Method of generating drop recipe, imprinting method, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

1 . A method of generating a drop recipe that is used for an imprinting process on a substrate including a step on an outer periphery, the method comprising:

acquiring first information indicating a position of the step and second information indicating a position of an outer edge of the substrate, in a first shot area including the step among a plurality of shot areas provided on the substrate;

setting third information indicating a first area between the step and the outer edge of the substrate based on the first information and the second information acquired;

setting fourth information indicating a second area between the step and a first position located inside of the substrate by a first distance from the step based on the first information; and

changing the drop recipe, in which dropping positions of a plurality of droplets onto the substrate are set to uniform density, in such a manner that droplets do not exist in the first and second areas prescribed by the third information and the fourth information, and a density of droplets located near an inside of the first position is higher than a density of droplets located other than near the inside of the first position within the inside of the first position.

2 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 1 , wherein

changing the drop recipe includes:

setting fifth information indicating a third area between the first position and a second position that is located further inside of the substrate by a second distance from the first position; and

shifting dropping positions of the droplets located in the first and second areas in the drop recipe to be changed to the third area.

3 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 2 , wherein

the fourth information and the fifth information are set so that a sum of the first distance and a third distance is equal to or greater than the second distance, the third distance being a distance between the step and the outer edge of the substrate prescribed by the first information and the second information.

4 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 3 , wherein

the step surrounds the outer periphery of the substrate,

the substrate is provided with two or more shot areas including the step among the plurality of shot areas, and

values of the third distance are respectively different for the two or more shot areas including the step.

5 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 4 , wherein

the substrate includes a convex area where is a protruding central portion bounded by the step, and

the convex area is eccentric to the substrate when viewed from a top of the substrate.

6 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 1 , wherein

the fourth information is set so that the first distance is greater than a radius of each of the plurality of droplets after a template is pressed on the plurality of droplets.

7 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 1 , wherein

the dropping positions are prescribed in the drop recipe to be changed so that the plurality of droplets are dropped at a predetermined periodic.

8 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 1 , wherein

the drop recipe to be changed is set based on a second shot area, whose entire area is located inside of the step, among the plurality of shot areas, and

the dropping positions of the plurality of droplets are set to uniform density over the entire area of the second shot area.

9 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 8 , further comprising:

deleting droplets located outside of the outer edge among the plurality of droplets from the drop recipe to be changed.

10 . The method of generating the drop recipe according to claim 1 , wherein

acquiring the first information and the second information is performed from an image captured by an imaging device.

11 . An imprinting method that is executed by an imprinting apparatus on a substrate including a step on an outer periphery,

a processor of the imprinting apparatus being configured to:

acquire first information indicating a position of the step and second information indicating a position of an outer edge of the substrate in a first shot area including the step among a plurality of shot areas provided on the substrate;

set third information indicating a first area between the step and the outer edge of the substrate based on the first information and the second information acquired;

set fourth information indicating a second area between the step and a first position located inside of the substrate by a first distance from the step based on the first information;

change a drop recipe, in which dropping positions of a plurality of droplets onto the substrate are set to uniform density, in such a manner that droplets do not exist in the first and second areas prescribed by the third information and the fourth information, and a density of droplets located near an inside of the first position is higher than a density of droplets located other than near the inside of the first position within the inside of the first position; and

control a liquid dropping device of the imprinting apparatus so that the plurality of droplets are dropped onto the first shot area by using a changed drop recipe.

12 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including an imprinting process that is executed by an imprinting apparatus on a substrate including a step on an outer periphery, the method comprising:

forming a layer to be processed on the substrate;

performing the imprinting process on each of a plurality of shot areas provided on the substrate to form a mask pattern above the layer to be processed; and

processing the layer to be processed by using the mask pattern,

a processor of the imprinting apparatus being configured to:

acquire first information indicating a position of the step and second information indicating a position of an outer edge of the substrate in a first shot area including the step among the plurality of shot areas provided on the substrate;

set third information indicating a first area between the step and the outer edge of the substrate based on the first information and the second information acquired;

set fourth information indicating a second area between the step and a first position located inside of the substrate by a first distance from the step based on the first information;

change a drop recipe, in which dropping positions of a plurality of droplets onto the substrate are set to uniform density, in such a manner that droplets do not exist in the first and second areas prescribed by the third information and the fourth information, and a density of droplets located near an inside of the first position is higher than a density of droplets located other than near the inside of the first position within the inside of the first position; and

control a liquid dropping device of the imprinting apparatus so that the plurality of droplets are dropped onto the first shot area by using a changed drop recipe.

13 . The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein

the step is formed by:

forming a photoresist layer covering an entire surface of the substrate;

removing the photoresist layer, while rotating the substrate, from the outer periphery of the substrate by a predetermined width; and

removing a surface layer of the substrate on the outer periphery of the substrate that is exposed by the predetermined width by removing the photoresist layer.

14 . The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein

removing the photoresist layer includes exposing and developing the photoresist layer on the outer periphery of the substrate by the predetermined width.

15 . The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein

removing the photoresist layer includes discharging removal liquid of the photoresist layer to the outer periphery of the substrate to dissolve the photoresist layer on the outer periphery of the substrate by the predetermined width.