ABSTRACT
Nanoimprinting technology can be used to rapidly and simply fabricate various types of nano/microstructures. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are commonly used to observe the patterns produced by nanoimprinting technology because it is often difficult to confirm the small features of these patterns by optical microscopy. Molds are usually fabricated by electron beam lithography or photolithography. Silicon and quartz are frequently used as materials for the molds, in addition to metals such as Ni and Al. Scanning probe microscopy is a general term for several related technologies, which include scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Kelvin force microscopy and magnetic force microscopy. AFM is used to observe patterns. The tip of a cantilever comes in contact with the sample and scans its surface. The cantilever is an important factor in AFM because the curvature radius of the cantilever affects the resolution of the AFM image.
