Mold deformation in soft UV-nanoimprint lithography

UV-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) using a soft mold is a promising technique with low cost and high throughput for producing the submicron scale large-area patterns. However, the deformations of the soft mold during imprinting process which can cause serious consequences have to be understood for the practical application of the process. This paper investigated the deformation of the soft mold by theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and experimental studies. We simulated the mold deformation using a simplified model and finite element method. The simulation and the related experimental results agree well with each other. Through the investigation, the mechanism and affected factors of the mold deformation are revealed, and some useful conclusions have been achieved. These results will be valuable in optimizing the imprinting process conditions and mold design for improving the quality of transferred patterns.