Imprinting apparatus and method

Claim 2

The imprinting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of driving devices comprises: a first driving device that performs the pressing by moving the mold and the forming material relatively to each other at a first relative moving speed; and a second driving device that performs the mold-releasing by moving the mold and the forming material relatively to each other at a second relative moving speed lower than the first relative moving speed.

Claim 3

The imprinting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second driving device comprises a force sensor capable of detecting a force applied to the forming material and controls a relative moving speed by the relative motion, according to a detection signal by the force sensor.

Claim 4

The imprinting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the force applied to the forming material is caused along the pressing direction during the mold-releasing, by an adhesive force between the mold and the forming material after the pressing.

Claim 5

The imprinting apparatus of claim 2, wherein a transportation resolution of the second driving device is finer than a transportation resolution of the first driving device.

Claim 6

An imprinting method that transfers a micro structure of a mold onto a forming material, comprising: a pressing step; and a mold-releasing step, wherein the method uses a plurality of driving devices that relatively move the mold and forming material to each other along an axis of a pressing direction at different relative moving speeds during the relative motion.

Claim 7

The imprinting method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of driving devices have transportation resolutions to be applied to the relative motion of the mold and the forming material, the transportation resolution for the pressing and the transportation resolution for the mold-releasing being different from each other.

Claim 8

The imprinting method of claim 6, wherein the relative moving speed of the mold and the forming material during the mold-releasing is set to be lower than the relative moving speed of the mold and the forming material during the pressing.

Claim 9

The imprinting method of claim 6, wherein the relative moving speed of the mold and the forming material during the mold-releasing is variable.

Claim 10

The imprinting method of claim 6, wherein the method controls a relative moving speed by the relative motion, according to a detection signal from a force sensor that is provided for a driving device, for mold-releasing, out of the plurality of driving devices so as to detect a force applied to the forming material during the mold-releasing.

Claim 11

The imprinting method of claim 10, wherein the force applied to the forming material is caused along the pressing direction during the mold-releasing, by an adhesive force between the mold and the forming material after the pressing.

Claim 12

An imprinting method, comprising: a temperature raising process for raising a temperature of a mold; a pressing process for pressing by relatively moving the mold and forming material at a first relative moving speed; a maintaining process for maintaining a force by the pressing for a predetermined time; a cooling process for cooling the mold; and a mold-releasing process for separating the mold and the forming material by relatively moving the mold and the forming material at a second relative moving speed, wherein the method executes the pressing process and the mold-releasing process with different driving devices such that the second relative moving speed in the mold-releasing process is lower than the first relative moving speed in the pressing process.

Claim 13

The imprinting method of claim 12, further comprising a fast transportation process, between the temperature raising process and the pressing process, that moves the mold and the forming material at a third relative moving speed, wherein the third relative moving speed in the fast transportation process is higher than or equal to the first relative moving speed in the pressing process.