Flexible nanoimprint mold, method for fabricating the same, and mold usage on planar and curved substrate
AssigneeNanjing University
InventorsYanfeng Chen, Haixiong Ge, Zhiwei Li, Changsheng Yuan, Minghui Lu
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Abstract
The present invention provides a flexible nanoimprint mold which can fabricate sub-15 nm ultra fine structures on either planar or curved substrates. The mold comprises a top ultra-thin rigid layer of imprint patterning features and a bottom thick flexible layer of polymer elastomer. The two distinct layers are preferably integrated via chemically bonding. The top layer of the mold enables a sub-15 nm resolution of pattern fabrication and the bottom layer affords a conformal contact to planar or curved surface of substrates. The methods for fabricating the same are disclosed.
Claims24
A method of fabricating a flexible imprint mold, comprising:
- (a) preparing a polymer elastic support, which has a thickness from 0.1 mm to 3 mm and a tensile modulus from 1 to 15 N/mm2;
- (b) forming a film of a silicon containing photo-curable material on a mold master;
- (c) placing the polymer elastic support onto the mold master;
- (d) using a UV radiation to cure the silicon containing photo-curable material in a nitrogen atmosphere to form a rigid patterning feature layer, which has a tensile modulus of more than 20 N/mm2 and a thickness from 30 nm to 500 nm;
- (e) removing the polymer elastic support and the rigid patterning feature layer from the mold master;
- and
- (f) oxidizing a near-surface region of the rigid patterning feature layer into silica.
A method of fabricating a flexible imprint mold, comprising:
- (a) preparing a polymer elastic support, which has a tensile modulus from 1 to 15 N/mm2;
- (b) forming a film of a silicon containing photo-curable material on a mold master;
- (c) placing the polymer elastic support onto the mold master;
- (d) using a UV radiation to cure the silicon containing photo-curable material in a nitrogen atmosphere to form a rigid patterning feature layer, which has a tensile modulus of more than 20 N/mm2 and an imprint resolution of less than 15 nanometers;
- (e) removing the polymer elastic support and the rigid patterning feature layer from the mold master;
- and
- (e) oxidizing a near-surface region of the rigid patterning feature layer into silica.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.