# US 11,442,361 B2 · Imprint method, imprint apparatus, and method of manufacturing article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,361 B2 - Document ID: US11442361B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/150,267 - Filed: 2021-01-15 - Published: 2021-07-22 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-20 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Tatsuya Arakawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442361B2 ## CPC - G03F 7/0002: {Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping} - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) ## Abstract The present invention provides an imprint method of forming a pattern on an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, comprising: performing preliminary curing of irradiating the imprint material with light to cure the imprint material to a first target hardness; and performing main curing of irradiating the imprint material with curing light to cure the imprint material to a second target hardness, wherein the preliminary curing includes a first process of irradiating the imprint material with first light to which the imprint material has first reaction sensitivity, and a second process of irradiating the imprint material with second light to which the imprint material has second reaction sensitivity lower than the first reaction sensitivity, and is controlled such that an end timing of the second process is later than an end timing of the first process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An imprint method of forming a pattern on an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, comprising: performing alignment between the mold and the substrate in a state in which the mold is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate; performing preliminary curing of, in parallel with the alignment or before the alignment, irradiating the imprint material with light to cure the imprint material to a first target hardness; and performing main curing of, after the alignment, irradiating the imprint material with curing light to cure the imprint material to a second target hardness higher than the first target hardness, wherein the preliminary curing includes a first process of irradiating the imprint material with first light to which the imprint material has first reaction sensitivity, and a second process of irradiating the imprint material with second light to which the imprint material has second reaction sensitivity lower than the first reaction sensitivity, and is controlled such that an end timing of the second process is later than an end timing of the first process, and wherein in the preliminary curing, the first process is controlled to end before the imprint material is cured to the first target hardness, and after the first process ends, the second process is controlled such that the imprint material is cured to the first target hardness by irradiating the imprint material with the second light. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein in the alignment, a relative position between the mold and the substrate is controlled such that a mark of the mold and a mark of the substrate have a target positional relationship, and in the main curing, the relative position between the mold and the substrate obtained in the alignment is set as a target relative position, and the relative position between the mold and the substrate is controlled so as to maintain the target relative position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, further comprising waiting until a pattern of the mold is filled with the imprint material, wherein the preliminary curing is executed after a pattern of the mold is filled with the imprint material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein the second process is started after the first process ends. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein the second process is started such that at least a part of the second process temporally overlaps with the first process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein in the first process, the imprint material is intermittently irradiated with the first light, and in the second process, the imprint material is intermittently irradiated with the second light. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein the first light and the second light are emitted from different light sources. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein the first light is emitted from a light source that emits the curing light. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method of manufacturing an article, the method comprising: forming a pattern in a substrate by using an imprint method according to claim 1; processing the substrate, on which the pattern has been formed, to manufacture the article. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The imprint method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed based on a result of measuring a positional relationship between a mark of the mold and a mark of the substrate, and the first light and the second light are different from light used for measuring the positional relationship.