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US7244386B2 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of compensating for a volumetric shrinkage of a material disposed upon a substrate to form a substantially planar structure therefrom

Assignee: Canon Nanotechnologies Inc
•
Filing: 2004-09-27
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Granted: 2007-07-17
•
Expires: 2024-09-27
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Abstract

Abstract The present invention provides a method of planarizing a substrate with a template spaced-apart from the substrate having a liquid disposed therebetween, the method including: contacting the liquid with the template forming a first shape therein; and impinging radiation upon the liquid causing a reduction in volume of the liquid, with the first shape compensating for the reduction in volume such that upon impinging the actinic radiation upon the liquid, the liquid forms a contoured layer having a substantially planar shape.

Inventors

  • 👤 Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan
  • 👤 Frank Y. Xu

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-27 23:11
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C43/00; B29C43/003; H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/68; H10P14/683; G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/0002; H10P95/00; H10P95/06; B29C43/02; B29C43/021; B29C2043/023; B29C2043/025

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim 102 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having a liquid disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said liquid with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said liquid, with said first shape being substantially non-planar; and impinging actinic radiation upon said liquid causing a reduction in volume of said liquid, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon impinging said actinic radiation upon said liquid, said liquid forms a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 102 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having a liquid disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said liquid with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said liquid, with said first shape being substantially non-planar; and impinging actinic radiation upon said liquid causing a reduction in volume of said liquid, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon impinging said actinic radiation upon said liquid, said liquid forms a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein contacting said liquid further includes contacting said liquid with a surface of said template, with said surface being substantially non-planar.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 35 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein impinging said radiation further includes causing said reduction in volume of said liquid by a shrinkage factor, with said shrinkage factor being a function of said liquid.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 76 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of protrusions having a height with a first thickness being defined between a first subset of said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said layer and a second thickness being defined between a second subset or said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said layer, with a difference between said first thickness and said second thickness being less than said height.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 47 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said sabstrate comprises a plurality of protrusions having a height and said surface of said layer comprises a pluarality of hills and valleys having a deviation from planarity associated therewith and wherein said deviation is less than said height.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 27 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein impinging radiation further includes selecting said radiation from a group consisting essentially of ultraviolet, infrared, visble, and combinations therof.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 139 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having an imprinting material disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said imprinting material with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said imprinting material, with said first shape being substantially non-planar, said imprinting material being in a first phase state; and producing a phase state change within said imprinting material such that said imprinting material is in a second phase state differing from said first phase state, with said phase state change causing a reduction in volume of said imprinting material, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon producing said phase stage change, said imprinting material forms a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 139 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having an imprinting material disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said imprinting material with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said imprinting material, with said first shape being substantially non-planar, said imprinting material being in a first phase state; and producing a phase state change within said imprinting material such that said imprinting material is in a second phase state differing from said first phase state, with said phase state change causing a reduction in volume of said imprinting material, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon producing said phase stage change, said imprinting material forms a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 38 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein producing said phase state change further includes impinging radiation upon said imprinting material, with said radiation being selected from a group consisting essentially of ultraviolet, infrared, visble, and combinations thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 41 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said imprinting material comprises an activating light curable liquid, with producing said phase change state further including impinging said activating light so as to cure from said activating light curable liquid, solidified material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 76 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of protrusions having a height with a first thickness being defined between a first subset of said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said layer and a second thickness being defined between a second subset of said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said layer, with a difference between said first thickness and said second thickness being less than said height.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 47 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of protrustons having a height and with said surface of said layer comprises a plurality of hills and valleys having deviation from planarity associated therewith and wherein said deviation is less than said height.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 30 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein contacting said imprinting material further includes contacting said imprinting material with a surface of said template, with said surfuce being substantial non-planar.
Claim 15
Independent Claim 113 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having a liquid disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said liquid with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said liquid, with said first shape being substantially non-planar; and impinging actinic radiation upon said liquid causing a reduction in volume of said liquid by a shrinkage factor, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon impinging said actinic radiation, said liquid forming a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface, with said shrinkage factor being a function of said liquid.
Claim 16
Independent Claim 113 words
A method of planarizing a substantially nonplanar substrate with a template spaced-apart from said substrate having a liquid disposed therebetween, said method comprising: contacting said liquid with said template forming a first shape in a first surface of said liquid, with said first shape being substantially non-planar; and impinging actinic radiation upon said liquid causing a reduction in volume of said liquid by a shrinkage factor, with said first shape compensating for said reduction in volume such that upon impinging said actinic radiation, said liquid forming a layer having a substantially planar surface, with said planar surface being derived from said first surface, with said shrinkage factor being a function of said liquid.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method as recited in claim 13 wherein contacting said liquid further includes contacting said liquid with a surface of said template, with said surface being substantially non-planar.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 77 words
The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of protrusions having a height with a first thickness being defined between a first subset of said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said contoured layer and a second thickness being defined between a second subset of said plurality of protrusions and said surface of said layer, with a difference between said first thickness and said second thickness being less than said height.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 46 words
The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of protrusions having height and said surface of said layer comprises a plurality of hills and valleys having a deviation from planarity associated therewith and wherein said deviation is less than said height.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 27 words
The method as recited in claim 16 wherein impinging radiation further includes selecting said radiation from a aroup consisting essentially of ultraviolet, infrared, visible, and combinations thereof.

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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) 2010-07-16 2011-01-15 2011-07-17 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2014-07-16 2015-01-15 2015-07-17 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2018-07-16 2019-01-15 2019-07-17 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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