Patterning nanoline arrays with spatially varying pitch
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsShih-Yuan Wang, M. Islam
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Abstract
A nanoimprint mold is described, comprising a plurality of alternating layers of distinct materials differentially etched along an edge thereof, said layers having spatially varying thicknesses along said edge such that nanolines patterned with said nanoimprint mold have corresponding spatially varying pitches.
Claims42
A nanoimprint mold comprising a plurality of alternating layers of distinct materials differentially etched along an edge thereof, said layers having spatially varying thicknesses along said edge such that nanolines patterned with said nanoimprint mold have corresponding spatially varying pitches.
A method for fabricating a nanoimprint mold, comprising:
- forming a plurality of alternating layers of two different materials having different etch rates for at least one etchant;
- processing the plurality of alternating layers to expose a cross-sectional surface thereof;
- and
- applying said at least one etchant to said exposed cross-sectional surface to form an etched cross-sectional surface having an indentation pattern resulting from said different etch rates, the nanoimprint mold being derived from the etched cross-sectional surface;
- wherein said forming comprises spatially varying a thickness of at least one of said layers according to a selective area growth process, said cross-sectional surface intersecting said at least one layer along a direction of the spatial thickness variation.
A method of fabricating a mold, comprising:
- forming a plurality of alternating layers of two materials having different etch rates for at least one etchant, each layer having a spatially varying thickness;
- exposing an edge of said plurality of alternating layers along a direction of said spatially varying thickness;
- and
- etching the exposed edge with said at least one etchant.
An apparatus comprising an array of nanolines having a first pitch greater than about 30 nm at a first end gradually tapering to a second pitch less than about 20 nm at a second end, said array being fabricated using a nanoimprint mold comprising alternating layers of differentially etched materials.
An apparatus for fabricating a nanoimprint lithography mold, comprising:
- means for forming a plurality of alternating layers of two materials having different etch rates for at least one etchant, each layer having a spatially varying thickness;
- means for exposing an edge of said plurality of alternating layers along a direction of said spatially varying thickness;
- and
- means for etching the exposed edge with said at least one etchant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.