Sub-wavelength optical diffraction and photoacoustic metrologies for the characterisation of nanoimprinted structures

We report on the use of two original techniques for the quality evaluation of nanoimprint lithography with 50 nm feature size: sub-wavelength blazed diffraction gratings and photoacoustic metrology. Sub-wavelength diffraction has been used to characterise nanoscale structures by studying the diffraction patterns of visible wavelengths of light from gratings which are made up of features below the diffraction limit; Diffraction efficiencies of the diffracted orders are related to the nanoscale line-widths, heights and defects of the gratings. A stamp of a sub-wavelength blazed grating was fabricated by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching in silicon and imprinted by NIL with different tools. Measured diffraction efficiencies agree with those from finite difference time domain simulations and we demonstrated the possibility to distinguish diffraction patterns from successfully imprinted gratings and those with a defect. The photoacoustic method has been used for the first time to study nanoimprint polymers. Signals were obtained from the top and bottom interfaces of polymer layers with aluminium and silicon, respectively, and thicknesses calculated from the time of flight of the acoustic wave and modelling physical parameters of the polymers, agree well with those measured by profilometry.