Flattening apparatus, article manufacturing method, flattening method, and imprinting apparatus

An article manufacturing method comprising:

• flattening a substrate by using a flattening apparatus including
• a mold holding unit configured to suck and hold a mold including a flat portion,
• a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate,
• an exposure unit configured to irradiate a light curing composition supplied onto the substrate with light at least via the mold to cure the composition, the composition being irradiated with the light and cured in a state where the flat portion of the mold is in contact with the composition on the substrate,
• a gas suction unit configured to suck gas from a spatial region between the mold and the mold holding unit,
• a gas supply unit configured to supply the gas to the spatial region, and
• a control unit configured to control the gas suction unit and the gas supply unit to perform temperature adjustment processing for supplying the gas to the spatial region in state where the mold is sucked and held onto the mold holding unit;
• and
• processing the flattened substrate,
• the processed substrate being manufactured into an article,
• wherein the control unit is configured to perform control such that processing of irradiating the composition with the light to cure the composition in a state where the mold held on the mold holding unit is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate is executed with the mold separated from the mold holding unit.

A flattening method of a flattening apparatus including a mold holding unit configured to suck and hold a mold including a flat portion and a substrate holding unit configured to hold a substrate, the flattening apparatus being configured to irradiate a light curing composition supplied onto the substrate with light to cure the composition in a state where the flat portion of the mold is in contact with the composition on the substrate, the flattening method comprising:

• adjusting temperature of the mold by supplying gas to a spatial region between the mold and the mold holding unit in a state where the mold is sucked and held onto the mold holding unit;
• bringing the mold into contact with the composition on the substrate;
• and
• irradiating the composition on the substrate with the light at least via the mold to cure the composition,
• the adjusting, the bringing, and the irradiating being performed in this order,
• wherein processing of irradiating the composition with the light to cure the composition in a state where the mold held on the mold holding unit is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate is executed with the mold separated from the mold holding unit.

An imprinting apparatus comprising:

• a mold holding unit configured to suck and hold a mold having a patterned region;
• a substrate holding unit configured to hold a substrate;
• an exposure unit configured to irradiate a light curing composition supplied onto the substrate with light at least via the mold to cure the composition, the composition being irradiated with the light and cured in a state where the patterned region of the mold is in contact with the composition on the substrate;
• a gas suction unit configured to suck gas from a spatial region between the mold and the mold holding unit;
• a gas supply unit configured to supply the gas to the spatial region;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the gas suction unit and the gas supply unit to perform temperature adjustment processing for supplying the gas to the spatial region in a state where the mold is sucked and held onto the mold holding unit,
• wherein the control unit is configured to perform control such that processing of irradiating the composition with the light to cure the composition in a state where the mold held on the mold holding unit is brought into contact with the composition on the substrate is executed with the mold separated from the mold holding unit.