Abstract: The present invention provides a photo-curable composition, and UV imprint method, that requires a small demolding force, wherein the photo-curable composition contains a polymerizable monomer (A), a polymerization initiator (B), and a fluorine-containing surfactant (C), and the photo-cured product of the photo-curable composition has a water contact angle of 74 degrees or less.

Abstract: An imprint device which minimizes the occurrence of pattern defects. The imprint device for forming a pattern made of an imprint material on a shot region formed on a substrate using a mold includes: a supply unit configured to discharge the imprint material through a discharge port and supply the imprint material onto the substrate, a substrate stage configured to hold and move the substrate, and a control unit configured to control the substrate stage. The control unit moves the substrate stage so that a shot region having the pattern formed thereon avoids a portion immediately below the discharge port.

Abstract: The present invention provides a planarization apparatus which planarizes a composition on a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus including a processing unit configured to, for each of a plurality of substrates, perform planarization processing for, by bringing a planar portion of the mold into contact with the composition on the substrate and making the planar portion conform to a surface shape of the substrate, planarizing the composition, and a driving unit configured to, whenever the planarization processing is performed a predetermined number of times, relatively drive the mold and a processing target substrate among the plurality of substrate so that a relative positional relationship between the processing target substrate and the planar portion changes.

Abstract: There is provided a planarization apparatus that planarizes composition in a specified region on a substrate using a planar section of a mold. The planarization apparatus includes a mold holding unit configured to hold the mold, a measurement unit configured to measure a shape of the planar section of the mold held by the mold holding unit and convexly deformed, and a control unit configured to align, based on a result of measurement by the measurement unit, the planar section of the mold and the substrate with respect to a direction along a surface of the substrate so as to bring the planar section of the mold into contact with the specified region on the substrate, and bring the mold and the composition into contact with each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photo-curable composition, and UV imprint method, that requires a small demolding force, wherein the photo-curable composition contains a polymerizable monomer (A), a polymerization initiator (B), and a fluorine-containing surfactant (C), and the photo-cured product of the photo-curable composition has a water contact angle of 74 degrees or less.

Abstract: To provide a curable composition for nanoimprinting that can form a cured product that has a sufficiently cured surface and is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when the curable composition is cured by a photo-nanoimprint method at a low exposure dose. To provide a nanoimprint method for forming such a cured product. To provide a cured product that is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when cured at a low exposure dose, a method for producing such a cured product, a method for manufacturing an optical component, a method for manufacturing a circuit board, and a method for manufacturing an electronic component. A curable composition that satisfies the formula (1) in a cured state: Er1/Er2?1.10??(1) wherein Er1 denotes the surface reduced modulus (GPa) of a cured product of the curable composition, and Er2 denotes the internal reduced modulus (GPa) of the cured product.

Abstract: There is provided a planarization apparatus that planarizes composition in a specified region on a substrate using a planar section of a mold. The planarization apparatus includes a mold holding unit configured to hold the mold, a measurement unit configured to measure a shape of the planar section of the mold held by the mold holding unit and convexly deformed, and a control unit configured to align, based on a result of measurement by the measurement unit, the planar section of the mold and the substrate with respect to a direction along a surface of the substrate so as to bring the planar section of the mold into contact with the specified region on the substrate, and bring the mold and the composition into contact with each other.

Abstract: An imprint method that uses a condensable gas process has a problem in that the surface of a resist cured film is rough. This is resolved by a photocurable composition used for performing imprint in an atmosphere containing a condensable gas. The photocurable composition contains a component (A) which is a (meth)acrylate monomer, a component (B) which is a photopolymerization initiator, and a component (C) which is a mold releasing agent. A saturated solubility of the component (C) in the condensable gas at 5 degrees (Celsius) and 1 atm is 5% by weight or less, the condensable gas being in a liquid state at 5 degrees (Celsius) and 1 atm.

Abstract: A curable composition for photoimprint at least includes a polymerizable compound component (A) and a photopolymerization initiator component (B) and satisfies expression (1) and (2): 0.800?Er10/Er200??(1) 2.55?Er10??(2) wherein, Er10 represents the reduced modulus (GPa) of a photocured film prepared by exposing a film of the curable composition for photoimprint to light of 10 mJ/cm2; and Er200 represents the reduced modulus (GPa) of a photocured film prepared by exposing a film of the curable composition for photoimprint to light of 200 mJ/cm2.

Abstract: An imprint device which minimizes the occurrence of pattern defects. The imprint device for forming a pattern made of an imprint material on a shot region formed on a substrate using a mold includes: a supply unit configured to discharge the imprint material through a discharge port and supply the imprint material onto the substrate, a substrate stage configured to hold and move the substrate, and a control unit configured to control the substrate stage. The control unit moves the substrate stage so that a shot region having the pattern formed thereon avoids a portion immediately below the discharge port.

Abstract: The present invention provides a planarization apparatus which planarizes a composition on a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus including a processing unit configured to, for each of a plurality of substrates, perform planarization processing for, by bringing a planar portion of the mold into contact with the composition on the substrate and making the planar portion conform to a surface shape of the substrate, planarizing the composition, and a driving unit configured to, whenever the planarization processing is performed a predetermined number of times, relatively drive the mold and a processing target substrate among the plurality of substrate so that a relative positional relationship between the processing target substrate and the planar portion changes.

Abstract: An imprint method includes: placing a light-curable composition on a workpiece substrate (placement); bringing the light-curable composition and a mold into contact with each other an atmosphere of a condensable gas (contact); aligning the mold and the workpiece substrate (alignment); irradiating the light-curable composition with light to obtain a light-cured composition (irradiation); and separating the light-cured composition and the mold from each other after the irradiation (release). The film thickness of the light-curable composition during the alignment is 20% or more greater than that of the light-cured composition after the release.

Abstract: A method of producing a film includes: a disposing step of disposing a photocurable composition on a substrate; a mold contact step of bringing the photocurable composition and a mold into contact with each other; a photoirradiation step of irradiating the photocurable composition with light to form a cured product; and a mold release step of releasing the cured product and the mold from each other, in which the method further includes an alignment step of aligning the mold and the substrate with each other before the photoirradiation step, in which the photocurable composition contains at least a polymerizable compound serving as a component (A) and a photopolymerization initiator serving as a component (B), and in which the polymerizable compound has a polymerization conversion ratio of 50% or more when exposed to light under conditions of an illuminance of 0.12 mW/cm2 and an exposure time of 11.0 seconds.

Abstract: Provided is a curable composition, including a polymerization initiator; a polymerizable compound; and an internal addition type release agent having a hydrophilic functional group, in which the internal addition type release agent is prevented from being unevenly distributed in a gas-liquid interface of the curable composition.

Abstract: In an imprint process in a gaseous atmosphere containing a condensable gas, the curable composition for photoimprint is difficult to cure, the pattern is not fully formed to cause defects. The present invention relates to a curable composition for photoimprint in a gaseous atmosphere containing a condensable gas. The curable composition for photoimprint at least comprises the following component (A) and component (B): (A) polymerizable compound, and (B) photopolymerization initiator. Component (B) has a saturated solubility of less than 1% by weight in the condensable gas in a liquid state at 5° C. and 1 atm or has a Hansen distance (Ra) of larger than 7.6 to the condensable gas.

Abstract: To provide a curable composition for nanoimprinting that can form a cured product that has a sufficiently cured surface and is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when the curable composition is cured by a photo-nanoimprint method at a low exposure dose. To provide a nanoimprint method for forming such a cured product. To provide a cured product that is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when cured at a low exposure dose, a method for producing such a cured product, a method for manufacturing an optical component, a method for manufacturing a circuit board, and a method for manufacturing an electronic component. A curable composition that satisfies the formula (1) in a cured state: Er1/Er2?1.10 ??(1) wherein Er1 denotes the surface reduced modulus (GPa) of a cured product of the curable composition, and Er2 denotes the internal reduced modulus (GPa) of the cured product.

Abstract: To provide a curable composition for nanoimprinting that can form a cured product that has a sufficiently cured surface and is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when the curable composition is cured by a photo-nanoimprint method at a low exposure dose. To provide a nanoimprint method for forming such a cured product. To provide a cured product that is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when cured at a low exposure dose, a method for producing such a cured product, a method for manufacturing an optical component, a method for manufacturing a circuit board, and a method for manufacturing an electronic component. A curable composition that satisfies the formula (1) in a cured state: Er1/Er2?1.10??(1) wherein Er1 denotes the surface reduced modulus (GPa) of a cured product of the curable composition, and Er2 denotes the internal reduced modulus (GPa) of the cured product.

Abstract: Provided are a photocurable composition having high filling property and capable of reducing a mold release force upon production of a film through the utilization of a photo-imprint method, and a method of manufacturing a film using the photocurable composition. The photocurable composition is a photocurable composition, including at least the following component (A) to component (C): (A) a polymerizable compound; (B) a photopolymerization initiator; and (C) a surfactant represented by the following general formula (1): Rf1-Rc-X.

Abstract: An imprinting method for forming a pattern of a cured product by irradiating a curable composition for imprinting disposed on a substrate with light while the curable composition is in contact with a mold having surface asperities and removing the mold from a cured product of the curable composition. The method includes bringing the mold into contact with the curable composition in a condensable gas atmosphere, wherein the curable composition for imprinting has a viscosity in the range of 1 cP to 40 cP in air at 23° C., and the condensable gas is introduced between the mold and the curable composition such that the curable composition for imprinting has a condensable gas solubility (gas/(curable composition+gas)) (g/g) in the range of 0.1 to 0.4.

Abstract: To provide a curable composition for nanoimprinting that can form a cured product that has a sufficiently cured surface and is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when the curable composition is cured by a photo-nanoimprint method at a low exposure dose. To provide a nanoimprint method for forming such a cured product. To provide a cured product that is less prone to a pattern collapse defect even when cured at a low exposure dose, a method for producing such a cured product, a method for manufacturing an optical component, a method for manufacturing a circuit board, and a method for manufacturing an electronic component. A curable composition that satisfies the formula (1) in a cured state: Er1/Er2?1.10??(1) wherein Er1 denotes the surface reduced modulus (GPa) of a cured product of the curable composition, and Er2 denotes the internal reduced modulus (GPa) of the cured product.