Photocurable Composition for High-Precision Micropattern Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing photocurable compositions used in nanoimprint methods face challenges in achieving high precision micropattern formation due to insufficient releasability of the cured product from the mold, primarily because of phase separation issues caused by high surfactant content, which limits the production of highly precise micropattern-formed products.
Innovation Solution
A photocurable composition comprising a specific monomer without fluorine, a fluoromonomer, a fluorinated surfactant, and/or fluoropolymer, with optimized ratios and viscosities, ensuring compatibility and preventing phase separation, allowing for efficient separation of the cured product from the mold and achieving high precision in micropattern transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the content of fluorinated surfactant is increased to improve releasability of cured product from mold, then the releasability is improved, but phase separation occurs in the photocurable composition
Solution Approach 1:
A compatibility promoter is introduced as an intermediary substance that mediates between the fluorinated surfactant and the monomer mixture. The compatibility promoter has both affinity for the fluorinated surfactant and compatibility with the monomer system, allowing higher surfactant content (up to 20 mass% or more) to be incorporated without causing phase separation, thereby improving releasability while maintaining composition stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the photocurable system by selecting specific monomers (with particular functional groups) and compatibility promoters that can tolerate high fluorinated surfactant content. By adjusting the chemical nature and ratio of components rather than simply reducing surfactant content, the system achieves both high releasability and phase stability
2Stability of the object's composition
If the content of fluorinated surfactant is kept low to prevent phase separation, then composition stability is maintained, but releasability of cured product becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The compatibility promoter acts as a bridge that allows the fluorinated surfactant to be effectively incorporated at high levels without disrupting phase stability. This intermediary enables the system to overcome the traditional limitation where low surfactant content was required to prevent phase separation, while actually achieving the opposite - high surfactant content with maintained stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite photocurable composition system comprising multiple components (monomer, fluorinated surfactant, compatibility promoter, photopolymerization initiator) that work synergistically. The composite nature of the formulation allows the fluorinated surfactant to function effectively at high concentrations without causing phase separation, resolving the contradiction between stability and releasability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition enables the production of highly precise micropattern-formed products with excellent releasability, facilitating a precise nanoimprint process by maintaining compatibility and preventing phase separation, even with higher surfactant content.
Implementation Method 1
polymerizing a monomer in the photocurable composition by light irradiation to obtain a micropattern-formed product comprising a cured product
Data Source
AI summary
A photocurable composition capable of producing a micropattern-formed product efficiently, which is excellent in physical properties such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, releasability and optical characteristics (transmittance and low refractive index), and a process for producing a micropattern-formed product, capable of highly precisely transferring a micropattern of a mold to its surface are provided.A photocurable composition which comprises from 50 to 98 mass % of a monomer containing no fluorine atom and having a viscosity at 25° C. of from 0.1 to 100 mPa·s, from 0.1 to 45 mass % of a fluoromonomer, from more than 0.1 to 20 mass % of a fluorinated surfactant and/or a fluoropolymer and from 1 to 10 mass % of a photopolymerization initiator, and contains substantially no solvent. A process for producing a micropattern-formed product comprising a cured product having a micropattern of a mold transferred on its surface, or such a micropattern-formed product integrated with a substrate, which uses the photocurable composition, a substrate and a mold having a micropattern.