Bilayer reversal imprint lithography: direct metal–polymer transfer

Abstract

A method of transferring a bilayer of polymer capped with metal to a substrate is developed with a mould that is coated with a metal followed by a polymer. A self-assembled monolayer chemisorbed on the mould surface plays a key role in the bilayer transfer. This bilayer reversal imprint lithography offers a distinct advantage over other imprint techniques in allowing for a high aspect ratio of the pattern transferred onto a substrate, which has been difficult to obtain for small feature sizes. The method requires only one etching step as opposed to the two etching steps typically needed in the imprint lithography, which can degrade the pattern fidelity.