Defect Analysis in Thermal Nanoimprint Lithography Yoshihiko Hirai, Satoshi Yoshida, and Nobuyuki Takagi Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 2765–2770, November 2003 Presentation by Chris Hannemann
Overview Thermal nanoimprint lithography process Step-by-step FEA stress/strain simulations Experiments/proposed process improvements Conclusions
Thermal NIL Thermoplastic polymer heated above Tg Mold pressed and held Temperature dropped below Tg to set polymer Polymer ‘released’ from mold
Fracture Issues Fracture defects occur during cooling (different thermal expansion rates) and mold release Increased friction force in high aspect ratio features increases rate of fracture
Hot Pressing Step Polymer treated as rubber elastic body Polymer ‘stretched’ into cavity, though stress spreads easily due to fluidity of polymer above Tg
Cooling Step Stress and strain concentrations near corner of feature
Release Step Principal stress distribution during release step Friction force pulls polymer upwards
Revised Processes Conventional Revised Advanced
Conclusions Simulations assert that stress concentrations near corner of the pattern are formed during the cooling process and from pressure applied below Tg Releasing pressure below Tg and slowing the cooling process help mitigate fracture defects
Questions?