Nano imprinting

lithography
Presenting by: Zijian Zhao, Shenmin Gong,
Mukund Choudhary, Yee Zhian
12/7/2015

EE 432/532 Final Project

Introduction
What is Nano Imprinting Lithography?
Nanoimprint lithography is a method of fabricating nanometer
scale patterns. It is a simple nanolithography process with low
cost, high throughput and high resolution.

There are many different types of nanoimprint lithography,

but two of them are most important:
1. Thermoplastic nanoimprint lithography
2. Photo nanoimprint lithography

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This system is able to combine

aligned Hot Embossing and UVNIL on a same platform (on wafer
up to 300 mm in a Step & Repeat
mode), to print sub-20 nm
geometries with an overlay
accuracy of 250 nm.

a) nanoimprint template and b) imprint and pattern transfer into silicon.

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History
The history of imprint technology as lithography method
for pattern replication can be traced back to 1970s but the
most significant progress has been made by the research
group of S. Chou in the 1990s. Since then, it has become a
popular technique with a rapidly growing interest from
both research and industrial sides and a variety of new
approaches have been proposed along the mainstream
scientific advances. Indeed, the initial proposal of Chou has
been made for the mass production of high density
magnetic storage media and it has been used to
demonstrate the feasibility of all kind of fine structure
patterning at a nanometer scale resolution which is now
called nanoimprint lithography.

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Process
Thermoplastic nanoimprint lithography
Photo nanoimprint lithography

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Thermoplastic nanoimprint lithography

Spin coat thin layer of imprint resist onto the sample substrate.

Mold with predefined patterns is brought in contact with sample.

Mold is heated and pressed against the polymer (imprint resist)

After being cooled down, mold is separated from the polymer.

Pattern transfer process (etching) is used to transfer the pattern in

the resist to the underneath substrate.

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Photo nanoimprint
lithography

Photo(UV) curable liquid resist

is applied to the sample substrate.

The mold is normally made of

a transparent material.

Mold and substrate pressed together

and resist is cured and solidified.

After separation, Pattern transfer

process (etching) used to transfer
the pattern in the resist to the underneath substrate.

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Advantages
Ability to pattern 3D and large-area
structures
High throughput
High resolution
Simpler process
Low cost
Ease of fabrication

Disadvantages
Defects
Overlay
Template manufacturing (1X)

Comparison

Photolithography

Nano imprinting lithography

Applications
Electrical device applications
Optical and photonics applications
Biological applications

sixty-nanometer channel
length MOSFET fabricated
on a 4-in wafer using the
nanoimprinting in all four
lithography levels.

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Applications

Synthesis of multifunctional plasmonic

nanopillar array using soft thermal
nanoimprint lithography for highly sensitive
refractive index sensing

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Future Work
It is possible that self-assemble structures
will provide the ultimate solution for
templates of periodic patterns at scales of 10
nm and less.
It is also possible to resolve the template
generation issue by using a programmable
template in a scheme based on double
patterning

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Conclusion
- Nano imprinting lithography is better
because of its high throughput, high
resolution, low cost process and has the
ability to pattern on 3D/larger structure
- This fabrication technique can be used on
electronics, photonics, and biology fields.

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QUESTIONS?

EE 432/532 Final Project