Imprint apparatus and article manufacturing method

An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold,

• the apparatus comprising:
• a mold driving unit configured to hold and drive the mold;
• a substrate driving unit configured to hold and drive the substrate;
• and
• a control unit programmed to control operations of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit, and
• the imprint process including:
• curing the imprint material in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other;
• and
• releasing the mold from the cured imprint material on the substrate by applying a first force in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate,
• wherein the control unit includes a compensator programmed to perform feedback-control driving of at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit by applying a second force in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate, to maintain a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate in the releasing to be the same as a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate in the curing, and
• wherein the control unit is further programmed to set a gain of the compensator in the releasing to be smaller than the gain of the compensator in a step of the imprint process other than the releasing to reduce a speed of feedback control driving of the at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit in the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate during the releasing, thereby reducing generation of defects in the substrate during the releasing.