Seamless Master Manufacturing for Large Area Imprint Lithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imprint lithography methods face challenges in creating large area patterns without seams, which can lead to device inefficiencies and failures due to pattern irregularities at the seams and periphery, especially in applications like light guided panels and liquid crystal displays.
Innovation Solution
The method involves filling seams between pairs of masters with a filler material to create a seamless master, ensuring the seams are flush with the surface, and using this master to form a seamless stamp that imprints large area substrates without pattern irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple masters are adhered to one another to create large area patterns, then the area of the patterned substrate is increased, but seams are formed between the masters that transfer pattern irregularities to the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The master is divided into multiple smaller master segments that can be separately fabricated and then adhered together to form a large area master. Each segment is patterned independently, allowing for precise control of pattern features while achieving large overall area coverage that would be difficult to obtain from a single monolithic master.
Solution Approach 2:
A seam filler material is introduced as an intermediary substance to fill the gaps and irregularities at the interfaces between adjacent masters. This filler material creates a transition zone that eliminates the sharp discontinuities and pattern irregularities that would otherwise be transferred to the substrate, effectively mediating between the separate master segments.
2Area of stationary object
If conventional imprint lithography methods are used with multiple masters, then large area substrates can be patterned, but device efficiency decreases due to seams and periphery irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The master is segmented into multiple manageable sections that can be precisely fabricated and aligned, enabling large area coverage while maintaining control over pattern quality throughout the entire substrate area.
Solution Approach 2:
The seam filler acts as an intermediary that eliminates harmful seam features, preventing them from being transferred to the substrate and thereby preserving device efficiency and reliability across the entire large area substrate.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple masters are used to pattern large area displays, then the coverage area is increased, but visible defects such as seams and mura defects appear in the final product
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is covered by multiple master segments that are fabricated and aligned to work together, achieving full coverage while the seam filler ensures that transition zones between segments do not create visible defects in the final patterned display.
Solution Approach 2:
The seam filler material serves as a mediator that creates smooth transitions between master segments, eliminating the sharp edges and irregularities that would otherwise be imprinted as visible seams or mura defects in the display, thereby preserving visual quality across the entire large area.
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
This approach allows for the creation of large area patterns without seams, enhancing device efficiency and reducing defects such as light loss in light guided panels and improving image quality in liquid crystal displays.
Implementation Method 1
filling the seam between the adjacent masters of the plurality of masters with a filler material
Implementation Method 2
adhering a second surface of the plurality of masters to a backing plate
Implementation Method 3
depositing a first anti-stick layer on a substrate, aligning a plurality of masters on the substrate
Implementation Method 4
curing the filler material
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to pattern replication, imprint lithography, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses for creating a large area imprint without a seam. Methods disclosed herein generally include filling seams between pairs of masters with a filler material such that the seams are flush with a surface of the masters having a plurality of features disposed thereon.