Computational study of a high-temperature thermal nanoimprint lithographic (TNIL) process.

摘要

As an emerging manufacturing technique, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) can fabricate micro and nanoscale features of microfluidic devices at very high accuracy and reliability. The process parameters such as pressure, temperature, and material properties play critical roles in the NIL process. In this work, the process of thermal nanoimprint lithography (TNIL) is studied computationally and the developed model can accurately predict the nano and micro-pattern geometry and quality from TNIL processes based on complex mold-resist interaction. Applications of this modeling technique range from micro- and nano-patterns used in micro-channels for biomedical devices to other applications such as biological/particle sensors or superhydrophobic surfaces.;In high-temperature TNIL process, a polymer melt such as polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is heated beyond the melting temperature so that it behaves predominantly as a fluid during the imprint process. The effects of surface tension and shear thinning become significant at or above the melting point, whereas the polymer melt can be modeled as a viscoelastic solid, solved with finite element analysis, when process temperature remains between the glass transition and melting temperatures. Additionally, the mold used in TNIL can deform since it is made of soft-rubbery elastomer such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and it is of interest to include the effect of subsequent mold deformation. Leakage between channels or significant variation in channel width can occur in micro-fluidic devices if mold deformation exceeds design tolerances. In the current work, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) technology is leveraged to solve for significant mold deformation and its effect on the polymer melt flow field during TNIL process. The simulation result is compared to experimental results. The FSI simulation result is also compared to the equivalent case with a rigid mold in place of flexible material, which shows results of differing mold materials.