Nanoimprintpinoaminen

Nanoimprint lithography, often abbreviated as NIL, is a nanopatterning technique used to create high-resolution structures on a substrate. It operates on a principle similar to a rubber stamp, where a patterned mold or stamp is pressed into a soft material layer on the substrate. This material, typically a polymer resist, deforms under pressure, replicating the inverse pattern of the mold. After the imprint step, the resist is usually hardened, for example, by UV curing or thermal curing. Subsequently, the mold is removed, leaving the imprinted pattern on the substrate.

There are several variations of NIL, including soft lithography, hot embossing, and UV-nanoimprint lithography. Soft lithography uses an elastomeric stamp, often made of PDMS, which can conform to imperfect surfaces. Hot embossing involves heating a thermoplastic resist above its glass transition temperature and then pressing the mold into it. UV-nanoimprint lithography utilizes a UV-curable resist, which solidifies upon exposure to UV light during the imprinting process.

NIL is a versatile technique because it can achieve very high resolution, down to a few nanometers, and can be used to pattern a wide range of materials. It is also a parallel processing technique, meaning a large area can be patterned simultaneously. This makes NIL an attractive alternative to more complex and expensive methods like electron-beam lithography or photolithography for certain applications. Its applications are found in fields such as microelectronics, photonics, biosensors, and the fabrication of optical components.