US7708926B2
Active / In Force
US
⏱️ 1.3 years remaining
Capillary imprinting technique
Assignee: Canon Nanotechnologies Inc
•
Filing: 2008-02-05
•
Granted: 2010-05-04
•
Expires: 2028-02-05
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides a method for patterning a substrate with a template having a mold that features positioning conformable material between the substrate and the mold and filling a volume defined between the mold and the substrate with the conformable material through capillary action between the conformable material and one of the mold and the substrate. Thereafter, the conformable material is solidified. Specifically, the distance between the mold and the substrate is controlled to a sufficient degree to attenuate, if not avoid, compressive forces between the mold and the substrate. As a result, upon initial contact of the mold with the conformable material, spontaneous capillary filling of the volume between the mold and the substrate occurs.
Inventors
- 👤 Byung-Jin Choi
- 👤 Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 01:16
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/0002; B; B29; B29C; B29C59/00; B29C59/02; B29C35/00; B29C35/02; B29C35/08; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; B82Y40/00; C; C23; C23F; C23F1/00; C23F1/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template having a mold, said method comprising: positioning conformable material between said substrate and said mold; filling a volume defined between said mold and said substrate with said conformable material through capillary action between said conformable material and one of said mold and said substrate; and applying a pulling force on at least one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template having a mold, said method comprising: positioning conformable material between said substrate and said mold; filling a volume defined between said mold and said substrate with said conformable material through capillary action between said conformable material and one of said mold and said substrate; and applying a pulling force on at least one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein applying said pulling force further includes said substrate chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof, and said template chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes disposing said conformable material on said mold and placing said mold in superimposition with said substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes disposing said conformable material on said substrate and placing said mold in superimposition with said substrate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein filling said volume further includes filling said volume by capillary action of said conformable material with both said mold and said substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein filling said volume further includes establishing a distance between said template and said conformable material to allow a sub-section of said template to contact said conformable material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein filling said volume further includes establishing a distance between said template and said conformable material to allow a sub-section of said template to contact said conformable material while minimizing variances in said distance to attenuate creation of compressive forces between said mold and said conformable material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes depositing said conformable material on a sub-portion of a region with filling said volume further including wetting both said mold and areas of said region outside of said sub-portion with said conformable material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes depositing said conformable material on a sub-portion of a region with filling said volume further including wetting both said mold and areas of said region outside of said sub-portion with said conformable material while restricting movement of said conformable material outside of said region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
108 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said template further includes first and second molds, with said first mold being disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, and said second mold being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material disposed in a sub-area of said first region and a sub-part of said second region, with filling said volume further including restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-area outside of said first region and restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-part outside of said second region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method as recited in claim 1 further including solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said template further includes a plurality of spaced-apart molds, a first subset of which is disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, with remaining molds of said plurality of spaced-apart molds being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material being disposed in said first region and absent from said second region.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said first subset consists of one mold.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein applying said force further includes maximizing a thickness uniformity of said conformable material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as recited in claim 14 further including applying said pulling force prior to solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein positioning further includes positioning a plurality of droplets of said conformable material on said substrate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 16 further including contacting said plurality of droplets of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
157 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template having a mold, said method comprising: positioning conformable material between said substrate and said mold; establishing a distance between said mold and said substrate to facilitate filling a volume, defined between said mold and said substrate, with said conformable material through capillary action between said conformable material and said mold and said substrate to form a contiguous layer of said conformable material having first and second sub-portions, said first sub-portions having a first thickness and said second sub-portions having a second thickness differing from said first thickness, with said first and second thicknesses being greater than zero; and applying a pulling force on one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
157 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template having a mold, said method comprising: positioning conformable material between said substrate and said mold; establishing a distance between said mold and said substrate to facilitate filling a volume, defined between said mold and said substrate, with said conformable material through capillary action between said conformable material and said mold and said substrate to form a contiguous layer of said conformable material having first and second sub-portions, said first sub-portions having a first thickness and said second sub-portions having a second thickness differing from said first thickness, with said first and second thicknesses being greater than zero; and applying a pulling force on one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein applying said pulling force further includes said substrate chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof, and said template chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein establishing said distance further includes minimizing variations in said distance to be within a predetermined range of variations.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein establishing said distance further includes maintaining said distance to be within a predetermined range to attenuate creation of compressive forces between said mold and said conformable material.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes depositing said conformable material on a sub-portion of a region with filling said volume further including wetting both said mold and areas of said region outside of said sub-portion with said conformable material.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein positioning said conformable material further includes depositing said conformable material on a sub-portion of a region with filling said volume further including wetting both said mold and areas of said region outside of said sub-portion with said conformable material while restricting movement of said conformable material outside of said region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
108 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said template further includes first and second molds, with said first mold being disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, and said second mold being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material disposed in a sub-area of said first region and a sub-part of said second region, with filling said volume further including restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-area outside of said first region and restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-part outside of said second region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said template further includes a plurality of spaced-apart molds, a first subset of which is disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, with remaining molds of said plurality of spaced-apart molds being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material being disposed in said first region and absent from said second region.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method as recited in claim 18 further including solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 26 wherein applying said force further includes maximizing a thickness uniformity of said conformable material.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as recited in claim 27 further including applying said pulling force prior to solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as recited in claim 18 wherein positioning further includes positioning a plurality of droplets of said conformable material on said substrate.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 29 further including contacting said plurality of droplets of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template, said method comprising: forming conformable material on said substrate; placing said template in superimposition with said conformable material, with said template including a mold facing said conformable material; moving a sub-portion of said conformable material, through capillary action between said conformable material and said mold and said substrate, in a direction away from said substrate to wet a region of said mold and conform to a shape thereof forming a contiguous layer of said conformable material having first and second sub-portions, said first sub-portions having a first thickness and said second sub-portions having a second thickness differing from said first thickness, with said first and second thicknesses being greater than zero; applying a pulling force on one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of patterning a substrate with a template, said method comprising: forming conformable material on said substrate; placing said template in superimposition with said conformable material, with said template including a mold facing said conformable material; moving a sub-portion of said conformable material, through capillary action between said conformable material and said mold and said substrate, in a direction away from said substrate to wet a region of said mold and conform to a shape thereof forming a contiguous layer of said conformable material having first and second sub-portions, said first sub-portions having a first thickness and said second sub-portions having a second thickness differing from said first thickness, with said first and second thicknesses being greater than zero; applying a pulling force on one of said substrate and said mold to compensate for tensile forces, associated with said capillary action, upon said mold, with said pulling force being applied by at least one of a substrate chuck coupled to substrate and a template chuck coupled to said template.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method as recited in claim 31 wherein applying said pulling force further includes said substrate chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof, and said template chuck being selected from a group of chucks including a pin-type chuck, an air cavity chuck, or a combination of thereof.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as recited in claim 32 wherein moving said sub-portion further includes filling a volume defined between said mold and said substrate by capillary action of said conformable material with both said mold and said substrate.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as recited in claim 33 wherein filling said volume further includes establishing a distance between said template and said conformable material to allow a sub-section of said template to contact said conformable material.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method as recited in claim 34 wherein filling said volume further includes establishing a distance between said template and said conformable material to allow a sub-section of said template to contact said conformable material while minimizing variances in said distance to attenuate creation of compressive forces between said mold and said conformable material.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method as recited in claim 35 wherein forming said conformable material further includes depositing said conformable material on a sub-portion of said region with filling said volume further including wetting both said mold and areas of said region outside of said sub-portion with said conformable material while restricting movement of said conformable material outside of said region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
107 words
The method as recited in claim 36 wherein said template further includes first and second molds, with said first mold being disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, and said second mold being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material disposed in a sub-area of said first region and a sub-part of said second region, with filling said volume further including restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-area outside of first region and restricting movement of said conformable material in said sub-part outside of said second region by capillary action of said conformable material with said mold.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method as recited in claim 36 wherein said template further includes a plurality of spaced-apart molds, a first subset of which is disposed opposite to a first region of said substrate, with remaining molds of said plurality of spaced-part molds being disposed opposite to a second region of said substrate, with said conformable material being disposed in said first region and absent from said second region.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method as recited in claim 38 wherein said first subset consists of one mold.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method as recited in claim 31 further including solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as recited in claim 40 further including applying said pulling force prior to solidifying said conformable material.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as recited in claim 31 wherein positioning further includes positioning a plurality of droplets of said conformable material on said substrate.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 42 further including contacting said plurality of droplets of said conformable material with said mold.
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| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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