System and method for discharging electrostatic charge in nanoimprint lithography processes

A method of discharging electrostatic charge on an imprint lithography template patterning surface, the method comprising the steps of:

• bringing a patterning surface of an imprint lithography template into contact with polymerizable material deposited on an imprint lithography substrate;
• solidifying the polymerizable material to form a patterned layer on the substrate;
• separating the template from the formed patterned layer;
• and
• after separating, positioning the template in superimposition with an alpha particle emitter and a grounded conductor such that the alpha particle emitter creates an electrically neutral plasma field between the template patterning surface and the grounded conductor and maintaining such positioning for a predetermined discharge time so as to discharge electrostatic charge on the template patterning surface, wherein active metal of the alpha particle emitter is arranged to face the retained substrate or location thereon when discharging electric charge on the patterning surface of the imprint template, and
• wherein, when the first alpha particle emitter and the grounded conductor are in superimposition with the patterning surface of the retained template, a second alpha particle emitter is arranged to face the substrate retained by the substrate chuck.

An imprint lithography apparatus comprising:

• an imprint head having a template chuck configured to retain an imprint template having a patterning surface;
• a motion stage having a substrate chuck, the substrate chuck configured to retain an imprint lithography substrate, the motion stage translatable relative to the imprint head so as to bring a retained substrate or a location thereon into and out of superimposition with the patterning surface of the retained template;
• a first and second active metal piece, wherein the first and second active metal piece are a piece of metal that emits alpha particles, and a grounded conductor coupled to the motion stage and further arranged such that translational movement of the motion stage brings the first active metal piece and the grounded conductor into superimposition with the patterning surface of the retained template, wherein the first active metal piece when so positioned operates to create an electrically neutral plasma field between the patterning surface of the imprint template and the grounded conductor to discharge electric charge on the patterning surface of the imprint template to ground, wherein the first active metal piece is arranged to face the patterning surface of the template when discharging electric charge on the patterning surface of the imprint template, and
• wherein, when the first active metal piece and the grounded conductor are in superimposition with the patterning surface of the retained template, a second active metal piece is arranged to face the substrate retained by the substrate chuck.