Abstract: A compliant UV imprint lithography template, which may also act as a thermal implant template, and methods for manufacturing it. The template essentially comprises a relief image and an elastomer adapted to adjust the relief image. In an embodiment, the relief image is arranged in a compliant imprinting layer where the elastomer is arranged between the imprinting layer and a rigid transparent substrate. In an embodiment, the template is compliant to a wafer surface. In an embodiment, layering an elastomer and an imprinting layer on a substrate and patterning a relief image into the imprinting layer, form the template.

Abstract: The present invention includes a composition for a silicon-containing material used as an etch mask for underlying layers. More specifically, the silicon-containing material may be used as an etch mask for a patterned imprinted layer comprising protrusions and recessions. To that end, in one embodiment of the present invention, the composition includes a hydroxyl-functional silicone component, a cross-linking component, a catalyst component, and a solvent. This composition allows the silicon-containing material to selectively etch the protrusions and the segments of the patterned imprinting layer in superimposition therewith, while minimizing the etching of the segments in superposition with the recessions, and therefore allowing an in-situ hardened mask to be created by the silicon-containing material, with the hardened mask and the patterned imprinting layer forming a substantially planarized profile.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for generating patterned features on a substrate that includes: (a) forming a first layer on at least a portion of a surface of the substrate, the first layer comprising at least one layer of a first material, which one layer abuts the surface of the substrate; (b) forming a second layer of a second material on at least a portion of the first layer, which second layer is imprinted with the patterned features; (c) removing at least portions of the second layer to extend the patterned features to the first layer; and (d) removing at least portions of the first layer to extend the patterned features to the substrate; wherein the first layer and the second layer may be exposed to an etching process that undercuts the patterned features, and the first material may be lifted-off.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward a method for reducing pattern distortions in imprinting layers by reducing gas pockets present in a layer of viscous liquid deposited on a substrate. To that end, the method includes varying a transport of the gases disposed proximate to the viscous liquid. Specifically, the atmosphere proximate to the substrate wherein a pattern is to be recorded is saturated with gases that are either highly soluble, highly diffusive, or both with respect to the viscous liquid being deposited. Additionally, or in lieu of saturating the atmosphere, the pressure of the atmosphere may be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography is a process in which a liquid is dispensed onto a substrate. A template is brought into contact with the liquid and the liquid is cured. The cured liquid includes an imprint of any patterns formed in the template. In one embodiment, the imprint process is designed to imprint only a portion of the substrate. The remainder of the substrate is imprinted by moving the template to a different portion of the template and repeating the imprint lithography process.

Abstract: Described are systems for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography systems include an imprint head configured to hold a template in a spaced relation to a substrate. The imprint lithography system is configured to dispense an activating light curable liquid onto a substrate or template. The system includes a light source that applies activating light to cure the activating light curable liquid. Multiple optical imaging devices are used to align the template with the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for fabricating bulbous-shaped vias on a substrate, having a surface, by disposing, on the substrate, a polymerizable fluid composition. A mold is placed in contact with the polymerizable fluid composition. The mold includes a relief structure on a surface thereof to create a recess in a layer of the polymerizable fluid composition. The polymerizable fluid composition is subjected to conditions to cause polymerization, forming a polymerized layer having a solidified indentation. An opening to the surface of the substrate is formed by removing material disposed on the substrate surface through etch processes. In a further embodiment a conductive layer may be disposed in the opening to form a gate. A lift-off process may be employed to remove the polymerized layer.

Abstract: Described are methods for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography is a process in which a liquid is dispensed onto a substrate. A template is brought into contact with the liquid and the liquid is cured. The cured liquid includes an imprint of any patterns formed in the template. Alignment of the template with a previously formed layer on a substrate, in one embodiment, is accomplished by using scatterometry.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a chucking system to modulate substrates so as to properly shape and position the same with respect to a wafer upon which a pattern is to be formed with the substrate. The chucking system includes a chuck body having first and second opposed sides. A side surface extends therebetween. The first side includes first and second spaced-apart recesses defining first and second spaced-apart support regions. The first support region cinctures the second support region and the first and second recesses. The second support region cinctures the second recess, with a portion of the body in superimposition with the second recess being transparent to radiation having a predetermined wavelength. The second side and the side surface define exterior surfaces. The body includes throughways placing the first and second recesses in fluid communication with one of the exterior surfaces.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a method and system to measure characteristics of a film disposed on a substrate. The method includes identifying a plurality of processing regions on the film; measuring characteristics of a subset of the plurality of processing regions, defining measured characteristics; determining a variation of one of the measured characteristics; and associating a cause of the variations based upon a comparison of the one of the measured characteristics to measured characteristics associated with the remaining processing regions of the subset. The system carries out the aforementioned method.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a chucking system to modulate substrates so as to properly shape and position the same with respect to a wafer upon which a pattern is to be formed with the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for modulating shapes of a substrate, having first and second opposed surfaces. This is achieved by creating a pressure differential between differing regions of the first opposed surface to attenuate structural distortions in the second opposed surface that results from external forces bearing on the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for forming an optical coupling device on a substrate by disposing a material onto the substrate that is polymerizable in response to actinic radiation. A stack of the material is formed by contacting the material with a template having a stepped-recess formed therein. The material is then solidified into an optically transparent body with a surface having a plurality of steps by subjecting the stack to actinic radiation. To that end, the material may comprise an acrylate component selected from a set of acrylates consisting essentially of ethylene dio diacrylate, t-butyl acrylate, bisphenol A diacrylate, acrylate terminated polysiloxane, polydifluoromethylene diacrylate, perfluoropolyether diacrylates and chlorofluorodiacrylates. Alternatively, the material may include a silylated component selected from a group consisting essentially of (3-acryloxypropyltristrimethylsiloxy) silane.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. An imprint lithography method includes placing a curable liquid on a substrate. A template may be contacted with the curable liquid. Surface forces at the interface of the curable liquid and the template cause the curable liquid to gather in an area defined by a lower surface of the template. Alternately, the curable liquid may fill one or more relatively shallow recesses in the template and the area under the template lower surface. Activating light is applied to the curable liquid to form a patterned layer on the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a system to dispense a liquid, contained in a cartridge, onto a substrate employing a dispensing system under control of a processor in data communication with a memory.

Abstract: Described are methods for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography is a process in which a liquid is dispensed onto a substrate. A template is brought into contact with the liquid and the liquid is cured. The cured liquid includes an imprint of any patterns formed in the template. Alignment of the template with the substrate is performed prior to curing the liquid. Alignment of the template with the substrate includes rotational alignment of the template with respect to the substrate.

Abstract: Described are systems for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography systems include an imprint head configured to hold a template in a spaced relation to a substrate. The imprint lithography system is configured to dispense an activating light curable liquid onto a substrate or template. The system includes a light source that applies activating light to cure the activating light curable liquid.

Abstract: An electric discharge laser with an associated programmable controller which (1) will permit an operator to specify beam quality parameters based on historical data (2) will monitor those parameters and (3) will provide a notification signal to the operator informing him when the beam quality is adequate for integrated circuit fabrication. The controller is programmed to indicate an out-of-control condition when one or more quality parameters exhibit certain specified non-random behavior such as two out of three quality measurements deviating by more than 4 standard deviations and/or three out of four quality measurements deviating by more three standard deviations. In a preferred embodiment the program is designed to detect poor quality by looking for these “runs” of bad quantity data and to produce false indication of system out of control, on the average, no more than once each two months.

Abstract: A stereo graphic user interface (GUI) includes stereo pairs of conventional GUI interface objects, such as a cursor, menu bars, buttons, and so on. In one implementation, a slave component is located on the same display screen as, and at a fixed displacement from, a master component. Any changes to the master component are tracked and made to the slave component so as to form and maintain stereo pairs of components. The stereo GUI may be configured to support multiple viewers, and a user may employ the stereo GUI not only to view stereo pairs of graphical objects but also to manipulate them.

Abstract: A system includes multiple optical Fourier transform cells which simultaneously scan a device under test. The illuminated area for each Fourier transform cell is small to provide high resolution, while the number of cells is large to cover a relatively wide area and keep inspection speed high. The advantages of optical computing performed by Fourier transform optics also keeps the inspection speed high because illuminated areas are large when compared to the resolution and Fourier transforms are linear shift invariant so that optical measurements can be performed during scanning. In one embodiment, Fourier transform cells are offset from each other perpendicular to the scan direction by less that the width of an illuminated area. This provides complete coverage during scanning of a device under test. Because the illumination for the Fourier transform is collimated, the system is insensitive to focusing errors due to fluctuations in working distance.