Inprint equipment

Abstract

An imprinting apparatus which includes a mold having a recess/protrusion pattern formed on a surface thereof and a pressure-applying piston that makes the mold and a transfer substrate having a transfer layer thereon come into close contact and that applies pressure to transfer shapes of the recess/protrusion pattern to the transfer layer. The imprinting apparatus comprises a mold holding unit having a mold holding surface to hold the mold; a substrate holding unit having a substrate holding surface opposed to the mold holding surface to hold the transfer substrate; and a support unit supporting the mold holding unit and the substrate holding unit in such a way as to be able to get closer to and farther from each other. The pressure-applying piston is movable along a direction intersecting with the mold holding surface and the substrate holding surface and has a pressure-applying surface that can come into contact with one of the mold holding unit and the substrate holding unit when applying pressure, and a plurality of engaging units that can engage with one of the mold holding unit and the substrate holding unit when moving back.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.