Full-wafer or large area imprinting with multiple separated sub-fields for high throughput lithography
View Patent ↗A layer on a substrate is formed using an imprint lithography system. The layer is formed by providing a plurality of flowable regions on the substrate, spreading material in the flowable regions, and contacting the regions with a plurality of imprint lithography molds that are disposed on a template.
1. In an imprint lithography system, a method of forming a material layer on a substrate, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of flowable regions of the material on the substrate;
contacting the material in the flowable regions with a plurality of physically separate imprint lithography molds disposed on a template, each imprint lithography mold having three dimensional relief patterns thereby causing the material in each of the flowable regions to conform to a corresponding one of the three dimensional relief patterns;
inducing localized sections of the template to flex by urging the localized sections of the template to further engage each of the imprint lithography molds with the material in the flowable regions so the imprint lithography molds conform to a topography of the substrate, wherein flexing of the template at a first localized section is different from flexing of the template at a second localized section; and
solidifying the material in the flowable regions so each of the flowable regions maintains three dimensional patterns conforming to a corresponding one of the three dimensional relief patterns of the imprint lithography molds, wherein an area surrounding each imprint lithography mold has features that facilitate the flexing of the localized sections of the template.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming further includes forming the flowable regions to have a one to one correspondence to the imprint lithography molds.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material is confined within a defined area of the flowable region when imprinted with one of the three dimensional patterns.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein solidifying further includes applying electromagnetic activation energy to the flowable regions.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein contacting further includes flexing the template at a region between adjacent molds of the imprint lithography molds.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming further includes forming the plurality of flowable regions concurrently.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming further includes forming each of the plurality of flowable regions to be spaced apart from adjacent flowable regions of the plurality of flowable regions.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein subsequent to the solidifying step, the substrate is populated by a plurality of physically separated imprinted layers corresponding to the plurality of flowable regions.
9. In an imprint lithography system, a method of forming a material layer on an imprint lithography substrate, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of flowable regions of a material on the imprint lithography substrate;
providing each of the plurality of flowable regions with a surface having a desired three dimensional shape;
contacting the plurality of flowable regions with a plurality of imprint lithography molds disposed on a template, each imprint lithography mold having three dimensional relief patterns causing the material in each of the flowable regions to conform to a corresponding one of the three dimensional relief patterns, wherein an area surrounding each imprint lithography mold has features that facilitate the flexing of the localized sections of the template; and,
solidifying the plurality of flowable regions so that the plurality of flowable regions maintain three dimensional patterns conforming to the three dimensional relief patterns of the plurality of imprint lithography molds.
10. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein forming further includes forming the plurality of flowable regions to have a one to one correspondence to the plurality of imprint lithography molds.
11. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein solidifying further includes applying electromagnetic activation energy to the plurality of flowable regions.
12. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein the material is confined within a defined area of the flowable region when imprinted with one of the three dimensional patterns.
13. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein subsequent to the solidifying step, the substrate is populated by a plurality of physically separated imprinted layers corresponding to the plurality of flowable regions.
14. A method of forming a layer on a substrate, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of flowable regions on the substrate;
spreading a material in the plurality of flowable regions over the substrate while confining the material associated with each of the plurality of flowable regions to an area;
contacting the flowable regions with a plurality of imprint lithography molds disposed on a template, wherein an area surrounding each imprint lithography mold has features that facilitate the flexing of the localized sections of the template and flexing the template to conform to a topography of the substrate; and
solidifying the plurality of flowable regions.
15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein forming further includes forming the plurality of flowable regions to have a one to one correspondence to the plurality of imprint lithography molds.
16. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein solidifying further includes applying electromagnetic activation energy to the plurality of flowable regions.
17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein subsequent to the solidifying step, the substrate is populated by a plurality of physically separated imprinted layers corresponding to the plurality of flowable regions.