The present invention provides an imprint apparatus including an irradiation unit configured to irradiate a peripheral region of a pattern region of a mold with light while the mold is in contact with an imprint material on a substrate so as to make a polymerization degree of the imprint material between the peripheral region and the substrate fall within a range higher than a polymerization degree in an initial state when the imprint material is supplied onto the substrate and lower than a polymerization degree in a final state when the imprint material is cured, and a control unit configured to control, for each shot region on the substrate, a value of a second parameter for controlling irradiation with the light from the irradiation unit based on a value of a first parameter for controlling a contact step.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to imprint compositions and materials and related processes useful for nanoimprint lithography (NIL). In one or more embodiments, an imprint composition contains one or more types of nanoparticles, one or more surface ligands, one or more solvents, one or more additives, and one or more acrylates.

A pattern forming method of forming, with a mold, a pattern on a substrate held by a substrate holding unit capable of changing a holding force for each holding region includes setting, with a plurality of shot regions corresponding to a first holding region as a target for pattern formation, a first holding force in the first holding region smaller than a second holding force in a second holding region different from the first holding region, coating, with an imprint material, a region including the plurality of shot regions corresponding to the first holding region, and forming the pattern on the substrate by bringing the imprint material, with which the plurality of shot regions corresponding to the first holding region is coated, and the mold in contact with each other.

An imprint apparatus executes an imprint process for shaping an imprint material by using a mold. The apparatus includes a controller which obtains first height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a first substrate, and a measuring device which obtains second height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a second substrate. The controller controls the imprint process based on corrected height distribution information which is obtained by removing a first component that is an approximation function, of an order not more than a first predetermined order, for approximating the first height distribution information, from the first height distribution information, and a second component which is an approximation function, of an order not more than a second predetermined order, for approximating the second height distribution information.

Flexible graphite and other graphite materials with surface micro-texturing, and methods and apparatuses for micro-texturing the surface of flexible graphite and other graphite materials are provided. Micro-texturing can be used to modify wettability and/or adhesion characteristics of a flexible graphite surface. Micro-textured flexible graphite materials can be advantageously used in applications where the material is in contact with liquid water or other liquids.

The present invention provides a multi-cup arrangement comprising a polypropylene sheet, wherein the polypropylene sheet comprises at least two cavities, the cavities each protruding from the sheet from a bottom surface of the sheet, wherein the cavities are separated from each other via one or more spacer area(s) on the sheet, wherein the spacer area(s) each comprise one or more groove(s) on the bottom surface of the sheet that are positioned to allow the sheet to be broken along the groove by bending the sheet towards the top surface, wherein the grooves are positioned to divide the sheet into multiple segments, each segment comprising one or more cavities, wherein each of the groove(s) has a maximum depth of ≥25% and ≤80% with regard to the thickness of the polypropylene sheet. Such multi-cup arrangement may be separated into individual cup segments by moderate manual force, whilst the arrangement does not undesirably bend nor snap under the action of its own weight.

The present disclosure relates to a method for embossing a plastic sheet and a corresponding tool (1). The plastic sheet is pressed between first and second tool halves (3, 5) while being heated such that a pattern is imprinted on first and second faces (19, 21) of the plastic sheet. Reference marks (31, 33) are imprinted on both faces of the plastic sheet and the embossed plastic sheet is evaluated optically to determine error data based on the relative position of the first and second reference marks. This allows to adjust the embossing tool based on the error data for subsequent embossing operations.

According to one embodiment, under a condition that a substrate is installed on a substrate installation unit, a mold is installed on a mold installation unit, and a mask unit is installed in a mask-unit installation unit, a transfer apparatus controls an operation of a mold presser unit so as to press the mold against the substrate, the operation of a first positioning unit so as to position the mask unit with respect to the mold and the operation of an irradiation unit so as to irradiate an uncured material provided on the surface of the substrate with electromagnetic waves of a predetermined wavelength.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a molded body (10), comprising the following steps: a) providing a molding tool (40) which has at least one receptacle (12) in which at least one material (30) which comprises at least one shape-memory material (31) is introduced, wherein the shape-memory material (31) is present in a first state (111), wherein the material (30) at least partially fills the receptacle (12) of the molding tool (40) in such a manner that said material adjoins at least one surface of the receptacle (12); b) creating a molded body (10) in the receptacle (12) of the molding tool (40) from the material (30), wherein the shape-memory material (31) is present in a second state (112), wherein a form (11) is embossed into the molded body (10) during the second state (112); c) transferring the shape-memory material (31) to a third state (113), wherein the molded body (10) can be deformed during the third state (113) in such a manner that the molded body (10) is demolded from the receptacle (12) of the molding tool (40); and d) at least partially restoring the form (11) of the molded body (10) by transferring the shape-memory material (31) to a fourth state (114), wherein the molded body (10) at least partially resumes the form (11) according to step b) during the fourth state (114).

An apparatus includes flow path units 15A to 15K configured to form flow paths 17A to 17K through which a fluid supplied to a target object W is flown; a laser light irradiator 51 configured to irradiate a laser light into the flow path units such that an optical path intersects with a flow direction of the fluid in the flow path units; light receiving elements 45A and 45B provided at the optical path having passed through the flow path units; a detector 6 configured to detect the foreign substance in the fluid based on a signal from the light receiving elements; and a filter unit 57 provided at the optical path between the light receiving elements and the flow path units, and configured to block a Raman scattered light and allow a Rayleigh scattered light to be transmitted to the light receiving elements.