Influence of residual solvent in polymers patterned by nanoimprint lithography

Abstract

In nanoimprint lithography, one of the key points to be addressed is the printing uniformity. The limitation of the printing temperature is also of great importance to develop this technology for industrial applications. The thermal behavior of a commercial resist is characterized and related to the printing performance of the polymer. It is shown that the plasticizing effect of the solvent contained in the commercial resist decreases the glass transition temperature of the polymer (Tg) and favors a deeper penetration of the mold into the polymer at a specified printing temperature. We also demonstrate that the control of the residual solvent in the polymer can favor a better pattern uniformity and a decrease of the printing temperature.