US20050106321A1 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Dispense geometery to achieve high-speed filling and throughput

Assignee: Canon Nanotechnologies Inc

•

Filing: 2003-11-14

•

Granted: —

•

Expires: 2023-11-14

📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract The present invention is directed to a method for dispensing a plurality of spaced-apart droplets of liquid a substrate that features minimizing the distance liquid in the droplets must travel to reach an adjacent droplet to form a contiguous lay of the liquid on the substrate. As a result, when patterning the droplets with a patterned template, the time required to fill the features of the pattern and to cover the substrate is minimized. This increases the throughput of the imprinting process. To that end, the method includes disposing a plurality of spaced-apart droplets on the substrate, each of which has a unit volume associated therewith. A spacing between adjacent droplets of a subset of the plurality of droplets is selected to be a function of a smallest unit volume associated with the subset.

Inventors

👤 Ian McMackin
👤 Byung-Jin Choi
👤 Sidlgata Sreenivasan
👤 Ronald Voisin

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —

Jurisdiction US

Data Source google_patents

Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 23:01

CPC Classifications

G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/0002; B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; B82Y40/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 31

Claim 1

Independent Claim 61 words

1 . A method for dispensing a total volume of liquid on a substrate, said method comprising: disposing a plurality of spaced-apart droplets on said substrate, each of which has a unit volume associated therewith, with a spacing between adjacent droplets of a subset of said plurality of droplets being a function of a smallest unit volume associated with said subset.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 61 words

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 55 words

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein disposing further includes dispensing said plurality of spaced-apart droplets so that each of said plurality of droplets has a quantity of liquid associated therewith that is substantially identical to the quantity of liquid associated with each of the remaining droplets of said plurality of droplets.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 71 words

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein disposing further includes dispensing said plurality of droplets in first and second sets, with each of the droplets associated with said first subset having a first quantity of liquid associated therewith and each of the droplets associated with said second subset having a second quantity of liquid associated therewith, with said first quantity of liquid being greater than said second quantity.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 47 words

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein gas is present proximate to said plurality of droplets and further including spreading said droplets to create a flow of said liquid in said plurality of droplets to prevent said gas from becoming trapped within said liquid.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 43 words

5 . The method as recited in claim 1 concurrently compressing a subset of said plurality of droplets along a first direction and subsequently compressing the remaining droplets of said plurality of droplets along a second direction, extending transversely to said first direction.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 19 words

6 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said droplets are arranged as a periodic two-dimensional array.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 35 words

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said substrate is selected from a set of substrates including a wafer, a template having a patterned surface and a template having a smooth surface.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 57 words

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 further including compressing said droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body, wherein for a fixed volume of said liquid said distance between adjacent droplets in a first direction being defined as a function of a length of said patterned region along said first dimension.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 65 words

9 . The method as recited in claim 1 wherein gas is present proximate to said plurality of droplets and further including compressing said droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body to create a flow of said liquid in said plurality of droplets to move said toward a perimeter of a area of said substrate in superimposition with said predetermined region.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 66 words

10 . The method as recited in claim 1 further including compressing said plurality of droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body to form a contiguous layer of said liquid upon an area of said substrate in superimposition with said patterned region and solidifying the liquid in said contiguous layer to form a pattern therein that is complementary to said patterned region.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 74 words

11 . A method for dispensing a total volume of liquid on a substrate, said method comprising: disposing a plurality of spaced-apart droplets on said substrate, each of which has a unit volume associated therewith; spreading the liquid in said plurality of droplets over an area of said substrate; and minimizing a distance traveled by the liquid associated with each of said plurality of droplets before contacting the liquid associated with an adjacent droplet.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 74 words

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 48 words

12 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein minimizing further includes arranging said plurality of droplets in a pattern so that a spacing between adjacent droplets of a subset of said plurality of droplets is a function of a smallest unit volume associated with said subset.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 55 words

13 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein disposing further includes dispensing said plurality of spaced-apart droplets so that each of said plurality of droplets has a quantity of liquid associated therewith that is substantially identical to the quantity of liquid associated with each of the remaining droplets of said plurality of droplets.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 71 words

14 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein disposing further includes dispensing said plurality of droplets in first and second sets, with each of the droplets associated with said first subset having a first quantity of liquid associated therewith and each of the droplets associated with said second subset having a second quantity of liquid associated therewith, with said first quantity of liquid being greater than said second quantity.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 65 words

15 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein gas is present proximate to said plurality of droplets and further including compressing said droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body to create a flow of said liquid in said plurality of droplets to move said toward a perimeter of a area of said substrate in superimposition with said predetermined region.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 60 words

16 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein disposing further includes disposing said plurality of droplets as a two-dimensional array and spreading further includes concurrently compressing a subset of said plurality of droplets along a first direction and subsequently compressing the remaining droplets of said plurality of droplets along a second direction, extending transversely to said first direction.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 61 words

17 . The method as recited in claim 11 further including wherein spreading further includes compressing said droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body, wherein for a fixed volume of said liquid said distance between adjacent droplets in a first direction being defined as a function of a length of said patterned region along said first dimension.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 68 words

18 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein spreading further includes compressing said plurality of droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body to form a contiguous layer of said liquid upon a region of said substrate in superimposition with said patterned region and solidifying the liquid in said contiguous layer to for said pattern therein that is complementary to said patterned region.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 22 words

19 . The method as recited in claim 11 wherein spreading further includes applying an electromagnetic field to said plurality of droplets.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 48 words

20 . The method as recited in claim 11 further including placing a body having a patterned region thereon proximate to said plurality of droplets, with spreading further including applying an electromagnetic field to said plurality of droplets to cause said droplets to conform to said patterned region.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 103 words

21 . A method for dispensing a total volume of liquid on a substrate, said method comprising: placing a template, having a patterned region, proximate to said substrate; disposing a plurality of spaced-apart droplets between said substrate and said template, with each of said plurality of spaced-apart droplets having a unit volume associated therewith; spreading the liquid in said plurality of droplets over an area of said substrate, with said plurality of droplets being disposed on said substrate to minimize a distance traveled by the liquid associated with each of said plurality of droplets before contacting the liquid associated with an adjacent droplet.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 103 words

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 48 words

22 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein minimizing further includes arranging said plurality of droplets in a pattern so that a spacing between adjacent droplets of a subset of said plurality of droplets is a function of a smallest unit volume associated with said subset.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 65 words

23 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein gas is present proximate to said plurality of droplets and further including compressing said droplets between said substrate and a patterned region of a body to create a flow of said liquid in said plurality of droplets to move said toward a perimeter of a area of said substrate in superimposition with said predetermined region.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 63 words

24 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein disposing further includes disposing said plurality of droplets as a two-dimensional array and spreading further includes concurrently compressing, with said template, a subset of said plurality of droplets along a first direction and subsequently compressing the remaining droplets of said plurality of droplets along a second direction, extending transversely to said first direction.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 54 words

25 . The method as recited in claim 21 spreading further includes compressing said droplets between said substrate and said template, wherein for a fixed volume of said liquid said distance between adjacent droplets in a first direction being defined as a function of a length of said patterned region along said first dimension.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 64 words

26 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein spreading further includes compressing said plurality of droplets between said substrate and said template to form a contiguous layer of said liquid upon a region of said substrate in superimposition with said patterned region and solidifying the liquid in said contiguous layer to for said pattern therein that is complementary to said patterned region.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 22 words

27 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein spreading further includes applying an electromagnetic field to said plurality of droplets.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 32 words

28 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein spreading further includes applying an electromagnetic field to said plurality of droplets to cause said droplets to conform to said patterned region.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3827027A Cited

US3807029A Cited

US3811665A Cited

US4098001A Cited

US4155169A Cited

US4267212A Cited

US4202107A Cited

US4337579A Cited

US4355469A Cited

US4440804A Cited

US4544572B1 Cited

US4544572A Cited

US4610442A Cited

US4451507A Cited

US4512848A Cited

US4694703A Cited

US5554367A Cited

US4929083A Cited

US4763886A Cited

US4731155A Cited

US5028366A Cited

US5110514A Cited

US4959522A Cited

US5240550A Cited

US5126006A Cited

US5952127A Cited

US5392123A Cited

US5204739A Cited

US5452090A Cited

US5601641A Cited

US5425848A Cited

US5348616A Cited

US5480047A Cited

US5512131A Cited

US6776094B1 Cited

US5776748A Cited

US6180239B1 Cited

US5900160A Cited

US5753014A Cited

US5723176A Cited

US5942871A Cited

US5515167A Cited

US6518168B1 Cited

US5566584A Cited

US5633505A Cited

US6125183A Cited

US20040137734A1 Cited

US6518189B1 Cited

US5772905A Cited

US5747102A Cited

US5877036A Cited

US5725788A Cited

US5669303A Cited

US6355198B1 Cited

US5760500A Cited

US5802914A Cited

US5888650A Cited

US6046056A Cited

US6074827A Cited

US6039897A Cited

US6245213B1 Cited

US6038280A Cited

US5948470A Cited

US5912049A Cited

US5877861A Cited

US6051345A Cited

US20030034329A1 Cited

US6713238B1 Cited

US20020042027A1 Cited

US20040118809A1 Cited

US6204922B1 Cited

US6168845B1 Cited

US6334960B1 Cited

US6361831B1 Cited

US6517995B1 Cited

US6091485A Cited

US6234379B1 Cited

US20040036201A1 Cited

US20050037143A1 Cited

US20020132482A1 Cited

US20040131718A1 Cited

US20040046288A1 Cited

US6696220B2 Cited

US6580172B2 Cited

US20030062334A1 Cited

US20040156108A1 Cited

US20030080471A1 Cited

US20030080472A1 Cited

US6900881B2 Cited

US20040007799A1 Cited

US20040124566A1 Cited

US6908861B2 Cited

US20040022888A1 Cited

US20040021866A1 Cited

US6916584B2 Cited

US20040065976A1 Cited

US6929762B2 Cited

US20040110856A1 Cited

US20040192041A1 Cited

US20050160011A1 Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag

Select Category

Notes (Optional)