Abstract: A template formed of an optically-transparent material according to an embodiment includes a contact surface which contacts a resist material, a concave portion for resist pattern formed on the contact surface in which the resist material is filled and cured so as to form a resist pattern part, and a concave portion for alignment mark formed on the contact surface which is used for an optical alignment of the template, includes an opening and a bottom portion and has a shape that an area of the opening is larger than that of the bottom portion or a shape that a depth thereof is deeper than that of the concave portion for resist pattern.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an imprint method comprises coating a photo-curable organic material on a film to be processed, bringing a concave-convex pattern of a template into contact with the photo-curable organic material, applying a force to the template in such a state that the template is brought into contact with the photo-curable organic material, curing the photo-curable organic material by irradiating light onto the photo-curable organic material, in such a state that the template is brought into contact with the photo-curable organic material, and releasing the template from the photo-curable organic material after the light irradiation. The force applied to the template corresponds to a gap between a surface of the film to be processed and the template.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fine processing method includes determining a resist amount required for each first region of a pattern formation surface and a total amount of resist. The method include dividing the total amount of resist by a volume of one resist drop to determine the resist drops total number. The method include determining a provisional position for the resist drop of the total number. The method include assigning the each first region to nearest one resist drop, and partitioning again the pattern formation surface into second regions assigned to the each resist drop. The method include determining a divided value by dividing the volume of the one resist drop by the required total amount of resist determined. The method include finalizing a final position of the each resist drop, if a distribution of the divided value in the pattern formation surface falls within a target range.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a template chuck for an imprint apparatus includes first and second bodies configured to contact an upper surface and a lower surface of a template, respectively, to sandwich the template vertically. The chuck further includes contact members configured to contact side surfaces of the template to sandwich the template laterally. The chuck further includes a deformation controller configured to deform the template by applying a stress to the template through the contact members. In addition, the first body, the second body, and the contact members are configured to be movable individually.

Abstract: A template repair method according to one embodiment is a method for repairing a template including a template base material and a first mold release layer formed on a pattern surface of the template base material, and a restorative material is supplied to the pattern surface of the template base material in the template repair method. The restorative material has affinity to the base material and non-affinity to the mold release layer.

Abstract: An immersion lithography apparatus includes: a projection optical system which projects a pattern of a mask onto a substrate; a substrate cleaning unit which cleans the substrate prior to projection of the pattern; a liquid supply mechanism which supplies the same liquid to an immersion region between the projection optical system and the substrate and to the substrate cleaning unit; a first liquid discharge path through which the liquid discharged from the immersion region is passed; and a second liquid discharge path through which the liquid discharged from the substrate cleaning unit is passed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an exposure apparatus is configured to irradiate a mask with illumination light and to irradiate a wafer with light from the mask irradiated with the illumination light. The apparatus includes an information acquisition unit configured to acquire use history information that is information regarding a use history of the mask. The apparatus further includes a condition derivation unit configured to derive a setting value or a change amount of an optical setting condition of the exposure apparatus, based on the acquired use history information and correspondence information that indicates a correspondence between the use history of the mask and the optical setting condition of the exposure apparatus. The apparatus further includes an exposure unit configured to set the optical setting condition of the exposure apparatus to an optical setting condition specified by the derived setting value or change amount, and to expose the wafer under the set optical setting condition.

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate according to an embodiment includes carrying out an imprint processing that transfer a pattern formed in a template onto a flowable material disposed on a semiconductor substrate so as to obtain a transfer pattern, and at least one processing selected from the group consisting of an inspection processing of an semiconductor substrate, an applying processing of a separating material and an inspection-cleaning processing in parallel in the same processing chamber.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a template for imprint lithography includes a transparent substrate having a pattern with a recess portion and a protruding portion, and a light-shielding portion formed on a bottom surface of the recess portion and on a top surface of the protruding portion. A side wall of the protruding portion is inclined.

Abstract: A pattern is formed by an imprint technique, without decreases in throughput and alignment precision. A pattern forming apparatus includes a substrate holder that holds a substrate to be processed, a template holder that holds a template, a first position measuring device that measures the position of the substrate held by the substrate holder, a second position measuring device that measures the position of the template held by the template holder, and a control device that aligns the substrate with the template, based on transfer position information, calculates misalignments of the substrate and the template caused by a demolding procedure, based on the results of the measurement carried out by the first position measuring device and the second position measuring device, calculates a relative misalignment between the substrate and the template, based on the misalignments of the substrate and the template, and corrects the transfer position information, using the relative misalignment.

Abstract: There is provided a template in which a gap region of a substrate to be processed can be covered with an imprint resist, a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of forming a pattern. A template used in an optical imprint method includes a substrate, a pattern forming region that is provided on the substrate and includes an imprint pattern, a first step portion that is provided outside the pattern forming region and is disposed below the pattern forming region, a first side portion that connects the pattern forming region and the first step portion, a second step portion that is provided outside the first step portion and is disposed below the first step portion, and a second side portion that connects the first step portion and the second step portion and has a surface roughness more than that of the first side portion.

Abstract: An immersion exposure apparatus includes a placement unit on which a substrate is to be placed, the substrate including a body to be processed and a resist film on the body, a projection optical system including a projection lens, a liquid supply unit including an immersion nozzle, a measurement unit for measuring positions of alignment marks Mi (i=1, 2, . . . ) on the substrate, and a control unit for controlling a position of the placement unit on which the substrate is placed so that a pattern image of the photo mask is projected onto a predetermined position on the substrate when immersion exposure to the substrate is performed based on a measurement value acquired by the measurement unit and a correction value for correcting a measurement error resulting from a change of a measurement environment caused during measurement of alignment marks Mi.

Abstract: A substrate holding member according to an embodiment includes an opening having a minimum internal diameter lager than a diameter of a space in which a substrate to be exposed on a substrate stage is disposed, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the opening has a shape expanding toward a lower surface at least partly.

Abstract: There is provided a surface position measuring system which includes a reflectivity computing module which computes predictive reflectivities of a plurality of circuit patterns, an inspection light source which irradiates an inspection light onto each of a plurality of inspection areas, area by area, above the plurality of circuit patterns under irradiation conditions determined based on a corresponding each of the predictive reflectivities of the plurality of circuit patterns, and a photodetector which detects a reflected inspection light reflected from each of the plurality of inspection areas to detect a surface position of a corresponding each of the plurality of inspection areas.

Abstract: This invention discloses an immersion exposure method which executes immersion exposure for an exposure target film by transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto the exposure target film through an immersion medium. A first vapor pressure as the target value in an immersion exposure atmosphere which surrounds the immersion medium is set. A second vapor pressure in the immersion exposure atmosphere is measured. The first vapor pressure is compared with the second vapor pressure. Whether to adjust the vapor pressure in the immersion exposure atmosphere is selected in accordance with the comparison result.

Abstract: An exposure processing system comprises an exposure apparatus to expose a resist on a wafer, a heating apparatus comprising heating apparatus units, the heating apparatus heating the exposed resist by a heating apparatus unit in the heating apparatus units, a developing apparatus comprising developing apparatus units, the developing apparatus developing the exposed and heated resist by a developing apparatus unit in the developing apparatus units, and a control apparatus to control the exposure apparatus by using correction data so that a wafer on process object being exposed, the correction data being data for correcting a dimensional dispersion of a resist pattern caused by a pair of heating apparatus unit and developing apparatus unit used for the wafer on the process object, the pair of heating and developing apparatus unit comprising a heating and developing apparatus unit in the heating and developing apparatus used for the wafer on the process object.

Abstract: An immersion lithography method includes preparing an exposure tool having an exposure stage, a projection lens having an immersion head movable on the stage and used to form an immersion region and an illumination light source provided on the projection lens via a mask, placing a to-be-exposed substrate on the stage, supplying a liquid by use of the immersion head and forming the immersion region disposed between a surface portion of the substrate and a lower end portion of the projection lens, and relatively moving the stage and projection lens while holding the immersion region and exposing a region of the substrate covered with the immersion region. A first distance between the projection lens and the substrate is kept unchanged and a second distance between the immersion head and substrate is changed according to an exposure sequence.

Abstract: A system for controlling an overlay includes a processing data receiving module receiving a processing data string describing a name of an exposure process for a target layer and an original control set value of overlays between the target layer and underlying layers below the target layer; an inspection data receiving module receiving inspection data strings describing names of inspection processes and inspection values determined by the inspection processes inspecting respective overlays between the target layer and the underlying layers; a data combining module combining the processing data string and each of the inspection data strings using a combining condition table so as to create a correction data table; and a control set value calculation module calculating a corrected control set value based on the inspection values of the correction data table.

Abstract: An exposure method includes setting a photo mask into an exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus includes an opening/closing unit configured to block a part of exposure light from a light source to the wafer. The photo mask having a product area in which a pattern to be used when a central part of a wafer is exposed is formed and peripheral exposure areas in each of which a pattern to be used when a peripheral area is exposed is formed. The peripheral exposure areas are formed to have a plurality of types of pattern densities. Then, a peripheral part of the wafer exposed. When exposing, the opening/closing unit is opened such that one or more of exposed photo mask areas selected from among the peripheral exposure areas has a pattern density corresponding to a shot position of the peripheral part.

Abstract: An immersion exposure apparatus includes a placement unit on which a substrate is to be placed, the substrate including a body to be processed and a resist film on the body, a projection optical system including a projection lens, a liquid supply unit including an immersion nozzle, a measurement unit for measuring positions of alignment marks Mi (i=1, 2, . . . ) on the substrate, and a control unit for controlling a position of the placement unit on which the substrate is placed so that a pattern image of the photo mask is projected onto a predetermined position on the substrate when immersion exposure to the substrate is performed based on a measurement value acquired by the measurement unit and a correction value for correcting a measurement error resulting from a change of a measurement environment caused during measurement of alignment marks Mi.