KR20070061061A - Apparatus for pattern replication with intermediate stamp - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for a pattern replication with an intermediate stamp is provided to enhance the exactness of replication and to obtain an improved imprinting system. An apparatus for a pattern replication with an intermediate stamp includes a first imprint mechanism, a second imprint mechanism, and a feeder device. The first imprint mechanism(200) includes a pair of first main elements opposite to each other. A first intermediate space exists between the pair of first main elements. The first imprint mechanism includes a first press unit capable of controlling the first intermediate space. The second imprint mechanism(300) includes a pair of second main elements opposite to each other. A second intermediate space exists between the pair of second main elements. The second imprint mechanism includes a second press unit capable of controlling the second intermediate space. The feeder device(410) is used for moving a disc from the first intermediate space to the second intermediate space.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR PATTERN REPLICATION WITH INTERMEDIATE STAMP [0002]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a two-step process for making replicas on an object surface from a template, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows an AFM tapping mode image of a line pattern imprinted on SU8 by a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an AFM tapping mode image of a BluRay optical disk pattern imprinted on SU8 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows an SEM image of a micrometer-sized pillar pattern with a high aspect-ratio provided by an imprint according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 5-7 illustrate the process steps of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 schematically illustrates an embodiment of an imprint mechanism according to the invention in carrying out the process as generally shown in Figures 1-3 or 5-7.

Fig. 9 schematically shows the imprint mechanism of Fig. 8 when the polymer stamp and the substrate are laid in the initial stage of the process.

Fig. 10 shows the imprint mechanism of Figs. 8 and 9 in an active process step of transferring a pattern from one object surface to another.

11 schematically shows an embodiment of an imprinting apparatus according to the invention, comprising a two imprinting mechanisms and a feeding device for moving the disc between the two mechanisms.

Figures 12 to 16 schematically illustrate different process steps using the apparatus of Figure 11 in a two-step imprint process.

Figures 17 to 19 schematically illustrate different solutions for grasping and separating two parts sandwiched together by an imprint process.

Figures 20-23 schematically illustrate the different process steps of an embodiment of an imprint apparatus having a continuously running membrane.

Figures 24-27 schematically illustrate different process steps, using another embodiment of an imprint apparatus according to the invention in a two-step imprint process.

28 schematically shows an embodiment of a first imprint mechanism, in the form of an injection molding mechanism, for the production of a polymer stamp used in a second imprint mechanism.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device usable in a pattern transfer process for imprint lithography and includes a process for transferring a pattern from a template having a structured surface to a target surface of the substrate. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus comprising two imprint mechanisms that operate simultaneously with each other to perform a two-step process. In the first imprint mechanism, by imprinting to obtain the intermediate stamp, the replication of the template pattern is formed in or on the intermediate disc, preferably a flexible polymer foil. Wherein the intermediate stamp is moved from the first imprinting mechanism to the second imprinting mechanism wherein the intermediate stamp is used in the second step for imprinting the pattern on the moldable layer of the target surface of the substrate.

Background technology

For example, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is one of the most powerful techniques for producing nanostructures, such as structures of the order of 100 nanometers or less. In nanoimprint lithography, an inverse copy of the surface pattern of a template, often referred to as a stamp, is transferred onto a substrate, which includes a film of a moldable layer, often referred to as a resist, such as a polymer material, do. After heating the object to an appropriate temperature above the glass transition temperature of the polymer film, the stamp is pressed into a film and the desired pattern depth is transferred to the film followed by cooling and ejection of the stamp, often referred to as demolding. Alternatively, a photoresist, such as, for example, a photoresist, such as a cross-linked radiation-sensitive polymer under exposure to ultraviolet radiation, or a pre-polymer cured to polymer under exposure to radiation, the substrate is covered by a photo-resist material. This requires that the substrate or stamp be transmissive to the applied radiation. In a process performed subsequently after imprinting, an object comprising a substrate and a polymer film with a pattern may be post-processed in the imprinted region, for example by etching of the substrate, to transfer the pattern to the target surface of the substrate can be post-processed.

The imprint process described above has some difficulties to be considered to achieve perfect pattern transfer from the template to the moldable layer covering the substrate.

If the template and the substrate are not generally the same, they will typically have different coefficients of thermal expansion, unless they are made of the same material. This means that during heating and cooling of the template and the substrate, the degree of expansion and contraction will be different. Even if the change in dimensions is small, the characteristics of the pattern may be transferred to micrometers or nanometers, which may impair the imprint process. Consequently, reduced replication fidelity may result.

When the material of the stamp or substrate which is not very flexible is used and the stamp is pressed into the substrate, this can lead to entrapment of air between the stamp and the moldable layer, and may also reduce the replication accuracy. Also, the impression of the stamp and the particles between the moldable layers during the imprinting process can lead to significant damage to the stamp or substrate, especially when the stamp and substrate are not all made of a flexible material. The physical damage to the stamp or substrate, or both, may also occur by demoulding the non-flexible stamp from the non-flexible substrate and may result in a template comprising a pattern having a high aspect ratio after the imprint process, Is difficult. Damaged stamps are usually not recyclable.

It is an object of the invention to provide a solution for an improved imprint system that is highly reproducible and industrially easy to adopt and suitable.

An embodiment of the invention designed to meet the stated objectives relates to an apparatus for transferring a pattern of a structured surface of a template to a target surface of a substrate, the apparatus comprising:

A first pair of interacting major portions having a first intermediate space and facing each other and a second pair of interacting major portions operable to transfer the pattern of the template to the receiving surface of the disk in a first imprinting phase, A first imprinting mechanism comprising a first pressing device.

A second pair of interacting major portions having a second intermediate space and facing each other, and a second press device operable to adjust a second intermediate space.

A feeder device operable to move a disk from a first intermediate space to a second intermediate space.

In a preferred embodiment, the supply device is configured to move the imprinted disc in the first intermediate space to the second intermediate space and discharge it, so that the imprinted surface of the intermediate stamp faces the moldable layer on the target surface of the substrate, So as to place the disk. Thereafter, the second imprinting mechanism is operable to imprint the transferred pattern of the disc onto the target surface in the second imprinting step.

Thereby, the present invention provides an automated imprint apparatus, wherein the process of transferring the pattern from the master template to the substrate is performed through two imprint steps performed in two actively connected imprint mechanisms. Preferably, the polymer foil is used for the disc to make an intermediate stamp. In this way, the template is used for imprinting only in the relatively soft material of the polymer foil, which minimizes the risk of damage and wear compared to imprinting directly on a relatively rigid semiconductor substrate.

The present invention relates to what is referred to herein as a "two-step imprint process ". This term means that one or more replicas of the template with the nanometer and / or micrometer sized pattern in the first step are formed in one or more flexible polymer foils by the imprint process Can be understood as a process. The imprinted polymer foil may be used as the polymer stamp in the second step. Alternatively, the imprinted polymer foil may be used as a stamp to make another imprint on another polymer foil that is subsequently used in the second step. In this way, the first step of the process can produce a negative polymer replica in which the pattern is reversed from the pattern of the circular template, and a pattern in which the pattern is similar to the pattern of the circular template, and a flexible positive polymer replica. In the second step, the thus produced replica can be used as a flexible polymer stamp to replicate the pattern on the object surface through an imprint process, which is performed later using a thermal imprint, ultraviolet imprint or both.

The term " nanoimprinting process "or" imprint process ", as used herein, relates to a process for producing an inverted copy of a nano- and / or micro-structured surface pattern of a template or stamp, In the case where the base and the layer are made of different materials, which are produced by pressing the stamp in a moldable layer such as a polymer or a pre-polymer to deform the layer, Membrane. Alternatively, the layer may simply be part of an object of one material, defined as the portion extending downward to a predetermined depth into the bulk of the object from the surface of the object. The moldable layer is heated above the glass transition temperature and cooled below the glass transition temperature during imprinting (e.g., a hot embossing) process, and / or the polymer is subjected to imprinting May be cured or cross-linked with the help of ultraviolet exposure during or after exposure. The patterned surface of the template and of the imprinted layer may have a micrometer or nanometer scale structure in both depth and width.

The term "flexible polymer foil" refers to a flexible polymer foil that is flexible and ductile in most cases, including thermoplastic polymers, thermosetting polymers, and / or polymers that can be crosslinked after exposure to ultraviolet light Quot;) < / RTI > permeable foil. Preferred examples of the polymer foil are polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC).

The term " replication fidelity " refers to the creation of an inverted copy of the stamp structure, i. E., A reverse copy, wherein the inverted surface form of the stamp surface is completely replicated.

According to the present invention, a two-step imprint process may be provided wherein, in the first step of the two-step process, a replica of the template with the patterned surface is formed by imprinting in an intermediate disc. In most of the following examples, the disc is a flexible polymer foil. An optional solution that is not discussed in more detail is to provide an intermediate layer by another material, such as a thin sheet of metal or a semiconductor material, one of which is coated with a moldable layer such as a polymer or prepolymer. In this embodiment, the coated portion of the sheet is imprinted with the template in the first step and used as the stamp surface in the second step. The use of polymer foils has several advantages, such as low cost and flexibility, and the polymer material is generally softer than the materials of both the template and the substrate. Therefore, when the intermediate disc is discussed below, references to the flexible polymer foil will mainly be made.

In a second step, the replicas are used as stamps, preferably flexible polymer stamps, in order to replicate the pattern on the object surface through a subsequent imprint process. At least in the second step, the radiation-assisted imprint is preferably carried out at a controlled, constant temperature with a minimal thermal expansion effect.

In this way, a durable relatively inflexible template made of a material such as metal, quartz, silicon or other essentially non-flexible material can be used to imprint that pattern on a flexible polymer foil to make the polymer stamp , Where the polymer stamp can be advantageously used to imprint the moldable layer on the target surface of the substrate. According to the present invention, a relatively rigid, non-flexible template is used to imprint relatively soft and more flexible polymer foils to create an intermediate polymer stamp, and then a relatively soft and soft polymer stamp is applied, On a relatively hard and inflexible substrate. As a result of the template being less worn and less substrate damaged, the imprinting step between the two generally hard and non-soft materials, such as metal and silicon, or quartz and silicon, is advantageously avoided thereby.

Also, by using polymer foils that are transparent in the wavelength region that is usable for cross-linking as the basis for the intermediate discs or stamps, or by other methods, The ultraviolet-assisted imprint can be selectively used when producing a polymer stamp and when using a polymer stamp for imprinting on a substrate, while the template and the substrate can be used in a range of usable wavelength regions It may be made of a material that is not transparent to the radiation of radiation.

A template is a relatively expensive part to produce, and as mentioned, it is usually impossible to repair or recycle a damaged template. However, the polymer stamp is easily made of relatively less expensive material according to the method according to the invention, and is preferably disposed of several times or even once after it is used. The polymer stamp can be demolded or released from the substrate and discarded, or it can be discarded, or a bath of suitable liquid solution selected to dissolve only the polymer stamp, except for the reinforced moldable layer or substrate, bath by continuously contacting the target surface of the substrate.

The resulting polymer stamp is typically used as a second template for imprinting onto the target surface of the substrate, and since the substrate is generally not a polymer material, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the polymer stamp and substrate is typically different. In order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages arising from this scenario, when the polymer stamp is pressed onto the moldable layer on the substrate, at least a second imprint step is performed according to an imprint process combined with ultraviolet-assist and heat-assist . According to this process, the ultraviolet sensitive material is used as a moldable layer on the substrate, pressing together the polymer stamp and the substrate, filling the moldable layer with radiation and postbaking the layer, The steps of desorbing the polymer stamp from the substrate and releasing the pressure are performed at an elevated constant temperature maintained by the temperature controller. Thermostats typically also include a heater device, control circuitry for balancing the heat supply to obtain and maintain a specified temperature, and possibly a cooling device.

The first or first step of the two-step process will be described with reference to 1a-1f of the drawings. The process of the first step according to two different embodiments is schematically illustrated in Fig. The process of FIGS. 1A-1F illustrates the generation of an intermed polymer stamp using a thermal imprint. However, there are other possible techniques for the generation of polymer stamps as the outline will appear below.

Figure 1A shows a template 1 made of another metal, quartz or even polymer material, for example silicon, nickel or aluminum. The template 1 has a patterned surface 2, including ribs, grooves, protrusions or recesses, having a height and width in micrometers or nanometers. The template 1 is in contact with the surface 4 of the flexible polymer foil 3 made of, for example, a thermoplastic polymer, a thermosetting polymer, and / or a polymer that can be crosslinked by exposure to ultraviolet light (2). More specific examples of suitable polymeric foil materials include polycarbonate, COC and PMMA. In a preferred embodiment, the template surface 2 and the surface 4 of the polymer foil 3 have a composition of these materials or an anti-adhesion on the template surface 2 and / or the polymer foil surface 4 ) Layer, they exhibit anti-adhesion properties to each other.

An opposite form of the pattern of the template surface 2 is formed as a surface layer on the surface 4 of the flexible polymer foil 3 by means of a suitable imprint process as shown in Fig. After the template surface 2 is placed in contact with the surface 4 of the polymer foil 3, the polymer foil is heated to a temperature above the glass temperature Tg of the polymer used in the surface layer of the foil. The polymer foil may be massive, for example, having a basic composition of the actual polymer foil, having a surface layer in contact with the surface 4, which may have approximately the same composition across the entire polymer foil, or other composition suitable for imprinting, Lt; / RTI > The pressure is applied to press both the template 1 and the polymer foil 3 so that the pattern of the surface 2 is imprinted on the surface layer at the surface 4 of the polymer foil 3 when the surface layer approaches its glass transition temperature Is applied. The press can be done by a soft press technique, using the liquid or gas pressure supplied by the membrane, as will be explained in more detail with reference to the second step of the process according to the invention. Alternatively, more conventional hard press techniques may be used. Since the polymer stamp produced in the first step is not the final product, parallelism is not a critical factor in the first step, as in the second step.

As noted, to soften the surface layer, the illustrated embodiment uses a thermal imprint, and thus the polymer foil 3 is heated before the pressure is applied. A specific example according to the thermal first step is shown below. The optional means may alternatively or additionally include exposure applied to selected portions of the polymer foil for ultraviolet radiation. If the material of the polymer foil is also cross-linked by exposure to radiation, either the material of the template 1 or the material of the polymer foil 3 should be transparent to the applied ultraviolet radiation. An optional embodiment has a prepolymer composition which is thermally or ultraviolet curable on the surface layer of the surface 4 of the polymer foil 3. In this embodiment, heating above the glass transition temperature is unnecessary.

In one example of an ultraviolet-nanoimprint lithography process (UV-NIL process), a UV-curable prepolymer is dispensed at a suitable location over the surface 2 of the template 1, Is covered with a polycarbonate or PMMA sheet corresponding to the foil 3 of the sheet. In the second imprint process, the sheet acts later on the ultraviolet transparent substrate. The thickness of the actual surface layer provided by the prepolymer layer can be maintained at a minimum level of only a few nanometers, owing to the fact that the carrier base is provided as a sheet with high transparency to ultraviolet radiation. This is particularly useful when prepolymer materials are used that do not lose their ultraviolet-absorbing properties after curing, such as PAK01 from Toyo Gosei Co., Japan. Another useful UV-curable prepolymer is NIF-1 from Asahi Glass Coporation, Inc. Other UV-curable prepolymers may work well or better. Good ultraviolet-polymer loses ultraviolet-absorbing properties after curing to increase ultraviolet-transmission in the second imprinting step. However, the combination of prepolymer and polymer sheet has a sufficiently good interaction therebetween to ensure good adhesion therebetween, but must be carefully selected to prevent chemical decomposition of the sheet by the prepolymer. After the substrate foil is placed on a dispensed preliminary polymer droplet containing a gas bubble, an ultraviolet-transparent polymer membrane is placed on the polymer sheet. Wherein the membrane is compressed on the opposite side with a significantly lower pressure in the range of 1 to 20 bar provided by gas or liquid pressure and exposed to an appropriate amount of ultraviolet radiation to cure the prepolymer through the polymer sheet, Whereby the polymer membrane cures the prepolymer and bonds it to the polymer foil. After removal of the imprinted membrane and demoulding of the resulting polymer stamp from the template, the pressure is released.

In a thermal nanoimprint lithography process, the template or master is covered with a suitable polymer sheet, such as Zeonor from Zeon, Inc., Topas, Ticona, USA. After placing the imprinted membrane on the polymer sheet, the sandwich is vacuumed and heated. When the imprint temperature is reached, the membrane is compressed to 20 to 80 bar. After pattern transfer to the polymer foil, the sandwich is cooled below the glass transition temperature, followed by removal of the imprinted membrane and demoulding of the IPS stamp from the master. A good thermoplastic sheet needs to have a narrow process window, taking into account the high mechanical strength of the resulting nanometer structure as well as the imprint temperature and discharge temperature, which must be provided as a mold in a subsequent process. High transmittance to ultraviolet radiation is very beneficial.

In the example in which heat and radiation are combined, the template pattern is transferred and the polymer foil corresponding to (3) in Fig. 1 needs to be ultraviolet-transparent. A negative photoresist, such as an UV-crosslinkable polymer, such as SU8 from MicroChem, Inc., is spin-coated on a polymer foil. The template (1) and the coated polymer foil are assembled together and covered by an imprint membrane over the polymer foil. After heating to the imprint temperature, thereafter, the temperature remains constant during the remaining total imprint process to remove the thermal expansion effect. The sandwich is compressed and after a typical flow time, for example 30 seconds, the polymer becomes crosslinked by ultraviolet radiation and then post exposure bake, for example, for about 30 seconds. No cooling is required, the pressure can be released immediately, and then removal and demoulding of the imprinted membrane occur. Also, good negative photosensitizers lose their ultraviolet absorption properties after exposure.

Depending on the specific process, for example thermal, ultraviolet, or combined thermal and UV processes at a constant temperature, the template 1 and the imprinted polymer foil 3 may be subjected to a selected imprint process depending on the selected material and its properties After which the polymer foil can be separated after cooling or without cooling. An imprinted polymer foil, also referred to as a replica, as shown in Figure 1c) having a pattern of surface 4 opposite or negative to the pattern of the circular template 1 after releasing the template 1 from the polymer surface 4 (3) can be used as the flexible polymer stamp (5).

According to the present invention, the polymer stamp 5 is used to transfer the pattern of the surface 4 to the target substrate in the second step, or in a process similar to that described above, Is used in an additional first step of creating a second reverse replica 9 on the flexible polymer foil 6. The purpose of the additional first step is to ensure that the last pattern created on the target substrate is reversed from the template surface pattern. In this embodiment, the polymer foil 6, which is composed of a polymer and whose glass transition temperature and imprint temperature are lower than the flexible polymer stamp 5, is used. In addition, the engaging surfaces 4 and 7 of the polymer foil 6 and the flexible polymer stamp 5 exhibit anti-adhesion properties to each other. Adhesive properties may be present from the beginning due to the chemical nature of the polymer foil used and / or by depositing anti-adhesive layers comprising a suitable release agent on one or both of the polymer surfaces . At least one of the polymer foils 5, 6 must also be transmissive to the applied radiation or the surface layer of the foil 6, if any, if the polymer foil 6 is to be crosslink- , It must alternatively transmit sufficient radiation to effect cross-linking of the entire foil (6).

Generation of a new polymer stamp 8 which is substantially identical to the template 1 with respect to the pattern and which is the inverse of the first polymer stamp 5 can be achieved by forming the polymer stamp 5 with the patterned surface 4 on the second polymer & In the state of being in contact with the surface (7) of the foil (6). As above, the second polymer foil 6 may be monolithic or have a carrier sheet on which the surface layer is adhered. In order to be able to imprint the pattern of the surface 4 on the surface layer of the foil 6, if a thermal imprint process is used, the foil 6 is heated above the glass transition temperature of the surface layer. 1 e), the pressure is applied to press the first polymer stamp 5 onto the surface layer of the polymer foil 6. After performing the imprint, the flexible polymer stamp 5 may be removed mechanically, for example, from the polymer foil 6, after cooling the polymer foil 6, or alternatively, the entire stamp 5 or The portions may be chemically dissolved with the aid of one or more solvents suitable for the appropriate process. The result is a new polymer stamp 8 having a surface 7 with a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the circular template 1.

The thus produced replica 5 or 8, which has a surface pattern reversed or identical to the pattern of the circular template 1, is shown as schematically shown on the left and right sides, respectively, in Figures 1g) to 1i) And will be used as a flexible polymer template in a second imprint step according to the invention. At this time, one surface 4 or 7 of the flexible polymer stamps 5 or 8 may be formed by a thin molding (not shown) made of a radiation sensitive material such as, for example, a prepolymer or polymer capable of crosslinking by exposure to radiation Will be placed in contact with the surface 16 of the object 12 including the substrate 13 with the target surface 17 covered by a surface layer 14 as far as possible. The surface 4 or 7 of the flexible polymer stamp 5 or 8 exhibits anti-adhesive properties to the surface 16 of the moldable layer 14, due to the material composition of the surfaces. With the aid of the applied pressure applied to the object 12 together with one of the flexible polymer templates 5 or 8 and the selected portion of the polymer foil 14, as shown in FIG. 1h, The opposite form of the pattern of polymer stamp surfaces is formed in the moldable layer 14. The flexible polymer stamp 5 or 8 may be permeable to the applied radiation or may have a small amount of absorption to transmit a sufficient amount of radiation necessary for curing or crosslinking the material of the surface layer 14 under exposure to radiation see. 1h), the flexible polymer stamps 5 or 8 can be mechanically removed from the substrate 13, or alternatively, the entire polymer Stamps 5 or 8, or portions thereof, may be chemically dissolved with the aid of one or more solvents suitable for the appropriate process.

Fig. 1i) shows the resultant imprinted object 12 after separation of the flexible polymer stamp 5 or 8. In order to permanently fix the transferred pattern to the substrate, the thinnest portions of the foil 14 remaining to expose the target surface 17 of the substrate are removed and the target surface is etched or otherwise plate , Additional process steps are typically added. However, the specific details of this additional process are not critical to the understanding of the invention.

Figure 1 is a relatively simple representation of a process according to the invention. The first step, shown in dashed lines, is a direct thermal thermal treatment using a thermal imprint directly on the monolithic polymer foil, an ultraviolet-assisted imprint using a prepolymer surface layer on the polymer foil, or a controlled elevated temperature using a UV light crosslinkable polymer surface layer on the polymer foil RTI ID = 0.0 > simultaneous < / RTI > ultraviolet radiation. If a thermal imprint is used in steps 1a) to 1c), there will typically be a difference in thermal expansion between the template 1 and the polymer foil 3, which may be, for example, nickel. However, the resiliency and flexibility of the polymer foil 3, which also has a thickness that is substantially greater than the height of the pattern structure, does not impair the pattern characteristics on the foil surface 4, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > stretch < / RTI > As will be shown by the examples below, the thickness of the polymer foil is typically in the range of 50 to 500 micrometers, while the height or thickness of the pattern structure is in the range of 5 nanometers to 20 micrometers. Other sizes are possible.

However, the second step depicted below the dashed line in Fig. 1 is preferably performed using combined heat and radiation. The reason is that when the imprint is carried out on a substrate, the surface layer remaining or remaining on the target surface of the substrate is usually very thin in the size of a few nanometers. The heating and cooling of the sandwiched pairs of stamps and polymers with different thermal expansions can often cause damage to the microstructure and cause it to fall off completely. It is easy to peel off completely. However, thanks to the process according to the invention, when the steps of press, copy and post-baking are all carried out at a controlled temperature, the thermal expansion effect is eliminated.

5-7 schematically illustrate the basic process steps of an actual pattern transfer step or an imprint step in a second step of an embodiment of the present invention. These correspond to either the left example or the right example of FIG. 1g) to 1h) and are shown in much greater detail.

In FIG. 5, a polymer stamp 10 is shown, which may correspond to any of the polymer stamps 5 or 8 in FIG. The polymer stamp 10 has a structured surface 11 with a predetermined pattern to be transferred, corresponding to the surface 4 or 7, on which three-dimensional protrusions and recesses are formed, And features of height and width within the range of a few micrometers, but may be formed larger or smaller. The thickness of the polymer stamp 10 is typically 10 to 1000 micrometers. 5, the substrate 12 has a target surface 17 that is disposed substantially parallel to the polymer stamp surface 11. The substrate 12 includes a substrate base 13 onto which the pattern of the polymer stamp surface 11 is transferred. Although not shown, the substrate may also include a support layer below the substrate base 13. [ In the process in which the pattern of the polymer stamp 10 is transferred directly to the substrate 12 through an imprint of a polymeric material, the material is directly over the substrate target surface 17 as a surface layer 14. In an alternative embodiment represented by the dashed line, a transfer layer 15, for example made of a second polymer material, is also included. Examples of such transfer layers and how they are used in subsequent processes for transferring a pattern imprinted to the substrate base 13 are shown in U.S. Patent No. 6,334,960. In the embodiment including the transfer layer 15, the target surface 17 indicates the top or outer surface of the transfer layer 15 and is disposed on the substrate base surface 18 in turn.

The substrate 12 is placed on a heater device 20. The heater device 20 preferably includes a heater body 21 made of a metal such as aluminum, for example. The heater element 22 is included in or connected to the heater body 21 to transfer heat energy to the heater body 21. [ In one embodiment, the heater element 22 is an electrical immersion heater inserted into a socket in the heater body 21. In another embodiment, the electrical heating coil is inside the heater body 21 or attached to the lower surface of the heater body 21. In yet another embodiment, the heater element 22 is a channel formed in the heater body 21, through which the heater fluid passes. The heater element 22 further has a connector 23 for connection to an external energy source (not shown). In the case of electrical heating, the connector 23 preferably makes a galvanic contact in connection to the current source. In an embodiment having a channel formed for passing a heating fluid, the connector 23 is preferably a conduit for connection to a heated fluid source. The heating fluid may be, for example, water or oil. Another alternative is to employ an infrared radiation heater as the heater element 22, which is designed to emit infrared radiation to the heater body 21. Also included in the heater device 20 is a temperature regulator (not shown), which includes means for heating the heater element 22 to a selected temperature and maintaining that temperature within a constant temperature tolerance. Other types of thermostats are well known in the art and therefore do not provide additional details.

The heater body 21 is preferably a lump of cast metal such as aluminum, stainless steel or other metal. It is also preferable to use a body 21 of a certain volume and height to uniformly arrange heat on the top of the heater device 20 and to heat the body 21 from the body 21 to the heating layer 14 The top is connected to the substrate 12 to transfer heat. For the imprint process used to imprint a 2.5 "substrate, a heater body 21 having a diameter of at least 2.5", preferably 3 "or more, and having a thickness of at least 1 centimeter, preferably 2 to 3 centimeters, is used . The imprint process used to imprint 6 "substrates includes a heater body 21 having a diameter of at least 6", preferably 7 "or more, and having a thickness of at least 2 centimeters, preferably at least 3 to 4 centimeters do. It is preferable that the heater apparatus 20 is capable of heating the heater body 21 to a temperature of 200 to 300 占 폚, although a low temperature may be sufficient in all processes.

To provide controlled cooling of the layer 14 the heater device 20 may additionally have a cooling element 24 included or connected to the heater body 21 which provides heat energy from the heater body 21 To deliver. In a preferred embodiment, the cooling element 24 includes channels or channels formed in the heater body 21, through which the cooling liquid passes. The cooling element 24 further has a connector 25 for connection to an external cooling source (not shown). The connector 25 is preferably a conduit for connection to a coolant source. The cooling liquid is preferably water, but alternatively an oil, for example an insulating oil, is also possible.

A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes a cross-linkable radiation of a thermoplastic polymer solution material for layer 14, preferably spin-coatable. These polymer solutions may also be photo chemically amplified. An example of such a material is mr-L6000.1 XP from Micro Resist Technology, which is capable of ultraviolet cross-linking. Other examples of such radiation that make materials crosslink-bondable are negative photoresist materials, such as Shipley ma-N 1400, SC100 and MicroChem SU-8. Spin-coatable materials are advantageous because they allow complete and accurate coating of the entire substrate.

Another embodiment is to use a liquid or near-liquid, polymerizable, prepolymer material for layer 14. Examples of usable and usable polymerizable materials for layer 14 include NIP-K17, NIP-K22 and NIP-K28 from ZEN Photonics, 104-11, Munji-Dong, Yuseong- . NIP-K17 contains acrylate as its main component and has a viscosity of about 9.63 cps at 25 캜. NIP-K22 also contains acrylate as its main component and has a viscosity of about 5.85 cps at 25 占 폚. These materials are designed to cure under exposure to ultraviolet radiation in excess of 12 mW / cm < ² > for 2 minutes. Another example of a usable and useful polymerizable material for the layer 14 is a polymeric material that can be applied to a layer of a polymeric material, such as, but not limited to, Berlin D-12555, House 211, Koepenicker Strasse 325 (Haus 211, D-12555 Berlin, Germany) Which is Ormocore of Micro Resist Technology GmbH, Inc., This material has a composition of unsaturated, inorganic-organic hybrid polymer with 1 to 3 percent photopolymerization initiator. The viscosity of 3 to 8 mPas at 25 DEG C is significantly higher and the liquid can be cured under exposure to radiation of 500 mJ / cm < ² > at a wavelength of 365 nanometers. Other available materials are mentioned in U.S. Patent No. 6,334,960.

The commonality of all these materials and any other materials available for carrying out the present invention is that they can be molded and exposed to radiation, especially ultraviolet radiation, for example by crosslinking of the polymer solution material or curing of the prepolymer , And has the ability to be hardened.

The thickness of the layer 14 when coated on the substrate surface is typically 10 nanometers to 10 micrometers, depending on the application area. The curable or crosslinkable material can be applied in liquid form onto the substrate 12 by spin coating or alternatively by roller coating, dip coating or the like . An advantage of the present invention over the prior art steps and flash method is that when using a crosslinkable polymer material in general, the polymer material can be spin coated over the entire substrate, which results in excellent layer uniformity, Is an advantageous and rapid process. Cross-linkable materials such as those mentioned are generally solid at room temperature, and thus pre-coated substrates at elevated temperatures can be conveniently used. On the other hand, prior art and flashing methods have to do repeated processing on repeated surface portions, since the method is impossible to handle large surfaces in each step. This complicates the prior art steps and flashing as well as the equipment performing it, making it time consuming and difficult to control in terms of cycle time.

The arrows in FIG. 5 show that the polymer stamp surface 11 is pressed against the surface 16 of the moldable layer 14. At this stage, the heater device 20 is preferably used to regulate the temperature of the layer 14, in order to obtain the proper fluidity of the material of the layer 14. Thus, for the cross-linkable material of layer 14, the heater device 20 is controlled such that the heater layer 14 is at a temperature Tp above the glass temperature Tg of the layer 14 material. In this example, Tp refers to process temperature or imprint temperature, which is a common one temperature level for imprint, exposure, and post bake process steps. The level of the constant temperature Tp will, of course, depend on the type of material chosen for layer 14 because it must exceed the glass transition temperature Tg in the case of a cross-linkable material, Since the material must be suitable for post-baking. In the case of radiant crosslinkable-bondable materials, Tp is generally from 20 to 250 캜, more often from 50 to 250 캜. In the example of mr-L6000.1 XP, successful tests were carried out at a constant temperature through post-baking, exposure and imprint at 100-120 占 폚. In embodiments using radiation-curable prepolymers, these materials are usually liquid at room temperature or close to the liquid, and there is little or no need to apply heat so that it is sufficiently soft for imprinting. However, these materials also have to undergo a post-baking process in order to be completely hardened after exposure, prior to separation from the polymer stamp. Thus, the process temperature Tp is adjusted to a post bake temperature level that is already adequate at the beginning of the imprint step in the step of FIG.

Figure 6 shows how the structures of the polymer stamp surface 11 are made in a liquid or at least a soft form and in which the liquid is imprinted in the material layer 14 so as to fill the recesses of the polymer stamp surface 11. [ do. In the illustrated embodiment, the highest protrusion at the polymer stamp surface 11 can not penetrate below the substrate surface 17. This is beneficial for protecting the substrate surface 17 and especially the polymer stamp surface 11 from damage. However, in alternative embodiments, such as those involving a transfer layer, the imprint can be performed down the transfer layer surface 17. In the embodiment shown in Figures 5-7, the polymer stamp is made of a material that is transparent to radiation 19 of a predetermined wavelength or wavelength range, which can be used to enhance the selectable moldable material. Such materials may be, for example, polycarbonate, COC or PMMA. In the case of polymer stamps formed using radiation as described above, it is preferred that the remaining layer of the radiation-sensitive surface layer in which the pattern is formed is also transmissive to ultraviolet radiation, or alternatively it is very thin, It is desirable that the radiation is low enough to pass. When the polymer stamp 10 is pressed into the layer 14, with the proper alignment between the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12, generally a copy 19 is applied. When exposed to such radiation 19, the strengthening of the moldable material for reinforcement into the solid body 14 'with the shape determined by the polymer stamp 10 begins. During the step of exposing the layer 14 to radiation, the heater 20 is conditioned by a temperature controller to maintain the temperature of the layer 14 at a temperature Tp.

After exposure to radiation, a post-baking step is performed to completely solidify the layer 14 'material. In this step, prior to separation of the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12, the heater device 20 is used to provide heat to the layer 14 ', in order to bake the layer 14' with a hardened body . Further, the post-baking is performed by maintaining the above-mentioned temperature Tp. In this way, the polymer stamp 10 and the material layers 14, 14 'can be formed from the beginning to the last postbake of the reinforcement of the material 14 by exposure to radiation, and alternatively from the polymer stamp 10 During the separation of the substrate 12, the same temperature will be maintained. In this way, the limits of accuracy due to differences in thermal expansion in some materials used in the substrate and polymer stamp are eliminated.

The polymer stamp 10 may be applied to the surface of the substrate 12 by a peeling and pulling process as shown for example in Figure 7 or by a process in which the substrate or material layer 14 does not rust and only dissolves the material of the polymer stamp Is removed by dissolving the polymer stamp in a bath. The resultant reinforced polymer layer 14 'remains on the substrate 12. Various other methods of further processing of the substrate and its layer 14 'will not be discussed here in detail because the present invention is not related to such an additional process and is independent of how this additional process is performed . Generally speaking, an additional process for transferring the pattern of the polymer stamp 10 to the substrate base 13 may include, for example, etching or plating, and then optionally a lift-off step .

Fig. 8 schematically shows a preferred embodiment of an imprint mechanism included in the apparatus according to the present invention. An apparatus comprising two or more imprint mechanisms may include different types of imprint mechanisms or the same imprint mechanisms, and even if they are the same, they are advantageously operated under different conditions. As an example, if the polymer foil is imprinted in the first imprinting mechanism in a thermal process, the imprint temperature in the apparatus is higher than the glass transition temperature of the polymer foil.

In the case of the second imprint mechanism, the imprinted polymer foil acts as an intermediate stamp, and the imprint temperature is adjusted to be lower than the glass transition temperature of the polymer foil. However, Figures 8-10 illustrate a first imprinting mechanism designed for a first imprinting step, a second imprinting mechanism designed for a second imprinting step, or an intermediate imprinting mechanism for performing the processing steps of Figures 1d-1f . Figure 8 is a pure schematic for clarifying its different features. In particular, the dimensions of the different features are not typical scale.

The imprint mechanism 100 includes a first main portion 101 and a second main portion 102. In the preferred embodiment shown, these main parts are arranged on the second main part with the adjustable space 103 between these main parts. When making a surface imprint by a process such as that shown in Figs. 5-7, it may be important that the template and the substrate are suitably aligned in the lateral direction, generally referred to as the X-Y plane. This is particularly important if the imprint is made adjacent to or above a pattern that previously existed in the substrate. However, the particular problems of alignment and methods of overcoming them are not mentioned here, but of course can be applied to the present invention when necessary.

The first, stomach, and main portions 101 have a downwardly directed surface 104 and the second, underlying, major portions 102 have an upwardly directed surface 105. The upwardly facing surface 105 has a substantially flat or nearly flat portion and is formed or positioned on a portion of the plate 106 that serves as a support structure so that the template or substrate can be used in the imprint process , Which will be more fully illustrated with respect to Figures 9 and 10. 5 to 7, the heater body 21 forms a part of the heater device 20 and also includes a heating element 22 and preferably a cooling element 24. [ The heating element 22 is connected to an electrical power source having an energy source 26, for example a current regulating means, via a connector 23. The cooling element 24 is also connected to a cooling source 27 via a connector 25, for example a cooling liquid reservoir and a pump with regulating means for regulating the temperature and flow of the cooling liquid.

In the illustrated embodiment, the means for adjusting the space 103 is a piston member 107 attached to the plate 106 at the outer end. The piston member 107 is replaceably connected to a cylinder member 108 which is preferably fixedly supported with respect to the first main portion 101. In a preferred embodiment, the piston member 107 can be pivoted to a certain extent while being fixed to the cylinder member 108 to automatically maintain parallelism between the surfaces 104 and 105 when applied to the imprint process. The means for adjusting the space 103, as indicated by the arrows in the figure, move away from the first main portion 101 by a substantially vertical movement to a substantially flat surface 105, for example in the Z direction, The second main portion 102 is designed to move. It can move by gravity, but it is desirable to be assisted by using hydraulic or pneumatic devices. The illustrated embodiment may be modified in various ways in this respect, for example by attaching the plate 106 to a cylinder member around a fixed piston member. It should also be noted that the movement of the second main part 102 is primarily used to load or unload the imprint mechanism 100 with the template and substrate and to place the imprint mechanism in its initial operative position . However, it is preferable that the movement of the second main portion 102 is not included in a substantial imprint process as in the illustrated embodiment, which will be described later.

The first main portion 101 includes a peripheral seal member 108 which circumscribes the surface 104. Preferably, the seal member 108 may alternatively be an endless seal, such as an O-ring, or a plurality of interconnected seal members that together form a continuous seal 108. Preferably, the seal member 108 is disposed in a recess 109 outside the surface 104 and is separable from the recess. Alternatively, the imprinting mechanism may alternatively include a radiation source 110 disposed in the first main portion 101 behind the surface 104 in the illustrated embodiment. The copy source 110 is connected to a radiation source driver 111, which is preferably connected to a power source (not shown) or which includes a power source. The copy source driver 111 may be included in the imprint mechanism 100 or may be an externally connectable member. The surface portion 112 of the surface 104 disposed adjacent the radiation source 110 is made of a material that is transparent to the radiation source 110, preferably radiation of a certain wavelength or range of wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation . The radiation emitted from the radiation source 110 in this manner is transmitted toward the space 103 between the first main portion 101 and the second main portion 102 via the surface portion 112. [ The surface portion 112 acting as a window can be made of usable fused silica, quartz or sapphire.

One embodiment of the imprint mechanism 100 additionally includes mechanical clamping means (not shown) for clamping the substrate and the stamp together. This is particularly desirable in embodiments having an external alignment system for aligning the substrate and the stamp prior to transferring the pattern when the aligned stack comprising the stamp and substrate has to be transferred to the imprint mechanism. In one embodiment, a device for supporting the template is included (not shown) to secure the template to the surface 105. This can be a mechanical template retaining member, such as a chuck or a set of hooks that reliably supports the template or template carrier on the surface 105. [ Additionally, the template support device may additionally or alternatively include a seal around the orifice, a conduit connected between the vacuum supply source, the vacuum supply source and the orifice of the surface 105, and a seal around the orifice. When the template is placed over the surface 105 to cover the seal and a vacuum is applied, the template is supported by suction. Generally, both mechanical stator and vacuum stator include a mechanical stator that reliably supports the template in the process of demoulding or ejecting the imprinted polymer stamp, and the vacuum stator is used to reliably locate the template during the actual imprint process.

In operation, the imprint mechanism 100 additionally has a membrane 113 that is generally flat and engages the seal member 108. In one embodiment, the seal member 113 is a separate member from the seal member 108 and merely engages the seal member 108 by applying an opposing pressure from the surface 105 of the plate 106, which will be described below . In an alternative embodiment, however, the membrane 113 is attached to the seal member 108 by, for example, a cement or by becoming an integral part of the seal member 108. In this embodiment, the central portion sufficiently wide that the imprint mechanism is arranged to be used together and completely covers the template can be made substantially rigid, for example by attaching a rigid plate thereto. Also, in this alternative embodiment, the seal 108 may be disposed outwardly of the membrane 113, while the membrane 113 may be securely attached to the main portion 101. In the embodiment as shown, the membrane 113 is also made of a material that is transparent to radiation of a certain wavelength or wavelength range of the radiation source 110. In this way, the radiation emitted from the radiation source 110 is transferred to the space 103 through the hole 115 and the surrounding walls 104, 113. Examples of materials usable for the membrane 113 for the embodiment of Figures 7 to 9 are polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, PDMS or PEEK. The thickness of the membrane 113 may generally be between 10 and 500 micrometers. In the thermal imprinting process described, the combination of the membrane material and the polymeric foil material should be selected such that the imprint temperature above the glass transition temperature of the polymer foil does not exceed the glass transition temperature of the membrane.

The imprint mechanism 100 preferably further includes means for applying a vacuum between the stamp and the substrate to extract the entrapped air from the stackable sandwich formable layer before the layer is hardened through ultraviolet radiation. This is illustrated in Figure 8 by a vacuum pump 117 that is communicatively connected to the space between the surface 105 and the membrane 113 by a conduit 118.

The conduit 114 allows the fluid medium, such as one of gas, liquid or gel, to pass through a space defined by the surface 104, the seal member 108 and the membrane 113 And the space serves as a hole 115 for the liquid medium. The conduit 114 may be connected to a pressure source 116, such as a pump, which may be an exterior or built-in portion of the imprint mechanism 100. The pressure source 116 is designed to apply an adjustable pressure, in particular an excess pressure, to the liquid medium contained in the bore 115. Embodiments such as those shown are suitable for use with a gas pressure medium. The medium is preferably selected from the group comprising air, nitrogen and argon. If a gel or liquid medium, such as a hydraulic oil, is used instead, it is desirable to have a membrane attached to the seal member 108.

Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of the imprint mechanism of Fig. 8 when two imprint objects are loaded. The imprint mechanism 100 of FIG. 9 will now be described as a second imprint mechanism, for example, where an imprinted intermedial disk can be used later as a stamp for imprinting at the target surface of the substrate. The substrate 12 and the polymer stamp 10 are located in the space 103 between the main part 101 and the main part 102 constituting a cooperating member. To better understand the present drawings, reference is also made to Figs. 5 to 7. The second main portion 102 moved down from the first main portion 101 to open the space 103. [ The embodiment shown in Fig. 9 shows an imprint mechanism in which a polymer stamp 10 having transparency is mounted on a substrate 12. Fig. The substrate 12 lies behind it on the surface 105 of the heater body 21, which lies in or on the second main portion 102. Thereby, the substrate 12 has a target surface 17 with a layer 14 of polymerizable material, such as an upwardly directed, ultraviolet cross-linkable polymer, for example. For simplicity, all the features of the heater device 20 are not shown in Fig. 9 as shown in Figs. 5-7. The polymer stamp 10, having a structured surface 11 facing the substrate 12, is in contact with or over the substrate 12. Although not shown in this schematic view, means for aligning the polymer stamp 10 with the substrate 12 may be provided. At this time, the membrane 113 is placed on the polymer stamp 10. In the embodiment where the membrane 113 is attached to the first main part, the step of actually placing the membrane 113 on the polymer stamp is of course omitted. Also, in alternative embodiments, the polymer stamp 113 may act as a membrane. In this embodiment, no separate membrane 113 is provided, but instead the seal 108 is placed in direct contact with the polymer foil. The polymer foil may be deployed past the inlet of the conduit 118 and the polymer foil 10 may be deployed over the seals 108 and the substrate 12 such that no mechanical pressure is applied from the seal 108 onto the substrate 12. In this embodiment, It is preferable to have a substantially larger diameter than the substrate 12 so as to be pressed between the surfaces 105. The polymer stamp 10, the substrate 12 and the membrane 113 in Figure 9 are shown as completely separated because of their clarity, but in reality they will be stacked on the surface 105.

Fig. 10 shows a state in which the second imprint mechanism 100 is operated, which is described in connection with Fig. The second main portion 102 is raised in position when the membrane 113 is sandwiched between the seal member 108 and the surface 105. In practice, the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12 are generally very thin as only a millimeter, and the actual bending of the membrane 113 is minimal as shown. The surface 105 may be designed to have a raised peripheral portion at the point of contact with the seal member 108 via the membrane 113, .

Once the main portions 101 and 102 are engaged to tighten the membrane 113, the hole 115 is sealed. Vacuum is applied by suction of the vacuum pump 117 to extract air contained in the surface layer of the substrate 12. Wherein the pressure source 116 is designed to exert an overpressure on the liquid medium, which may be gas, liquid or gel, and which is in the hole 115. 6, the pressure at the hole 115 is transferred to the polymer stamp 10 by the membrane 113 and, when imprinting the polymer stamp pattern at the layer 14, Pressed. Pre-heating is generally necessary so that the cross-linkable polymer solution can exceed a glass transition temperature (Tg) of about 60 ° C. An example of such a polymer is the above-mentioned mr-L6000.1 XP. When using such a polymer, the imprint apparatus 100 having combined radiation and heating capabilities is particularly useful. However, for these types of materials, a post-baking step is generally necessary to make the radiation-enhanced layer 14 'hard. As already mentioned, an aspect of the invention is to apply an elevated temperature (Tp) to the material of the layer 14, which is higher than the Tg for the cross-linkable material and also suitable for post-baking of the radiation-exposed material . The heater device 20 is activated by the heater body 21 to heat the layer 14 through the substrate 12 until it reaches the temperature Tp. The actual value of Tp depends naturally on the material chosen for layer 14. In the example of mr-L6000.1 XP, a temperature Tp in the range of 50 to 150 DEG C can be used, which depends on the molecular weight distribution in the material. At this time, the pressure of the medium at the hole 115 is raised to 5 to 500 bar, advantageously 5 to 200 bar, preferably 20 to 100 bar. Thereby, the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12 are pressed together with the same pressure. With the aid of the membrane 113, a distribution of completely uniform force is obtained over the entire contact surface between the substrate and the polymer stamp. Thereby, the polymer stamp and the substrate are arranged completely parallel to each other, and the irregular influence on the surface of the substrate or the polymer stamp is removed.

By means of the applied liquid medium pressure, when the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12 are collected, the radiation source is caused to emit radiation 19. The radiation is transmitted through the surface portion 112 serving as a window, the hole 115, the membrane 113 and the polymer stamp 10. The radiation is partially or completely absorbed in the layer 14 so that the layer material is kept completely parallel to the polymer stamp 10 and the substrate 12 by the application of pressure and membrane assist compression , Cured, or cross-linked. The radiation exposure time depends on the amount and shape of the material in the layer 14, the radiation wavelength and the radiant force in addition to the material in that form. The properties of reinforcing such polymerizable materials are so well known and suitable combinations of the mentioned parameters are known to those skilled in the art. Once the liquid is intensified to produce layer 14 ', the additional exposure does not have a significant effect. However, after exposure, the layer 14 'material is post-baked or hardbaked for a predetermined time, e.g., 1 to 10 minutes, at a predetermined constant temperature Tp if post-baking is needed to strengthen the layer. In the case of mr-L6000.1 XP, post-baking is generally carried out at a general process temperature Tp of 100 to 120 DEG C for 1 to 10 minutes, preferably for about 3 minutes. In the case of SU8, the exposure time for radiation was 1 to 10 seconds and was successfully tested in the range of 3 to 5 seconds, with the postbake performed at a temperature Tp of about 70 DEG C for 30 to 60 seconds.

With the imprint mechanism 100 according to the present invention, the post bake can be performed in the imprint machine 100, which means that it is not necessary to bring the substrate from the imprint mechanism into the individual oven. This eliminates one process step and enables both time and money savings in the imprint process. By performing the post-bake step, while the polymer stamp 10 remains at a constant temperature Tp and potentially at a selected pressure toward the substrate 10, the high accuracy of the resulting structural pattern in layer 14 also , Which makes it possible to make fine structures. After compression, exposure and post-baking, the pressure in the hole 115 is reduced, and the two main parts 101 and 102 are separated from each other. Thereafter, the substrate is separated from the polymer stamp and is followed by further processing according to what is already known in imprint lithography. A first mode of the invention comprises a silicon substrate 12 covered by a layer 14 of NIP-K17 having a thickness of 1 micrometer. After compression by the membrane 113 at a pressure of 5 to 100 bar for about 30 seconds, the radiation source 110 is activated. The radiation source 110 is generally designed to emit in an ultraviolet region of at least 400 nanometers. In a preferred embodiment, an air cooled xenon lamp having an emission spectrum in the range of 200 to 1000 nanometers is selected as the radiation source 110. A preferred xenon-type radiation source 110 is designed to provide a radiation of 1 to 10 W / cm < ² > and to be illuminated with a pulse of 1 to 5 pulses per second, with a pulse of 1 to 5 microseconds. A window 112 made of quartz is formed on the surface 104 for passing radiation. The exposure time for polymerizing the liquid layer 14 into the solid layer 14 'is preferably 1 to 30 seconds, but can be up to 2 minutes.

Experiments with mr-L6000.1 XP, together with an exposure time of 1 minutes was carried out with a from about 1.8W / cm ² Synthesis of 200 to 1000 nanometers. The radiation used in this example is that the polymer applied to the layer 14 need not be limited to a range of wavelengths within which the polymer can be enforced and of course radiation outside that range can also be emitted from the used radiation source to be. After successful exposure and subsequent post-baking at a constant process temperature, the second main part 102 is lowered in position similar to FIG. 9, after which the template 10 and the substrate 12 are separated and processed further And is removed from the imprinting mechanism.

The term constant temperature means that the temperature is almost constant, which means that even if the thermostat is adjusted to maintain a constant temperature, the actual temperature obtained will vary somewhat. The stability of the constant temperature depends mainly on the accuracy of the thermostat and the inertia of the entire setup. It should also be understood that even though the method according to the present invention is used to imprint very fine structures of a few nanometers, slight temperature changes do not have a significant effect unless the template is very large. Assuming that the structure around the template has a width x, a reasonable spatial tolerance appears as a fraction of its width, such as y = x / 10, where y is a parameter that controls the temperature error . In fact, by applying the respective thermal expansion coefficients, the size of the template, the radius, and the spatial error parameter y to the template and the material of the substrate, in fact, affecting the difference in thermal expansion can be easily calculated. From this calculation, an appropriate temperature error for the temperature regulator can be calculated and applied to the machine for performing the process.

As described above and illustrated in Figure 1, the advantages of utilizing a flexible polymer foil in a "two-step" imprint process are as follows:

The flexibility of the polymer foil used reduces the complexity of pattern transfer due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate material used and the stamp applied in the imprint process. The present technology thus provides the possibility of transferring the pattern between the surfaces of materials characterized by different coefficients of thermal expansion. Nonetheless, most of the polymers used in the application are generally 60 * 10 ^-6 to 70 * 10 ^-6 , making imprints between two different polymer foils easier to manufacture, as shown in Figure 1 e) C ^-1 , very similar thermal expansion factors.

The flexibility and ductility of the polymer foil used can be enhanced by the use of polymer foils with or without a pattern and of air between other objects such as, for example, polymer foils comprising silicon, nickel, quartz or polymer materials, Interfere with impression during imprint. If the foil is pressed into one of these objects as shown in Figures 1b, 1e, 1h, the polymer foil acts like a membrane and presses the air to leave the imprinted area from the center to the end of the imprinted area.

During the imprinting process shown in Figures 1b), 1e) and 1h) due to the softness of the polymer foil and the polymer foil particles used between the template or the object being pressed, as well as the surface roughness of the template or object, Clear damage to one of the objects will be prevented.

Because of the high transparency of the polymer foil used, for example, for ultraviolet radiation, even when impermeable templates and substrates are used, ultraviolet-curable polymers can be used in the imprinting process mentioned above.

The very low surface energy of most of the polymer foils used leads to the stated anti-adherence properties for other materials and makes them ideal for use in imprinting processes. The deposition of additional anti-adhesive layers on low surface energy polymers is not necessary in most cases in order to simplify the process and make it industrially available, as mentioned above. As is clearly mentioned, it is possible to make a polymer replica stamp with an anti-stick material.

If the physical properties of the different polymer materials used in the process, such as glass transition temperature, light transmittance and post-exposure curability to radiation, are compatible, then the process illustrated in FIG. 1 and described above may be a positive copy (Similar to the original template's pattern) and negative duplicates (the pattern is contrary to the original template's pattern).

The aging and wear resistance of the flexible polymer stamps used makes it possible to use them many times in the second step of the imprint process. Alternatively, the polymer stamp can only be used once and discarded. In some cases, this increases the lifetime of the original template 1, which should never be used for imprints on rigid, non-flexible materials.

The flexibility and ductility of the polymer foils used relaxes the deformation of the non-flexible stamp or substrate from the flexible foil while reducing physical damage to the stamp or substrate.

Instead of mechanical de-molding of the polymer foil from the substrate after imprinting, alternatively the polymer foil can be chemically dissolved with the aid of a suitable solvent. This process may be desirable in the case of transfer of a pattern having a high aspect ratio, for example when the mechanical demoulding can damage the substrate or stamp, such that the depth of the pattern structure is substantially greater than its width.

The physical dimensions of the original template as well as the pattern on the surface of the original template can be easily transferred to the polymer foil. In some applications, the position of the pattern on the last substrate is important. For example, in the case of a hard disk drive, the pattern must be duplicated and centered on the disk. Here a master stamp is produced with a central hole. After imprinting, the relief of the central hole is formed of a flexible polymer foil, which can be used to align the pattern on the foil to the last replicated disc.

The replicas produced in the polymer sheet can enable a new family development process that can not be performed in a conventional manner by nickel-to-nickel plating. Here, the imprinted polymer sheet first bonds with the rigid substrate, for example, by an ultraviolet-assisted imprint process. The sheet is then metallized with a seed layer and electroplated to receive a nickel copy of the original. Many other conversion processes are accessible through the above-described invention.

An embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 11-16. The apparatus 400 includes a first imprint mechanism 200 and a second imprint mechanism 300. Either or both of the first and second imprinting mechanisms 200 and 300 may be each designed as described with reference to Figs. The elements described with reference to the previous figures have the same reference numbers, but in the case of the instrument 200, the first number is 2 instead of 1, and in the case of the instrument 300, the first number is 3 instead of 1. [ However, for simplicity, not all elements will be shown in each figure.

The first imprint mechanism 200 includes a first pair of interacting support members such as a main portion 201 and a main portion 202 which have an adjustable first intermediate space 203 and are disposed opposite to each other. To adjust the first intermediate space 203, including the suspension of the main part 202, a first press device is provided to move away from or toward the main part. In addition, the pure mechanical movement of the second main portion 202 can be used to actually compress the main portions together, but as described with reference to Figures 8-10, the actual imprint mechanism is preferably by hydraulic pressure and membrane.

Similarly, the second imprint mechanism 300 includes a second pair of interacting support members, such as a main portion 301 and a main portion 302, which have an adjustable first intermediate space 303 and are disposed opposite to each other do. The second press device is included to grip the main portion 302 and adjust the second intermediate space 303 so as to move away from or toward the main portion 301. [ In addition, imprint pressures can be achieved by motion to press the major portions toward each other, but as described with reference to Figures 8-10, the actual imprint pressure is preferably by hydraulic pressure and membrane. The actual imprint mechanism will not be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15, but the processes may include thermal imprints, copy-assist imprints or combined thermal and radiation-assisted imprints.

The interacting major parts 201 and 202 are fixed to the first support frame 219 and the interacting main parts 301 and 302 are fixed to the second support frame 319. [ The support frames 219 and 319 may be attached directly to each other by a fixation member such as a set of bolts or by attaching both to a common carrier 401, As shown in Fig. In an alternative embodiment, only one support frame is included, with the first and second interacting mains all being fixed thereto.

The feeder device 410 is configured to transfer the imprinted disc in the first mechanism from the first intermediate space 203 to the second intermediate space 303 (not shown) so that it can be used as a stamp in the second imprint mechanism for imprinting at the target surface of the substrate. ). ≪ / RTI > In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11-16, the supply device 410 grasps the disc in the first intermediate space 203 and transfers it to the second intermediate space 303, And a disk gripping member 411 which is operable to drop the sheet 411 on the sheet. Preferably, as illustrated in the figures, the feed device 410 comprises one or more telescopically extendable rotatable and movable members between the first intermediate space 203 and the second intermediate space 303, 412 < / RTI > In the drawing, the feeder 410 is shown to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the vertical imprint direction, while an alternate embodiment is movable about an axis parallel to the imprint direction. As a result, the general idea of the feeding apparatus according to this embodiment is shown in that the feeding device moves between the first intermediate space 203 and the second intermediate space 303. The feed device 410 is preferably connected to one of the support frames 219 or 319, or to a common carrier 401 as shown in the drawing. In the illustrated embodiment, the feed device 410 is rotatably mounted at a point 413 with respect to a common carrier 401, whereby the feed device and the first and second intermediate spaces 203, A fixed relationship is established.

After imprinting in the first imprinting mechanism, the imprinted disc 5, as in Fig. 1b, is generally somewhat firmly attached to the template 1. For the disc 5 in the form of a polymer foil as referenced in the example shown in this example, the imprinted disc is fixed to the template 1 by vacuum force, but no further adhesion is desired. The anti-adhesive effect is obtained by careful selection of the template and material for the disc, or by an anti-adhesion promoter applied to the template surface 2, the disc surface 4 or both. In one embodiment, to separate the imprinted disc from the template in the first imprint mechanism 200, the feeder 410 also includes a separation mechanism. The separation mechanism includes a disk gripping member 411 and a disk pulling member operable to separate the disk from the template. Different more detailed embodiments of the separation mechanism will be described below with reference to Figs.

A preferred mode of operation of the imprint apparatus is characterized in that each intermittent stamp 10 is used only once in the second imprint apparatus 300 for imprinting on each substrate 12. The first imprint apparatus 10, Such as the stamp 5 or 8, in the work station 200, using one and the same template 1 several times consecutively. Sometimes, the replacement of template 1 will be important. For this purpose, the template charger mechanism may be implemented as a set of selectable templates (e. G., ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > , And the first intermediate space (203). The template charging mechanism preferably includes a grabber 422 and a lever device 423 designed to engage with a template carrier or template in which one template is suspended. The template filling mechanism has been omitted for simplicity when it is not used in Figures 12-16.

The disk charging mechanism operates to be guided between the first set of disks and the first intermediate space 203 preferably disposed in the stack 431 as in the disk FOUP. The disk charging mechanism preferably includes a disk gripper 432 and a lever device 433 designed to engage and hold the disk from the stack 431. The disc dispenser 432 may include a vacuum suction member designed to assure the upper surface of the clean disc in the stack 431.

The substrate filling mechanism operates to be directed between a set of substrates preferably disposed and imprinted on the stack 441 and the second intermediate space 303, such as in a substrate FOUP. The substrate filling mechanism includes a substrate holder 442 and a lever device 443 designed to engage and hold the substrate from the stack 441. In addition, the substrate gripper 442 may include a vacuum suction member designed to ensure the upper surface of the clean disc in the stack 431. Alternatively, a substrate gripper 442 may be employed in the tray member to assemble the substrates in a stack that engages under the substrate.

The substrate extraction mechanism operates to be induced between the second intermediate space 303 and the port 451 for the imprinted substrates. Port 451 may be a second substrate FOUP. In another embodiment, the port 451 is a demoulding device operable to eject the imprinted substrate from the intermediate stamp. The demoulding device may be a mechanical separator designed to strip and pull the intermediate stamp from the imprinted substrate. In an alternative embodiment, the demoulding device may include a bath having a liquid solution capable of melting the intermed stamp without affecting the substrate. The substrate extraction mechanism captures and handles the imprinted substrate, or more preferably the upper intermittent stamp, or both, in the second intermediate space 303, and uses the lever device 453 to move the intermed And a gripper 452 designed to remove both the stamp and the imprinted substrate. Alternatively, the gripper 452 includes a demoulding device operable to emit an intermediate stamp from the substrate in the second intermediate space 303 and to remove the demoulded stamp and intermediate stamp. The gripper 452 may include a vacuum suction member designed to handle an upper surface such as, for example, a patterned surface of an intermediate staple. Alternatively, the tray member may be used to collect substrates and intermittent stamps sandwiched from the bottom of the substrate.

Fig. 17 shows a polymer foil impregnated with a template in the sandwich structure template 1 and the intermittent disc 10, preferably in the first imprint mechanism 200. Fig. The separation mechanism for the feeder 410 includes a disk grasping member 411 and a disk pulling member 414. In this embodiment the vacuum supply source 415 is alternatively connected to supply a vacuum through the conduit 416 to the disk gripping member 411 and through the conduit 417 to the disk pulling member 414. When a vacuum is applied, the gripping force is obtained by suction, and the gripping force is released when the vacuum is released above atmospheric or atmospheric pressure. Preferably, the disk gripping member 411 is located at or near the center of the disk 10 so that the disk 10 can be moved or lifted in a controlled manner. However, the disk pulling member 414 is located at the periphery of the disk 10, as shown. Which can be mechanically or alternatively controlled. When a vacuum is applied to the disk pulling member 414, a lifting force is applied, as shown by arrows in the figure. The lifting force may be perpendicular to the engaged disc surface, but in order to facilitate ejection, it is desirable that the lifting force be oriented slightly inward from the periphery of the disc. Once the disc is slightly detached at the edge adjacent the engaged perimeter, total separation is somewhat easier since the vacuum force holding both the template 1 and the disc 10 is broken. In addition, when the disk pulling member 414 is operated to separate the disk 20 from the template 1, downward arrows are shown in the drawing to indicate that the template supporting device is operating to pull the template down .

Figure 18 shows another embodiment of a detachment mechanism for the dispensing device 410 including the disc gripping member 411 and the disc pulling member 460 when operating on the disc 10 sandwiched with the template 1. [ An example is schematically shown. The disk gripping member 411 is similar to that of Fig. 17 and therefore will not be described again. In this embodiment, however, the disk pulling member 460 includes a mechanical pinching member 461 operable to capture the periphery of the disk 10. This requires that the disc 10 extends over the corresponding edge of the template 1. [ In the illustrated case, the disc 10 is a flexible polymer foil having a rectangular shape that is larger than the template 1. The pinching member 461 operates to catch on the periphery of the disk edge and the resulting lifting force acts as shown by the upward arrow. One way of doing this is to rotate the pinching member 461 upwards by the lever device 462 connected to the disc gripping member 411, as shown.

In a preferred embodiment, the disc 10 is a polymer foil. In this embodiment, static electricity generated on the surface of the foil is a separate problem. For this purpose, the nozzle 500 is provided such that the polymer foil is placed in a stream or curtain of deionized gas, such as ionized air. The nozzle 500 is connected to a deionization gas source (not shown) via a conduit 501. The nozzle 500 can be operated with the disc holding member 411 on the supply device 410 and can be individually fixed with respect to the support frame 219. [ In one embodiment, the nozzle 500 or other nozzle for supplying the de-ionized gas may desorb the polymer foil before placing the polymer foil in the first intermediate space 203 and in the second intermediate space 303 And is operable to pass the ionizing gas.

19 shows an embodiment of an apparatus 470 usable for grasping a surface. The substantially flat support surface 471 has a peripheral seal 472, such as an o-ring, which rests on a supporting recess. In the seal 472, an inlet 473 of the conduit is formed and the conduit is alternatively connected to the vacuum. The apparatus 470 can be used in a disk gripping member 411, a disk pulling member 414, or other apparatus in an imprint apparatus that is operable to lift and hold a template, disk, and substrate.

Figures 12 to 16 include simplified illustrations of the apparatus of Figure 11 and show other process steps for one mode of operation of the imprint apparatus. There are many parameters for operating the imprint apparatus, and the actual synchronicity between the two imprint apparatuses depends on the difference in the imprint process time in both apparatuses 200 and 300.

In FIG. 12, the first imprint mechanism 200 currently imprints the surface pattern of the template 1 to the opposite receiving surface of the intermediate layer 10B. Further, the second imprint mechanism 300 currently imprints the surface pattern of the receiving surface of the intermediate disc 10A to the opposite target surface of the substrate 12A. Both the disk filling mechanism and the substrate filling mechanism are ready to take in and load new objects and the feeder 410 is in a standby state.

In FIG. 13, both imprinting mechanisms have released their imprinting pressure, and each interacting member is separated to open intermediate spaces 203 and 303. When the interacting major portions of the mechanism 200 are disengaged, the feed device 410 is entrained to enter the first intermediate space 203 and hold the new imprinted intermediate disk 10B. The substrate extraction mechanism may also be adapted to receive the intermittent disc 10A and the currently imprinted substrate 12A by entering the second intermediate space 303 by separation of the interacting major portions of the instrument 300 I am attracted.

In Figure 14 the extraction mechanism moves the sanded disk 10A and substrate 12A to port 451 and then the substrate filling mechanism moves the new substrate 12B from stack 441 to intermediate space 303 . Preferably, the substrate filling mechanism is to properly position the new substrate 12B on the support surface of the lower main portion of the second imprint mechanism 300. [ In the first imprint mechanism, the imprinted disc 10B is separated from the template 1 and lifted by the supply device 410. [

15, the feeder 410 moves the imprinted disc 10B from the first intermediate space 203 to the second intermediate space 303 and moves the imprinted disc 10B from the first intermediate space 203 to the second intermediate space 303, Place the face. When the disc 10B is removed from the first intermediate space 203, the disc charging mechanism operates to place a new disc 10C on the template 1 of the first intermediate space, Of the foil (3). It is assumed that the substrate filling mechanism is in the ready state in the substrate stack 441.

In FIG. 16, it is also assumed that the disc charging mechanism is in the ready state in the disc stack 431, and that the supply apparatus 410 is also in the ready state. The process is now ready to proceed as shown in FIG.

20 to 23 illustrate a membrane supply system according to an embodiment of the invention. The membrane supply system is arranged to continuously and step-feed the new membrane to the intermediate space between the two main parts of the imprint mechanism. With respect to the double imprinting mechanism device as described in connection with Figs. 11-16, this type of membrane supply system can be employed in either of the two imprinting mechanisms 200 and 300. Fig. However, this is particularly useful in the first imprint mechanism. Thus, the membrane supply system is not limited to use in a dual instrument imprint apparatus. Similar elements in Figs. 20 to 23 have the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 8, and the reference numerals are not indicated but are coincident with those in Fig. Several elements necessary for performing the imprint process for simplification have been omitted in Figs. 20-23. In the illustrated embodiment, the membrane supply system comprises a roller (not shown) arranged to roll from the first roller 2001 to the position of the first intermediate space 103 and subsequently to the second roller 2002 2001, 2002) and a membrane ribbon 2003. The membrane ribbon < RTI ID = 0.0 > 2003 < / RTI & When a portion of the membrane ribbon is used in the imprinting process in space 103, a feeding device (not shown), such as an electric motor, which drives the second roller 2002 for rotation, And supplies a new portion of the membrane ribbon 2003 to the space 103. [ This is also the scene shown in Fig.

In the space 103, the template 1 is located on the lower support surface 105. The imprinted disc 3, preferably a flexible polymer foil, is laid over the template 1 with the receiving surface 4 facing the structured surface of the template 1,

21 shows how the membrane moving member is located in the intermediate space in a direction parallel to the direction of adjustment of the press apparatus of the imprint apparatus, 1 and 3) toward the upper member. In the illustrated view, the membrane moving member comprises a pair of guide rollers 2004 and 2006, each fixed by cylinders 2005 and 2007, respectively, and when the membrane is secured to the adjacent face of the disc 3 To press down the portion of the membrane present in the space 103 in the downward direction.

In subsequent steps, when the main parts 101 and 102 are assembled and the seal 108 presses and fixes the membrane 2003 towards the support surface 105, the vacuum is evacuated through the conduit 118, (117). However, when the membrane 2003 is placed on the disc 3, air can be trapped therebetween as the pressure increases around the periphery of the disc 3. Any particles or bubbles present between the foil 3 and the membrane 2003 are also transferred to the foil 3 because the disk 3 is a flexible polymer foil imprinted by heating above the glass transition temperature. Will be transferred to the rear of the. Since the rear portion of the foil 3 is not used, slight warping is irrelevant. However, air or other gas bubbles can penetrate through the polymer foil and damage the pattern transferred from the template 1 to the receiving surface of the foil 3. [ To minimize this risk, as shown in Fig. 21, the press roller 2008 is controlled to turn on the side of the membrane 2003 while facing away from the sandwich arrangement. The press roller 2008 preferably has a soft cover surface made of rubber or silicone and is fixed by a biased spring 2009 to apply a constant down force. The alternative means of the roller solution of Figure 21 may be to move the edge of the rake over the membrane.

22 shows that when the main portions 101 and 102 are gathered and the pressure transferred by the membrane in the sandwich arrangement to the imprint is supplied from the source 116 to the gas or liquid in the hole 115, FIG. As already noted, the imprint can also be assisted by copying, in which case the copy source 110 is able to transfer the copy through the membrane 115 and the disc 3 to the disc 3 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > radiation-sensitive < / RTI >

After imprinting, possibly including post-baking, the main parts 101 and 102 are separated and the membrane 2003 is lifted, as shown in Fig. Immediately, the imprinted disc 3, the current stamp 10, and the new imprinted disc 3 'are removed from the template 103 in the space 103, as is possible with the second imprint mechanism as described in connection with Figures 11-16. (1). The membrane supply system allows the used membrane portion to deviate from the space 103 and a new portion of the membrane ribbon 2003 to the space 103 to be used when imprinting the disk 3 '. During the imprint, the imprint temperature exceeds the glass transition temperature for the polymer foil, but does not exceed the glass transition temperature for the membrane material. However, suitable membrane materials selected depending on the material of the imprinted polymer foil, such as polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, PDMS or PEEK, may undergo mechanical deformation in the imprint process. Such deformations typically occur at the periphery, such as the edges of the template and possibly the polymer foil, but may also occur within the periphery. In subsequent imprinting processes, any deformation at the membrane can be transferred to the imprinted polymer foil, and even if its back is not used, the deformation can penetrate into the receiving surface of the foil as mentioned. By continuing to provide some of the new membranes used, this problem is minimized.

24 to 27 show another embodiment of the imprint apparatus according to the invention. In this embodiment, a supply device operable to move the imprinted disc from the first intermediate space of the two interacting imprint mechanisms to the second intermediate space has a different configuration and includes a polymer foil ribbon and a ribbon supply mechanism . Apart from the feeding device, the first and second imprinting mechanisms are arranged substantially as described substantially in connection with Figs. 8 to 11. Accordingly, elements that were present before referencing these figures will be referred to using the same reference numerals, as shown or not shown in Figures 24-27. The embodiments of FIGS. 24-27, in the case of maintaining a patterned surface layer of an imprinted substrate on a substrate and potentially subsequently metallized, for example in producing a memory disk, useful.

Fig. 24 shows first and second imprint mechanisms 200 and 300, each having a respective pair of interacting main portions separated to open intermediate spaces 203 and 303, respectively. The first imprint mechanism 200 may have a membrane supply system, as described in connection with FIGS. 20-23. In the illustrated embodiment, the first imprint mechanism 200 has a fixed membrane 213. Preferably, the membrane 213 has a substantially rigid central portion 241 that is selected to correspond to the dimensions of the template in which the first imprint mechanism 200 is arranged. The rigid central portion 241 may be connected to the membrane 213 at its periphery. Alternatively, the membrane 213 covers the entire template, while the rigid central portion 241 is a plate secured to the membrane 213 on the upper or lower portion. In this embodiment, the seal 208 is located under the membrane 213. The template 1 is located on the support surface 205 of the lower support member when it is desired that the template be supported mechanically and by vacuum suction through a conduit 242 connected to the vacuum supply source 117 . The second imprinting mechanism is basically designed as described with respect to Fig. 8 and has a new substrate 12 to be imprinted, which is located above the lower main portion 302. It is also preferred that the vacuum supply source 117 or other source is connected to the support surface of the lower main portion via the conduit 242, corresponding to the arrangement described for the first imprint mechanism 200. One difference is that the polymer foil ribbon, which acts here as an intermediate stamp, also acts as a membrane. In one embodiment, the second imprint mechanism 300 includes a material dispenser (not shown) operable to apply a thermal or ultraviolet curable prepolymer from the prepolymer source 244 onto the substrate 12 present in the second intermediate space 303. In one embodiment, (243). In a preferred embodiment, the support surface of the lower main portion 302 has a central distribution from the distributor 243 and a rotation by a spinner 245 to the top of the substrate 12, And a spinner 245 that provides spin-coating of the prepolymer on the surface. In an alternate embodiment, a spin-coating station is provided adjacent to the second imprint mechanism 300 from which the substrate charger picks up the coated substrate and continuously places it in the second intermediate space.

In this embodiment, in the case of transferring the imprinted disc from the first to the second imprint mechanism, the supplying device also has the function of a disc charger. In the illustrated embodiment, a first roller 250 with a new blank polymer foil ribbon 252 is in front of the first imprinting mechanism, from which a first roller ribbon is interposed between the first intermediate space 203, In the case where it is guided to the second roller 251 through the space 303, the feeding device includes a pair of rollers. As an alternative to rolling up the imprinted polymer foil ribbon 252 behind the second imprinting mechanism 300, in order to melt or subsequently separate the intermed stamp, each used intermed stamping portion is pressed against the second imprinting mechanism And can be successively cut and separated to follow the imprinted substrate.

24, the polymer foil ribbons 252 existing on the substrate 12 are imprinted by the template 1 in the first imprint mechanism 200 in the previous step, and then the ribbons 252 are removed from the areas where the rollers 251 are located By means of a pulling, for example an electric motor (not shown), the ribbon 252 goes forward. Over template 1, there is a new portion of the polymer foil.

In Fig. 25, the corresponding major parts 201, 202, 301 and 302 are gathered together. In the first imprint mechanism 200, by the pressure supplied to the gas or liquid present in the hole 215 behind the membrane 213 having the rigid portion 241 from the pressure source 216, the new polymer foil portion Is imprinted by the structured template surface, and the membrane presses the foil 252 toward the template 1. As already explained, the imprint process may be thermal or radiation-assisted. In the second imprint mechanism 300, the already impregnated polymer foil portion now acts as an intermediate stamp and membrane and is fixed by the seal 308 of the upper main portion 301. The intermed stamp is used to imprint the target surface of the substrate 12 by pressure supplied from a pressure source 316 to a gas or liquid present in the hole 315 behind the intermittent stamp portion of the ribbon 252. [ do. Preferably, the process is performed at a relatively low pressure in the range of 1 to 20 bar and an appropriate amount of ultraviolet radiation from the source 310. Which exposes and cures the prepolymer through the polymer foil 252, thereby curing the prepolymer and attaching it to the substrate 12.

In Fig. 26, after the imprinting sequence and possible post-baking, the interacting main parts of the two imprint mechanisms are also separated. As with one of the solutions described with reference to Figure 17 or 18, some form of separation device (not shown) should be selected at this stage. In particular, when the template is held on the lower support surface, this is related to the first imprint mechanism 200. Further, in the second imprint mechanism, a built-in separation device may be included. In the illustrated embodiment, the imprinted substrate 12 is allowed to maintain contact with the used intermittent stamp.

Finally, in Figure 27, the feeder operates to feed the polymer foil ribbon 252 in one step such that the last portion imprinted by the template 1 is located in the second intermediate space 303. Whereby the last imprinted substrate 12 is pulled out of the space 303 and can be separated from the foil 252 in the same process. Preferably, the separation from the foil must be performed separately after removal from the space 303. At this time, the new substrate 12 'is placed on the lower supporting surface of the second imprint mechanism 300 by the substrate charger.

The embodiment described with reference to Figures 24 to 27 also includes a press roller for compressing air and a moving member for pressing down the guide roller 252 according to what was described in connection with Figures 20 to 23 can do.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. In this example, the first imprint mechanism 200, shown in one of the figures, is an injection molding mechanism. The molding apparatus of Fig. 28 is very similar to the embodiment of Fig. 8, so that the same reference numerals have been used for certain elements. The difference, however, is that there is no gas or liquid and no membrane present to apply pressure. The template 1 is shown lying on the lower support surface 105 and the template is made to hold a suitable process temperature of, for example, 50 to 90 占 폚. The lower main portion 202 is movable by the space adjusting devices 107 and 108 to adjust the space 203 between the upper main portion 201 and the lower main portion 202. [ Preferably, the major portions are adjusted such that the upper major portion is located with the downwardly facing surface 104 close to the template surface at about 0.1 to 1 millimeter. Where the melted polymer is applied from the polymer source 280, via conduit 281 in the upper main portion 201. Preferably, the molten polymer is provided using a pressing force, for example, by applying force from a source 280 or by mechanically screwing it into the space 203. Once the molten polymer is applied, pressure can be applied to reliably inject the molten polymer material into the pattern of the template, using the spatial adjustment devices 107, 108. Alternatively, the main portions 201 and 202 are maintained at a predetermined distance from each other, and the applied pressure for the melted polymer material provides a unique pressure. The molten polymer material is generally maintained at 200-250 占 폚, and is thus rapidly cooled by the relatively cool template (1). Also, since the space 203 defining the resulting thickness of the resulting polymer stamp is typically as small as 1 millimeter or less, cooling is typically very fast, typically less than 10 seconds. Thereafter, the space adjusting devices 107 and 108 operate to open the space 203, and the polymer stamp thus produced is demoulded by the supply device and is discharged from the first intermediate space 203 to the space of the second- Lt; / RTI > The feeding device and the second imprinting mechanism may have any form as described in connection with Figs. 5-23.

Yes

Some polymer foils that may be used are:

TOPAS 8007 from Ticona GmBH, Germany: a thermoplastic random copolymer having a glass temperature of 80 ° C Topas is transparent to light at wavelengths greater than 300 nanometers, and features low surface energy. The foil having a thickness of 50 to 500 mu m can be used. Here, a foil having a thickness of 130 to 140 mu m was used. This material can also be used for injection molding in the first imprint step.

Zeonor ZF14 from Zeon Chemicals, Japan: Thermoplastic polymer with a glass temperature of 136 ° C and a light transmittance of 92 percent for wavelengths greater than 300 nanometers. The foil used has a thickness of 188 mu m, but can be used in other thicknesses in the range of 50 to 500 mu m. This material can also be used for injection molding in the first imprint step.

Zeonex E48R from Zeon Chemicals, Japan: A thermoplastic polymer with a glass temperature of 139 ° C and a light transmittance of 92 percent for wavelengths greater than 350 nanometers. The foil used has a thickness of 75 mu m. This material can also be used for injection molding in the first imprint step.

Polycarbonate (Bisphenol-A polycarbonate) from Bayer AG, Germany, with a glass temperature of 150 ° C, and 91 percent for wavelengths above 350 nm Thermoplastic polymer having light transparency. The foil used has a thickness of 300 μm and can be used up to 1 mm in many different thicknesses. This material can also be used for injection molding in the first imprint step.

The resist material used is a photo-resist material made by SU8 (MicroChem Corp. USA, USA) of Microchem, USA, and can be cured after exposure to light having a wavelength of 350 to 400 nanometers. As an adhesion promoter between the SU8 and the silicon substrate, a foil LOR0.7 (thin LOR 0.7 film) manufactured by Micromchem of USA was used.

Hereinafter, an example of a two-step imprint process in which an imprint apparatus according to the invention can be used will be described.

Example 1

A nickel template showing a line pattern with a surface line width of 80 nanometers and a height of 90 nanometers was imprinted on the Zeonor ZF14 for 3 minutes at 150 ° C and 50 bar. No surface has been treated by any additional coating, e. G., An anti-adhesive layer. The release temperature was 135 占 폚 at which the Zeonor foil could be mechanically removed from the nickel surface without damaging the template and the pattern of the replica. Zeonor foil was used as a new template and imprinted on a 100 nanometer thick SU8 foil. The SU8 foil was previously spin-coated on a silicon substrate and spun-coated on a 20 nm LOR foil. Also here, no surface was treated by additional coatings with the aim of improving the anti-adhesion properties between SU8 foil and Zeonor foil. The imprint was carried out at 70 DEG C, 50 bar for 3 minutes. The SU8 foil was exposed to ultraviolet light for 4 seconds through an optically transmissive Zeonor foil and baked for more than 2 minutes. During the entire imprint process, the temperature and pressure were kept constant at 70 ° C and 50 bar, respectively. The release temperature was 70 캜, at which Zeonor foil could be mechanically removed from the SU8 foil without damaging the pattern of the polymer template foil and duplicate foil. The AFM image of the imprint results in the SU8 foil deposited on a silicon wafer is shown in FIG.

Example 2

A nickel template representing a BluRay pattern having a height of 100 nanometers and a width of 150 nanometers when the surface was observed by the AFM was subjected to the same process and same parameters as previously described in Example 1, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > ZF14. ≪ / RTI > Zeonor foil was used as a new template and imprinted on a 100 nanometer thick SU8 foil. Also here, the same process and same parameters as those already described in Example 1 were used. The AFM image of the imprint results in SU8 films deposited on silicon wafers is shown in Fig.

Example 3

A nickel template was used, the surface of which contained a pattern of micrometer units with high aspect ratios ranging from 1 to 28. The feature size ranges from 600 nanometers to 12 micrometers at a height of 17 micrometers. The surface was covered with a phosphoric acid anti-adhesive film before imprinting. The nickel template is. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 190 C < / RTI > at 50 bar for 3 minutes. The surface of the polycarbonate foil was not treated by an additional coating for the purpose of improving the anti-adherence properties between the nickel template and the polycarbonate film. The discharge temperature is 130 占 폚 at which polycarbonate foil can be mechanically removed from the nickel surface without damaging the pattern of the template and the replica. The polycarbonate foil was used as a new template for imprinting on topaz foil. The imprint was carried out at 120 DEG C, 50 bar for 3 minutes. No additional coating was applied to any surface to improve the anti-adhesion properties between the polycarbonate and the topaz foil. The release temperature is 70 DEG C, at which topaz can be mechanically separated from the polycarbonate foil without damaging the pattern of the template foil and replica foil. Topaz foil was used as a new template and imprinted on a 6000-nanometer-thick SU8 film spin-coated onto a silicon substrate. Also here, it was not treated by any additional coatings on any surface, for the purpose of improving the anti-adhesive properties between the SU8 film and the topaz foil. The imprint was carried out at 70 DEG C, 50 bar for 3 minutes. The SU8 film was exposed to ultraviolet light for 4 seconds through an optically transmissive topaz foil and baked for 2 minutes or more at a pressure of 50 bar or a temperature of 70 占 폚 for the entire process. The discharge temperature was 70 占 폚. The topaz foil was then completely dissolved in p-xylene at 60 ° C for 1 hour. The SEM image of the result is shown in FIG. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus for carrying out this process is characterized in that, in this example, when the polycarbonate master template is used to be provided as a first intermediate stamp in the first imprint mechanism, And imprint mechanisms. Wherein the first intermittent stamp was used for imprinting in a second foil of tops in this example to make a second intermediate stamp in the second imprinting mechanism. In the third imprint mechanism, the second intermittent stamp was used to transfer the pattern onto the target substrate by imprint. One identical feeder may be provided to move the imprinted intermediate stamp between the imprinting mechanisms and alternatively one of the feeding devices may be provided between the first and second imprinting mechanisms, The apparatus may be provided between the second and third imprint mechanisms.

Experimental

The imprint process described in the above examples was carried out using different process parameters, in some cases using nickel stamps of different patterns, covered by a phosphoric acid anti-adhesive film. The substrates (2 to 6 inch silicon wafers) were cleaned directly by rinsing isopropanol and acetone prior to spinning the LOR and SU8 films. The size of the stamp used is 2 to 6 inches. The imprint was carried out using Obducat-6-inch-NIL equipment, which provides ultraviolet modules.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed in tapping mode using a digital instrument's NanoScope IIIa microscope from Digital Instruments to investigate imprint results and stamps after imprinting.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed at 25 kV using an Obducat MX2600 Microscope.

Claims (37)

An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate, A first pair of cooperating main parts arranged to face each other with a first intermediate space therebetween, and a second pair of cooperating main parts operable to transfer the pattern of the template to a receiving surface of the disc in a first imprint step, A first imprinting mechanism including a first pressing device for adjusting the intermediate space, A second imprinting mechanism including a second pair of interacting major portions and a second press device operable to adjust the second intermediate space, the second imprinting mechanism being disposed to face each other with a second intermediate space therebetween; and And a feeder device operable to move the disc from the first intermediate space to the second intermediate space. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, And a support structure for supporting said first and second pairs of interacting major portions. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, The first support structure comprises the first pair of interacting mains, The second support structure having said second pair of interacting mains, Characterized in that a fixation member supports the first and second support structures to be fixed relative to each other, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, One of said first pairs of interacting key portions comprising a cavity for a medium and a pressure supply system for adjusting the pressure of said medium in said hole, Characterized in that the wall of the hole comprises a membrane forming a support surface towards the other one of the first pair of major parts with which one side interacts. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, One of the second pairs of interacting key portions comprises a hole for the medium and a pressure supply system for adjusting the pressure of the medium in the hole, Characterized in that the wall of the hole comprises a membrane forming an abutting bearing surface of said second pair of major parts with which one side interacts, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Characterized in that one of said first pair of interacting main parts comprises a template support surface having a template holding device, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 6, Characterized in that the template support device comprises a mechanical template retaining member. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 6, Characterized in that the template support apparatus comprises a vacuum supply source, a vacuum supply source and a conduit connected between the orifice at the support surface and a seal disposed about the orifice. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Characterized in that one of said first pairs of interacting main parts comprises a template supporting surface with a heater device, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 10. The method of claim 9, And a temperature control mechanism connected to the heater device. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Characterized in that said one of said first pair of interacting main parts comprises a radiation source operable to emit radiation towards said first intermediate space. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Wherein one of said second pairs of interacting main parts comprises a radiation source operable to emit radiation towards said second intermediate space. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 6, The feeding device comprising: a disk grabbing member operable to engage and grab with an imprinted disc present in the first intermediate space; and a disk pulling member operable to separate the disc from the template, Characterized in that it comprises a separation unit, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the disc pulling member is arranged to engage the imprinted disc in an off-center position. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 15. The method of claim 14, Characterized in that the disk pulling member is arranged to provide a pulling force to the disk that is away from the template and is oriented at the center of the disk. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 14. The method of claim 13, Characterized in that the disc gripping member comprises a mechanical gripping member operable to grip around the side edge of the disc. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 14. The method of claim 13, A vacuum supply system, a vacuum supply system and a conduit connected between the openings in the disk gripping member, and a seal disposed about the opening, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 5. The method of claim 4, Characterized in that the membrane is arranged to be separated from the main portion and to be engaged with a gasket disposed around a portion of the main portion to form the hole. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 19. The method of claim 18, And a membrane feed system operative in concert with the first press apparatus to continuously feed a new membrane into the first intermediate space for each cycle of the first imprint step. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 20. The method of claim 19, Characterized in that the membrane supply system comprises a membrane ribbon and a pair of rollers arranged in a first intermediate space from a first roller and subsequently rolled off to a second roller , An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 20. The method of claim 19, Characterized in that the membrane supply system comprises a membrane moving member arranged to move a portion of the membrane present in the first intermediate space in a direction parallel to the direction of adjustment of the first press apparatus. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the template and the disk are placed in a sandwich arrangement in the first intermediate space, A membrane press member adapted to be placed in contact with the opposing surface of the membrane facing away from the sandwich arrangement and a press displacing member adapted to pass the press member against the opposite surface toward the periphery of the membrane, wherein the membrane is placed over the sandwich arrangement. < RTI ID = 0.0 > An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 23. The method of claim 22, Characterized in that the press member comprises a press roller controlled to roll on the opposite surface. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, And a disc insertion device operable to hold the disc from the disc stack and to position the disc in the first intermediate space, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Characterized in that the disc is a polymer foil. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 26. The method of claim 25, Characterized in that the polymer foil is made of polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or a cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC). An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 5. The method of claim 4, Characterized in that the membrane is made of a polymeric material, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 5. The method of claim 4, Characterized in that the membrane is made of polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, PDMS or PEEK. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, And a substrate insertion device operable to hold the substrate from a stack of substrates and to position the substrate in the second intermediate space. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, A source of de-ionizing gas, and a nozzle coupled to the source and oriented to direct deionization gas to the disk, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 6. The method of claim 5, The disc being a polymer foil arranged to act as the membrane by being placed in engagement with a gasket disposed about the one part of the second pair of interacting major parts to form the hole Features, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, The feeding device further comprising a foil ribbon in which successive portions are used as the disc and a second foil ribbon for the second imprinting step and the second intermediate space for the second imprinting step, And a feed motor arranged to position the ribbon in one intermediate space. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 33. The method of claim 32, Wherein the foil ribbon is wound and from which the ribbon is unwound and pulled out to rotate through the first and second intermediate spaces. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the supply device is operable to move the imprinted disc from the first intermediate space to the second intermediate space, Wherein the second imprint mechanism is operable to imprint the transferred pattern of the disk onto the target surface in a second imprinting step. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate, To form a stamp having a receiving surface with a first pair of interacting major portions, a first intermediate space regulating device, and a replica of the template pattern disposed to face each other across a first intermediate space, A molding apparatus having a polymer applier device designed to supply molten polymer material onto the structured surface of the template in space, An imprinting mechanism comprising a second pair of interacting main parts arranged to face each other with a second intermediate space, and a second intermediate space adjusting device comprising a press, and And a feeding device operable to move a stamp formed in said first forming mechanism from said first intermediate space to said second intermediate space, An apparatus for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. A method of transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate, Transferring the pattern of the structured surface from the first imprint mechanism to the receiving surface of the intermediate layer in a first imprinting step; Moving the imprinted intermittent disc from the first imprint mechanism to a second imprint mechanism; And Transferring the pattern of the receiving surface from the second imprint mechanism to the target surface in a second imprinting step, A method for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate. 37. The method of claim 36, Characterized in that the intermediate disc is a polymer foil. A method for transferring a structured surface pattern of a template to a target surface of a substrate.

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