Transparent hybrid polymer stamp copies with sub-50-nm resolution for thermal and UV-nanoimprint lithography

The organic-inorganic hybrid polymer Ormostamp was successfully used for the fabrication of inexpensive, transparent working stamps to be used in nanoimprint lithography. The stamps were produced from different masters by casting and UV exposure of a viscous precursor. The cured hybrid stamp with the replicated surface relief was imprinted into several thermoplastic materials with up to 180 degrees C imprint temperature. In this article the authors show the effect of the imprint temperature on the structural fidelity. By using combined thermal and UV-nanoimprint lithography at 110 degrees C imprint temperature, a resolution down to 35 nm is demonstrated. They also investigated deterioration effects due to plasma treatment to simulate the effect of multiple recoating steps.