ABSTRACT
The integration of lamps and exposure systems for the curing of resists during or after imprint is an integral part of ultraviolet–assisted nanoimprint lithography. Devices that require several lithography steps and precise overlay will need an imprinting process capable of addressing registration issues. Imprint tools based on drop-on-demand ultraviolet nanoimprinting are broadly divided into wafer steppers and whole substrate tools. Imprint lithography relies on the parallel orientation of the imprint template and the substrate. Inaccurate orientation may yield a residual layer that is nonuniform across the imprint field. The imprint tools include precision self-leveling flexure systems to passively align the imprint mask and substrate to be parallel during the imprint process. Imprint is also widely used for the surface patterning of thermoplastic materials and glass, such as for counterfeit tags, microfluidics, micro-optics, and biomimetics.
