Patterned stamp manufacturing method, paterned stamp and imprinting method

A method of manufacturing an imprint stamp having a contoured surface carrying a relief pattern, the method comprising:

• applying a layer of a pliable material precursor over a relief pattern master carrying an inverse relief pattern to form the relief pattern in said layer;
• curing the pliable material precursor to form a pliable stamp layer comprising the relief pattern;
• providing an intermediate stamp structure by adhering a porous pliable and/or compressible support layer to the pliable stamp layer;
• releasing the intermediate stamp structure from the relief pattern master;
• forcing the intermediate stamp structure onto a contoured surface of a substrate with the relief pattern facing the contoured surface;
• forming the imprint stamp by filling at least part of the pores of the porous pliable support layer with a filler material to reduce the pliability of the support layer;
• and
• removing the patterned stamp from the contoured surface of the substrate.

A method of imprinting, comprising:

• providing a pattern precursor layer over a contoured surface of a substrate;
• applying a printing stamp to the pattern precursor layer such that the contoured surface of the imprinting stamp at least partly matches the contoured surface of the surface and the pattern precursor layer becomes imprinted with the relief pattern, wherein the printing stamp includes a pliable stamp layer having a contoured surface carrying a relief pattern that is exposed for patterning of a contoured surface of a substrate, and a support layer adhered to the pliable stamp layer and comprising a plurality of pores filled with a filler material;
• solidifying the pattern precursor layer into a solidified pattern layer while the imprinting stamp is applied to the contoured surface of the substrate;
• removing the imprinting stamp from the solidified pattern layer.