Ribbed large-format imprinted structure

Abstract

A filled large-format imprinted structure includes a cured layer including a cured layer surface and one or more micro-cavities imprinted in the cured layer, each micro-cavity having a micro-cavity width and a micro-cavity depth. One or more ribs are imprinted in each micro-cavity and extend from the bottom of the micro-cavity toward the top of the micro-cavity, each rib having a rib width that is less than one half of the micro-cavity width, and a rib height that is less than the micro-cavity depth. Each rib separates the micro-cavity into portions, each portion having a portion width less than or equal to 20 microns. A cured material is located in each portion of the micro-cavity and extends over the top of the rib, thereby defining a filled large-format imprinted structure.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Reference is made to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001725) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Filled Large-Format Imprinted Structure by Cok; to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001727) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Filled Large-Format Imprinting Method by Cok; to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001729) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Ribbed Large-Format Imprinting Method by Cok; to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001730) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Multi-Layer Large-Format Imprinted Structure by Cok; to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001731) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Multi-Layer Large-Format Imprinting Method by Cok; to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Docket K001732) filed concurrently herewith, entitled Stacked Large-Format Imprinted Struc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Structures and methods of the present invention provide color filters on a large fill-factor substrate and, more generally, provide filled large-format imprinted structures having improved uniformity and size using a process that decreases material requirement, increases manufacturing speed, and requires less material and equipment.

Problems solved by technology

This process is expensive and time consuming because it is a subtractive process that is wasteful of etched materials, uses additional, expensive materials such as photoresists and masks, and requires expensive optical alignment equipment.

However, as with the imprinting process itself, it is difficult to uniformly fill a large, imprinted area with a liquid that is subsequently cured.

For example, the coffee-ring effect is widely known to compromise the uniformity of a dried coating because of capillary flow induced by differential evaporation rates over the extent of the coating.

Therefore, because of such imprinting and drying problems, it is difficult to form large fill-factor substrates, such as color filter substrates, using imprint-and-fill processes.

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