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Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a promising method for the fabrication of micro/nanostructures through a simple, low-cost, and high throughput process. Imprinted 2D structure with high resolution has been demonstrated successfully for certain applications including magnetic hard disks and optical gratings. Manufacturing low-cost electronic devices...
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... top-gated transistors have been fab- ricated using the 3D SAIL proposed by Lausecker et al as schematically illustrated in figure 6 [45]. After a 3D polymer mask was created on a pre-deposited multi- layer film (semiconductor, dielectrics, and gate metal layer) ( figure 6(a)) the layered stack was etched entirely using the imprinted 3D polymer as a mask ( figure 6(b)). ...
Citations
... Moreover, after the production of a series of products, it is difficult to make modifications or minor adjustments to some sizes, as such changes would have far-reaching influence, which limits the efficiency of modern technology industries. Developed for micro-system production, the Roll to Plate (R2P) Zhou et al. 2015;Li and Chu 2017;Weng and Chen 2015;Weng 2015;Yi et al. 2015) and ...
This study used flexible polymer materials in large-area roll printing to control the curvature feature size of the microstructure mold array of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through system-developed equipment and gas-assisted molding processing. It designed and developed special roll printing equipment for curvature-adjustable flexible polymer mold for a series of tests regarding material mechanical properties. Mold, wear characteristics, and mechanical property parameters were obtained for experimental simulation, where the optimal parameters of microstructure mold forming with gas-assisted control were simulated. The simulation results were consistent with those in actual roll printing. The preliminary optical testing and applications were carried out, and verified that the innovative continuous roll printing process can obtain good large-area array forming structures.
... By alternately etching the masking structure and the thin-film stack, the patterns are transferred to the device layers. This system is also capable of large-scale mass production on the industrial scale such as flexible microelectronics and flat-panel displays [253][254][255][256]. ...
Nanofabrication of functional micro/nano-features is becoming increasingly relevant in various electronic, photonic, energy, and biological devices globally. The development of these devices with special characteristics originates from the integration of low-cost and high-quality micro/nano-features into 3D-designs. Great progress has been achieved in recent years for the fabrication of micro/nano-structured based devices by using different imprinting techniques. The key problems are designing techniques/approaches with adequate resolution and consistency with specific materials. By considering optical device fabrication on the large-scale as a context, we discussed the considerations involved in product fabrication processes compatibility, the feature's functionality, and capability of bottom-up and top-down processes. This review summarizes the recent developments in these areas with an emphasis on established techniques for the micro/nano-fabrication of 3-dimensional structured devices on large-scale. Moreover, numerous potential applications and innovative products based on the large-scale are also demonstrated. Finally, prospects, challenges, and future directions for device fabrication are addressed precisely.
... As these devices become smaller in size, pattern alignment in each successive photolithography process has emerged as an important issue when fabricating fine and complex structures. To eliminate these problems, a top-down process called SAIL (Self-Aligned Imprint Lithography) has been proposed [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The SAIL process technology can be briefly described as follows. ...
Amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) was successfully fabricated by the imprint lithography and plasma etching processes without using a photolithography process. The TFT is provided with two horizontally and vertically crossed electrode lines. In order to isolate the horizontal electrode line on the bottom surface, fine holes were drilled in the top vertical electrode line to separate the bottom electrode line. A 50 × 50 μm² channel-sized TFT with connecting metal lines was completed easily using one imprint process and continuous etching process in one chamber. The TFT exhibited a linear mobility of 14.5 cm²/Vs, and a current on/off ratio of 2.07 × 10⁵ at the drain voltage of 0.5 V. Since this TFT fabrication method utilizes self-aligned imprint lithography, there is no difficulty in alignment when using photolithography, and it can be utilized as a more complex and fine TFT array fabrication process through process improvement.
Developing high-throughput nanopatterning techniques that also allow for precise control over the dimensions of the fabricated features is essential for the study of cell-nanopattern interactions. Here, we developed a process that fulfills both of these criteria. Firstly, we used electron-beam lithography (EBL) to fabricate precisely controlled arrays of submicron pillars with varying values of interspacing on a large area of fused silica. Two types of etching procedures with two different systems were developed to etch the fused silica and create the final desired height. We then studied the interactions of preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) with these pillars. Varying interspacing was observed to significantly affect the morphological characteristics of the cell, the organization of actin fibers, and the formation of focal adhesions. The expression of osteopontin (OPN) significantly increased on the patterns, indicating the potential of the pillars for inducing osteogenic differentiation. The EBL pillars were thereafter used as master molds in two subsequent processing steps, namely soft lithography and thermal nanoimprint lithography for high-fidelity replication of the pillars on the substrates of interest. The molding parameters were optimized to maximize the fidelity of the generated patterns and minimize the wear and tear of the master mold. Comparing the replicated feature with those present on the original mold confirmed that the geometry and dimensions of the replicated pillars closely resemble those of the original ones. The method proposed in this study, therefore, enables the precise fabrication of submicron- and nanopatterns on a wide variety of materials that are relevant for systematic cell studies.
Statement of Significance
: Submicron pillars with specific dimensions on the bone implants have been proven to be effective in controlling cell behaviors. Nowadays, numerous methods have been proposed to produce bio-instructive submicron-topographies. However, most of these techniques are suffering from being low-throughput, low-precision, and expensive. Here, we developed a high-throughput nanopatterning technique that allows for control over the dimensions of the features for the study of cell-nanotopography interactions. Assessing the adaptation of preosteoblast cells showed the potential of the pillars for inducing osteogenic differentiation. Afterward, the pillars were used for high-fidelity replication of the bio-instructive features on the substrates of interest. The results show the advantages of nanoimprint lithography as a unique technique for the patterning of large areas of bio-instructive surfaces.
