Microstructure formation via roll-to-roll UV embossing using a flexible mould made from a laminated polymer–copper film

Abstract

Roll-to-roll large format UV embossing processes aim to revolutionize the manufacturing of functional films, with the ability to process a large area at one time, resulting in high throughput and cost reduction. In this paper, we present the experimental results obtained during the process development for roll-to-roll large format UV embossing. Flexible moulds were fabricated from a hybrid film substrate made of a liquid crystal polymer with clad copper foils laminated on both sides of it. The effective pattern area of the fabricated flexible mould was 400 mm × 300 mm with a minimal feature size of 50 μm. The results show that the roll-to-roll embossing processes are capable of producing micro-scale structures and functional devices over a large area at one time. Large-area roll-to-roll embossing was demonstrated by using the hybrid flexible mould, and micro-features and structures such as micro-channels and dot arrays were replicated on thermoplastic substrates. In addition to its ease and low cost in fabrication, the hybrid flexible moulds demonstrated to have acceptable fidelity and durability. The hybrid flexible mould is a novel solution for large-area embossing.

Large Scale Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Self-Powered Pressure Sensor Array Using Low Cost Roll-to-Roll UV Embossing

“…For LS-TENG, patterned PET film and copper film are used as two triboelectric layers due to their relative tendency to attract and donate electrons, respectively. For the fabrication of patterned PET triboelectric layers, roll-to-roll UV embossing 48 is used. The setup for roll-to-roll fabrication process is shown in Fig.…”

“…In this paper, we demonstrate a process flow for fabrication of triboelectric nanogenerators by fabricating components using large scale processes with high throughput. Roll-to-roll UV embossing 48 was used to pattern large size polymer films without any restriction on the length of the film fabricated. We used lamination technique to fabricate large scale copper film on top of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to be used as an electrode and triboelectric layer.…”

Large-Area Nanoimprint Lithography and Applications

“…Moreover, it has become a perfect match for some emerging application fields that are in great need of largearea patterning of submicro and nanoscale features at a low cost, such as patterned magnetic media, high-brightness light-emitting diodes (HB-LEDs), anti-reflective coatings or films, flexible electronics, printed electronics, OLED, wire grid polarizer, flat panel display, microfluidic devices, etc. In particular, this technique has demonstrated great commercial prospects in several market segments, HB-LEDs, anti-reflective coatings or films with moth-eye structures, flexible electronics, solar cells, architectural glass, WGP, optical elements, patterned media, micro-lens arrays, and functional polymer devices [1][2][3][4][5][38][39][40][41]. Large-Area Nanoimprint Lithography and Applications http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72860…”

Rolling Nanoelectrode Lithography

“…This method can be advantageous as it enables continuous patterning and easy de-molding in large-area nanofabrication. The roller-based nanopatterning concepts are not new, they have been successfully utilized in thermal/UV nanoimprint lithography techniques for large-area nanofabrication [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. These roller-based manufacturing methods have been recognized to be a high-throughput and low-cost technology.…”