Pattern transfer sheets, methods of monitoring pattern transfer printing, and pattern transfer printing systems are provided, for monitoring and adjusting laser illumination used for transferring paste patterns from trenches on the sheets onto a substrate such as electronic circuitry and/or solar cell substrates. Pattern transfer sheets comprise, outside the pattern, (i) trace mark(s) configured to receive the printing paste, aligned to the trenches and are wider than the width of the illuminating laser beam—to detect misalignment of paste release from within the trace mark(s) and/or (ii) working window marks configured to receive the printing paste, set at specified offsets with respect to specific trenches, with different working window marks set at different offsets—to correct the effective working window by adjusting the power of the laser beam.

A position detector includes a detection unit configured to detect light from a first diffraction grating including a first pattern disposed in a first direction, and light from a second diffraction grating including a second pattern disposed in the first direction, and a control unit configured to obtain a relative position between the first and the second diffraction gratings based on the light detected by the detection unit. The position detector has a third pattern formed in a second direction different from the first direction at edges of the first pattern of the first diffraction grating, the third pattern has a width smaller than a width of the first pattern of the first diffraction grating.

The present invention provides a pattern forming method of forming a plurality of pattern layers on a substrate by using a plurality of lithography apparatuses including a first lithography apparatus and a second lithography apparatus, the method comprising a first step of forming a first pattern layer by the first lithography apparatus which adopts a die-by-die alignment method, based on alignment information obtained by using the die-by-die alignment method for a plurality of marks formed on the substrate by a lithography apparatus which adopts a global alignment method, and a second step of forming a second pattern layer so as to overlap with the first pattern layer by the second lithography apparatus, based on alignment information obtained by using the global alignment method for a plurality of shot regions formed on the substrate by the first lithography apparatus in the first step.

According to the embodiments, a template in which a main pattern is placed on a pattern-formed surface of a template substrate, the main pattern being formed by a concave and convex pattern, the template substrate being transparent to an electromagnetic wave with a predetermined wavelength is provided. The template includes a first mark in which line-shaped first concave patterns and first convex patterns are alternately placed in a width direction on the pattern-formed surface. The first convex pattern includes a first light-blocking portion and a first translucent portion. The first light-blocking portion is a region including a first side surface in the width direction and being covered with a metal film. The first translucent portion is a region including a second side surface in the width direction and being not covered with the metal film.

The present invention provides a position detection apparatus including a detection unit configured to detect moire caused by overlap between a first diffraction grating including patterns arrayed in a first direction and a second diffraction grating including patterns arrayed in the first direction, and a processing unit configured to obtain a relative position of the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating based on the moire, wherein a width of an end pattern of patterns included in at least one of the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating in the first direction is smaller than widths of remaining patterns of the at least one diffraction grating in the first direction.

A method comprising contact-free positioning a template mask wafer having a template device pattern relative to a predetermined surface area section of a device pattern wafer. The template mask wafer includes a semitransparent layer. The method includes contact-free aligning one or more mask alignment marks of the template mask wafer with one or more alignment marks of the device pattern wafer and contacting the mask wafer on the device pattern wafer. The method includes transferring a template device pattern of the template mask wafer onto the predetermined surface area section of the device pattern wafer using an electron beam while heat conduction is distributed throughout the mask wafer to maintain a low temperature rise in the mask wafer during the transferring. A system is also provided.

A method comprising contact-free positioning a template mask wafer having a template device pattern relative to a predetermined surface area section of a device pattern wafer. The template mask wafer includes a semitransparent layer. The method includes contact-free aligning one or more mask alignment marks of the template mask wafer with one or more alignment marks of the device pattern wafer and contacting the mask wafer on the device pattern wafer. The method includes transferring a template device pattern of the template mask wafer onto the predetermined surface area section of the device pattern wafer using an electron beam while heat conduction is distributed throughout the mask wafer to maintain a low temperature rise in the mask wafer during the transferring. A system is also provided.

An information processing apparatus for acquiring an inspection condition for performing an inspection on a pattern formed by a lithography apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate with an original includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a second inspection condition to be applied in a case where an inspection is performed on a second pattern by inputting third information indicating a state of the lithography apparatus acquired when the second pattern is formed to a model, wherein the model is acquired by machine learning with learning data including first information indicating a state of the lithography apparatus acquired when a first pattern is formed and second information indicating a first inspection condition applied when an inspection is performed on the first pattern.

A imprint method includes contacting the pattern formed on the mold M with the imprint material R supplied to a shot on the substrate W; and detecting a plurality of alignment marks AMM and AMW in the contacting while changing a position of a detector for detecting the plurality of alignment marks AMM and AMW formed on the shot on the substrate W in accordance with a progress of filling of the imprint material R into the pattern formed on the mold M.

A imprint method includes contacting the pattern formed on the mold M with the imprint material R supplied to a shot on the substrate W; and detecting a plurality of alignment marks AMM and AMW in the contacting while changing a position of a detector for detecting the plurality of alignment marks AMM and AMW formed on the shot on the substrate W in accordance with a progress of filling of the imprint material R into the pattern formed on the mold M.