Replication of high ordered nano-sphere array by nanoimprint lithography

High ordered nano-sphere array patterns on Si substrate were fabricated using nanoimprint lithography. First, using hot embossing method, poly vinyl chloride (PVC) based polymer replica template was duplicated from original high ordered nano-sphere array patterns, which was fabricated by evaporation method. The monolayer transferring condition can be achieved by varying hot embossing pressure. Then, through UV nanoimprint lithography with the replicated polymer template, imprinted patterns, which has high ordered nano-sphere array patterns, was successfully fabricated on Si and flexible PET substrate.     

Fabrication of 70 nm narrow metal nanowire structure on flexible PET film by nanoimprint lithography

As a promising substrate for various kinds of devices, polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) film has many advantages in terms of transparency, flexibility, chemical stability, thermal resistance, mechanical strength and low fabrication cost. In order to build actual device structure on PET substrate, micro to nanometer scale patterns of functional material have to be formed. In this work, 70 nm sized resist patterns with near zero residual layer were made on PET film, using nanoimprint lithography process, based on ‘partial filling effect’. After brief oxygen plasma treatment and e-beam evaporation of functional materials such as Cr metal, resist patterns were lifted-off with acetone solution and 70 nm sized Cr nanowire structure was uniformly formed on flexible PET substrate.     

Fabrication of high density nano-pillar type phase change memory devices using flexible AAO shaped template

In this study, the high density nano-pillar type phase change memory was fabricated using duplicating nano-patterns of the anodic alumina oxide (AAO) by nanoimprint process. The high density nano-hole array of AAO template was transferred to the flexible PVC polymer template using hot embossing method. To use the flexible AAO shaped template for UV-NIL, the high density nano-pillar type Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ patterns were fabricated, and the electrical properties of the device were evaluated by conducting atomic force microscopy, connected electrical measurement system. To use the flexible AAO shaped template for UV-NIL, high density GST pattern could be fabricated even on the flexible polyimide (PI) substrate.     

Replication of an UV-NIL stamp using DLC coating

We fabricated a stamp for UV nanoimprint lithography using a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is commonly used in water-soluble polymer replica stamps. The RF-PECVD method was used to deposit a DLC on the PVA replica. An optical adhesive was then used to affix a glass plate to the DLC-coated PVA replica as a backup material, and the PVA replica was dissolved in water from the DLC layer stuck to the glass plate. The same topology was applied to successfully replicate the master stamp with sub-1 μm features. The correlation between the dimensions of the master stamp’s features and the corresponding replicated features was excellent. When replicating stamps, the properties of DLC yield the benefits of both good mechanical properties and low surface energy.     

Fabrication of roll imprint stamp for continuous UV roll imprinting process

Recently, nano imprint lithography has been developed for mass production of nano-scale patterns on large-scale substrates. To achieve high throughput and cost reduction, roll-to-roll imprint lithography has been introduced. The roll-to-roll imprint is the suitable process for large area patterning, especially, flexible substrates for display devices. In this study, roll-to-roll imprint stamp is fabricated using poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) mold and UV curable poly-dimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) resin for continuous roll imprinting process. The PVA mold was chosen since it is flexible and can be dissolved in water. Since the PDMS can form thin SiO_x layer on the surface by oxygen plasma treatment, silane based hydrophobic anti-stiction layer can be formed directly on the surface of PDMS. As a result, nano-sized patterns were successfully formed on the flexible PET films by UV roll imprinting with the fabricated roll stamp.     

Large area pattern replication by nanoimprint lithography for LCD–TFT application

Nanoimprint lithography is a high-throughput, low-cost, non-conventional lithographic method for fabricating micro/nanoscale patterns. In this study, we will present recent achievement in developing nanoimprint lithography for LCD–TFT fabrication. We fabricated metal gate for LCD–TFT with imprinting process. First, mold is pressed into a thin resist cast on a Cr layer which is deposited on a glass substrate. And the pressed resin is exposed to UV for curing, followed by demolding process. To acquire metal gate for LCD–TFT, subsequent process such as RIE with O₂ Plasmas, wet etching of Cr and striping of remained resin is followed. Finally, the fabricated metal gate has 3.5 μm level width, 97% uniformity overall on 1G size in a single imprint. Herewith nanoimprint lithography can substitute conventional photolithography steps in LCD–TFT process. Also it is expected that large area fine pattering such as functional optical films and PCBs could be effectively produced by nanoimprint process.     

High density phase change data on flexible substrates by thermal curing type nanoimprint lithography

In this study, high density phase change nano-pillar device (Tera-bit per inch² data density) was fabricated on flexible substrates by thermal curing type nanoimprint lithography with high throughput at a relatively low temperature (120 °C). Phase change nano-pillar was formed with on flexible poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film, polyimide (PI) film, and stainless steel plate (SUS) substrate without any damage of substrate. The electrical property of the fabricated phase change nano-pillar device was confirmed by electrical signal measuring of conductive atomic force microscopy.     

A photo-polymerization resist for UV nanoimprint lithography

A novel liquid photo-polymerization resist was prepared for nanoimprint lithography on transparent flexible plastic substrates. The resist is a mixture of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), methylmethacrylate (MMA), methacylic acid (MAA) and two photo-initiators, (2-isopropyl thioxanthone (ITX) and ethyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate (EDAB)). The resist can be imprinted at room temperature with a pressure of 0.25 kg/cm², and then exposed from the transparent substrate side using a broad band UV lamp to obtain nano- and micro-scale patterns. Replications of high-density line and space patterns with resolution of 150 nm were obtained on a flexible indium tin oxide/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (ITO/PET) substrate. The liquid resist has low viscosity due to the liquid monomers, and low shrinkage due to the addition of PMMA as a binder.     

Realization of Flexible Plasma Display Panels on PET Substrates

DC plasma display panels are fabricated on flexible polyethylene terephtalate (PET) substrates. Each pixel consists of laterally placed anode and cathode electrodes. All electrical elements are formed on a single PET substrate, whereas a second substrate is needed to encapsulate the panel. Silver is used as the metal for each electrode and standard photolithography is used to form each cell. A 150-/spl mu/m-thick layer of a UV-curable polymeric adhesive was used to form barrier ribs to both electrically isolate neighboring cells and to encapsulate the plasma. Conversion of vacuum UV into visible light is possible by blast-embedding of proper phosphor grains into the top substrate. The current-voltage and turn-on voltage versus pressure characteristics are examined. Effect of curvature on turn-on voltage is addressed.     

Fabrication of 50 nm patterned nickel stamp with hot embossing and electroforming process

Fabrication of imprint stamp is a key issue of nanoimprint lithography. In this study, we attempt to fabricate the nickel imprint stamp using hot embossing lithography and electroforming processes. As small as 50 nm sized patterns of original silicon master were faithfully transferred to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film. By electroforming on hot embossed PVC film, nickel stamp, which has the same patterns of original silicon master stamp, was successfully fabricated.     

A non-fluorine mold release agent for Ni stamp in nanoimprint process

This study presents a novel material as an anti-adhesive layer between Ni mold stamps and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrate in nanoimprint process. A polybenzoxazine ((6,6’-bis(2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-4H-1,3-benzoxazinyl))) molecule self-assembled monolayer (PBO-SAM) considering as anti-adhesive coating agent demonstrates that non-fluorine-containing compounds can be improve the nanoimprint process in Ni/PMMA substrates. In this work, the nanostructure-based Ni stamps and the imprinted PMMA mold are performed by electron-beam lithograph (EBL) and our homemade nanoimprint equipment, respectively. To control the forming of fabricated nanopatterns, the simulation can be analyzed their effect of temperature distributions on the deformation of PBO-SAM/PMMA substrate during hot embossing lithography (HEL) process. Herein the diameter of pillar patterns is 200 nm with and 400 nm pitch on Ni stamp surface. Based on the hydrophobic PBO-SAM surface in this conforming condition, the results of Ni mold stamps infer over 90% improvement in controlling quality and quantity.     

Highly Flexible Organic Nanofiber Phototransistors Fabricated on a Textile Composite for Wearable Photosensors

Highly flexible organic nanofiber phototransistors are fabricated on a highly flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) textile/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) composite substrate. Organic nanofibers are obtained by electrospinning, using a mixture of poly(3,3^″′‐didodecylquarterthiophene) (PQT‐12) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the semiconducting polymer and processing aid, respectively. PDMS is used as both a buffer layer for flattening the PET textile and a dielectric layer in the bottom‐gate bottom‐contact device configuration. PQT‐12:PEO nanofibers can be well‐aligned on the textile composite substrate by electrospinning onto a rotating drum collector. The nanofiber phototransistors fabricated on the PET/PDMS textile composite substrate show highly stable device performance (on‐current retention up to 82.3 (±6.7)%) under extreme bending conditions, with a bending radius down to 0.75 mm and repeated tests over 1000 cycles, while those prepared on film‐type PET and PDMS‐only substrates exhibit much poorer performances. The photoresponsive behaviors of PQT‐12:PEO nanofiber phototransistors have been investigated under light irradiation with different wavelengths. The maximum photoresponsivity, photocurrent/dark‐current ratio, and external quantum efficiency under blue light illumination were 930 mA W^?1, 2.76, and 246%, respectively. Furthermore, highly flexible 10 × 10 photosensor arrays have been fabricated which are able to detect incident photonic signals with high resolution. The flexible photosensors described herein have high potential for applications as wearable photosensors.     

Fabrication of organic flexible electrodes using transfer stamping process

A transfer stamping process is proposed to fabricate micro-scale organic flexible electrodes. With different adhesion forces of the transferring interfaces, ink/mold and ink/substrate, patterns are formed from the relief features of the elastomeric mold to the substrate without residual layer, and no complex pre-process and steps are needed. To estimate the deformation during pressing, the sagging height of the mold is analyzed with finite element method (FEM). Two conductive polymers, PEDOT:PSS and silver paste, are transferred from the flat relief features of the mold to the PET substrate. The coating characteristics and problems are discussed. The transfer stamping process is also employed to fabricate electrodes on the dielectric/ITO film and to form an organic flexible capacitance. This paper demonstrates the potential of transfer stamping in fabricating organic electronic components, such as organic integrated circuit, OLED and OTFT.     

Micro-aspiration assisted lithography

We report on a micro-fabrication method based on micro-aspiration assisted lithography (MAAL). Unlike nanoimprint lithography where a mould is pressed into a resist layer spin coated on a substrate, MAAL uses aspiration forces to guide the resist material in the mould cavities. By suing this technique, the limit of capillary based lithography techniques has been extended. Double layer PDMS moulds were fabricated using multi-layer soft-lithography in which a micro-aspiration network could be introduced close to the pattern layer of the mould. As a result, high resolution patterning could be obtained with a UV curable resist. We also show the results of patterning of a thin layer of PDMS, nano-particles as well as agar gels. We have also provided a semi-quantitative analysis in order to understand the limitation of different approaches.     

工业纯铝表面激光熔覆Y粉的研究

为了研究稀土Y元素对工业纯铝表面激光熔覆层的组织和性能的影响,在工业纯铝基体上,采用CO2激光器制备了Al-Y合金熔覆层,利用金相显微镜、能谱分析、X射线衍射分析和显微硬度计等对熔覆层的显微组织、成分分布、物相组成和显微硬度进行了研究。由实验结果可知,Y元素显著细化了熔覆层的组织,熔覆层与基体形成良好的冶金结合;生成了含Y的新相YAl3,Y4Al2O9等铝钇金属间化合物;熔覆层区域的显微硬度43HV0.2~58HV0.2与基体的显微硬度30HV0.2~40HV0.2相比提高了50%~60%,在熔覆层表面硬度值达到最高。结果表明,通过激光熔覆Y粉可以提高工业纯铝的表面性能。     

Fabricating metallic wire grating inside a polymeric substrate by insertion nanoimprint

This paper proposes a technique called insertion nanoimprint, which features transferring the metallic wire gratings fabricated on a silicon wafer into a flexible polymeric substrate under appropriate temperature and pressure conditions. It is also an innovative process integrating the reversal nanoimprint with conventional nanoimprint process, including transferring metallic structures and defining pattern, respectively. The proposed insertion nanoimprint possesses the advantages of being able to transfer stable metallic wire gratings directly into a flexible substrate and offer flatly finished surface for subsequent processes, such as sealing and packaging. Furthermore, this technique can avoid the embedded nanostructure from damage due to contamination and stresses during packaging process or transportation. In this paper, the Al gratings with 197 nm in linewidth, 335 nm in pitch and 175 nm in height were successfully replicated into the PMMA. Various substrate temperatures were employed to explore the fluidity of PMMA as well as its effects on the mold-filling and demolding. In addition, AFM was utilized to scan the imprinted surface, and the results indicated that the embedded nanostructure underneath a flatly finished surface was obtained.     

Fabrication of low-cost mold and nanoimprint lithography using polystyrene nanosphere

The periodic arrays of nanostructure were successfully patterned on Si wafers by ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) using nanosphere lithography (NSL). Two-dimensional (2D) well ordered self-assembled arrays were obtained on Si wafer by using nanosphere and the tilted-drain method. We tried to combine two techniques and hard mold of Si mold for NIL and polymer mold of acrylate-based polymer were fabricated by NSL. The Si master mold and polymer mold were formed by Cr lift-off and ICP-RIE process. The surface has a low surface energy at the interface with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl-trichlorosilane (FOTS) vapor-coating, which can eliminate the problem of the adherence to the surface of the mold during demolding. Finally, nanopatterns were formed by UV-NIL, where the residual layer was not observed.     

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.     

Fabrication of micro/nano fluidic system combining hybrid mask-mould lithography with thermal bonding

Polymer-based micro/nano fluidic system is becoming indispensable for biological applications as well as physical chemistry research. In this article, we demonstrate a novel fabrication process for nano fluidic system based on hybrid mask-mould (HMM) lithography and thermal bonding using SU-8. With the HMM lithography, the protrusions of channels and reservoir patterns can be replicated in one step. Bonding process conditions are flexible and easily controllable with the use of PET substrate and the thin adhesive layer. Surface textures were found to be essential to the bonding strength and channel profile control. The fabricated fluidic system was characterized using spontaneous capillary filling with dyed water, demonstrating good quality of sealing.     

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.