Photocurable Composition Mold Releasability and Storage Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

The photoimprint method faces challenges with mold releasability and temporal stability of photocurable compositions stored for long periods, leading to potential deterioration in pattern transfer quality and increased production costs.

Innovation Solution

A photocurable composition comprising a monofunctional chained aliphatic (meth)acrylate without fluorine, a bifunctional or higher polyfunctional (meth)acrylate without fluorine, and a monofunctional (meth)acrylate with fluorine, along with a photopolymerization initiator, which maintains stability and releasability due to specific boiling points and proportions, enhancing ink jet accuracy and storage stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a fluorine-containing compound is incorporated into a photocurable composition to improve mold releasability, then the releasability is improved, but the temporal stability of the composition deteriorates during long-term storage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemold releasabilityVSAvoidtemporal stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by specifying precise proportions of fluorine-containing compounds (0.1-10 wt%) combined with specific monofunctional and polyfunctional (meth)acrylates. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal balance between releasability enhancement and storage stability maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite photocurable composition by combining fluorine-containing compounds with specific ratios of monofunctional (meth)acrylate (60-95 wt%) and polyfunctional (meth)acrylate (5-40 wt%). This composite approach allows the system to achieve both improved mold releasability from the fluorine component and adequate storage stability through the synergistic combination with other components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Productivity

If the composition is stored for a long period, then production costs are reduced through batch processing, but pattern transfer quality deteriorates due to composition instability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebatch processing efficiencyVSAvoidpattern transfer quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables preliminary preparation of the photocurable composition with optimized stability characteristics, allowing batch production and storage before actual imprinting. The pre-formulated composition maintains its properties during storage, enabling productive batch processing without compromising subsequent pattern transfer quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of adding fluorine-containing compounds to improve releasability and accepting storage instability, the patent inverts the approach by carefully controlling and limiting the fluorine compound content to 0.1-10 wt%, combined with specific monomer ratios, thereby achieving both good releasability and acceptable storage stability for batch processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Loss of substance

If ink jet method is used to apply photocurable composition, then material use efficiency is improved and production costs are reduced, but jetting accuracy may be affected by viscosity variations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial use efficiencyVSAvoidjetting accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the viscosity parameter of the photocurable composition by controlling the types and proportions of monofunctional and polyfunctional (meth)acrylates, ensuring the composition has suitable flow characteristics for ink jet deposition while maintaining material efficiency and jetting accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 ensures excellent releasability and temporal stability, reducing variations in viscosity and surface tension, thereby improving ink jet jetting accuracy and maintaining pattern quality even after long-term storage.

Implementation Method 1

a photopolymerization initiator (C)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPhotopolymerization: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentUS10261413B2Photocurable composition for imprints, pattern forming method, and method for manufacturing device

Publication Date: 2019.04.16 FUJIFILM CORP

AI summary

Provided are a photocurable composition for imprints, having good releasability and temporal stability of the releasability, a pattern forming method, and a method for manufacturing a device. This photocurable composition for imprints includes a monofunctional chained aliphatic (meth)acrylate (A1) not containing a fluorine atom, a bifunctional or higher polyfunctional (meth)acrylate (A2) not containing a fluorine atom, a monofunctional (meth)acrylate (B) containing a fluorine atom, a photopolymerization initiator (C), and a non-polymerizable compound (D) having a polyoxyalkylene structure in a proportion of 1% to 5% by mass, in which the monofunctional chained aliphatic (meth)acrylate (A1) not containing a fluorine atom has a boiling point of 100° C. to 200° C. at a pressure of 0.67 kPa, and the monofunctional (meth)acrylate (B) containing a fluorine atom has a boiling point of 100° C. to 200° C. at a pressure of 0.67 kPa.