blanket BL side.

  FIG. 14 shows the positional relationship between the plate or substrate and the blanket. More specifically, this figure is a plan view of the positional relationship when the plate PP or the substrate SB contacts the blanket BL as viewed from above. As shown in the figure, the blanket BL has a larger planar size than the plate PP or the substrate SB. The region R1 near the peripheral edge with dots in the drawing in the blanket BL is a region that abuts the lower stage upper surface 61a when held by the lower stage 61. The blanket BL is held by the lower stage 61 in a state where the lower surface of the inner region is open.

  The plate PP and the substrate SB are substantially the same size, and these are smaller than the opening window size of the lower stage 61. The effective area AR that is effectively used for actual pattern formation is smaller than the size of the plate PP or the substrate SB. Therefore, the area corresponding to the effective area AR in the blanket BL is in a state where the lower surface is opened and faces the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61.

  A hatched region R2 indicates a region (pressing region) that is simultaneously pressed by the transfer roller 641 on the lower surface of the blanket BL. The pressing region R2 is an elongated region extending in the roller extending direction, that is, the Y direction, and both end portions in the Y direction extend to the outside from the end portions of the plate PP or the substrate SB, respectively. Therefore, when the transfer roller 641 presses the blanket BL in a state parallel to the lower surface of the blanket BL, the pressing force is uniform in the Y direction from one end to the other end of the effective area AR in the Y direction. is there.

  Thus, the transfer roller 641 moves in the X direction while applying a uniform pressing force in the Y direction to the effective area AR, so that the plate PP or the substrate SB and the blanket BL are uniformly pressed in the entire effective area AR. They are pressed against each other by pressure. Thereby, it is possible to prevent pattern damage due to non-uniform pressing and to form a high quality pattern.

  When the transfer roller 641 reaches the end on the (+ X) side in this way, the transfer roller 641 stops running, and the transfer roller 641 is retracted downward as shown in FIG. Thereby, the transfer roller 641 is separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the patterning process is completed.

  Returning to FIG. 7, when the patterning process is completed in this way, the plate PP and the blanket BL are carried out (step S106). FIG. 15 shows the process of carrying out the plate and blanket. First, as shown in FIG. 15A, each hand 625 that has been lowered during the patterning process is raised again to position the upper surface 625 a at the same height as the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. In this state, the adsorption of the plate PP by the suction pad 443 of the upper stage 41 (in the case of suction holding by the suction groove or suction hole, suction by them) is released. As a result, the holding of the plate PP by the upper stage 41 is released, and a laminated body in which the plate PP and the blanket BL are integrated via the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material is left on the lower stage 61. The center of the laminate is supported by the hand 625.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15B, the upper stage 41 is lifted to form a wide processing space SP, the suction by the groove 612 of the lower stage 61 is released, and the hand 625 is further lifted to lower the lower stage. Move upward from 61. At this time, it is preferable that the laminate is sucked and held by the hand 625.

  This makes it possible to access from the outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C, the blanket BL with the plate PP in close contact is carried out by accepting the blanket hand HB from the outside and performing the reverse operation to that during loading. . If the plate PP thus adhered is peeled from the blanket BL by an appropriate peeling means, a predetermined pattern is formed on the blanket BL.

  Next, a case where the pattern formed on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB that is the final object will be described. The process is basically the same as in the patterning process. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the substrate SB is set on the upper stage 41 (step S107), and then the blanket BL after pattern formation is set on the lower stage 61 (step S108). Then, after pre-alignment processing and gap adjustment between the substrate SB and the blanket BL (steps S109 and S110), the pattern on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB by running the transfer roller 641 below the blanket BL. (Transfer process; Step S112). After the transfer is completed, the integrated blanket BL and the substrate SB are carried out, and the process ends (step S113). These series of operations are also the same as those shown in FIGS. In these drawings, when the plate PP is read as the substrate SB, the symbol PT means a pattern after the patterning process.

  However, in the transfer process, in order to properly transfer the pattern to a predetermined position on the substrate SB, before the substrate SB and the blanket BL are brought into contact with each other, a more precise alignment (precise alignment process) between the two is performed ( Step S111). FIG. 11C shows the process.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the pattern forming apparatus 1 is provided with a precision alignment camera 27 supported by a support column erected in the (+ Z) direction from the base frame 21. A total of four precision alignment cameras 27 are provided with their optical axes oriented vertically upward so as to respectively image the four corners of the substrate SB through the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61.

  On the four corners of the substrate SB, alignment marks (substrate-side alignment marks) serving as position references are formed in advance. On the corresponding positions of the blanket BL, blanket-side alignment is performed as a part of the pattern patterned by the plate PP. A mark is formed. These are imaged with the same visual field of the precision alignment camera 27, and the positional relationship between them is obtained by detecting the positional relationship between them, and the amount of movement of the blanket BL that corrects this is obtained. By moving the alignment stage 601 by the obtained movement amount by the alignment stage support mechanism 605, the lower stage 61 moves in the horizontal plane, and the positional deviation between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is corrected.

  The substrate SB and the blanket BL are opposed to each other with a small gap G, and the alignment marks formed on the substrates SB and the blanket BL are imaged with the same camera, so that the substrate SB and the blanket BL can be aligned with high accuracy. It can be carried out. In this sense, the alignment process can be said to be a highly accurate precision alignment process compared to the case where the substrate SB and the blanket BL are individually imaged and the position is adjusted. By bringing them into contact with each other from this state, in this embodiment, it is possible to form a pattern that is accurately aligned with a predetermined position of the substrate SB. Then, by performing pre-alignment processing of the substrate SB and the blanket BL in advance, the alignment marks respectively formed on the substrate SB and the blanket BL can be positioned in the visual field of the precision alignment camera 27.

  It should be noted that such a precise alignment process is not necessarily required when forming a pattern on the blanket BL using the plate PP. This is because the blanket side alignment mark is preliminarily formed on the plate PP together with the pattern, so that there is no positional deviation between the pattern formed on the blanket BL and the blanket side alignment mark. This is because a slight misalignment between the plate PP and the blanket BL does not affect pattern formation as long as precise alignment is performed between the side alignment mark and the substrate side alignment mark. From this point, only the pre-alignment process is executed in the patterning process.

  The alignment process will be described in more detail. As described above, in this embodiment, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are opposed to each other with a minute gap G (for example, G = 300 μm), and alignment adjustment between them, that is, relative alignment is performed. Is possible. For this reason, it is possible to align the substrate SB and the blanket BL with extremely high positional accuracy (for example, about ± 3 μm).

  FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the principle of alignment processing. As shown in FIG. 16A, an alignment mark (substrate-side alignment) having an appropriate shape serving as a position reference is provided on the lower surface of the substrate SB held by the upper stage 41, that is, at a position close to the four corners of the pattern transfer surface. Mark) AM1 is formed in advance. On the other hand, on the upper surface of the blanket BL held by the lower stage 61, that is, the pattern carrying surface, an alignment mark (blanket side alignment mark) AM2 having an appropriate shape is formed of a pattern forming material. More specifically, the alignment mark AM2 is formed in advance along with the pattern to be formed on the plate PP. When the coating layer PT made of the pattern forming material on the blanket BL is patterned with the plate PP, the alignment mark AM2 is formed together with the pattern. It is formed on the blanket BL.

  Therefore, on the blanket BL after patterning, the pattern to be transferred to the substrate SB and the alignment mark AM2 are formed, and the positional relationship between them is fixed. Therefore, by performing alignment between the substrate side alignment mark AM1 and the blanket side alignment mark AM2, the relative position between the substrate SB and the pattern to be transferred to the substrate SB is correctly defined.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16A, a blanket side alignment mark AM2 formed on the upper surface of the blanket BL by an alignment camera 27 disposed inside the opening 611 of the lower stage 61 and below the blanket BL. Then, the substrate side alignment mark AM1 formed on the lower surface of the substrate SB is imaged through the blanket BL. The blanket BL is mainly made of, for example, quartz glass, and has light transmittance. At this time, as shown in FIG. 16B, both alignment marks AM1 and AM2 are included in the same visual field FV.

  The captured image is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 805 of the control unit 8, and the relative positions of both alignment marks AM1, AM2 are detected. As shown in FIG. 16B, the alignment marks AM1 and AM2 are made different from each other so that they can be easily identified. Further, by performing position detection in an image in which both alignment marks AM1, AM2 are accommodated in the same visual field FV, it is possible to obtain the relative position between the alignment marks AM1, AM2 with high accuracy. By performing such imaging and position detection for the alignment marks respectively provided at the four corners of the substrate SB, the amount of positional deviation between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is obtained. In principle, the alignment is possible by using one alignment mark for each of the substrate SB and the blanket BL, but at least two alignment marks are formed and imaged to perform alignment. Thus, it is possible to perform alignment with higher accuracy.

  The alignment stage support mechanism 605 moves the alignment stage 601 (FIG. 3) in the horizontal plane so as to cancel the obtained positional deviation amount. As a result, the lower stage 61 moves horizontally in the XYθ directions by a necessary amount, and precise alignment between the substrate SB and the blanket BL (more precisely, the pattern on the blanket BL) is realized.

  In order to perform such precise alignment with high accuracy, it is necessary to increase the resolution in detecting the position of the alignment mark. For that purpose, it is necessary to perform imaging at a relatively high magnification. Since the field of view FV is narrowed in high-magnification imaging, the relative position between the substrate SB and the blanket BL must be set to some extent prior to precise alignment in order to keep the substrate-side alignment mark AM1 and the blanket-side alignment mark AM2 within the same field of view. (For example, with a positional accuracy of about several tens of μm), it is necessary to match.

  However, it is not easy to achieve such positional accuracy at the time of transferring the substrate SB and the blanket BL from the outside of the apparatus. Even if the position is restricted by providing the stopper member 613 as shown in FIG. Due to the dimensional variation of each member, the required position accuracy may not be reached. In particular, when the substrate SB and the blanket BL are large, they are easily bent and the dimensional variation increases, while the weight increases. Therefore, there is a limit in terms of accuracy in position regulation by mechanical abutment.

  Making the magnification and field of view FV of the alignment camera 27 variable for the purpose of such relatively coarse alignment is not preferable because it may cause a decrease in the imaging position accuracy at the time of imaging for precision alignment. This is because by making the magnification variable, the optical axis shift of the optical system, insufficient light quantity at high magnification, image distortion, and the like are likely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, the relative positions of the substrate SB and the blanket BL are aligned to the extent that both alignment marks AM1 and AM2 are within the same field of view of the alignment camera 27 by executing pre-alignment prior to precise alignment. For the imaging optical system of the alignment camera 27, the magnification and field of view FV are constant.

  17 and 18 are diagrams for explaining the principle of pre-alignment in this embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the imaging range of the blanket BL by the pre-alignment camera, and FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the principle of alignment based on the image captured by the pre-alignment camera.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a total of six pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246 are provided in the upper part of the apparatus. Of these, three cameras 241 to 243 are substrate pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the substrate SB. The other three cameras 244 to 246 are blanket pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the blanket BL. These cameras may have a lower magnification than the alignment camera 27 for precision alignment, and thus a wide field of view can be secured. Also, the resolution may be lower, which can suppress an increase in apparatus cost.

  In principle, the position detection of the substrate SB by the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 and the alignment based thereon are the same as the position detection of the blanket BL by the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 and the alignment based thereon. In the following, the principle will be described by taking as an example the alignment of the blanket BL based on the imaging results of the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 respectively image two locations on the (+ X) side outer edge and one location on the (+ Y) side of the four sides of the blanket BL. In the figure, regions IR1, IR2, and IR3 indicate imaging ranges by the cameras 246, 244, and 245, respectively. By imaging the outer edges close to the corners of the blanket BL, it is possible to improve the alignment accuracy.

  By imaging a part of two sides that are not parallel to each other among the four sides that form the outer edge of the blanket BL, it is possible to independently determine the amount of positional deviation of the blanket BL in two dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction. . Moreover, the amount of inclination of the blanket BL in the θ direction can be obtained by imaging two or more locations on the same side or sides parallel to each other.

  In FIG. 18A, the X-direction positions of the imaging ranges IR1 and IR2 are slightly different. This assumes that there is a possibility that the mounting position of each camera may be displaced due to the dimensional accuracy of the parts, etc., and that the blanket is aligned even if there is a slight displacement between these cameras. In order to show that this is possible, this is illustrated.

  The principle of alignment based on the imaging result will be described with reference to FIG. First, assuming a blanket BLi at a design ideal position (target position) with no positional deviation, as shown in FIG. 18A, a blanket when such a blanket BLi is imaged by each camera 244 to 246 is shown. The end position is registered as a reference value. Specifically, the X-direction distance X10 from the end of the imaging range IR1 by the camera 246 to the (+ X) side end of the blanket BLi, and the (+ X) of the blanket BLi from the end of the imaging range IR2 in the imaging range IR2 by the camera 244 ) The X direction distance X20 to the side end and the Y direction distance Y30 from the end of the imaging range IR3 by the camera 245 to the (+ Y) side end of the blanket BLi are registered as reference values. The registration of the reference value does not need to be updated unless the position of each camera is changed.

  Next, the end of the blanket BL is imaged by the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 in a state where the blanket BL is actually loaded. FIG. 18B shows an example thereof, and generally, the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61 in such a state that it deviates from the ideal position. At this time, the X-direction distance X11 from the end of the imaging range IR1 by the camera 246 to the (+ X) side end of the blanket BL, and the (+ X) of the blanket BL from the end of the imaging range IR2 in the imaging range IR2 by the camera 244 An X-direction distance X21 to the side end and a Y-direction distance Y31 from the end of the imaging range IR3 by the camera 245 to the (+ Y) side end of the blanket BL are obtained.

  If there is no misalignment in the blanket BL, these values X11, X21, and Y31 coincide with the reference values X10, X20, and Y30, respectively, but are generally different values. The difference from the reference value of the value represents the magnitude of the blanket BL shift amount. That is, the difference between the value Y31 and the value Y30 corresponds to the amount of displacement of the blanket BL in the Y direction. Further, the difference between the value X11 and the value X10 and the difference between the value X21 and the value X20 all correspond to the amount of displacement of the blanket BL in the X direction. Further, the difference between the value (X20−X10) and the value (X21−X11) corresponds to the positional deviation amount (inclination) of the blanket BL around the Z axis, that is, in the θ direction. In this way, by registering the blanket outer edge position in the ideal state as a reference value and obtaining the relative positional deviation amount therefrom, the absolute position of each camera does not require accuracy. That is, it is not necessary to strictly manage the mounting position of the camera, and it is only necessary to have a positional accuracy that can stably fit the outer edge of the blanket BL whose position varies with each loading.

  From these values, the amount of displacement of the blanket BL from the ideal position is obtained in each of the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction, and the amount of horizontal movement of the blanket BL that eliminates this displacement is obtained to determine the blanket BL. The blanket BL can be aligned by moving it. Position detection and movement may be repeated until the blanket BL is positioned at the ideal position. The substrate SB or the plate PP held on the upper stage 41 can be similarly positioned.

  Although alignment based on the low-magnification image captured by the pre-alignment camera cannot finally obtain the required positional accuracy, at least both the substrate side and blanket side alignment marks are within the same field of view FV of the alignment camera 27. Positioning that can be accommodated can be sufficiently realized by the above method. In other words, after the ideal positions (target positions) of the blanket BL and the substrate SB are set in advance so that at least both the substrate-side and blanket-side alignment marks are within the same field of view FV of the alignment camera 27, the above-described pre-alignment processing Is done.

  Note that the movement of the substrate SB or the blanket BL based on the imaging result of the pre-alignment camera may be executed at an arbitrary timing as long as the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are brought in and before the precise alignment. Is possible. In this embodiment, after the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are loaded, the pre-alignment process is performed before the gap adjustment is performed. This is to prevent disturbance due to the presence of the blanket BL in the proximity position behind the plate PP or the substrate SB detected by the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243. On the other hand, if the pre-alignment process is performed after the gap adjustment between the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL is performed, it is possible to more surely prevent the horizontal displacement that may occur when the gap is changed. Is possible.

  The movement of the substrate SB for pre-alignment is performed by the upper stage block support mechanism 482 moving the upper stage assembly 40 and horizontally moving the upper stage 41 holding the substrate SB. On the other hand, the blanket BL is moved by the alignment stage support mechanism 605 moving the alignment stage 601 and horizontally moving the lower stage 61 holding the blanket BL. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11A, it is preferable that the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 is separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL. In this embodiment, the lifting / lowering hand units 62 and 63 are fixed to the base frame 21, and when the alignment stage 601 moves horizontally by the operation of the alignment stage support mechanism 605, each hand 625 does not interlock with this.

  However, if each hand 625 is lowered for this purpose, the blanket BL may be bent downward accordingly. If gas is discharged from the suction holes 625b on the upper surface 625a of the hand 625 while maintaining the vertical position of each hand 625, the horizontal position of the blanket BL is maintained and a minute amount between the blanket BL and the upper surface 625a of the hand is maintained. A gap can be made. This avoids rubbing against the hand 625 when the blanket BL moves. By maintaining the state where the blanket BL is sucked and held on the lower stage 61, the displacement of the blanket BL with respect to the lower stage 61 is prevented. As shown in FIG. 11C, the same can be done when the blanket BL is moved in precision alignment.

  Instead of moving the substrate SB or the blanket BL alone, the substrate SB or the blanket BL is moved together with the stage while being held on the upper stage 41 or the lower stage 61, so that these postures can be maintained and the substrate SB or the blanket BL can be moved. It is possible to prevent a decrease in alignment accuracy.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the blanket BL corresponds to the “supporting body” of the present invention, and the substrate SB corresponds to the “transfer body” of the present invention. The lower stage 61 functions as the “first holding unit” of the present invention, while the alignment stage support mechanism 605 functions as the “first moving unit” of the present invention. The upper stage 41 functions as the “second holding unit” of the present invention, while the upper stage block support mechanism 482 functions as the “second moving unit” of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the control unit 8, the pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246, and the motor groups provided in the upper stage block 4 and the lower stage block 6 function as the “preliminary alignment means” of the present invention. On the other hand, the control unit 8, the alignment camera 27, and the motor group provided in the lower stage block 6 function as a “precision alignment unit” of the present invention. Among these, the pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246 and the alignment camera 27 function as the “preliminary alignment imaging unit” and the “precision alignment imaging unit” of the present invention, respectively. Further, the transfer roller unit 64 functions as the “pushing means” of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the ideal position of the blanket BLi shown in FIG. 18A corresponds to the “first target position” of the present invention. Although not shown, an ideal substrate position when the same idea is applied to the substrate SB corresponds to the “second target position” of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, steps S107 to S108 in FIG. 7 correspond to the “placement step” of the present invention, and step S109 corresponds to the “preliminary alignment step” of the present invention. Step S111 corresponds to the “precision alignment step” of the present invention. Step S112 corresponds to the “transfer process” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, three substrate pre-alignment cameras and three blanket pre-alignment cameras are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. The same camera may also serve as a substrate pre-alignment camera and a blanket pre-alignment camera.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the board | substrate and blanket pre-alignment cameras are imaging the outer edge near the corner | angular part of a board | substrate and a blanket, respectively, an imaging position is not limited to this. For example, the positional deviation amount of the substrate or the blanket may be obtained by imaging each of the two sides facing each other or by imaging each of the two corners that are diagonal to each other. It is also possible to determine the amount of blanket inclination from the inclination of the outer edge that appears in the image.

  In the above embodiment, the precision alignment process is performed using the first alignment mark AM1 patterned together with the pattern on the blanket BL. However, the alignment mark previously fixedly formed on the blanket BL may be used. Good. However, in this case, in order to form a pattern at an appropriate position on the substrate SB, precise alignment is also required when patterning from the plate PP to the blanket BL.

  In the precision alignment process of the above embodiment, the blanket BL is moved relative to the substrate SB by moving the lower stage 61 horizontally. However, the technology can be achieved even if the substrate SB is moved together with the upper stage 41. Are equivalent.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment has a structure which hold | maintains the peripheral part of blanket BL with the lower stage 61 formed in the frame shape which an inside opens, alignment technology based on the thought of this invention is limited to this. For example, it is applicable also to the pattern formation apparatus which has the structure which mounts a blanket on a flat stage.

  The present invention can be suitably applied to a technique for aligning a carrier and a transferred body, among techniques for transferring the pattern from the carrier carrying the pattern to the transferred body.

8 Control unit (Preliminary alignment means, precision alignment means)
27 Alignment camera (Precision alignment means, Precise alignment imaging unit)
41 Upper stage (second holding means)
61 Lower stage (first holding means)
64 Transfer roller unit (push-up means)
605 alignment stage support mechanism (first moving means)
241 to 246 pre-alignment camera (preliminary alignment means, preliminary alignment imaging unit)
482 Upper stage block support mechanism (second moving means)
AM1 1st alignment mark AM2 2nd alignment mark BL Blanket (carrier)
SB substrate (transfer object)
S107 to S108 Arrangement process S109 Preliminary alignment process S111 Precision alignment process S112 Transfer process

Claims (10)

First holding means for holding a carrier carrying a pattern on the pattern carrying surface;
A second holding means for holding a transfer object having a transfer surface onto which the pattern is transferred, with the transfer surface facing the pattern support surface of the support;
A push-up means for pushing up the carrier held by the first holding means;
First moving means for moving the first holding means in parallel with the pattern carrying surface;
Second moving means for moving the second holding means in parallel with the transfer surface;
At least a part of the outer edge of the carrier held by the first holding means is imaged, and the first moving means is operated based on the imaging result to position the carrier at a predetermined first target position. Then, at least a part of the outer edge of the transferred object held by the second holding unit is imaged, and the second moving unit is operated based on the imaging result to move the transferred object to a predetermined second target position. Preliminary alignment means for positioning to,
The first alignment mark formed on the carrier positioned at the first target position and the second alignment mark formed on the transfer target positioned at the second target position are imaged, and the imaging result And a precision alignment unit that operates at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit to align the carrier and the transfer target ,
The first holding means holds the peripheral portion of the carrier, has a horizontal posture with the pattern carrying surface facing upward, and opens the lower portion of the central portion inside the peripheral portion. Hold
The push-up means is a pattern forming apparatus in which the central portion of the carrier is pushed up from below to bring the pattern carried on the carrier into contact with the surface to be transferred of the member to be transferred .   The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the precision alignment unit simultaneously images the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark within the same field of view. The preliminary alignment unit includes a preliminary alignment imaging unit that images the outer edges of the carrier and the transfer target, while the precision alignment unit has a higher resolution than the preliminary alignment imaging unit. pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 having a precision alignment imaging unit that captures an image of a second alignment mark. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the imaging unit for precision alignment includes an imaging optical system with a fixed magnification. The preliminary alignment means to claim 3 or 4 having a plurality of the preliminary alignment imaging unit that each imaging different locations from each other among the outer edges of the mutually different places and the material to be transferred out of the outer edge of the carrier The pattern forming apparatus as described. The carrier carrying the pattern is held by the first holding unit, and the transfer target to which the pattern is transferred is held by the second holding unit. The pattern holding surface of the support and the transfer target of the transfer target An arrangement step of arranging the surfaces facing each other;
At least a part of the outer edge of the carrier is imaged, and the first holding means is moved based on the imaging result to position the carrier at a predetermined first target position, and among the outer edges of the transferred body A preliminary alignment step of imaging at least a part, and moving the second holding unit based on the imaging result to position the transferred body at a predetermined second target position;
The first alignment mark formed on the carrier and the second alignment mark formed on the transfer body are imaged, and at least one of the first holding means and the second holding means is moved based on the imaging result And a precision alignment step of aligning the carrier and the transfer object,
The first holding means holds the peripheral portion of the carrier, has a horizontal posture with the pattern carrying surface facing upward, and opens the lower portion of the central portion inside the peripheral portion. Hold
A pattern forming method in which the central portion of the carrier is pushed up from below by a push-up means so that the pattern carried on the carrier is brought into contact with the transfer surface of the transfer member . The pattern forming method according to claim 6 , wherein in the precision alignment step, the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark are simultaneously imaged within the same field of view. The position of the carrier when the first alignment mark is positioned in the field of view of the imaging unit that performs imaging in the precision alignment step is set as the first target position, while the second alignment is in the field of view of the imaging unit. The pattern forming method according to claim 7 , wherein the position of the transferred body when the mark is positioned is set as the second target position. In the preliminary alignment step, a plurality of different positions on the outer edge of the carrier are imaged to obtain a positional deviation amount of the carrier from the first target position, and the first holding means according to the positional deviation amount While moving the image, a plurality of different positions on the outer edge of the transferred body are imaged to obtain a positional deviation amount of the transferred body from the second target position, and the second amount corresponding to the positional deviation amount is obtained. the pattern forming method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 for moving the holding means. After the fine alignment step, according to one of claims 6 to 9 comprising a transfer step of transferring the to a transfer member from the carrier the pattern is brought into contact with said material to be transferred and the carrier Pattern forming method.

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