JP7799461B2 - Imprinting method, pattern forming method, imprinting apparatus and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pattern forming method, an imprinting method, an imprinting apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article.

In recent years, microfabrication technology has been developed that transfers the fine structure on a mold to a workpiece such as resin or metal by applying pressure, and is attracting attention.

This technology, known as nanoimprinting or nanoembossing, has a resolution on the order of a few nanometers, and is therefore expected to become a next-generation semiconductor manufacturing technology that will replace optical exposure devices such as steppers and scanners.

Furthermore, because this technology allows for the simultaneous processing of three-dimensional structures on wafers, it is expected to be applied to manufacturing technologies in fields other than semiconductors.

When applying this type of imprinting method to semiconductor manufacturing technology, it is carried out, for example, using the following method described in Patent Document 1. That is, a photo-curable imprinting material layer is formed on a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer). A mold with a desired concave-convex pattern formed on its processing surface is then pressed against the imprinting material, filling the concave-convex portions with the imprinting material, and the resin is cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet light. The mold is then released from the substrate, transferring the pattern to the imprinting material layer. This imprinting material layer is then used as a mask layer for etching or other processes to form a pattern on the semiconductor wafer.

Typically, a pattern is formed in multiple shot areas on a semiconductor wafer using an imprint process, and then the substrate is etched. In this case, however, the non-imprinted areas between adjacent shots can become a problem.

Patent document 2 describes providing a dummy fill feature in the form of a notch at the mesa edge of the mold, and forming a new imprint pattern in an area adjacent to an already formed pattern.

Special Publication No. 2005-533393 Special table 2017-504961 publication

However, with conventional imprinting methods, for example, when forming multiple patterns in adjacent positions on a substrate using different molds, depending on the manufacturing error and precision, adjacent patterns may be partially separated or partially overlapping. This can result in unexpected shapes.

The present invention therefore aims to provide an imprinting method that is less likely to produce unexpected shapes.

To achieve this object, an imprint method according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
1. An imprinting method for performing an imprint process using a mold on which a pattern is formed in a second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region on a substrate, the method comprising:
the substrate has a step at a boundary between the first pattern formation region and the second pattern formation region ,
The imprinting process is performed on the second pattern formation region so that a region of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation region extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region.

The present invention provides a pattern formation method that is less likely to produce unexpected shapes.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional imprint apparatus. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional imprint process. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional imprint process. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating problems that occur in a conventional imprint process. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an imprint method according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of the first embodiment.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that identical components in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

An imprinting device is a device that contacts an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate with a mold and applies hardening energy to the imprinting material to form a pattern in a cured product to which the concave-convex pattern of the mold has been transferred. For example, an imprinting device supplies a liquid imprinting material onto a substrate and hardens the imprinting material while a mold (mold) with a concave-convex pattern formed on it is brought into contact with the imprinting material on the substrate. The mold pattern can then be transferred to the imprinting material on the substrate by widening the gap between the mold and the substrate and peeling (demolding) the mold from the hardened imprinting material. This series of processes is called the "imprinting process" and is performed for each of the multiple shot areas on the substrate.

The imprint material uses a curable composition (uncured resin, sometimes called the imprint material) that hardens when curing energy is applied. The curing energy used may be electromagnetic waves, heat, or other sources. Electromagnetic waves include, for example, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, or other light with a wavelength selected from the range of 10 nm to 1 mm.

A curable composition is a composition that cures when irradiated with light or when heated. Among these, photocurable compositions that cure when exposed to light contain at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may also contain a non-polymerizable compound or solvent as needed. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal mold release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components, etc.

The imprint material is applied to the substrate in the form of a film using a spin coater or slit coater. Alternatively, it may be applied to the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or a film formed by multiple droplets connected together, using a liquid ejection head. The viscosity of the imprint material (at 25°C) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

First Embodiment
1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imprinting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The imprinting apparatus 1 forms and hardens an imprinting material on a substrate 13 using an imprinting mold (die) 11 having a pattern region in which a pattern of protrusions and recesses is formed. An imprinting process is then performed in which the mold is separated (demolding, peeling) from the hardened imprinting material to form a pattern on the substrate. In the imprinting apparatus 1, the space in which this imprinting process is performed is called a processing section. In this embodiment, a photocurable composition is used as the imprinting material, and a photocuring method is adopted in which the photocurable composition is hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light.

The imprinting apparatus 1 has a mold holding unit 12 that holds the mold 11, a substrate holding unit 14 that holds the substrate 13, a detection unit 15, an irradiation unit 16, and a control unit 17. The imprinting apparatus may also have a supply unit including a dispenser for supplying UV-curable imprinting material onto the substrate, and a shape deformation mechanism for applying force to the side of the mold 11 to deform the pattern region 11a of the mold 11. Furthermore, the imprinting apparatus 1 may also have a bridge surface plate for holding the mold holding unit 12, a base surface plate for holding the substrate holding unit 14, and the like. It may also have a storage unit for storing multiple molds 11.

The mold 11 has a pattern area 11a in which a pattern (concave and recess pattern) to be transferred to the imprint material on the substrate 13 is formed. The mold 11 is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light, such as quartz, which is used to harden the imprint material on the substrate 13.

Alignment marks (mold-side marks 18) used to control the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 are also formed in the pattern area 11a of the mold 11.

The mold holding unit 12 is a holding mechanism that holds the mold 11. The mold holding unit 12 includes, for example, a mold chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the mold 11, a mold stage on which the mold chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives (moves) the mold stage. This drive system drives the mold stage (i.e., the mold 11) at least in the Z-axis direction (the imprinting direction when imprinting the mold 11 into the imprint material on the substrate 13). Furthermore, this drive system may also have the function of driving the mold stage not only in the Z-axis direction, but also in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θ direction (rotation around the Z-axis).

The substrate 13 is a substrate onto which the pattern of the mold 11 is transferred (i.e., a substrate onto which a pattern composed of an imprint material is formed). Materials that can be used for the substrate 13 include, for example, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, and resin. The imprint material is supplied (applied) to the substrate 13 from a supply unit. In addition, an alignment mark (substrate-side mark 19) that is used to control the alignment between the mold 11 and the substrate 13 is formed on the substrate 13.

The substrate holder 14 is a holding mechanism that holds the substrate 13. The substrate holder 14 includes, for example, a substrate chuck that vacuum- or electrostatically adsorbs the substrate 13, a substrate stage on which the substrate chuck is placed, and a drive system that drives the substrate stage. This drive system drives the substrate stage (i.e., the substrate 13) in at least the X-axis and Y-axis directions (directions perpendicular to the imprinting direction of the mold 11). Furthermore, this drive system may also have the function of driving the substrate stage not only in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, but also in the Z-axis and θ direction (rotation around the Z axis).

In this embodiment, the detection unit 15 includes a scope that optically observes the substrate-side marks 19 and 18 through the mold 11, and detects the relative positions of the mold-side marks 18 and the corresponding substrate-side marks 19. For example, the detection unit 15 can calculate the relative positions of the mold 11 (pattern area 11a) and the substrate 13 (shot area) based on the measurement results of the relative positions of the mold-side marks 18 and the corresponding substrate-side marks 19 detected by the scope.

Here, the detection unit 15 only needs to be able to detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19. Therefore, the detection unit 15 may include a scope equipped with an optical system for simultaneously capturing images of the two marks, or may include a scope that detects signals that reflect the relative positional relationship between the two marks, such as interference signals or moiré.

Furthermore, the detection unit 15 does not have to be able to detect the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 simultaneously. For example, the detection unit 15 may detect the relative positional relationship between the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 by determining the respective positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 relative to a reference position located inside.

The irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material on the substrate through the mold 11 with light 22 (e.g., ultraviolet light) for hardening the imprint material, thereby hardening the imprint material. The irradiation unit 16 may include, for example, a light source that emits light 22 for hardening the imprint material, and an optical system that adjusts the light 22 emitted from the light source to optimal light for the imprint process. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment may be configured so that the light 22 emitted from the irradiation unit 16 is reflected by a beam splitter and irradiated onto the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprint material on the substrate).

The observation unit 23 includes, for example, a camera with a field of view that can fit the entire pattern area 11a of the mold 11, and has the function of observing (checking) the hardening state of the imprint material on the substrate due to irradiation with ultraviolet light. The observation unit 23 can also observe the state of the mold 11 imprinting onto the imprint material on the substrate, the state of the imprint material filling the pattern on the mold 11, and the state of the mold 11 being released from the hardened imprint material on the substrate. The imprint apparatus 1 of this embodiment can be configured so that the observation unit 23 observes the hardening state of the imprint material on the substrate via a beam splitter.

The control unit 17 includes, for example, a CPU and memory, and controls each part of the imprinting device 1 to control the imprinting process and related processes.

Next, with reference to Figures 2(A) to 2(C), we will explain the imprinting process, which transfers the pattern of the mold 11 to the substrate 13 (specifically, the imprinting material on the substrate), i.e., which forms the imprinting material on the substrate. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the imprinting process.

As shown in Figure 2(A), before starting to imprint the mold 11, imprint material 20 is supplied to the target shot area on the substrate (the pattern formation area where imprint processing will be performed). The imprint materials commonly used in imprint devices are highly volatile, so they should be supplied onto the substrate immediately before imprint processing. However, if the imprint material is low-volatile, the imprint material may be supplied onto the substrate in advance using a spin cord or the like. After supplying the imprint material 20 onto the substrate, the substrate 13 is moved below the mold 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the mold 11 is brought into contact with the imprint material 20 on the substrate, and a predetermined time is allowed to pass in this state, allowing the imprint material 20 to fill the pattern (relief structure) of the mold 11. Even during this time, the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 can be detected by the detection unit 15, and the alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 can be controlled based on the detection results.

At this time, as a parallel operation, the relative positions of the mold-side mark 18 and the substrate-side mark 19 are detected by the detection unit 15, and based on the detection results, the relative alignment of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 and the shape correction of the mold 11 and the substrate 13 for shot shape correction are controlled.

Once the pattern on the mold 11 has been filled with the imprint material 20 (for example, after a predetermined time has passed), the irradiation unit 16 irradiates the imprint material 20 on the substrate with light 22 to harden the imprint material 20.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the mold 11 is separated (released) from the hardened imprint material 20 on the substrate. This allows a pattern 21 made of the imprint material 20 to be formed in the pattern formation area on the substrate (i.e., the pattern of the mold 11 can be transferred onto the substrate).

Figure 3 shows a detailed cross section of imprinting using the method described above. This section focuses on the process of transferring different patterns to the same layer by imprinting. Figure 3 shows how a second pattern, which is a different pattern, is transferred to a second pattern formation area by imprinting on a substrate that already has a relief structure formed as a first pattern formation area, and then etching is performed using the hardened imprint material as an etching mask.

Currently, forming thin patterns requires processing steps such as SADP (Self-Aligned Double Patterning) and SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning). This makes it difficult to form thin and thick patterns simultaneously, making this embodiment useful as it allows these different sized patterns to be formed adjacent to each other on the same layer in separate processes.

Figure 3(a) shows the state in which the mold 11 is being imprinted onto the substrate 13 via the imprint material 20. The first pattern formation region 32, which has already been formed on the substrate 13, has undergone pattern transfer and etching processes in previous processes, and has a concave-convex structure.

In other words, the substrate has a step at the boundary between the pattern formation surface of the first pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface on which the second pattern is formed by the imprint process, and the etching process positions the pattern formation surface of the first pattern formation region at a lower position.

Because it is necessary to protect the pattern formed in the pattern area 32 from etching after the current transfer process, the first pattern formation area is used as a covering layer that acts as an etching mask, and the pattern of the mold 11 is configured to have recesses so that the imprint material 20 is thick.

The transfer pattern of the second pattern formation region 33 to be transferred is formed on the mold 11. Here, the second pattern formation region 33 is the transfer region where the mold comes into contact with the imprint material during the imprint process, and refers to an area configured so that the pattern to be transferred and the imprint material are thin. The portion of the substrate 13 where the imprint material is thin is etched in the next process.

Figure 3(b) shows the imprint material 20 hardened by ultraviolet light and the mold 11 peeled off.

The imprint material 20 with the shape formed here is used as an etching mask to perform etching, and the unnecessary imprint material 20 is removed, as shown in Figure 3(c). It can be seen that the thin parts of the imprint material 20 in Figure 3(b) have been etched, while the thick parts have not. This allows a new second pattern to be formed in the adjacent second pattern formation region 33 while maintaining the pattern of the existing first pattern formation region 32.

In this way, if the desired structure or region is imprinted in the intended position, the desired structure can be created while preserving the original structure. However, due to manufacturing errors in the mold 11, differences in the relative shapes and relative magnifications between the patterns on the mold 11 and substrate 13, and relative position errors during imprinting, the imprint process may not be ideal as shown in Figure 3. The imprint results and resulting structures in such cases will be explained using Figure 4.

Figure 4 shows the same process as Figure 3. The difference is that during imprinting in Figure 4(a), a slight misalignment occurs between the pattern areas of the substrate 13 and the mold 11 (see the dotted line in Figure 4(a)). Causes of this misalignment include transfer and processing errors when configuring the substrate-side pattern, manufacturing errors in the mold-side pattern, and misalignment of the relative positions and shapes between the substrate and mold during imprinting.

In this case, the edge of the recess on the mold side, where the imprint material 20 is set to be thick to protect the first pattern formation region 32 of the substrate 13, may extend outside the first pattern formation region 32 of the substrate 13 (Figure 4(b)). Figure 4(c) shows the result of etching using this imprint material as a mask. Comparing Figure 4(c) with Figure 3(c), it is clear that the position of the second pattern formation region 33 transferred by the mold 11 is shifted, and a pattern that was not present in Figure 3(c) has appeared in Figure 4(c).

When creating MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) or optical elements with special optical properties, it is sometimes necessary to create additional structures on the same layer or on a surface that still has a stepped structure, while protecting the existing pattern. In this case, a transfer process using imprinting is required on the surface that already has the pattern, which can lead to situations like the one above.

In MEMS and optical elements, relative misalignment of patterns can sometimes be tolerated, but if an unexpected structure is created, the desired performance may not be achieved. Furthermore, similar cases can occur not only in three-dimensional structures like this, but also in general semiconductor manufacturing processes.

This embodiment, which prevents the above-described unexpected structure from occurring when a pattern is transferred, will be described using Figure 5.

Figure 5 shows the same process as Figures 3 and 4, but using this embodiment.

Figure 5(a) shows the state in which the mold 11 is imprinted onto the substrate 13 via the imprint material 20. At this time, it can be seen that the second pattern formation region 33, which forms the second pattern transferred by the second mold 11, extends slightly beyond the boundary of the step toward the adjacent first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate side. The region where the first pattern formation region 32 already formed on the substrate side and the second pattern formation region 33 to be formed using the mold overlap is called the overlap region 34.

Ideally, a mold pattern should be overlaid so that the resist material 20 is thick enough to prevent the first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate from being processed during the etching process. However, there is a possibility that errors, such as overlay errors, will occur that cannot be eliminated. For this reason, if the transfer process is performed so that the position is perfectly aligned with the desired position as shown in Figure 3, the structure shown in Figure 4 will inevitably occur.

Therefore, in order to achieve the imprint state shown in Figure 5(a), the pattern formation method of this embodiment provides an overlapping region that can serve as a buffer region. In other words, imprint processing is performed on the second pattern formation region that extends beyond the boundary into the first pattern formation region.

For this reason, the offset values for overlay and shot shape alignment set on the imprinting device are adjusted, and the configuration of the mold and substrate is also adjusted.

The overlap region 34 is different from the region where the mold-side resist material 20 is thickened, but it is recessed by the amount of the substrate-side pattern that has already been formed, and the imprint material filled there functions as an etching mask.

The thickness of the resist material in this overlapping region 34 is desirable as an etching mask if it is equal to or greater than the thickness of the imprint material used to protect the first pattern formation region 32 on the substrate side. However, even if the thickness of the resist material in the overlapping region 34 is somewhat thinner, it is believed that the substrate will be protected and the effects of etching will be negligible.

Figure 5(b) shows the state in Figure 5(a) after the resist material 20 has been sufficiently filled into the concave and convex portions of the mold pattern, the desired alignment of the substrate and mold has been completed, the resist material 20 has been hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet light, and the mold has then been peeled off from the substrate. The shape of the resist material created at this time is used as an etching mask, and after the substrate is etched, the unnecessary resist material is removed, resulting in Figure 5(c). This shows that the overlapping region 34 is not etched due to the effect of the resist material thickness caused by the recess on the substrate side, and the unexpected shape mentioned above cannot be created.

As a result, when imprinting on a substrate with a pattern or step shape, by extending the structural part for etching the substrate into the substrate pattern area, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of unexpected structures being created.

This overlap region 34 must be filled with resist material 20 to act as an etching mask, so neither a substrate-side pattern nor a mold-side pattern can be formed. Therefore, considering the efficiency of the device, it must be made as small as possible. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the size, not just the mold pattern design, but also manufacturing errors. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the mold and the transferred pattern to further reduce the overlap region 34.

Figure 6 explains the flow of a series of measurements and their reflection in the device settings. Below, the numbers in Figure 6 indicate the steps and provide details.

Step (6-1) represents the mold pattern design stage. As mentioned above, the design is carried out taking into account not only the pattern to be transferred, but also the structure of the imprint material to be thickened to protect the pattern and step structure already formed on the substrate side from etching. If the substrate-side structure has been created first, it can be measured and reflected in the mold design. Conversely, the design values of the mold pattern can be reflected in the setting values when creating the substrate-side pattern.

Here, the area where the imprint material is thinner is set to extend slightly into the step structure on the substrate side. In other words, an overlapping area is provided where the formation areas of the first and second patterns overlap each other.

When doing this, consideration is given to manufacturing errors in the substrate pattern, manufacturing errors in the mold, transfer errors in the imprinting device, and the correction range of the shot shape. However, since no pattern will be formed in any protruding parts, it is desirable to set the amount as small as possible.

In step (6-2), a mold is created based on the results of the design in step (6-1).

In step (6-3), the shape of the mold created in step (6-2) is measured. A commonly available mask pattern measurement device can be used, or a measuring device that can check the detailed structure, such as a laser microscope or AFM (atomic force microscope), can be used. Here, it is confirmed whether the mold has been created according to the design values, but depending on the shape, there may be some parts that cannot be measured. In these cases, the measurement results of the imprint pattern shown below are used.

In step (6-4), the actual imprinting is performed using the created mold.

In step (6-5), the transferred pattern is measured to confirm its shape, including the transfer process. As mentioned earlier, shapes that cannot be confirmed with the mold can also be confirmed here.

The measurement here is performed to confirm the shape of the transferred pattern, so the pattern is transferred to a substrate and measured using a laser microscope, AFM, cross-sectional SEM, etc. Therefore, it may be transferred to an actual device substrate, or to a substrate without a pattern.

The mold structure and transfer pattern information obtained from the above can be used to confirm the shape after transfer.

When transferring using an imprinting device, a correction mechanism is installed to correct the shot shape by applying pressure to the sides of the mold or by irradiating the substrate locally with light to generate heat, causing local expansion. These shot shape correction functions change the relative positions of the substrate pattern and the transfer pattern mentioned above.

To maintain the above relationship, the correction range of the shot shape correction function is determined from the measurement results of the mold and transfer pattern and reflected in the imprinting device (step (6-6)). At this time, the upper (or lower) limit of the correction range can be set so that the structural portion for etching the substrate extends into the substrate pattern area.

In step (6-7), as described above, the optimal correction value for each imprint is calculated within the correction range determined in step (6-6), and imprinting is performed sequentially. This transferred pattern is measured in step (6-8). Here, not only the shot shape but also the relative position (particularly the relative shift and relative rotation) between the substrate pattern and the transferred pattern is measured.

The above allows the range of correction possible based on the relative shot shape and relative position to be determined, and by incorporating this into the settings of the imprinting device during imprinting, the relationship between the substrate and mold can be maintained.

<Other embodiments>
A method for manufacturing a device (such as a semiconductor integrated circuit element or a liquid crystal display element) as an article includes a step of forming a pattern on a substrate (such as a wafer, a glass plate, or a film-like substrate) using the imprint apparatus described above. The manufacturing method may further include a step of etching the substrate on which the pattern has been formed. When manufacturing other articles such as patterned media (recording media) or optical elements, the manufacturing method may include other processes for processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed instead of etching. The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the quality, productivity, and production costs of the article.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

1 Imprinting device 11 Mold
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 Mold holding unit 13 Substrate 14 Substrate holding unit 15 Detection unit 16 Irradiation unit 17 Control unit 11a Pattern area 18 Mold-side mark 19 Substrate-side mark 20 Imprint material 22 Light 23 Observation unit 32, 33 Pattern 34 Overlapping area

Claims (10)

1. An imprinting method for performing an imprint process using a mold on which a pattern is formed in a second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region on a substrate, the method comprising:
the substrate has a step at a boundary between the first pattern formation region and the second pattern formation region ,
an imprinting method comprising: performing an imprinting process on the second pattern formation region such that a region of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation region extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region. The imprinting method according to claim 1, wherein a covering layer is simultaneously formed to cover the first pattern formation region during the imprinting process. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus,
3. The imprinting method according to claim 1, wherein an upper or lower limit of a correction value is set for a correction mechanism for the relative magnification between the mold and the substrate of the imprinting apparatus so that the correction mechanism overlaps with the first pattern formation area. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus,
3. The imprint method according to claim 1, further comprising: setting a correction value for a mechanism for correcting a relative shot shape between the mold and the substrate of the imprint apparatus so that the shot shape overlaps with the first pattern formation region. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus,
3. The imprint method according to claim 1, further comprising: setting a correction value based on a manufacturing error of a mold used in the imprint apparatus so as to overlap the first pattern formation region. the imprinting process is performed using an imprinting apparatus,
3. The imprint method according to claim 1, further comprising: setting a correction value for a relative shift or relative rotation between the mold and the substrate in the imprint apparatus so that the mold and the substrate overlap the first pattern formation region. A pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising:
forming a first pattern by performing an imprint process using a mold on which a pattern has been formed in a first pattern formation region on a substrate;
a step of etching the substrate using the first pattern to form a step at a boundary between the first pattern formation region and a second pattern formation region adjacent to the first pattern formation region ;
performing an imprint process on the second pattern formation region so that a region of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation region extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation region;
A pattern forming method comprising the steps of: An imprinting apparatus that performs an imprinting process using a mold on which a pattern is formed in a second pattern formation region adjacent to a first pattern formation region formed on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
the substrate has a step at a boundary between the second pattern formation region and the first pattern formation region ,
An imprinting apparatus characterized in that an imprinting process is performed on the second pattern formation area so that an area of the mold corresponding to the second pattern formation area extends beyond the boundary toward the first pattern formation area. 1. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising forming a pattern on a substrate using the imprint apparatus according to claim 8. 1. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising forming a pattern on a substrate by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.