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US 11,307,493 B2Granted
Microlithographic fabrication of structures
AssigneeMolecular Imprints, Inc.
InventorsVikramjit Singh, Kang Luo, Michael Nevin Miller, Shuqiang Yang, Frank Y. Xu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Micro- and nano-patterns in imprint layers formed on a substrate and lithographic methods for forming such layers. The layers include a plurality of structures, and a residual layer having a residual layer thickness (RLT) that extends from the surface of the substrate to a base of the structures, where the RLT varies across the surface of the substrate according to a predefined pattern.
Claims16
A method of fabricating a variable depth pattern, the method comprising:
- dispensing, on a surface of a substrate, an imprint fluid according to a predetermined pattern;
- contacting the imprint fluid with a surface of an imprint lithography template such that the imprint fluid fills features in the surface of the imprint lithography template;
- and
- solidifying the imprint fluid into a patterned layer, thereby forming, in the patterned layer:
- structures that correspond to the features of the imprint lithography template, and
- a residual layer having a residual layer thickness (RLT) that extends from the surface of the substrate to a base of one of the structures, wherein a first RLT of a first portion of the patterned layer is different from a second RLT of a second portion of the patterned layer, wherein an RLT in a region between the first portion and the second portion varies gradually from the first RLT to the second RLT;
- and
- etching the patterned layer and the substrate, wherein a depth of features etched into the substrate varies according to variation in the RLT, wherein the imprint lithography template is a master template and, after etching, the substrate is a sub-master lithography template.
5 more elements
A method of patterning an imprint fluid, the method comprising:
- dispensing, on a surface of a substrate, the imprint fluid, a volume of which varies across the surface of the substrate according to a predetermined pattern;
- contacting the imprint fluid with a surface of an imprint lithography template such that the imprint fluid fills features in the surface of the imprint lithography template, thereby forming, in the imprint fluid, structures and a residual layer having a residual layer thickness (RLT) that extends from the surface of the substrate to a base of one of the structures, wherein the RLT varies across the surface of the substrate according to the volume per unit area of the imprint fluid, wherein a first RLT of a first portion of the patterned layer is different from a second RLT of a second portion of the patterned layer, wherein an RLT in a region between the first portion and the second portion varies gradually from the first RLT to the second RLT;
- solidifying the imprint fluid into a patterned layer;
- and
- etching the patterned layer and the substrate, wherein a depth of features etched into the substrate varies according to variation in the RLT, wherein the imprint lithography template is a master template and, after etching, the substrate is a sub-master lithography template.
2 more elements
An optical device comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a polymer imprint resist on a surface of the substrate, the polymer imprint resist comprising:
- a plurality of structures forming a diffraction pattern;
- and
- a residual layer having a residual layer thickness (RLT) that extends from the surface of the substrate to a base of one of the plurality of structures, wherein the RLT varies across the surface of the substrate according to a predefined pattern, wherein a depth of each structure of the plurality of structures varies according to
- variation in the RLT, wherein variations in the RLT correspond to a diffraction efficiency mapping of a different diffraction grating having a uniform RLT.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.