Pattern formation on polymer resist by solvent-assisted nanoimprinting with PDMS mold as a solvent transport medium

摘要

Solvent-vapor-assisted imprinting lithography (S VAIL) using a 1 mm thick flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane mold as a solvent transport medium in a vapor environment is demonstrated. By adjusting the solvent vapor pressure, this transport mechanism provides a sufficient amount of solvent to soften the thin polystyrene resist (<100 nm) and avoids the deformation of imprinted nanopatterns due to excess solvent that is problematic with other methods. The results show that SVAIL has potential for large-area patterning because the molding of the softened polymer can be performed without external loading. Localized molding and conformal contact with a curved surface allow multiple imprinting to be performed to obtain more complex, two-dimensional hierarchical structures using simple stripe-patterned stamps.