Preserving Filled Features when Vacuum Wiping

Abstract

A method/process for curing imprint on a template prior to contact with a substrate. A curing process is used to adhere the imprint to a wafer or substrate. Monomer is deposited on a template and then partially cured using a UV exposure. The exposure is controlled so that the imprint is cured past the gel point, but still retains a thin liquid layer of uncured monomer at the surface that will bond with the wafer. Further, this partially cured layer enables the alignment adjustments between the template and the substrate to be performed after contact between the two without pulling any monomer out of the features.

1 . In a nano-imprint lithography system, a method comprising: 
 depositing a monomer on a template having a pattern of nano-dimensional features to imprint into the monomer;    curing the monomer with UV light in a manner that leaves a thin layer of the monomer not fully cured, resulting in a partially cured monomer;    contacting a substrate to the partially cured monomer so that the thin layer of the monomer not fully cured bonds to the substrate; and    performing a second curing of the monomer to complete curing of the partially cured monomer.    
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising vacuum wiping the monomer after it is deposited on the template to remove excess monomer.  
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the monomer is deposited on the template in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the UV light is scanned over the monomer as it is deposited in order to cure the monomer.  
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the vacuum wiping is performed in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the curing step is performed by scanning the UV light over the monomer by following the scanning of the vacuum wiping.  
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the monomer is deposited on the template so that all of the nano-dimensional features are filled with the monomer.  
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the monomer comprises two separate initiators, whereby a first of the two separate initiators cures at a faster rate than a second of the two separate initiators.  
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the first curing process partially cures the monomer by curing a portion of the monomer containing the first of the two separate initiators.  
     
     
         8 . A nano-imprint lithography system, comprising: 
 a template having a pattern of nano-dimensional features;    a dispensor for depositing a monomer on the template, wherein the pattern is to be imprinted into the monomer;    a UV light source for curing the monomer with UV light in a manner that leaves a thin layer of the monomer not fully cured, resulting in a partially cured monomer;    means for contacting a substrate to the partially cured monomer so that the thin layer of the monomer not fully cured bonds to the substrate; and    means for performing a second curing of the monomer to complete curing of the partially cured monomer.    
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising a vacuum wiper for removing excess monomer after it is deposited on the template.  
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the monomer is deposited on the template in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the UV light is scanned over the monomer as it is deposited in order to cure the monomer.  
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the monomer comprises two separate initiators, whereby a first of the two separate initiators cures at a faster rate than a second of the two separate initiators.  
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first curing process partially cures the monomer by curing a portion of the monomer containing the first of the two separate initiators.  
     
     
         13 . In a nano-imprint lithography system, a method comprising: 
 depositing a monomer on a template having a pattern of nano-dimensional features to imprint into the monomer, wherein the monomer comprises two separate initiators, whereby a first of the two separate initiators cures at a faster rate than a second of the two separate initiators;    curing the monomer with UV light in a manner that cures a portion of the monomer containing the first of the two separate initiators leaving a thin layer of the monomer not fully cured, resulting in a partially cured monomer;    contacting a substrate to the partially cured monomer so that the thin layer of the monomer not fully cured bonds to the substrate; and    performing a second curing of the monomer with the UV light in a manner that cures a portion of the monomer containing the second of the two separate initiators, resulting in a fully cured monomer.    
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising vacuum wiping the monomer after it is deposited on the template to remove excess monomer.  
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the monomer is deposited on the template in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the UV light is scanned over the monomer as it is deposited in order to cure the monomer.  
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the vacuum wiping is performed in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the curing step is performed by scanning the UV light over the monomer by following the scanning of the vacuum wiping.  
     
     
         17 . A nano-imprint lithography system, comprising: 
 a template having a pattern of nano-dimensional features;    a monomer comprising two separate initiators, whereby a first of the two separate initiators cures at a faster rate than a second of the two separate initiators;    a dispenser for depositing the monomer on the template, wherein the pattern is to be imprinted into the monomer;    a UV light source for curing the monomer with UV light in a manner that cures a portion of the monomer containing the first of the two separate initiators leaving a thin layer of the monomer not fully cured, resulting in a partially cured monomer;    means for contacting a substrate to the partially cured monomer so that the thin layer of the monomer not fully cured bonds to the substrate; and    means for performing a second curing of the monomer with the UV light in a manner that cures a portion of the monomer containing the second of the two separate initiators, resulting in a fully cured monomer.    
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising a vacuum wiper for removing excess monomer after it is deposited on the template.  
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the monomer is deposited on the template in a scanning manner from one end of the template to the other end, and the UV light is scanned over the monomer as it is deposited in order to cure the monomer.