Improving the height of replication in EHD patterning by optimizing the electrical properties of the template

Abstract

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) patterning is a process for electrically transferring the micro- or nano-structures on a template onto a thin polymer film. The process involves applying an electric field to the patterned template and the substrate, which results in the template and substrate behaving like an electrode pair. The height of replication for EHD patterning has been limited at the nano-scale in previously proposed techniques because the electric field is sensitive to the spacer height of the template. In this paper, we investigate the influence of the template-modulated electric field on the formation of replication. We show that templates with conductive patterns allow for large field changes and enlarge the spacer height. Replication heights ranging from 1.5 to 8 µm can be achieved using templates with conductive patterns.