Papers by Keyword: Non-Planar Substrate

Abstract: This paper reports a gasbag pressure (GBP) mechanism for soft UV-imprinting. With this mechanism, the pressure distribution over the whole non-planar surface is uniform. In addition, the curved surface and side-direction imprinting also can be achieved. The mechanism employs a gasbag inside a closed chamber, which upon inflation compresses the whole PDMS mold/substrate stack not only from the surface but also from all the sides. The microstructures on the PDMS mold are then replicated onto photoresist coated substrates. The result shows that the pressure mechanism can provide uniform pressure for imprinting. It also provides that fine patterns with good dimensional stability can be replicated with high fidelity from soft mold to photoresist on substrates. The accuracy of replication, even at the edge, has been experimentally verified.