Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL)

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a new way of nanopatterning and a revolutionary solution to nanomanufacturing. NIL patterns nanostructures by the physical deformation of a deformable material using a mold. NIL can have sub-5 nm resolution and 1% CD control, and simultaneously achieve high-throughput, sub-10 nm structures, and low cost. Prof. Chou's group began pioneering developments as early as 1995 and has made numerous breakthroughs including the demonstration of sub-10 nm resolution.

Nanonex Unique Technologies

Double-Sided Air Cushion Press (DS-ACP):

The proprietary DS-ACP presses the mold and substrate assembly using pressured Nitrogen (or fluid) from BOTH sides and DIRECTLY on the backside of the substrate and the mold (except a thin flexible film). DS-ACP is essential to ensure uniform pressure in the nanoscale over the entire mold and substrate, which leads to full conformal contact between the mold and substrate. DS-ACP has very significant advantages, including the highest resolution available (sub 10 nm), the best uniformity of pattern replication over large areas, and a great reduction of mold damage.

Fast Radiant Heating (FRH):

FRH uses lamp heating rather than large thermal mass heating blocks. Together with SSH, FRH allows fast thermal imprint with imprint time in sub-60 seconds, 10 times faster than thermal block heating. Thermal block heating also generates dust, a killer to nanoimprint, due to metal oxidation. Using FRH and SSH, the typical heating and cooling rate can reach 200 °C/minute and 100 °C/minute, respectively.

High-Fidelity Flexible Mold (HiF2M):

HiF2M is an easy-to-fabricate, low-cost flexible nanoimprint mold, it is fully compatible with Nanonex nanoimprint tools. It was developed for high-fidelity imprinting. HiF2M is crucial for the manufacturing of novel nano-devices over a larger area.

Simultaneous Thermo and UV NIL:

Useful for all forms of nanoimprinting, including Thermoplastic, Photocurable, Embossing, Imprint Alignment, and Simultaneous Thermo and UV NIL in a single unit. The Nanonex NX-2000/2500 will address a vast array of applications including nanoelectronics, optics, quantum devices, biodevices, bit-patterned media, PV cells, sensors, and more. The versatility will allow users to explore areas that may have been beyond their means in the past.

Smart Sample Holder (SSH):

SSH allows the use of one assembly of soft membranes to handle all nanoimprinting with a mold and a substrate that have arbitrary size (up to max size), shape, thickness, and thickness uniformity.

Publications:

Nanonex Corp.:

[1]. Hua Tan, Linshu Kong, Mingtao Li, Colby Steer and Larry Koecher, "Current Status of Nanonex Nanoimprint Solutions," SPIE, (2004).[PDF]

[2]. Mingtao Li, Hua Tan, Linshu Kong, and Larry Koecher,"Four-inch Photo-Curable Nanoimprint Lithography Using NX-2000 Nanoimprint," SPIE, (2004). [PDF]

Columbia University (NXB-200 & NXT-100)

[1]. Schvartzman, M. (Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University); Mathur, A.; Hone, J.; Jahnes, C.; Wind, S.J. “ Plasma fluorination of carbon-based materials for imprint and molding lithographic applications” Appl. Phys. Lett., (2008).[PDF]

University of California Santa Barbara (NX 2000)

[1]. Namdas, Ebinazar B. Tong, Minghong; Ledochowitsch, Peter; Mednick, Sarah R.; Yuen, Jonathan D.; Moses, Daniel; Heeger, Alan J. “Low thresholds in polymer lasers on conductive substrates by distributed feedback nanoimprinting: Progress toward electrically pumped plastic lasers” Advanced Materials, (2009). [PDF]

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (NX 2000)

[1]. A. Maxwell, S.-W. Huang, T. Ling, J.-S. Kim, S. Ashkenazi, and L. J. Guo, “Polymer Microring Resonators for High-Frequency Ultrasound Detection and Imaging” IEEE Special Topics in Quantum Electronics (on biophtonics), (2008). [PDF]

[2]. M. G. Kang and L. J. Guo, “Semitransparent Cu electrode on a flexible substrate and its application in organic light emitting diodes” J. Vac. Sci. & Technol. B. (2007). [PDF]

[3]. M. G. Kang, and L. J. Guo, “Nanoimprinted Semitransparent Metal Electrode and their Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes” Adv. Mater. (2007). [PDF]

[4]. W. Hua, E. K. F. Yim, R. M. Reano, K. W. Leong, S. W. Pang, “Effects of nanoimprinted patterns in tissue-culture polystyrene on cell behavior” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B (2005). [PDF]

Princeton University (NX 2000)

[1]. C. Wang, Q. Zhang, Y. Song, and S. Y. Chou, "Plasmonic Bar-Coupled Dots-on-Pillar Cavity Antenna with Dual Resonances for Infrared Absorption and Sensing: Performance and Nanoimprint Fabrication," ACS Nano 8 (3) 2618-2624 (2014). [PDF]

[2]. W. D. Li, X. Liang, and S. Y. Chou, “Nanoscale negative-tone quantized patterning by novel selective electrochemical etching of a nanoimprinted sub-200 nm bimetallic tile array,” Nanotechnology 23 (35) 355303 (2012). [PDF]

[3]. Xiaogan Liang, Keith J. Morton, Robert H. Austin, and Stephen Y. Chou, “Single Sub-20 nm Wide, Centimeter-Long Nanofluidic Channel Fabricated by Novel Nanoimprint Mold Fabrication and Direct Imprinting” Nano Lett., (2007). [PDF]

[4]. Walter Reisner, Keith J. Morton, Robert Riehn, Yan Mei Wang, Zhaoning Yu, Michael Rosen, James C. Sturm, Stephen Y. Chou, Erwin Frey, and Robert H. Austin, “Statics and Dynamics of Single DNA Molecules Confined in Nanochannels”,Phys. Rev. Lett. (2005). [PDF]

[5]. Lotien Richard Huang, Edward C. Cox,Robert H. Austin, James C. Sturm, “Continuous Particle Separation Through Deterministic Lateral Displacement”,Science (2004).[PDF]

[6]. Wei Zhang, Stephen Y. Chou, “Fabrication of 60-nm transistors on 4-in. wafer using nanoimprint at all lithography levels” Appl. Phys. Lett., ( 2003).[PDF]

[7]. Mingtao Li, Lei Chen, Wei Zhang and Stephen Y Chou, “Pattern transfer fidelity of nanoimprint lithography on six-inch wafers”,Nanotechnology (2003). [PDF]

National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, Republic of China (NX 1000)

[1]. Sun Zen Chen, Jen Fu Liu, Henry J. H. Chen, Fon Shan Huang, “Study of nanoimprint pattern transfer on hydrogen silsesquioxane”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B ( 2006). [PDF]

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NX 2000)

[1]. Ro, Hyun Wook ; Ding, Yifu; Lee, Hae-Jeong; Hines, Daniel R.; Jones, Ronald L.; Lin, Eric K.; Karim, Alamgir; Wu, Wen-Li; Soles, Christopher L. “Evidence for internal stresses induced by nanoimprint lithography” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B ( 2006).[PDF]

[2]. Lee, Hae-Jeong; Ro, Hyun Wook; Soles, Christopher L.; Jones, Ronald L.; Lin, Eric K.; Wu, Wen-Li; Hines, D.R. ”Effect of initial resist thickness on residual layer thickness of nanoimprinted structures” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, (2005).[PDF]

Institute of Bio- & Nanosystems (IBN), Germany (NX 2000)

[1] Gilles,S.; Meier,M.; Prömpers,M.; van der Hart,A.; Kügeler,C.; Offenhäusser,A.; Mayer,D." UV nanoimprint lithography with rigid polymer molds" Microelectronic Engineering, (2009) [PDF]