Development of imprint materials for the Step and Flash Imprint Lithography process

Frank Xu; Nicholas A. Stacey; Mike Watts; Van Truskett; Ian McMackin; Jin Choi; Philip Schumaker; Ecron Thompson; Daniel Babbs; S. V. Sreenivasan; C. Grant Willson; Norman Schumaker

doi:10.1117/12.538734

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20 May 2004 Development of imprint materials for the Step and Flash Imprint Lithography process

Frank Xu; Nicholas A. Stacey; Mike Watts; Van Truskett; Ian McMackin; Jin Choi; Philip Schumaker; Ecron Thompson; Daniel Babbs; S. V. Sreenivasan; C. Grant Willson; Norman Schumaker

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Proceedings Volume 5374, Emerging Lithographic Technologies VIII; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538734
Event: Microlithography 2004, 2004, Santa Clara, California, United States

Abstract

The Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FIL^TM) process is a step and repeat nano-replication technique based on UV curable low viscosity liquids. Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII) develops commercial tools that practice the S-FIL process. This talk will present the imprint materials that have been developed to specifically address the issue of process life and defects. The S-FIL process involves field-to-field dispensing of low viscosity (<5 cps) UV cross-linkable monomer mixtures. The low viscosity liquid leads to important advantages that include: • Insensitivity to pattern density variations • Improved template life due to a lubricated template-wafer interface avoids “hard contact” between template and wafer • Possibility for lubricated (in-situ) high-resolution alignment corrections prior to UV exposure The materials that are optimal for use in the S-FIL process need to possess optimal wetting characteristics, low evaporation, no phase separation, excellent polymer mechanical properties to avoid cohesive failure in the cured material, low adhesion to the template, and high adhesion to the underlying substrate. Over 300 formulations of acrylate based monomer mixtures were developed and studied. The imprint materials were deemed satisfactory based on the process of surviving imprinting more than 1500 imprints without the imprints developing systematic or repeating defects. For the purpose of these process studies, printing of sub-100 nm pillars and contacts is used since they represent the two extreme cases of patterning challenge: pillars are most likely to lead to cohesive failure in the material; and contacts are most likely to lead to mechanical failure of the template structures.

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Frank Xu, Nicholas A. Stacey, Mike Watts, Van Truskett, Ian McMackin, Jin Choi, Philip Schumaker, Ecron Thompson, Daniel Babbs, S. V. Sreenivasan, C. Grant Willson, and Norman Schumaker "Development of imprint materials for the Step and Flash Imprint Lithography process", Proc. SPIE 5374, Emerging Lithographic Technologies VIII, (20 May 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538734

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