Nanoimprint mold and nanoimprint methods

By combining rigid and flexible substrates and using electromagnetic field modulation, the gas pressure and deformation are dynamically controlled, solving the problems of bubble defects and uneven residual adhesive in nanoimprinting, and achieving high-precision nanoimprinting and surface compatibility.

WO2026007168A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-01-08SUZHOU NDNANO MICRO & NANO CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2024/105481
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-07-05
Filing Date
2024-07-15
Publication Date
2026-01-08

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional nanoimprinting equipment is prone to generating bubble defects when performing nanoimprinting in air, which leads to a decline in the performance of the imprinted structure and makes it difficult to solve the problem of uneven residual adhesive, especially when imprinting on curved surfaces.

Method used

By combining a rigid substrate and a flexible substrate, and by adding a fluid-conducting material to the flexible substrate and using an electromagnetic field to control the charge movement of the fluid-conducting material, the air pressure and deformation of each independent chamber are dynamically controlled, bubbles are expelled, and local pressure differences are adjusted to adapt to the morphology of different substrates and flexible templates.

Benefits of technology

It effectively reduces bubble defects in the nanoimprinting process, improves imprinting accuracy, solves the problem of uneven residual adhesive, and is compatible with curved surface imprinting, enabling vertical demolding to reduce demolding defects.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a nanoimprint mold and nanoimprint methods. Several independent chambers are formed by using a rigid substrate having holes combined with a flexible substrate covering the holes, and on the basis of the positions where bubbles are generated during imprint, local or global pressure adjustment is performed by changing the volume of gas injected into the independent chambers, thereby discharging the bubbles and improving the imprint precision. In addition, different air pressures are set for different independent chambers to adapt to the morphologies of different bases or different soft templates, and the problem of uneven residual adhesive during nanoimprint is solved by adjusting a local pressure difference, and curved surface imprint can be compatible.
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Description

Nanoimprint mold and method of nanoimprint

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 2024108990380 filed on July 5, 2024 with the Chinese Patent Office and entitled "Nanoimprint mold and method of nanoimprint", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application belongs to the technical field of nanoimprint, and particularly relates to a nanoimprint mold and a method of nanoimprint. BACKGROUND

[0003] Nanoimprint technology has the advantages of high resolution, simple process, ultra-low cost, high productivity, etc., and is widely used in the field of micro-nano manufacturing such as semiconductors.

[0004] Nowadays, traditional nanoimprint methods include hot embossing, ultraviolet room temperature embossing, etc. Among them, due to the long operation period of hot embossing, the excessive pressure causes the loss of nanoimprint template, and the large embossing alignment deviation, more and more equipment design is changing to the ultraviolet room temperature embossing method.

[0005] However, when the traditional ultraviolet room temperature embossing equipment performs nanoimprint in air, air is usually trapped in the mold cavity of the nanoimprint template, resulting in the generation of air bubble defects, causing embossing defects, and reducing the performance of the embossed structure.

[0006] The information disclosed in this BACKGROUND section is only for the purpose of increasing the understanding of the background of the present application and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms prior art that is publicly known in the field.

[0007] SUMMARY

[0008] The present application aims to provide a nanoimprint mold and a method of nanoimprint, which can solve the problem of uneven residual glue in nanoimprint by adjusting the local pressure difference, and can also be compatible with curved surface embossing, and can reduce embossing air bubbles and defects.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a specific embodiment of the present application provides a nanoimprint mold, comprising:

[0010] A hard substrate having a first surface, a plurality of first holes and a plurality of second holes are formed on the hard substrate in a thickness direction;

[0011] A soft substrate with elastic deformation capacity is arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate and covers the plurality of first holes. The soft substrate divides the plurality of first holes into a plurality of independent chambers. A plurality of third holes are formed on the soft substrate and extend through the thickness direction. Each second hole corresponds to a third hole.

[0012] The part of the soft substrate covering each first hole can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate or retract into the first hole according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole. The deformation amount of the soft substrate when protruding or retracting can be adjusted according to the air pressure.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the soft substrate is made of a soft material mixed with a conductive fluid material. The electric charge of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate can be regulated by an electromagnetic field to move directionally.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the soft material includes polydimethylsiloxane; and / or, the conductive fluid material includes plasma and liquid metal.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the nanoimprint mold further includes a soft template having a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely. The first surface of the soft template is adsorbed on the soft substrate through the second hole of the hard substrate and the third hole of the soft substrate. The second surface of the soft template is formed with a nanoimprint pattern.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the soft template has elastic deformation capacity and can change shape under the action of the soft substrate.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the material of the soft template includes polydimethylsiloxane.

[0018] One specific embodiment of the present application provides a method for nanoimprinting using the above-mentioned nanoimprint mold, comprising:

[0019] Adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination;

[0020] Aligning and pressing the combination with a substrate uniformly coated with imprint glue to form a nanoimprint pattern on the imprint glue of the substrate;

[0021] Inputting air flow into each independent chamber in the hard substrate from one side in the horizontal direction in sequence to dynamically regulate the air pressure in each independent chamber, thereby dynamically regulating the deformation of the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs, and synchronously dynamically regulating the deformation of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber to discharge air bubbles generated in the nanoimprinting process.

[0022] separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate;

[0023] demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate.

[0024] In one or more embodiments of the present application, before the step of separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate, further comprising:

[0025] controlling the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so that the horizontal and vertical directions generate action force to push the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

[0026] In one or more embodiments of the present application, demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate, comprising:

[0027] re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate;

[0028] extracting air flow in each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0029] controlling the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so that the horizontal and vertical directions generate action force to push the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

[0030] The present application also provides a method for nanoimprint using the above nanoimprint mold, comprising:

[0031] adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination;

[0032] scanning the substrate topography or the soft template topography to obtain a template pattern;

[0033] setting a preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber according to the template pattern;

[0034] inputting or extracting air flow into each independent chamber in the hard substrate according to the preset air flow, controlling the air pressure in each independent chamber, and further controlling the deformation direction and degree of the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs, and synchronously controlling the deformation direction and degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber;

[0035] aligning and pressing the combination after the regulation with the substrate uniformly coated with imprint glue;

[0036] separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate;

[0037] The soft template is adsorbed on the hard substrate again to complete demolding.

[0038] In one or more embodiments of the present application, after the step of aligning and pressing the regulated combination with the substrate uniformly coated with the imprinting glue, the method further comprises:

[0039] The electromagnetic field regulates the charge movement direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate, so that the horizontal and vertical directions generate forces to push the bubbles generated in the nano-imprint process.

[0040] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the soft template is adsorbed on the hard substrate again to complete demolding, comprising:

[0041] The soft template is adsorbed on the hard substrate again;

[0042] Air flow is extracted from each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0043] The electromagnetic field regulates the charge movement direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate, so that the horizontal and vertical directions generate forces to push the nano-imprint demolding and complete the vertical demolding.

[0044] The present application also provides a method for nano-imprint using the above nano-imprint mold, comprising:

[0045] Scanning the substrate topography or the soft template topography to obtain a template pattern;

[0046] According to the template pattern, a preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber in the hard substrate is set;

[0047] According to the preset air flow, air flow is input or extracted from each independent chamber in the hard substrate, the air pressure in each independent chamber is regulated, and then the deformation direction and degree of the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber are regulated, and the deformation direction and degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber are regulated synchronously;

[0048] The soft template is adsorbed on the hard substrate to form a combination;

[0049] The combination is aligned and pressed with the substrate uniformly coated with the imprinting glue;

[0050] The soft template is separated from the hard substrate, and the combination of the soft template and the substrate is solidified;

[0051] The soft template is adsorbed on the hard substrate again to complete demolding.

[0052] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the step of aligning and pressing the combination with the substrate coated with uniform imprinting glue further comprises:

[0053] By regulating the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate through the electromagnetic field, an acting force is generated in the horizontal and vertical directions to push the bubbles generated in the nano-imprint process.

[0054] In one or more embodiments of the present application, the demolding is completed by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate, comprising:

[0055] Re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate;

[0056] Extracting air flow in each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0057] By regulating the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate through the electromagnetic field, an acting force is generated in the horizontal and vertical directions to push the nano-imprint demolding and complete the vertical demolding.

[0058] Compared with the prior art, the nano-imprint mold and the nano-imprint method of the present application adopt a combination of a hard substrate and a soft substrate, can adapt to different substrate or different soft template topography by setting different air pressure in different independent chambers, and solve the problem of uneven residual glue in nano-imprint by adjusting the local pressure difference. At the same time, it can also be compatible with curved surface imprinting, and can also reduce the imprint bubbles and defects.

[0059] The nano-imprint mold and the nano-imprint method of the present application can form a soft substrate by adding a conductive fluid material in a soft material, and can regulate the charge motion in the conductive fluid material through the action of an electromagnetic field in the nano-imprint process, to further discharge the bubbles in the nano-imprint process.

[0060] The nano-imprint mold and the nano-imprint method of the present application have a vertical direction for both the aligning and pressing direction and the demolding direction, and can realize vertical demolding by locally regulating the air pressure in the independent chamber and the charge motion in the conductive fluid material, thereby greatly reducing the defects caused by demolding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0061] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a nano-imprint mold in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Fig. 2 is a top view of a nano-imprint mold in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figs. 3a-3c are schematic diagrams of a nano-imprint mold performing planar imprinting in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the air bubble removal assisted by the fluid guiding material during the nanoimprinting process of the nanoimprinting mold in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Figure 5 shows some details of Figure 4;

[0066] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a nanoimprinting mold imprinting a curved substrate in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of nanoimprinting performed on a soft template with a large occupancy ratio in a nanoimprinting mold according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a nanoimprint mold imprinting a curved substrate in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a nanoimprinting mold imprinting a curved substrate in another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0070] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.

[0071] Unless otherwise expressly stated, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" or its variations such as "including" or "comprises" shall be understood to include the stated elements or components without excluding other elements or other components.

[0072] As mentioned in the background section, when traditional UV room temperature embossing equipment performs nanoimprinting in air, air usually gets trapped in the mold cavity of the nanoimprinting template, leading to the generation of bubble defects, which in turn causes embossing defects and a decrease in the performance of the embossed structure.

[0073] Traditional nanoimprint molds do not have the ability to solve this bubble problem, nor can they visualize the pressure value based on the location of the bubble, and they also cannot solve the problem of uneven residual adhesive when imprinting with different duty cycles.

[0074] Based on this, this application provides a nanoimprinting mold and a nanoimprinting method. By employing a perforated rigid substrate combined with a flexible substrate covering the perforations, several independent chambers are formed. Depending on the location of bubble generation during imprinting, the amount of gas injected into each independent chamber is changed to achieve localized or overall pressure regulation, thereby expelling bubbles and improving imprinting accuracy. Simultaneously, by setting different gas pressures for different independent chambers, the method adapts to different substrate or soft template morphologies. Furthermore, by adjusting the local pressure difference, the problem of uneven residual adhesive in nanoimprinting is solved, and the method is compatible with curved surface imprinting.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the nanoimprint mold in an embodiment of the present application comprises a hard substrate 10 and a soft substrate 20.

[0076] The hard substrate 10 has a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely. The hard substrate 10 is formed with a plurality of first holes 11 and a plurality of second holes 12 arranged in a thickness direction. Preferably, the diameter of the first holes 11 is larger than the diameter of the second holes 12.

[0077] In an embodiment, the arrangement of the first holes 11 on the hard substrate 10 can be adjusted according to the pattern to be nanoimprinted, i.e. according to the nanoimprinted pattern on the soft template. For example, when the nanoimprinted pattern on the soft template is composed of columnar structures, the soft template can have different duty cycles of the columnar structures, as shown in FIG. 6. When the duty cycles are quite different, the residual imprinting glue on the substrate coated with uniform imprinting glue can be uneven after imprinting, so in this case, the first holes 11 can be arranged one-to-one corresponding to the columnar structures on the soft template.

[0078] In another embodiment, the arrangement of the first holes 11 on the hard substrate 10 can also be adjusted according to the surface topography of the substrate. For example, when the substrate is a curved substrate, as shown in FIG. 4, the first holes 11 should be arranged at least corresponding to the concave and convex parts of the substrate.

[0079] In still another embodiment, the first holes 11 can also be densely arranged in an array on the hard substrate 10.

[0080] The second holes 12 are also arranged in an array on the hard substrate 10. The second holes 12 can cooperate with the soft substrate 20 to adsorb the soft template used for nanoimprinting.

[0081] The soft substrate 20 has a certain elastic deformation capacity. The soft substrate 20 is arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate 10 and covers the plurality of first holes 11. Preferably, the soft substrate 20 can be tightly attached to the first surface of the hard substrate 10 by means of adhesion or the like, so as to divide the plurality of first holes 11 on the hard substrate 10 into a plurality of independent chambers. Each independent chamber has an opening on the second surface of the hard substrate 10. The opening can be connected to a vacuum pipeline of an external vacuum control system to control the air flow in each independent chamber by the external vacuum control system during subsequent nanoimprinting.

[0082] A plurality of third holes 21 are formed in the soft substrate 20, and the third holes 21 are arranged in the thickness direction. Each of the second holes 12 in the hard substrate 10 corresponds to one of the third holes 21. Preferably, all the third holes 21 correspond to all the second holes 12. The third holes 21 and the second holes 12 are arranged in correspondence, so that when the hard substrate 10 is arranged on the external vacuum control system, the external vacuum control system controls the air pressure in the third holes 21 and the second holes 12, so as to suck the soft template for nanoimprint when nanoimprint is performed.

[0083] The part of the soft substrate 20 covering each of the first holes 11 can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate 10 or retract into the first hole 11 according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole 11, and the deformation amount of the protrusion or retraction of the soft substrate 20 can be adjusted according to the air pressure in the first hole 11, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9.

[0084] In a preferred embodiment, the soft substrate 20 is made of soft material mixed with conductive fluid material. The electric charge of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 can be regulated by an external electromagnetic field to perform directional movement.

[0085] For example, the soft material includes polydimethylsiloxane, and the conductive fluid material includes plasma and liquid metal. Plasma (electric plasma) includes more than 99% of cosmic matter. Plasma is an electrically neutral ionized gas containing enough free charged particles, so its dynamic behavior is dominated by electromagnetic forces. The conductive fluid material can also include heat-carrying media in nuclear power plants (such as sodium, potassium, sodium-potassium alloy), displacement agents in the chemical industry (such as sodium, potassium, mercury), molten metals in the metallurgical casting industry, etc.

[0086] According to the nanoimprint condition, the external electromagnetic field is adjusted to control the directional movement of the electric charge in the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20, so as to give the soft substrate an inherent thrust to expel the air bubbles in the nanoimprint process.

[0087] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a negative voltage is applied to the left side of the air bag of the independent chamber in the hard substrate 10. At this time, the soft substrate 20 is attracted by the negative voltage, which causes the accumulation of positively charged conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20, so that the air bag is deformed by electrostatic adsorption, thereby extruding the soft template 30 (mentioned below) for nanoimprint, so that the air bubbles overflow from the imprinting glue on the soft template 30 and the substrate 100.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the nanoimprint mold can further include a soft template 30 for nanoimprint. The soft template 30 is detachably connected to the soft substrate 20.

[0089] Exemplarily, the soft template 30 has a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely, and the first surface of the soft template 30 is tightly adsorbed to the soft substrate 20 through the second hole 12 of the hard substrate 10 and the third hole 21 of the soft substrate 20.

[0090] It can be understood that each group of corresponding second holes 12 and third holes 21 can be independently controlled to achieve partial adsorption of the soft template 30.

[0091] The second surface of the soft template 30 is formed with a nano-imprint pattern 31. The soft template 30 also has a certain elastic deformation capacity and can change its own shape under the action of the soft substrate 30. Preferably, the material of the soft template 30 includes polydimethylsiloxane.

[0092] In the above technical solution, the gas flow injected into different first holes 12 can be controlled through the nano-imprint pattern 31 and the nano-imprint depth of the soft template 30 to change the deformation amount of the corresponding soft substrate 20 of different first holes 12. By adjusting the volume and depth of each independent chamber (both of which are adjusted by gas flow), the amount of glue consumed in different regions is controlled, thereby solving the problem of non-uniform residual glue caused by different duty cycles of the nano-imprint pattern 31 on the soft template 30.

[0093] In addition, for the air bubble problem at different positions in the nano-imprint process, the air pressure of each independent chamber can be adjusted, and the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 can be adjusted by the electromagnetic field to push the air bubbles out. After the imprinting and curing process is completed, local adjustment of the air release of the independent chamber can be used to achieve vertical demolding, and the direction and path of demolding are controllable (the controllability of the demolding path and direction can be achieved by adjusting the air release sequence of the independent chamber, such as from one side to the other side or from the middle to the edge, etc.).

[0094] An embodiment of the present application also provides a method for nano-imprinting using the above nano-imprint mold, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0095] S1, adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination.

[0096] S2, aligning and pressing the combination with a substrate uniformly coated with imprinting glue to form a nano-imprint pattern on the imprinting glue of the substrate.

[0097] S3, inputting air flow into each independent chamber in the hard substrate from one side in the horizontal direction to dynamically control the air pressure in each independent chamber, and further dynamically control the deformation of the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber, and synchronously dynamically control the deformation of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber to discharge the air bubbles generated in the nano-imprint process.

[0098] S4, separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate.

[0099] S5, completing demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate.

[0100] Wherein, between step S3 and step S4, further comprising the following steps:

[0101] By adjusting the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, an acting force is generated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

[0102] In step S5, the demolding is completed by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate, specifically comprising:

[0103] S501, re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate;

[0104] S502, extracting air flow in each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0105] S503, adjusting the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so that an acting force is generated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push the nanoimprint demolding and complete the vertical demolding.

[0106] The method of nanoimprint of the embodiment of the application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the application. In the embodiment, the substrate 100 is preferably a non-special plane substrate, and the soft template 30 is a non-special soft template, i.e., the nano patterns on the surface of the soft template are uniformly distributed.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 3a, first, the soft template 30 is vacuum-adsorbed on the surface of the soft substrate 20 to form a combination, and the combination is aligned and imprinted with the substrate 100 whose surface is uniformly coated with imprinting glue in the vertical direction.

[0108] Referring to FIG. 3b, second, by adjusting the air pressure in the independent chambers in the hard substrate 10 in sequence, the corresponding soft substrate 10 generates dynamic deformation. In the horizontal direction, the imprinting starts from one side and slowly advances until covering the entire imprinting surface. The dynamic driving process can extrude the imprinting bubbles. The pressure difference can also be dynamically adjusted during the process to extrude stubborn bubbles, which has the advantage of high flexibility and controllability.

[0109] If the bubbles are difficult to remove, the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 can be adjusted by the electromagnetic field according to the specific imprinting condition to further extrude the bubbles, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0110] For example, the left side of the airbag of the independent chamber on the hard substrate 10 is negatively charged, at this time, the soft substrate 20 is negatively charged and is attracted, which causes the accumulation of the positively charged conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20, resulting in the electrostatic adsorption deformation of the airbag, thereby extruding the soft template 30 (mentioned below) for nanoimprint, and causing the bubbles to overflow from the imprinting glue on the soft template 30 and the substrate 100.

[0111] Next, the soft template 30 and the soft substrate 20 are separated, and the soft template 30 and the substrate 100 with the surface uniformly coated with the imprinting glue are combined and moved to the imprinting machine for curing by ultraviolet or heat.

[0112] Referring to FIG. 3c, finally, the soft template 30 is again adsorbed, and the hard substrate 10 is moved upward in the vertical direction to separate the two. During the process, air flow can be extracted from each independent chamber in the hard substrate 10, causing the soft substrate 20 belonging to each independent chamber to shrink, and at the same time, causing the corresponding soft template 30 to shrink; and the direction of the charge movement of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 is controlled by the electromagnetic field, causing a force to be generated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, pushing the nanoimprint to be demolded, completing the vertical demolding, and greatly reducing the defects caused by demolding.

[0113] Another embodiment of the present application provides another method of nanoimprint using the above nanoimprint mold, specifically including the following steps:

[0114] S1, adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination.

[0115] S2, scanning the substrate topography or the soft template topography to obtain a template pattern.

[0116] S3, setting a preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber according to the template pattern.

[0117] S4, inputting or extracting air flow into or from each independent chamber in the hard substrate according to the preset air flow, controlling the air pressure in each independent chamber, and further controlling the deformation direction and degree of the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber, and synchronously controlling the deformation direction and degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber.

[0118] S5, aligning and pressing the combination after the control with the substrate uniformly coated with the imprinting glue.

[0119] S6, separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate.

[0120] S7, completing the demolding by again adsorbing the soft template through the hard substrate.

[0121] Between step S5 and step S6, the following steps are further included:

[0122] The direction of charge movement of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate is regulated by the electromagnetic field, so that forces are generated in the horizontal and vertical directions to push the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

[0123] In step S7, the demolding is completed by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate, specifically including:

[0124] S701, re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate;

[0125] S702, extracting air flow from each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0126] S703, regulating the direction of charge movement of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so that forces are generated in the horizontal and vertical directions to push the nanoimprint demolding, and complete the vertical demolding.

[0127] The method of nanoimprint of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the present application. In the present embodiment, the substrate 100 is preferably a special curved substrate; or the soft template 30 is a special soft template, i.e. the nanometer pattern on the surface of the soft template has inconsistent duty cycles.

[0128] First, the soft template 30 is vacuum-adsorbed on the surface of the soft substrate 20 to form a combination.

[0129] The topography of the substrate 100 or the topography of the soft template 30 is scanned by the CCD detection screen to obtain a template pattern, and according to the template pattern, the preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber is set.

[0130] Secondly, according to the preset air flow, air flow is input or extracted into each independent chamber in the hard substrate 10 through the first hole 11 on the hard substrate 10, the air pressure in each independent chamber is regulated, and then the deformation direction and degree of the soft substrate 20 belonging to each independent chamber are regulated, and the deformation direction and degree of the soft template 30 corresponding to each independent chamber are regulated synchronously.

[0131] For example, the substrate 100 is a curved substrate, and the soft template 30 is a normal soft template. The topography of the substrate 100 is scanned by the CCD detection screen, and at the position of the concave of the substrate 100, the soft substrate 20 deforms towards the first surface of the hard substrate 10, as shown in FIG. 6; at the position of the bulge of the substrate 100, the soft substrate 20 deforms towards the first hole 11 of the hard substrate 10.

[0132] For example, the substrate 100 is a planar substrate, and the soft template 30 is a soft template with a large difference in duty cycle, as shown in FIG. 7. The deformation compensation of the soft substrate 20 can be designed according to the topography of the soft template 30. In the area of the soft template 30 with small line width and large pitch, the residual glue after imprinting is thin, and the soft substrate 20 at this position needs to be adjusted to be shallowly protruded, not protruded, or recessed into the first hole 11. In the area of the soft template 30 with large line width and small pitch, the residual glue after imprinting is thick, and the soft substrate 20 at this position needs to be adjusted to be deeply protruded to the first surface of the hard substrate 10.

[0133] Next, the adjusted combination and the substrate 100 uniformly coated with the imprinting glue are vertically aligned and pressed together.

[0134] Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in order to further eliminate bubbles, the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 is adjusted by the electromagnetic field to generate a force in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push out the bubbles generated in the nano-imprint process, and perfect fitting is achieved.

[0135] Further, the soft template 30 and the soft substrate 20 are separated, and the soft template 30 and the substrate 100 uniformly coated with the imprinting glue are combined and moved to the imprinting machine for curing by ultraviolet or heat.

[0136] Finally, the soft template 30 is adsorbed again, and the hard substrate 10 is moved upward in the vertical direction to separate the two. During the process, as shown in FIG. 3c, air flow is extracted from each independent chamber in the hard substrate 10, so that the soft substrate 20 belonging to each independent chamber is contracted, and the corresponding soft template 30 is also contracted synchronously. Further, the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate 20 is adjusted by the electromagnetic field to generate a force in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push out the nano-imprint film, complete the vertical film peeling, and greatly reduce the defects caused by film peeling.

[0137] Another embodiment of the present application provides another method of nano-imprint using the above nano-imprint mold, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0138] S1, scanning the topography of the substrate or the topography of the soft template to obtain a template pattern.

[0139] S2, setting a preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber on the hard substrate according to the template pattern.

[0140] S3, inputting or extracting air flow to each independent chamber in the hard substrate according to the preset air flow to adjust the air pressure in each independent chamber, and further adjust the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber, and synchronously adjust the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber.

[0141] S4, adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination;

[0142] S5, aligning and pressing the combination with the substrate coated with the uniform imprint glue.

[0143] S6, separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate.

[0144] S7, completing demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template through the hard substrate.

[0145] Wherein, between step S5 and step S6, further comprising the following steps:

[0146] By adjusting the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate through the electromagnetic field, an acting force is generated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

[0147] In step S7, the demolding is completed by re-adsorbing the soft template through the hard substrate, specifically comprising:

[0148] S701, re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate;

[0149] S702, extracting air flow from each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate belonging to each independent chamber shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously;

[0150] S703, adjusting the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate through the electromagnetic field, so that an acting force is generated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push the nanoimprint demolding and complete the vertical demolding.

[0151] The method of nanoimprint of the embodiment of the application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the application. In the embodiment, the substrate 100 is preferably a substrate with partial curved surface and partial plane, or the soft template 30 is a special soft template, i.e. the nanometer pattern on the surface of the soft template has inconsistent duty cycle.

[0152] Firstly, the topography of the substrate 100 or the topography of the soft template 30 is scanned by the CCD detection screen to obtain a template pattern, and the preset air flow corresponding to each independent chamber is set according to the template pattern.

[0153] Secondly, according to the preset air flow, air flow is inputted or extracted into each independent chamber in the hard substrate 10 through the first hole 11 on the hard substrate 10, the air pressure in each independent chamber is adjusted, and then the deformation direction and degree of the soft substrate 20 belonging to each independent chamber are adjusted, and the deformation direction and degree of the soft template 30 corresponding to each independent chamber are adjusted synchronously.

[0154] Next, by extracting the air in the second and third holes, the hard substrate 10 and the soft substrate 20 are partially attached to the soft template 30 to form a combination, and the combination is vertically aligned and pressed to the substrate 100 coated with the imprinting glue, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9.

[0155] Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in order to further eliminate the bubbles, the charge movement direction of the soft substrate 20 is regulated by the electromagnetic field, so that the force in the horizontal and vertical directions is generated to push the bubbles generated in the nano-imprinting process, and perfect attachment is achieved.

[0156] Further, the soft template 30 and the soft substrate 20 are separated, and the soft template 30 and the substrate 100 coated with the imprinting glue are combined and moved to the imprinting machine and cured by ultraviolet or heat.

[0157] Finally, the soft template 30 is adsorbed again, and the hard substrate 10 is moved upward in the vertical direction to separate the two. During the process, as shown in FIG. 3c, the air flow in each independent chamber of the hard substrate 10 is extracted, so that the soft substrate 20 belonging to each independent chamber is shrunk, and the corresponding soft template 30 is also shrunk synchronously; and the charge movement direction of the soft substrate 20 is regulated by the electromagnetic field, so that the force in the horizontal and vertical directions is generated to push the nano-imprinting demolding, complete the vertical demolding, and greatly reduce the defects caused by demolding.

[0158] It can be understood that, because the nano-imprinting is in the nanometer scale, the deformation of the soft template 30 will not affect the precision of the nano-imprinting.

[0159] Compared with the prior art, the nano-imprinting mold and the nano-imprinting method of the present application adopt the combination of the hard substrate and the soft substrate, can adapt to different substrates or different soft template topographies by setting different air pressures in different independent chambers, and can solve the problem of uneven residual glue in nano-imprinting by adjusting the local pressure difference; at the same time, it can also be compatible with curved surface imprinting, and can also reduce the imprinting bubbles and defects.

[0160] The nano-imprinting mold and the nano-imprinting method of the present application can form the soft substrate by adding the conductive fluid material to the soft material, and can further expel the bubbles in the nano-imprinting process by regulating the charge movement in the conductive fluid material by the electromagnetic field.

[0161] The nano-imprinting mold and the nano-imprinting method of the present application are vertically aligned and pressed in the vertical direction, and can realize vertical demolding by regulating the air pressure in the independent chamber and the charge movement in the conductive fluid material, and greatly reduce the defects caused by demolding.

[0162] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the application has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the application to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the application be limited not with this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A nanoimprint mold characterized by, The application relates to a nano-imprint device and a nano-imprint method. The device comprises a hard substrate with a first surface, a plurality of first holes and a plurality of second holes formed in the hard substrate and penetrating the hard substrate in the thickness direction; a soft substrate with elastic deformation capacity, the soft substrate being arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate and covering the plurality of first holes, the soft substrate dividing the plurality of first holes into a plurality of independent chambers, a plurality of third holes formed in the soft substrate and penetrating the soft substrate in the thickness direction, each of the second holes corresponding to one of the third holes. The part of the soft substrate covering each of the first holes can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate or shrink into the first hole according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole, and the deformation amount of the soft substrate when protruding or shrinking can be adjusted according to the air pressure. The soft substrate is made of soft material mixed with conductive fluid material, and the electric charge of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate can be regulated by an electromagnetic field to move directionally.

2. The nanoimprint mold according to claim 1, wherein The soft material comprises polydimethylsiloxane.

3. The nanoimprint mold according to claim 2, wherein The conductive fluid material comprises plasma and liquid metal.

4. The nanoimprint mold of claim 2, wherein The application further relates to a soft template with oppositely arranged first and second surfaces, the first surface of the soft template being adsorbed on the soft substrate through the second holes of the hard substrate and the third holes of the soft substrate, and a nano-imprint pattern being formed on the second surface of the soft template.

5. The nanoimprint mold of claim 1, wherein The soft template has elastic deformation capacity and can change shape under the action of the soft substrate.

6. The nanoimprint mold according to claim 5, wherein The material of the soft template comprises polydimethylsiloxane.

7. The nanoimprint mold of claim 5, wherein The application relates to a nano-imprint device and a nano-imprint method.

8. A method for nanoimprinting using the nanoimprint mold according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, The device comprises a hard substrate with a first surface, a plurality of first holes and a plurality of second holes formed in the hard substrate and penetrating the hard substrate in the thickness direction; a soft substrate with elastic deformation capacity, the soft substrate being arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate and covering the plurality of first holes, the soft substrate dividing the plurality of first holes into a plurality of independent chambers, a plurality of third holes formed in the soft substrate and penetrating the soft substrate in the thickness direction, each of the second holes corresponding to one of the third holes. The part of the soft substrate covering each of the first holes can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate or shrink into the first hole according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole, and the deformation amount of the soft substrate when protruding or shrinking can be adjusted according to the air pressure. The soft substrate is made of soft material mixed with conductive fluid material, and the electric charge of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate can be regulated by an electromagnetic field to move directionally. The soft material comprises polydimethylsiloxane. The conductive fluid material comprises plasma and liquid metal. The application further relates to a soft template with oppositely arranged first and second surfaces, the first surface of the soft template being adsorbed on the soft substrate through the second holes of the hard substrate and the third holes of the soft substrate, and a nano-imprint pattern being formed on the second surface of the soft template. The soft template has elastic deformation capacity and can change shape under the action of the soft substrate.

9. The method of nanoimprinting according to claim 8, wherein, The material of the soft template comprises polydimethylsiloxane. The application relates to a nano-imprint device and a nano-imprint method.

10. The method of nanoimprinting according to claim 9, wherein The device comprises a hard substrate with a first surface, a plurality of first holes and a plurality of second holes formed in the hard substrate and penetrating the hard substrate in the thickness direction; a soft substrate with elastic deformation capacity, the soft substrate being arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate and covering the plurality of first holes, the soft substrate dividing the plurality of first holes into a plurality of independent chambers, a plurality of third holes formed in the soft substrate and penetrating the soft substrate in the thickness direction, each of the second holes corresponding to one of the third holes. The part of the soft substrate covering each of the first holes can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate or shrink into the first hole according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole, and the deformation amount of the soft substrate when protruding or shrinking can be adjusted according to the air pressure. The soft substrate is made of soft material mixed with conductive fluid material, and the electric charge of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate can be regulated by an electromagnetic field to move directionally. The soft material comprises polydimethylsiloxane.

11. A method of nanoimprinting using the nanoimprint mold according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, The conductive fluid material comprises plasma and liquid metal. The application further relates to a soft template with oppositely arranged first and second surfaces, the first surface of the soft template being adsorbed on the soft substrate through the second holes of the hard substrate and the third holes of the soft substrate, and a nano-imprint pattern being formed on the second surface of the soft template. The soft template has elastic deformation capacity and can change shape under the action of the soft substrate. The material of the soft template comprises polydimethylsiloxane. The application relates to a nano-imprint device and a nano-imprint method. The device comprises a hard substrate with a first surface, a plurality of first holes and a plurality of second holes formed in the hard substrate and penetrating the hard substrate in the thickness direction; a soft substrate with elastic deformation capacity, the soft substrate being arranged on the first surface of the hard substrate and covering the plurality of first holes, the soft substrate dividing the plurality of first holes into a plurality of independent chambers, a plurality of third holes formed in the soft substrate and penetrating the soft substrate in the thickness direction, each of the second holes corresponding to one of the third holes. The part of the soft substrate covering each of the first holes can independently protrude out of the first surface of the hard substrate or shrink into the first hole according to the air pressure in the corresponding first hole, and the deformation amount of the soft substrate when protruding or shrinking can be adjusted according to the air pressure. Scanning the substrate topography or the soft template topography to obtain a template pattern; According to the template pattern, setting a preset gas flow corresponding to each independent chamber; According to the preset gas flow, inputting or extracting gas flow into each independent chamber in the hard substrate, regulating the air pressure in each independent chamber, and then regulating the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs, and synchronously regulating the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber; Aligning and pressing the regulated combination with the substrate uniformly coated with imprint glue; Separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate; Completing demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate.

12. The method of nanoimprinting according to claim 11, wherein, After the step of aligning and pressing the regulated combination with the substrate uniformly coated with imprint glue, further comprising: Regulating the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so as to generate acting force in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push out the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

13. The method of nanoimprinting according to claim 12, wherein, Completing demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate, comprising: Re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate; Extracting gas flow from each independent chamber in the hard substrate, so that the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs shrinks, and the corresponding soft template shrinks synchronously; Regulating the charge motion direction of the conductive fluid material in the soft substrate by the electromagnetic field, so as to generate acting force in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to push out the bubbles generated in the nanoimprint process.

14. A method of nanoimprinting using the nanoimprint mold according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, Comprising: Scanning the substrate topography or the soft template topography to obtain a template pattern; According to the template pattern, setting a preset gas flow corresponding to each independent chamber in the hard substrate; According to the preset gas flow, inputting or extracting gas flow into each independent chamber in the hard substrate, regulating the air pressure in each independent chamber, and then regulating the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft substrate to which each independent chamber belongs, and synchronously regulating the deformation direction and deformation degree of the soft template corresponding to each independent chamber; Adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate to form a combination; Aligning and pressing the combination with the substrate uniformly coated with imprint glue; Separating the soft template from the hard substrate, and curing the combination of the soft template and the substrate; Completing demolding by re-adsorbing the soft template on the hard substrate.

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