ABSTRACT
This chapter explains photonanoimprinting in terms its process, materials, and equipment. It describes a practical example of photonanoimprinting. The process temperature of photonanoimprinting is room temperature, so pattern deformation by thermal expansion is quite small. A high fidelity in regard to pattern formation is, therefore, expected. Toxicity is also important. Conventional photocurable resins used in photolithography are removed after etching. Consequently, the cured resins do not remain in the final products, such as large-scale integration circuits and liquid-crystal display panels. However, in some applications, the cured resins remain and act as devices. The key factor in high-quality nanoimprinting is controlling the release of the mold and resin. The release property is basically governed by the balance of sticking forces between the substrate and the resin and between the resin and the mold. Photonanoimprinting is suitable for nanoscale patterning. However, several tips concerning successful photonanoimprinting should be considered.
