High aspect ratio pattern collapse of polymeric UV-nano-imprint molds due to cleaning

Biologically Inspired Omniphobic Surfaces by Reverse Imprint Lithography

“…[ 4 ] 2) The energetic barrier against complete wetting of the surface is often even less than the kinetic energy of falling rain droplets and, thus, the structures are neither applicable for outdoor coatings nor suitable for large immersion depths. [ 10,11 ] 3) The mechanical stability and, in particular, the resistance against shear loads by scratching [ 12,13 ] and against collapse due to capillary forces in dense arrays [ 14,15 ] are insuffi cient for nanoscopic needle or pillar structures, which limits the long-term durability of these surfaces. Inspired by the morphology of the omniphobic springtail skin [16][17][18][19] we have now introduced a reverse imprint lithographic technique to generate polymer membranes which combine superb wetting resistance and mechanical stability.…”

Soft nanoimprint lithography on SiO2 sol-gel to elaborate sensitive substrates for SERS detection

“…Dilution has permitted to obtain aspect ratio (h/D) 1.4 but greater than critical aspect ratio. 23 This unintentional collapse effect was particularly interesting because it allowed us to evaluate ultimate imprint resolution in sol-gel resist.…”

“…To improve performances of Soft UV-NIL, technological developments have mainly focused on new processes for mold's manufacture with new polymers, [20][21][22][23][24] new resists and anti-sticking treatment. [25][26][27] Among recent developments for NIL resists, sol-gel resist appears as an alternative.…”

Innovative and Tailor-made Resist and Working Stamp Materials for Advancing NIL-based Production Technology

“…Unlike perfluorinated-polyether (PFPE) based stamp materials, this is combined with superb mechanical stability. This facilitates the replication of nanoscaled patterns also with critical high aspect ratios of five and higher [6]. Furthermore, the risk to deform or even to damage the polymeric nanopattern during imprint is significantly reduced, which is of utmost importance for the stamp lifetime in NIL-based nanofabrication.…”