A versatile pattern inversion process based on thermal and soft UV nanoimprint lithography techniques

Si master molds are generally patterned by electron-beam lithography (EBL) that is known to be a time-consuming nanopatterning technique. Thus, developing mold duplication process based on high throughput technique such as nanoimprint lithography can be helpful in reducing its fabrication time and cost. Moreover, it could be of interest to get inverted patterns (holes instead of pillars) without changing the master EBL process. In this paper, we propose a two step process based on thermal nanoimprint lithography (T-NIL) (step 1) and soft UV assisted nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) (step 2) to invert a master EBL mold. After the two inversion steps, the grand-daughter Si mold exhibits the same pattern polarity as the EBL mold. For step 1, pattern transfer using ion beam etching (IBE) of a thin metallic underlayer is the critical step for dimension control due to the low NXR1020 resistance. For step 2, the optimized reactive ion etching (RIE) step allows transfer with good anisotropy even for nanostructures at the 50 nm-scale. For structures larger than 100 nm, this inversion process has been successfully applied to large field replication (up to 1.5 cm²) on whole wafer.     

Low cost, rapid fabrication of durable molds of grating arrays for nanoimprint lithography

This study proposes a new fabrication method for the mold of a sub-micron grating array used in the nanoimprint lithography process. In general, the mold of a sub-micron grating array is fabricated by electron beam lithography (EBL) and reactive ion etching (RIE), and then, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is used to achieve the required amount of replication. Such a method is expensive and has a low throughput, and the pattern is limited by the original mold. In this paper, we constructed a durable mold of a sub-micron grating array with good adaptability, using a commercial epoxy grating (EG) and a hybrid inorganic/organic sol-gel material combined with nanoimprint lithography and photolithography. Due to its low cost and ease of use, this method is suitable for both laboratory research and mass production without the need for expensive equipment like EBL or RIE.     

Electron beam nanolithography in AZnLOF 2020

We present a lithography process using electron beam lithography with an optical resist AZnLOF 2020 for pattern transfer. High-resolution 100 keV electron beam lithography in 400 nm layers of negative resist AZnLOF 2020 diluted 10:4 with PMGEA is realized. After the electron beam lithography process, the resist is used as a mask for reactive ion etching. We performed the transfer of patterns by RIE etching of the substrate allowing a final resolution of 100 nm. We demonstrate the patterning in an insulating layer, thus simplifying the fabrication process of various multilayer devices; proximity correction has been applied to improve pattern quality and also to obtain lines width according to their spacing. This negative resist is removed by wet etching or dry etching, could allow combining pattern for smallest size down to 100 nm by EBL techniques and for larger sizes by traditional lithography using photomask.     

Filling behavior of UV nanoimprint resin observed by using a midair structure mold

The filling behavior of resin during UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) was observed by using a “midair structure mold” and by changing the imprint pressure. The midair structure molds were fabricated by electron beam lithography (EBL) using hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) as a negative tone resist. After the fabrication of midair structure mold, two types of surface treatment molds, which were with or without release coating, were prepared. Using these molds, the filling behavior of a UV curable resin was investigated at various pressures. The results indicate that a pressure of approximately 1.2 MPa is necessary for complete filling in the case of molds treated with a release agent. This method demonstrates effect of a release coating for UV-NIL.     

Direct stamp fabrication for NIL and hot embossing using HSQ

Commonly stamps or masters for nanoimprinting are made by electron beam lithography (EBL) and subsequent reactive ion etching into silicon. Here we present a single step procedure to prepare stamps suitable for nanoimprinting and hot embossing. The stamps are directly fabricated in HSQ (hydrogen silsequioxane), a negative EBL resist, which has a high lateral resolution and good mechanical properties. We demonstrate successful pattern transfer in both bulk PMMA and PCL by hot embossing with features down to 20 nm. Such pattern transfer is useful for biological applications. Also, we demonstrate that this approach can make stamps suitable for nanoimprint lithography and have achieved features as small as 35 nm. It was found that the stability and strength of the HSQ could be improved by annealing and that the application of a non-stick coating was not necessarily required although it aided the demoulding.     

Gold nanoparticles by soft UV nanoimprint lithography coupled to a lift-off process for plasmonic sensing of antibodies

In this paper, we present the results of gold nanoparticles fabrication on large area by soft UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) and lift-off process for antibodies sensing. For this fabrication, the hard polydimethylsiloxane (H-PDMS) is used as flexible mold material. A simple AMONIL/PMMA bilayer is used to transfer patterns by etching the substrate with a suitable RIE process. The UV-NIL process has enabled to obtain gold nanoparticles with a diameter about 160 nm on a zone of 1 mm². For bioplasmonic applications, the sensing of Anti-Biotin was studied.     

Nanoholes by soft UV nanoimprint lithography applied to study of membrane proteins

In this paper, we present an alternative technique to the well-known electron beam lithography in order to realize nanoholes in the silicon substrates for biological applications. The used technique is soft UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL). We optimized the fabrication of silicon based supports obtained by soft UV-NIL and reactive ion etching to carry out very large arrays of nanoholes. The resolution limits are investigated when using poly(dimethylsiloxane) as flexible mold material. RIE conditions are initiated to limit the lateral mask resist etch.     

Development of a novel,low-viscosity UV-curable polymer system for UV-nanoimprint lithography

There are two basic types of nanoimprint lithography: hot embossing using thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers and UV-based nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) using UV-curable polymer systems. Since the interest in UV-NIL has been constantly increasing within the last years, the need of suitable low-viscosity resists has increased, too. The availability of such materials is one key element of the UV-NIL technology. In this contribution a novel, spin-coatable polymer system for UV-NIL is presented. Suitable polymer components were evaluated using photoDSC analysis. Their ratio was adjusted in such a way that the overall dynamic viscosity of the mixture remained low which was beneficial for the flow behaviour. Film thicknesses in the range of 150–500 nm could be obtained by spin-coating. The new polymer system was characterised in UV-NIL processes and in plasma etching investigations. Imprinted micrometer as well as nanometer scale patterns with feature sizes in the range of 30 nm to several microns are shown.     

高分辨率SiNx纳米压印模板的快速制备工艺

纳米压印技术是近年来国际新兴的纳米光刻技术,具有高分辨率、高效率和低成本等优点。本文结合电子束光刻技术和干法刻蚀技术开发了简洁的纳米压印SiNx光栅模板制造工艺。为提高工艺效率,引进高灵敏度的化学放大胶NEB-22胶（负性胶）作为电子光刻胶,用电子束光刻技术在NEB-22上刻出光栅图形,再利用其作为掩膜,经反应离子刻蚀后,将光栅图形转移到氮化硅上,得到所需模板。文中详细研究了NEB-22胶的电子束光刻特性及其干法刻蚀特性,指出了它作为电子束光刻胶的优点及它相对于铬掩膜而言作为干法刻蚀掩膜的不足。     

Fast patterning and dry-etch of SiNχ for high resolution nanoimprint templates

We developed a simplified nanofabrication process for imprint templates by fast speed electron beam lithography (EBL) and a dry etch technique on a SiNx substrate, intended for large area manufacturing. To this end,the highly sensitive chemically amplified resist (CAR), NEB-22, with negative tone was used. The EBL process first defines the template pattern in NEB-22, which is then directly used as an etching mask in the subsequent reactive ion etching (RIE) on the SiNx to form the desired templates. The properties of both e-beam lithography and dry etch of NEB-22 were carefully studied, indicating significant advantages of this process with some drawbacks compared to when Cr was used as an etching mask. Nevertheless, our results open up a good opportunity to fabricate high resolution imprint templates with the prospect of wafer scale manufacturing.     

A step-and-repeat UV-nanoimprint lithography process using an elementwise patterned stamp

Ultraviolet-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) is a promising cost-effective method for defining nanoscale structures at room temperature and low pressure. To apply a large-area stamp to a high throughput step-and-repeat process at atmospheric conditions, we proposed a new UV-NIL process that uses an elementwise patterned stamp (EPS), which consists of elements separated by channels, and additive gas pressurization. The proposed UV-NIL process required just four imprints to press an 8-in. wafer. EPS features measuring 50-80 nm were successfully transferred onto the wafers. The experiments demonstrated that a 5 × 5-in.² EPS could be used with a step-and-repeat UV-NIL process to imprint 8-in. wafers under atmospheric conditions.     

UV nanoimprint lithography with rigid polymer molds

Transparent polymers are considered as alternative low-cost mold materials in UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL). Here, we demonstrate a nanoimprint process with molds made of rigid polymers novel for this application. These polymer molds are found to show high performance in the patterning with UV-NIL. Sub-50 nm structures were fabricated with this process.     

A 4-in.-based single-step UV-NIL tool using a low vacuum environment and additive air pressure

Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) is a promising technology for the fabrication of sub-10-nm features. Research has focused on employing a large-area stamp to improve UV-NIL throughput, but a large-area stamp makes it difficult to obtain an acceptable uniform residual layer thickness and/or avoid defects such as air entrapment. This paper presents the development of a single-step UV-NIL tool in which a 4-in. Pyrex stamp is first used to imprint coated resin against a 4-in. Si wafer in a low vacuum environment. Pressurized N₂ is subsequently applied to the wafer bottom to improve the quality of imprint results. This UV-NIL tool was used to successfully imprint a 4-in. stamp with recessed patterns engraved over the entire stamp areas onto a 4-in. Si wafer.     

UV-NIL with working stamps made from Ormostamp

The use of working stamps for nanoimprint lithography is highly interesting for a number of reasons like an increased lifetime and often a better manufacturability of the master stamp. We present results on the use of Ormostamp as a material for working stamps in UV-NIL. Imprinting properties and anti-sticking treatments have been investigated. So far a minimum feature size of 50 nm can be achieved.     

Nanoprint lithography of gold nanopatterns on polyethylene terephthalate

Nano-order metal pattern printing on plastic substrates was established by using hard stamp nanoprint lithography (NPL). A spin-on-glass (SOG) material, which is almost the same as quartz in composition, was used as the material for the hard stamp. The SOG acted as a positive-tone electron beam (EB) resist. Nanopatterns were fabricated by using electron beam lithography (EBL), and a developed pattern of SOG was used as the hard stamp. Further, two types of release coating methods were utilized. One method used a conventional silan coupling agent and the other, a chromium layer. After comparing the results of the methods, we found that the chromium layer formed a smooth surface and therefore used this layer as the release layer. In addition, chromium was changed to Cr₂O₃ because of the exposure to atmospheric air. Gold was used as the transfer metal and was deposited on the hard stamp covered with the chromium release layer. This stamp was then placed in contact with a PET substrate at 80 °C for 30 min. A gap width of less than 30 nm of gold was transferred onto the PET substrate. This process is very simple, and yet, it makes it possible to obtain a very high resolution metal pattern transfer by using hard stamp NPL.     

XPS study of the degradation mechanism of fluorinated anti-sticking treatments used in UV nanoimprint lithography

Thanks to their low surface energy, fluorinated anti-sticking layers are widely used in UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) to treat the mold and facilitate its separation from the imprinted resist. However, it has been reported that release properties of the stamp deteriorate with repeated imprint operations. In this paper, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to study the mechanism of the fluorinated treatment degradation. A specific experimental protocol is used in order to avoid further degradation under X-ray exposure. It has been observed that a large amount of fluorinated molecules are removed in the first imprint steps and deposited on the surface of the imprinted resist. After this first stage, we observed that fluorinated molecules are progressively degraded along their chain during the NIL process.     

Combined electron beam and UV lithography in SU-8

We present combined electron beam and UV lithography (CEUL) in SU-8 as a fast and flexible lithographic technique for prototyping of functional polymer devices and pattern transfer applications. CEUL is a lithographic technique suitable for defining both micrometer and nanometer scale features in a single polymer film on the wafer scale. The height of the micrometer and nanometer scale features is matched within 30 nm. As a pattern transfer application, we demonstrate stamp fabrication and thermal nanoimprint of a 2-dimensional array of 100 nm wide lines with a pitch of 380 nm in connection with micrometer scale features.     

Gold nanohole arrays for biochemical sensing fabricated by soft UV nanoimprint lithography

We report on results of fabrication and optical characterisation of sub-250 nm periodic gold nanohole arrays on glass by using UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) combined with both reactive ion etching (RIE) and Cr/Au lift-off processes. The transmission spectra of the fabricated nanohole gratings were measured for different hole diameters and periods. We also show preliminary results of chemical sensing after surface modification of the gold hole arrays. In agreement with the theoretical prediction, we found that any change in the dielectric index of the surrounding environment of the metallic array produces a transmission peak red shift.     

Zinc-Imidazolate Films as an All-Dry Resist Technology

Motivated by the drawbacks of solution phase processing, an all-dry resist formation process is presented that utilizes amorphous zinc-imidazolate (aZnMIm) films deposited by atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD), patterned with electron beam lithography (EBL), and developed by novel low temperature (120 °C) gas phase etching using 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetone (hfacH) to achieve well-resolved 22 nm lines with a pitch of 30 nm. The effects of electron beam irradiation on the chemical structure and hfacH etch resistance of aZnMIm films are investigated, and it is found that electron irradiation degrades the 2-methylimidazolate ligands and transforms aZnMIm into a more dense material that is resistant to etching by hfacH and has a C:N:Zn ratio effectively identical to that of unmodified aZnMIm. These findings showcase the potential for aZnMIm films to function in a dry resist technology. Sensitivity, contrast, and critical dimensions of the patterns are determined to be 37 mC cm⁻², 0.87, and 29 nm, respectively, for aZnMIm deposited on silicon substrates and patterned at 30 keV. This work introduces a new direction for solvent-free resist processing, offering the prospect of scalable, high-resolution patterning techniques for advanced semiconductor fabrication processes.     

纳米压印制作半导体激光器的分布反馈光栅

分布反馈(DFB)光栅的制作是半导体激光器芯片的关键工艺,通过纳米压印技术在InP基片表面涂覆的光刻胶上压印出DFB光栅图形,并分别通过湿法腐蚀和干法刻蚀技术将光栅图形转移到InP基片上。所制作的DFB光栅周期为240nm(对应于1 550nm波长的DFB激光器),光栅中间具有λ/4相移结构。采用纳米压印技术制作的DFB光栅相对于通常双光束干涉法制作的光栅具有更好的均匀性以及更低的线条粗糙度,而且解决了双光束干涉法无法制作非均匀光栅的技术难题。相对于电子束直写光刻法,采用纳米压印技术制作DFB光栅具有快速与低成本的优势。采用纳米压印技术在InP基片上成功制作具有相移结构的DFB光栅,为进一步进行低成本高性能的半导体激光器芯片的制作奠定了良好基础。