Patents by Inventor Nozomu Hayashi

Nozomu Hayashi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11841616
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a plurality of shot regions in a substrate by using a mold, the imprint apparatus comprising: a discharger configured to discharge the imprint material onto the plurality of shot regions in the substrate; a viscosity adjuster configured to adjust a viscosity of the imprint material discharged from the discharger; and a controller configured to form the pattern of the imprint material in the plurality of shot regions, by repeatedly bringing the imprint material into contact with the mold in a state where a viscosity of at least a portion of the imprint material discharged onto the plurality of shot regions is adjusted by the viscosity adjuster, and curing of the imprint material, for each of the plurality of shot regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11833737
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by imprinting an imprint material on a substrate using an original, includes: an original support unit; a substrate support unit; a driving unit relatively driving the original support unit and the substrate support unit; a detection unit detecting a first alignment mark of the original and a second alignment mark of the substrate; a position adjustment unit adjusting a relative position between the original and the detection unit; and a control unit controlling the position adjustment unit to adjust a relative position between the original and the detection unit based on a position of the first alignment mark detected by the detection unit in a field of view of the detection unit during imprinting, and perform an alignment between the substrate and the original by the driving unit based on the first and second alignment marks detected by the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20230083496
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by imprinting an imprint material on a substrate using an original, includes: an original support unit; a substrate support unit; a driving unit relatively driving the original support unit and the substrate support unit; a detection unit detecting a first alignment mark of the original and a second alignment mark of the substrate; a position adjustment unit adjusting a relative position between the original and the detection unit; and a control unit controlling the position adjustment unit to adjust a relative position between the original and the detection unit based on a position of the first alignment mark detected by the detection unit in a field of view of the detection unit during imprinting, and perform an alignment between the substrate and the original by the driving unit based on the first and second alignment marks detected by the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20210149297
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a plurality of shot regions in a substrate by using a mold, the imprint apparatus comprising: a discharger configured to discharge the imprint material onto the plurality of shot regions in the substrate; a viscosity adjuster configured to adjust a viscosity of the imprint material discharged from the discharger; and a controller configured to form the pattern of the imprint material in the plurality of shot regions, by repeatedly bringing the imprint material into contact with the mold in a state where a viscosity of at least a portion of the imprint material discharged onto the plurality of shot regions is adjusted by the viscosity adjuster, and curing of the imprint material, for each of the plurality of shot regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10901324
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10777440
    Abstract: A detection device includes an illumination optical system and a detection optical system. The illumination optical system is configured to illuminate a first diffraction grating having a first period in a first direction and a second diffraction grating having a second period different from the first period. The detection optical system is configured to detect light diffracted by the first and second diffraction gratings. The illumination optical system includes an optical member configured to form, on a pupil plane, a first pole and a second pole opposite to the first pole. The illumination optical system causes lights from the first and second poles to obliquely enter the first and second diffraction gratings from the first direction to illuminate the first and second diffraction gratings. The detection optical system detects diffracted light diffracted by one of the first and second diffraction gratings and by an other diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiki Iwai, Takamitsu Komaki, Yasuyuki Unno, Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10732522
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on an imprinting material includes an alignment unit that detects a mold-side mark formed on a mold and a substrate-side mark formed on the substrate, forming a mark pair, and aligns the mold and the substrate on the basis of a detection result. The alignment unit obtains, by using the detection result of a first mark pair and the detection result of a second mark pair, which is different from the first mark pair, positional deviation information of the first mark pair and positional deviation information of the second mark pair in the same direction; obtains a determination value by using the positional deviation information of the first mark pair and the positional deviation information of second mark pair; and determines that mark detection is abnormal when the determination value is not in an allowable range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takamitsu Komaki, Yoshiyuki Usui, Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20190371642
    Abstract: A detection device includes an illumination optical system and a detection optical system. The illumination optical system is configured to illuminate a first diffraction grating having a first period in a first direction and a second diffraction grating having a second period different from the first period. The detection optical system is configured to detect light diffracted by the first and second diffraction gratings. The illumination optical system includes an optical member configured to form, on a pupil plane, a first pole and a second pole opposite to the first pole. The illumination optical system causes lights from the first and second poles to obliquely enter the first and second diffraction gratings from the first direction to illuminate the first and second diffraction gratings. The detection optical system detects diffracted light diffracted by one of the first and second diffraction gratings and by an other diffraction grating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Toshiki Iwai, Takamitsu Komaki, Yasuyuki Unno, Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9703190
    Abstract: The imprint method includes changing the position of a detector that detects an alignment mark formed on a shot on a substrate; bringing a pattern formed on a mold into contact with an imprint material supplied on the shot on the substrate; and detecting the alignment mark using the detector after completion of the change in the position of the detector. Here, the contacting is started prior to completion of the change in the position of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20160299444
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern on an imprinting material includes an alignment unit that detects a mold-side mark formed on a mold and a substrate-side mark formed on the substrate, forming a mark pair, and aligns the mold and the substrate on the basis of a detection result. The alignment unit obtains, by using the detection result of a first mark pair and the detection result of a second mark pair, which is different from the first mark pair, positional deviation information of the first mark pair and positional deviation information of the second mark pair in the same direction; obtains a determination value by using the positional deviation information of the first mark pair and the positional deviation information of second mark pair; and determines that mark detection is abnormal when the determination value is not in an allowable range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Takamitsu Komaki, Yoshiyuki Usui, Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9261776
    Abstract: The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which performs an imprint process in which an imprint material on a substrate is molded with a mold to form a pattern on the substrate, the apparatus including a controller configured to control the imprint process to form a predetermined layer on the substrate with a target layer, which is formed on the substrate, used as an alignment reference, wherein the controller is configured to select a mold from a plurality of molds prepared for the predetermined layer, such that an overlay error between the target layer and the predetermined layer falls within a tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20150325526
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventor: Nozomu HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20150013559
    Abstract: The imprint method includes changing the position of a detector that detects an alignment mark formed on a shot on a substrate; bringing a pattern formed on a mold into contact with an imprint material supplied on the shot on the substrate; and detecting the alignment mark using the detector after completion of the change in the position of the detector. Here, the contacting is started prior to completion of the change in the position of the detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8885164
    Abstract: An exposure method comprises: a first detection step of detecting a position of a first mark by a first scope; a second detection step of detecting a position of a second mark by a second scope having a magnification higher than the first scope; a first calculation step of calculating a first correction value based on the detection results obtained in the first and second detection steps; a third detection step of detecting a position of a third mark by the second scope after the substrate is aligned based on the first correction value calculated in the first calculation step; a second calculation step of calculating a second correction value based on the detection results obtained in the second and third detection steps; and an exposure step of exposing the substrate after the substrate is aligned based on the second correction value calculated in the second calculation step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8638370
    Abstract: An apparatus which processes a substrate including a mark to be detected for positioning the substrate, comprises an illuminator configured to illuminate the mark, the illuminator including a shutter which opens and closes an optical path thereof, an image pickup device configured to pick up an image of the mark illuminated by the illuminator, and a storage configured to store correction data for correcting an output of the image pickup device with respect to each of a plurality of illumination periods that depend on operations of the shutter. The apparatus is configured to obtain the correction data from the storage in accordance with the illumination period, and to correct the output of the image pickup device using the obtained correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20130056903
    Abstract: The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which performs an imprint process in which an imprint material on a substrate is molded with a mold to form a pattern on the substrate, the apparatus including a controller configured to control the imprint process to form a predetermined layer on the substrate with a target layer, which is formed on the substrate, used as an alignment reference, wherein the controller is configured to select a mold from a plurality of molds prepared for the predetermined layer, such that an overlay error between the target layer and the predetermined layer falls within a tolerance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8390809
    Abstract: An exposure method comprises: a first detection step of detecting a position of a first mark by a first scope; a second detection step of detecting a position of a second mark by a second scope having a magnification higher than the first scope; a first calculation step of calculating a first correction value based on the detection results obtained in the first and second detection steps; a third detection step of detecting a position of a third mark by the second scope after the substrate is aligned based on the first correction value calculated in the first calculation step; a second calculation step of calculating a second correction value based on the detection results obtained in the second and third detection steps; and an exposure step of exposing the substrate after the substrate is aligned based on the second correction value calculated in the second calculation step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8369604
    Abstract: A position detector, which detects the position of a mark formed on a substrate (W), comprises a creating unit (9), a search unit (13), and a correction unit (14). The creating unit (9) creates a template used for identifying a mark to be detected (WM) based on an image including the mark (WM). The search unit (13) searches an image by using the template created by the creating unit (9), and determines whether there is a pseudo pattern, other than the pattern of the mark (WM), whose degree of matching with the template is higher than a reference value. The correction unit (14) corrects the template based on the information of the pseudo pattern when it is determined that there is the pseudo pattern, and creates a corrected template whose degree of matching with the pseudo pattern is lower than the reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20110074064
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus forms patterns in a plurality of shot regions on a substrate by repeating an imprint cycle in which a pattern is formed in one shot region on the substrate by curing a resin while an original and the resin are in contact with each other. The apparatus comprises a detector configured to detect a mark formed on the substrate, and a controller configured to execute overlay measurement, in which the controller causes the detector to detect the mark, and obtains an overlay error that is a shift between a pattern formed on a given layer on the substrate and a pattern newly formed on a layer on or above the given layer, between successive imprint cycles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20100302414
    Abstract: An apparatus which processes a substrate including a mark to be detected for positioning the substrate, comprises an illuminator configured to illuminate the mark, the illuminator including a shutter which opens and closes an optical path thereof, an image pickup device configured to pick up an image of the mark illuminated by the illuminator, and a storage configured to store correction data for correcting an output of the image pickup device with respect to each of a plurality of illumination periods that depend on operations of the shutter. The apparatus is configured to obtain the correction data from the storage in accordance with the illumination period, and to correct the output of the image pickup device using the obtained correction data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nozomu Hayashi