Molecular Imprints, Inc.

The University of Texas System

Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc.

Byung Jin Choi

Sidlgata V Sreenivasan

Mario Johannes Meissl

Michael P C Watts

Matthew Earl Colburn

Todd Christopher Bailey

Ronald D Voisin

Norman E Schumaker

Stephen C Johnson

C Grant Willson

Frank Y Xu

Daniel Babbs

Hillman Bailey

John G Ekerdt

S V Sreenivasan

Niyaz Khusnatdinov

Anshuman Cherala

Edward Brian Fletcher

Sidlagata V Sreenivasan

Gerard M Schmid

Weijun Liu

Ian Matthew McMackin

Nicholas A Stacey

Shrawan Singhal

Kosta S Selinidis

Se-Hyuk Im

Mahadevan GanapathiSubramanian

Roger Bonnecaze

Van Xuan Hong Truskett

John Eckerdt

Todd Bailley

V Screenivasans S

Hillman L Bailey

SV Sreenivasan

Michael PC Watts

John Ekerdt

Control of lateral strain and lateral strain ratio (d/d) between template and substrate through the selection of template and/or substrate thicknesses (Tand/or T), control of template and/or substrate back pressure (Pand/or P), and/or selection of material stiffness are described.

Safe separation for nano imprinting

An imprint lithography template or imprinting stack includes a porous material defining a multiplicity of pores with an average pore size of at least about 0.4 nm. A porosity of the porous material is at least about 10%. The porous template, the porous imprinting stack, or both may be used in an imprint lithography process to facilitate diffusion of gas trapped between the template and the imprinting stack into the template, the imprinting stack or both, such that polymerizable material between the imprinting stack and the template rapidly forms a substantially continuous layer between the imprinting stack and the template.

Porous template and imprinting stack for nano-imprint lithography

Droplets of polymerizable material may be patterned on a film sheet. The droplets of polymerizable material may be dispensed on the film sheet. A pre-determined force may be applied to an imprint lithography template such that localized trapping of the droplets of the polymerizable material on the film sheet is minimized and the droplets coalesce to form a continuous layer. The polymerizable material may be solidified to form a patterned layer having a residual layer and at least one feature.

Large area roll-to-roll imprint lithography

Described are flexure-based high precision positioning stages. The stages are constrained to motion along each axis by a system of symmetrical flexure linkages. The linkages may be formed of link coupled by flexure joints. Magnetic linear servomotors may provide motive force for the stages. In some embodiments, the stages may have no frictional contact joints.

Flexure based macro motion translation stage

The present invention is directed to a method of forming a layer on a region of a substrate, the method including, inter alia, positioning a liquid on the substrate; and contacting the liquid with the mold, defining a gap between the mold and the substrate, with the gap enabling positioning of the liquid by capillary forces to generate the layer over the region.

Step and repeat imprint lithography processes

The present invention is directed to a template having a body including a surface with first and second regions. The first region has first wetting characteristics for a given material and the second region has second wetting characteristics for the given material. The first wetting characteristics differ from the second wetting characteristics. Specifically, the first region is formed from a surface treatment layer with a first surface energy to provide the first wetting characteristics. The second region is exposed portions of the body, typically quartz of fused silica, having a second surface energy associated therewith. The second surface energy is greater than the first surface energy to provide the second region with the second wetting characteristics.

Formation of discontinuous films during an imprint lithography process

The present invention includes a conforming template for patterning liquids disposed on substrates. The template includes a body having opposed first and second surfaces. The first surface includes a plurality of recessed regions with a patterning region being disposed between adjacent recessed regions. Specifically, the recessed regions define flexure regions about which each patterning region may move independent of the remaining patterning regions of the template. In one embodiment the template is mounted to a fluid chamber having an inlet and a throughway. The template is connected to the throughway and the inlet is connected to a fluid source to facilitate deformation of the template to conform to a profile of a surface adjacent thereto.

Conforming template for patterning liquids disposed on substrates

The present invention provides a method to reduce adhesion between a conformable region on a substrate and a pattern of a mold, which selectively comes into contact with the conformable region. The method features forming a conformable material on the substrate and contacting the conformable material with the surface. A conditioned layer is formed from the conformable material. The conditioned layer has first and second sub-portions, with the first sub-portion being solidified and the second sub-portion having a first affinity for the surface and a second affinity for the first sub-portion. The first affinity is greater than the second affinity. In this fashion, upon separation of the mold from the conditioned layer, a subset of the second sub-portion maintains contact with the mold, thereby reducing the probability that a pattern formed in the conditioned layer becomes compromised. These and other embodiments are described herein.

Method to reduce adhesion between a conformable region and a pattern of a mold

An apparatus to control displacement of a body spaced-apart from a surface includes a flexure system having a first flexure member defining a first axis of rotation and a second flexure member defining a second axis of rotation. A body is coupled to the flexure system to move about a plurality of axes. An actuation system is coupled to the flexure system to selectively constrain movement of the body along a subset of the plurality of axes.

Apparatus to control displacement of a body spaced-apart from a surface

The present invention is directed to methods for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography is a process in which a liquid is dispensed onto a substrate. A template is brought into contact with the liquid and the liquid is cured. The cured liquid includes an imprint of any patterns formed in the template. In one embodiment, the imprint process is designed to imprint only a portion of the substrate. The remainder of the substrate is imprinted by moving the template to a different portion of the template and repeating the imprint lithography process.

Described are systems for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography systems include an imprint head configured to hold a template in a spaced relation to a substrate. The imprint lithography system is configured to dispense an activating light curable liquid onto a substrate or template. The system includes a light source that applies activating light to cure the activating light curable liquid. Multiple optical imaging devices are used to align the template with the substrate.

Alignment systems for imprint lithography

The present invention includes a method of moving a liquid between a substrate extending in a first plane and a template extending in a second plane. More specifically, the method may include forming an oblique angle between the first plane and the second plane, reducing a distance between the substrate and the template such that the template is in contact with a portion of the liquid at a desired location, and creating a dispersion of the liquid away from the desired location.

Method of creating a dispersion of a liquid on a substrate

The present invention includes a method of orientating a template with respect to a substrate spaced from the template, the method including, rotating the template about a first and a second axis to orientate the template with respect to the substrate and maintain the orientation in response to a force being exerted upon the template.

Method of orientating a template with respect to a substrate in response to a force exerted on the template

The present invention provides a system for determining characteristics of substrates, such as the presence of contaminants, shape, as well as the spatial relationships between spaced-apart substrates. The spatial relationships include distance and angular orientation between first and second spaced apart substrates.

System for determining characteristics of substrates employing fluid geometries

The present invention is directed to a chucking system to modulate substrates so as to properly shape and position the same with respect to a wafer upon which a pattern is to be formed with the substrate. The chucking system includes a chuck body having first and second opposed sides. A side surface extends therebetween. The first side includes first and second spaced-apart recesses defining first and second spaced-apart support regions. The first support region cinctures the second support region and the first and second recesses. The second support region cinctures the second recess, with a portion of the body in superimposition with the second recess being transparent to radiation having a predetermined wavelength. The second side and the side surface define exterior surfaces. The body includes throughways placing the first and second recesses in fluid communication with one of the exterior surfaces.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Byung Jin Choi