Nanoimprint lithography
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a nanoimprint lithography method. Said nanoimprint lithography method comprises: a preparation step during which a resin ( 120 ) is placed on a substrate ( 130 ); a step of pressing a mold ( 200, 300, 400, 500 ), comprising raised patterns ( 202 ), in order to transfer the raised patterns ( 202 ) of the mold ( 200, 300, 400, 500 ) into the resin ( 120 ) so as to form designs ( 230 ) therein, which each have at least one end; and a removal step for separating the mold ( 200, 300, 400, 500 ) from the resin ( 120 ), characterized in that the resin ( 120 ) is a positive photosensitive resin, in that it includes an exposure step for activating the resin ( 120 ) before or after the step of removing the mold ( 200, 300, 400, 500 ), and in that it includes, prior to the exposure step, a masking step during which a mask coating ( 110, 310 ), partially stopping at least the exposure of the resin ( 120 ) that it covers and only covering the resin ( 120 ) outside the end of the designs ( 230 ), is placed between the mold ( 200, 300, 400, 500 ) and the resin ( 120 ).
1. A nanoimprint lithography method, comprising:
pressing a mold comprising reliefs having sidewalls and ends into a masking coating and a photosensitive resin, wherein the masking coating is disposed on the photosensitive resin and the photosensitive resin is disposed on a substrate, thereby forming patterns having sidewalls and ends, defined by the reliefs, in the masking coating and the photosensitive resin, wherein the masking coating covers all the photosensitive resin outside the patterns and at least part of the sidewalls of the patterns and leaves at least the ends of the patterns uncovered;
separating the mold from the masking coating and the photosensitive resin; and,
before or after the separating, exposing the photosensitive resin, to activate the photosensitive resin.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the masking coating covers the side-walls of the patterns at a height greater than a thickness of the masking coating on the photosensitive resin.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after said exposing:
developing the photosensitive resin.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein, during the developing, the masking coating develops and disappears.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing is performed after the separating.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing is performed before the separating and wherein the mold is made of a transparent material.