Fluid pressure imprint lithography
OwnerStephen Y. Chouinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method of imprint lithography involves using direct fluid pressure to press the mold into a substrate-supported film. Advantageously the mold and/or substrate are sufficiently flexible to provide wide area contact under the fluid pressure. Fluid pressing can be accomplished by sealing the mold against the film and disposing the resulting assembly in a pressurized chamber. It can also be accomplished by subjecting the mold to jets of pressurized fluid. The result of this fluid pressing is enhanced resolution and high uniformity over an enlarged area.
Claims40
A method for processing a surface of a substrate comprising the steps of:
- applying a moldable layer on the surface of the substrate;
- providing a mold with a molding surface having a plurality of protruding features;
- pressing the molding surface and the moldable layer together by direct fluid pressure to reduce the thickness of the moldable layer under the protruding features to produce reduced thickness regions;
- and
- withdrawing the mold from the moldable layer.
A process for patterning a mask layer on a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- applying the mask layer to the semiconductor substrate;
- disposing a mold having a patterned surface adjacent the mask layer;
- filling a chamber with pressurized fluid;
- and
- subjecting the mold or the substrate to pressurized fluid from the chamber to press together the mold and the mask layer.
A process of treating a semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:
- disposing a layer of mask material on the substrate;
- positioning a mold with a patterned surface adjacent the layer of mask material;
- positioning a sealing device to isolate the layer of mask material from a pressure chamber;
- disposing the masked substrate and the mold in a pressure chamber;
- and
- increasing a pressure of pressurized fluid in the pressure chamber to force together the patterned face of a mold and the layer of mask material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.