Patent US6416543B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US7179396B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Positive tone bi-layer imprint lithography method
Assignee: Canon Nanotechnologies Inc
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Filing: 2003-03-25
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Granted: 2007-02-20
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Expires: 2023-03-25
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides a method to pattern a substrate which features creating a multi-layered structure by forming, on the substrate, a patterned layer having protrusions and recessions. Formed upon the patterned layer is a conformal layer, with the multi-layered structure having a crown surface facing away from the substrate. Portions of the multi-layered structure are removed to expose regions of the substrate in superimposition with the protrusions, while forming a hard mask in areas of the crown surface in superimposition with the recessions.
Inventors
- 👤 Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 13:31
CPC Classifications
B; B81; B81C; B81C1/00; B81C1/00436; B81C1/00444; B81C1/0046; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; B82Y40/00; G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/0002; H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/071; H10W20/081
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: creating a multi-layered structure by forming, on said substrate, a patterned layer having protrusions and recessions, by disposing, on said substrate, a polymerizable fluid composition and contacting said polymerizable fluid composition with a surface of a mold, and subjecting said polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said polymerizable fluid composition, forming said patterned layer, and forming, upon said patterned layer, a conformal layer, with said multi-layered structure having a crown surface facing sway from said substrate; and selectively removing portions of said multi-layered structure to expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while forming a hard mask in areas of said crown surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
121 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: creating a multi-layered structure by forming, on said substrate, a patterned layer having protrusions and recessions, by disposing, on said substrate, a polymerizable fluid composition and contacting said polymerizable fluid composition with a surface of a mold, and subjecting said polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said polymerizable fluid composition, forming said patterned layer, and forming, upon said patterned layer, a conformal layer, with said multi-layered structure having a crown surface facing sway from said substrate; and selectively removing portions of said multi-layered structure to expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while forming a hard mask in areas of said crown surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming said patterned layer further includes providing said protrusions with an apex and a height and forming said conformal layer further includes providing said conformal layer with a normalization surface spaced apart from one apex a minimum distance and spaced-apart from an additional apex a maximum distance with said height being greater than a difference between said maximum distance and said minimum distance.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein creating further includes forming said patterned layer from an organic polymerizable material substantially free of silicon and forming said conformal layer from a silicon-containing polymerizable material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein creating further includes forming said patterned layer from a material having a polymerizable compound and a surfactant having a surface energy that is less than a surface energy of said polymerizable compound.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein creating further includes forming said conformal layer from a material having a polymerizable compound and a surfactant having a surface energy that is lower than a surface energy of said polymerizable material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein creating further includes forming said conformal layer by disposing, on said substrate, a polymerizable fluid composition and contacting said polymerizable fluid composition with a mold having a substantially planar surface and subjecting said polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said polymerizabie fluid composition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming said conformal layer further includes spin-coating a polymerizable fluid an said patterned layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 1 further including depositing a primer layer between said patterned layer and said substrate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein creating further Includes forming said conformal layer with a section having a normalization surface disposed opposite to said patterned layer and spaced-apart from said protrusions, and further including removing portions of said section to expose said protrusions, defining said crown surface and exposing said crown surface to an etch chemistry.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as recited in claim 9 wherein removing portions further includes subjecting said normalization surface to a blanket etch and exposing said crown surface further includes subjecting said crown surface to an anisotropic plasma etch.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
112 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: forming, on said substrate, a patterned layer, having protrusions and recessions, from a substantially silicon free polymerizble fluid employing Imprint lithography techniques to form a silicon-free polymerized layer; creating a conformal layer, adjacent to said silicon-free polymerized layer, from a silicon-containing polymerizable fluid employing imprint lithography techniques to form a silicon-containing polymerized layer having a normalization surface that faces away from said substrate; and selectively removing portions of said silicon-containing polymerized layer and said silicon-free polymerized layer to expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while forming a hard mask in areas of said surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
112 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: forming, on said substrate, a patterned layer, having protrusions and recessions, from a substantially silicon free polymerizble fluid employing Imprint lithography techniques to form a silicon-free polymerized layer; creating a conformal layer, adjacent to said silicon-free polymerized layer, from a silicon-containing polymerizable fluid employing imprint lithography techniques to form a silicon-containing polymerized layer having a normalization surface that faces away from said substrate; and selectively removing portions of said silicon-containing polymerized layer and said silicon-free polymerized layer to expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while forming a hard mask in areas of said surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein forming said pattemed layer further includes providing said protrusions an apex and a height and creating said conformal layer further includes providing said conformal layer with a normalization surface spaced apart from one apex a minimum distance and spaced-apart from an additional apex a maximum distance with said height being greater than a difference between said maximum distance and said minimum distance.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 11 further including depositing a primer layer between said patterned layer and said substrate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein creating further includes forming said patterned layer from a silicon-free fluid having an organic pofymerizable compound and a surfactant having a surface energy that is lower than a surface energy of said organic polymerizable compound.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method as recited in claim 14 wherein forming further includes forming said conformal layer from said silicon-containing fluid having an additional polymerizable compound and an additional surfactant having a low surface energy and a molecular weight that is less than a molecular weight of said additional polymerizable material.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein creating further includes forming said conformal layer with a section having a normalization surface disposed opposite to said patterned layer and spaced-apart from said protrusions, and further including removing portions of said section to expose said protrusions, defining a crown surface and exposing said crown surface to an etch chemistry.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as recited in claim 16 wherein removing portions further includes subjecting said normalization surface to a blanket etch and exposing said crown surface further includes subjecting said crown surface to an anisotropic plasma etch.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
92 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein forming further includes disposing, on said substrate, a plurality of droplets of a first polymerizable fluid composition and contacting said first polymerizable fluid composition with a patterned surface of a patterned mold, said patterned surface having a profile complementary to said protrusions and said recessions, to spread said droplets over an area of said substrate to form a layer of first polymerizable fluid and subjecting said layer of first polymerizable fluid to conditions to polymerize said first polymerizable fluid composition, forming said patterned layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein creating said conformal layer further includes spin-coating a polymerizable fluid on said patterned layer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein creating further includes forming said conformal layer by disposing, on said substrate, a second polymerizable fluid composition and contacting said second polymerizable fluid composition with a planarizing mold having a substantially planar surface and subjecting said second polymerizabie fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said second polyrnerizable fluid composition.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method as recited in claim 20 further including covering said patterned surface and said planar surface with a film having a low surface energy and forming each of said patterned mold and said planarized mold from fused silica.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: forming, on said substrate a patterned layer, having protrusions and recessions, by depositing a silicon-free polymerizabie fluid on said substrate and contacting said silicon-free polymerizable fluid with a first surface of a first mold, said first surface having a profile complementary to said protrusions and said recessions, and subjecting said silicon-free polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said silicon-free polymerizable fluid composition, forming a silicon-free polymerized layer; creating a conformal layer adjacent to said silicon-free polymerized layer by depositing a silicon-containing polymerizable fluid upon said patterned layer and contacting said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition with a second mold having a substantially planar surface and subjecting said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition, forming a planar silicon-containing polymerized layer; and selectively removing said silicon-containing polymerized layer and said silicon-free polymerized layerto expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while densifying areas of said surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of patterning a substrate, said method comprising: forming, on said substrate a patterned layer, having protrusions and recessions, by depositing a silicon-free polymerizabie fluid on said substrate and contacting said silicon-free polymerizable fluid with a first surface of a first mold, said first surface having a profile complementary to said protrusions and said recessions, and subjecting said silicon-free polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said silicon-free polymerizable fluid composition, forming a silicon-free polymerized layer; creating a conformal layer adjacent to said silicon-free polymerized layer by depositing a silicon-containing polymerizable fluid upon said patterned layer and contacting said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition with a second mold having a substantially planar surface and subjecting said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition to conditions to polymerize said silicon-containing polymerizable fluid composition, forming a planar silicon-containing polymerized layer; and selectively removing said silicon-containing polymerized layer and said silicon-free polymerized layerto expose regions of said substrate in superimposition with said protrusions while densifying areas of said surface in superimposition with said recessions.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 22 further including depositing a primer layer between said patterned layer and said substrate.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method as recited in claim 23 further including covering said patterned surface and said planar surface with a film having a low surface energy and forming each of said first mold and said second mold from fused silica.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method as recited in claim 24 wherein said patterned layer and said conformal layer define a multi-layered structure and creating further includes forming said conformal layer with a section having a planar side disposed opposite to said patterned layer and spaced-apart from said protrusions, and further including removing portions of said section to expose said protrusions, defining a crown surface and exposing said crown surface to an oxygen plasma etch chemistry.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as recited in claim 25 wherein removing portions further includes subjecting said planar side to a blanket etch and exposing said crown surface further includes subjecting said crown surface to an anisotropic plasma etch.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2010-02-19 | 2010-08-21 | 2011-02-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2014-02-19 | 2014-08-21 | 2015-02-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2018-02-19 | 2018-08-21 | 2019-02-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |