# US 2020/0401040 A1 · Drop Pattern Correction for Nano-Fabrication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401040 A1 - Document ID: US20200401040A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/446,257 - Filed: 2019-06-19 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-19 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Niyaz Khusnatdinov - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401040A1 ## CPC - G03F 7/0002: {Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping} - H10P 76/20: of masks comprising organic materials - 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) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A preliminary drop pattern is provided that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of drops. The preliminary drop pattern is adjusted to generate an adjusted drop pattern by radially shifting each drop of a subset of drops of the plurality of drops from the predetermined location by a radial offset. The plurality of drops is dispensed according to the adjusted drop pattern. A template or a superstrate is contacted with the dispensed drops, after which the center of mass of each drop of the subset of drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the plurality of drops forming a continuous layer. The radial offset is selected such that the displaced location is within 50 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A drop dispensing method, comprising: providing a preliminary drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of drop, the preliminary drop pattern having a center; adjusting the preliminary drop pattern to generate an adjusted drop pattern by radially shifting, relative to the center, each drop of a subset of drops of the plurality of drops from the predetermined location by a radial offset, each drop of the adjusted drop pattern corresponding to a drop of the preliminary drop pattern; dispensing the plurality of drops according to the adjusted drop pattern onto the substrate; and contacting a template or a superstrate with the dispensed drops, during which the center of mass of each drop of the subset of drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the plurality of drops forming a continuous layer, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 50 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a chart of drop displacement as a function of radial drop location relative to a center of the template or superstrate, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected based on the drop displacement chart. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The drop dispensing method of claim 2, wherein generating the drop displacement chart comprises: providing an initial drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of initial drops; dispensing the plurality of initial drops according to the initial drop pattern onto the substrate; contacting the template or the superstrate with the dispensed initial drops, during which the center of mass of each initial drop of a subset of initial drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the plurality of initial drops forming an initial continuous layer; and determining the radial displacement of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops; and generating the drop displacement chart based on the determined radial displacement. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The drop dispensing method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the radial displacement of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops comprises capturing images or video of the radial displacement of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The drop dispensing method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the radial displacement of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops comprises measuring the length of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops from the images. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The drop dispensing method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the radial displacement of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops comprises measuring the center of mass of each initial drop of the subset of initial drops from the images. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The drop dispensing method of claim 2, wherein generating the drop displacement chart comprises: providing an initial drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of initial drops; dispensing the plurality of initial drops according to the initial drop pattern onto the substrate; contacting the template or the superstrate with the dispensed initial drops, thereby spreading the plurality of drops into an initial continuous layer; curing the initial continuous layer to form a cured material layer; and measuring a thickness of the cured material layer at a plurality of radial locations relative to the center of the template or superstrate; and generating the drop displacement chart based on the measured thicknesses. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The drop dispensing method of claim 7, wherein generating the drop displacement chart further comprises: generating a chart of the measured thicknesses as a function of radial drop location relative to a center of the template or superstrate; and converting the measured thicknesses chart to the drop displacement chart using a proportionality coefficient. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The drop dispensing method of claim 3, wherein the initial drop pattern is different from the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The drop dispensing method of claim 3, wherein the initial drop pattern is the same as the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, wherein the contacting comprises contacting the superstrate with the dispensed drops, and wherein the superstrate is featureless. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The drop dispensing method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is featureless. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, wherein the contacting comprises contacting the template with the dispensed drops, and wherein the template comprises a patterning surface. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The drop dispensing method of claim 13, wherein the substrate comprises a patterned surface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the preliminary drop pattern to generate the adjusted drop pattern further comprises rotationally shifting each drop of the subset of drops from the predetermined location by an angular offset. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 25 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The drop dispensing method of claim 1, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 15 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 18 A method of generating a drop pattern, comprising: providing a preliminary drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of drops, the preliminary drop pattern having a center; and adjusting the preliminary drop pattern to generate an adjusted drop pattern by radially shifting, relative to the center, each drop of a subset of drops of the plurality of drops from the predetermined location by a radial offset, each drop of the adjusted drop pattern corresponding to a drop of the preliminary drop pattern, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that when the plurality of drops is dispensed onto the substrate according to the adjusted drop pattern, and when a template or superstrate is contacted with the dispensed drops, during which the center of the mass of each drop of the subset of drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the plurality of drops forming a continuous layer, the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 50 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern. ### Claim 19 A dispensing system, comprising: a first chuck configured to hold a template or superstrate; a second substrate chuck configured to hold a substrate; a processor configured to: access a preliminary drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on the substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of drops, the preliminary drop pattern having a center; and adjust the preliminary drop pattern to generate an adjusted drop pattern by radially shifting, relative to the center, each drop of a subset of drops of the plurality of drops from the predetermined location by a radial offset, each drop of the adjusted drop pattern corresponding to a drop of the preliminary drop pattern, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that when the plurality of drops is dispensed onto the substrate according to the adjusted drop pattern, and when the template or superstrate is contacted with the dispensed drops, during which the center of the mass of each drop of the subset of drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the plurality of drops forming a continuous layer, the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 50 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern; a fluid dispenser configured to dispense formable material on the substrate in accordance with the adjusted drop pattern; a positioning system configured to contact the formable material with the template or superstrate in the template or superstrate chuck; and a curing system configured to cure the formable material under the template or superstrate so as to form cured formable material on the substrate. ### Claim 20 A method of making an article, comprising: providing a preliminary drop pattern that defines a predetermined location on a substrate for a center of mass of each drop of a plurality of drop, the preliminary drop pattern having a center; adjusting the preliminary drop pattern to generate an adjusted drop pattern by radially shifting, relative to the center, each drop of a subset of drops of the plurality of drops from the predetermined location by a radial offset, each drop of the adjusted drop pattern corresponding to a drop of the preliminary drop pattern; dispensing the plurality of drops according to the adjusted drop pattern onto the substrate; contacting a template or a superstrate with the dispensed drops, during which the center of mass of each drop of the subset of drops is radially displaced to a displaced location on the substrate prior to the dispensed drops combining to form a pattern or a layer; forming the pattern or the layer of the plurality of dispensed drops on the substrate as a result of completing the contacting of the template or superstrate with the dispensed drops; and processing the formed pattern or layer to make the article, wherein the radial offset of each drop of the subset of drops is selected such that the displaced location of each drop of the subset of drops is within 50 μm of the predetermined location of the corresponding drop of the preliminary drop pattern.