An imprint apparatus includes: a movable housing unit; an ejection head provided in the housing unit and configured to eject an ejection material; a flexible member provided in the housing unit and separating the housing unit into a first storing space communicating with the ejection head and storing the ejection material and a second storing space storing hydraulic liquid; a first channel and a second channel communicating with the second storing space; a pressure control unit configured to control a pressure in the second storing space through the channels; and a bubble detection unit configured to detect bubbles in the channels.

The present invention provides an imprint method of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a shot region of a substrate using a mold, the method comprising: supplying the imprint material onto the shot region so as to arrange droplets of the imprint material in arrangement patterns different from each other between a first partial region and a second partial region adjacent to each other in the shot region; performing alignment between the mold and the shot region after it is started to bring the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other; performing preliminary curing of irradiating the imprint material on the shot region with light to increase a viscoelasticity of the imprint material before the alignment is completed; and performing main curing of curing the imprint material on the shot region after the alignment is completed.

The imprint apparatus according to the present invention causes a supplying unit to supply an imprint material onto at least a first region in a predetermined shot region on a substrate, causes an energy supplying unit to supply energy to the imprint material on the first region so as to increase a degree of polymerization of the imprint material on the first region, causes a moving unit to move at least one of a mold and the substrate such that a pattern region formed on the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other, and causes the energy supplying unit to supply the energy to the imprint material on the predetermined shot region such that the imprint material on the predetermined shot region is solidified after the pattern region and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other.

The invention pertains to an imprinting apparatus for a roll-to-plate process comprises a flexible master with an imprint pattern, a plate carrier and a substrate and curable imprint resin. The substrate is located on the plate carrier. The flexible master carries an inverse structure (imprint pattern), which is required for the desired product. The curable resin (also mentioned as lacquer) is placed on the substrate and/or the flexible master. During the imprinting process the flexible master is pressed upon the substrate with the curable resin in between. The plate carrier comprises a cavity in which the substrate is located. At least one substrate side-face is at least partially unenclosed by the cavity.

A further idea of this invention pertains to two roll-to-plate imprinting processes.

According to one embodiment, a transfer apparatus includes a coating part for coating an uncured resin on a substrate, a substrate installation part for positioning and installing the substrate integrally, a mold installation part for installing a sheet-like mold, a transfer roller for transferring a fine transfer pattern formed on the mold to the resin coated on the substrate, and a plasma unit for cleaning the mold by irradiating plasma to the mold peeled off from the resin after transferring. After cleaning by the plasma using the plasma unit, the cleaned mold is used again for transferring of the transfer pattern.

An imprinting apparatus which is advantageous in improving the overlay accuracy in a shot located on an outer circumference of a substrate is provided. An imprinting apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material above a shot region of a substrate by performing alignment between each shot region of the substrate and a mold using a plurality of marks provided in each shot region of the substrate and a plurality of marks on the mold includes: a detection unit configured to detect at least a plurality of marks on the substrate in each shot region; and a control unit configured to use a first mark which is closest to a center of the substrate, a second mark which is arranged in a direction of a first axis along one side of the shot region with respect to the first mark, and a third mark which is arranged in a direction of a second axis perpendicular to the first axis with respect to the first mark for the alignment in each shot region, wherein the control unit uses, as the second mark, a mark which is arranged at a position closet to the center of the substrate in the shot region than that in a case in which the shot region is not located on the outer circumferential portion of the substrate when a shot region which is located on an outer circumferential portion of the substrate and whose center is located within the range of ±45° from the first axis is subjected to the alignment, and the control unit uses, as the third mark, a mark which is arranged at a position closer to the center of the substrate in the shot region than that in a case in which the shot region is not located on the outer circumferential portion of the substrate when a shot region which is located on the outer circumferential portion of the substrate and whose center is located within the range of ±45° from the second axis is subjected to the alignment.

A method of imprinting a substrate (180), comprising affixing a flexible stamp (104) carrying an imprinting pattern (106) to a first carrier (102) comprising an array of apertures (112) which, by gas pressure, either pull the flexible stamp towards the first carrier or push it away; pushing it to a second carrier (170) carrying a substrate (180) with a resist layer (182), leaving a gap (190) for creating a controllable contact area between the flexible stamp and the substrate and space (196) between the first carrier and the flexible stamp; progressively pushing areas of the flexible stamp into the resist layer to imprint it; developing the resist layer; and progressively releasing the flexible stamp by applying suction through successive apertures whilst controlling the inward flow of gas to the space (196) through the apertures that are not yet under suction in order to maintain the space (196) there above ambient but below a pre-determined maximum pressure.

A powder pressing plate assembly includes a pressing plate having a plurality of pressing tools and at least one etched plate attached to a pressing tool face of at least one of the plurality of pressing tools. The etched plate includes a design that may be embossed into a substrate. The design may be computer generated and then transferred to the etched plate via a solvent-less thermal exposure process, exposure to certain solvents used to wash away unwanted material, or built up using a three-dimensional printing or additive manufacturing process.

A method of separating a template from a cured layer on a substrate. Including, sending instructions to move the template away from the cured layer at a first rate, at a second point in time. Including, receiving a first data set as a function of time starting after the second point in time. Including, fitting a model of the first data set to a database of historical data sets. Including, identifying a target data set in the historical data sets based on results of the fit of the model of the first data set and information in the target data set. Including, sending instructions to move the template away from the substrate at a second rate at a third point in time after the second point in time based on the identified target data set.

A forming apparatus includes a substrate holder having a plurality of chucking regions that chuck a lower surface of the substrate and configured to hold the substrate by chucking the substrate with the plurality of chucking regions, and a controller configured to control execution of a forming process and independently control a chucking force of each of the plurality of chucking regions. The controller controls a chucking force of each of the plurality of chucking regions in a mold separation step so as to make a final mold separation point, at which the mold finally separates from the composition, coincide with a center of a pattern surface of the mold.