Abstract:
In a method for anisotropic etching of a structure in an electrically conductive substance to be etched, use is made of an etchant which in concentrated solution is usable for isotopic etching of structures in the substance to be etched. The substance to be etched is contacted with the etchant in a solution which is so diluted that the etchant is unusable for isotropic etching. The etchant is subjected, adjacent to the substance to be etched, to an electric field of such a strength that anisotropic etching of the substance to be etched is accomplished. Moreover, an etching fluid is described, comprising an etchant in dilute solution, in which the etchant is present in a concentration of 200 mM at most, and use of such an etching fluid for making structures which are 50 &mgr;m or less is also described.
Abstract:
A method of encrypting and decrypting digital data such as text, numeric, images, pictures, especially tailored for optical compact discs; said method comprising of ciphering/deciphering and error detection and correction using algebraic method, namely Reed-Solomon code.
Abstract:
Apparatus and method for transferring a pattern from a template (10) having a structured surface to a substrate (12) carrying a surface layer of a radiation polymerisable fluid (14). The apparatus comprises a first main part (101) and a second main part (102) having opposing surfaces (104; 105), means for adjusting a spacing (115) between said main parts, support means (106) for supporting said template and substrate in mutual parallel engagement in said spacing with said structured surface facing said surface layer, a radiation source (110) devised to emit radiation into said spacing. A cavity (115) has a first wall comprising a flexible membrane (113) devised to engage said template or substrate, and means (114; 116) are provided for applying an adjustable overpressure to a medium present in said cavity, whereby an even distribution of force is obtained over the whole of the contact surface between the substrate and the template.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a novel metal mold having anti-adhesive properties comprising a base metal mold and an anti-adhesive layer comprising a fluorinated alkyl phosphoric acid derivative or a fluorinated alkyl poly-phosphoric acid derivative, including a phosphorous atom and an alkyl chain. The anti-adhesive layer is bonded directly onto a surface of the base metal mold. The base metal mold may be e.g. Nickel, and said fluorinated alkyl phosphoric acid derivative or said fluorinated alkyl poly-phosphoric acid derivative may be selected front the group consisting of phosphonic acids, phosphinic acids, phosphonates and phosphonate salts, phosphinates and phosphinate salts, or their respective oligomers, such that the phosphorous atom is coupled directly to the alkyl chain, such that the phosphorous atom is coupled directly to the alkyl chain.
Abstract:
Apparatus and method for separating two objects (27,28) attached to each other in a sandwich structure, such as a stamp and a substrate pressed together in an imprint process. The apparatus comprises a support structure (1), carrying first fastening means (2) having a base surface (3) and first gripping means for supporting and holding a first object (28), second fastening means (6), positioned opposite to the first fastening means, having second gripping means for holding a second object (27), and a pulling force mechanism (25, 26) devised to provide a pulling force at an angle to the normal direction of the base surface (3) for displacing the two fastening means away from each other. Preferably, the second object is gripped at a periphery portion, and the pulling force is angled inwardly from said periphery portion.
Abstract:
A device for homogeneous heating of an object comprises a supporting surface for supporting the object, and a heating layer arranged on the supporting surface. The heating layer absorbs at least partly energy received from a radiation source and emits at least partly the thus-absorbed energy to the object supported on the supporting surface. The layer is made of a material such that the energy absorbed by the layer is in a self-regulating manner distributed uniformly along the surface of the layer. The heating device forms a simple and compact unit which can be used to rapidly heat the object to a homogeneous temperature.
Abstract:
A method of making, by etching, depressions in selected portions of an etching surface of an electrically conductive etching material, the depressions forming an etching pattern, comprises the step of contacting the etching material with an etchant. A passivating layer is formed on the etching material which layer decreases or stops the etching capability of the etchant on the surface and which is dissolved in a chemical reaction when exposed to electromagnetic radiation. An electrode with electrically conductive electrode portions in selected portions of an electrode surface is provided, the electrode portions forming an electrode pattern corresponding to the etching pattern. The electrode is arranged in contact with the etchant and with the electrode portions facing the etching surface of the etching material, an electric voltage is applied between the electrode and the etching material, and the etching material is exposed to electromagnetic radiation essentially perpendicular to the etching surface.
Abstract:
The invention to provide curable materials, comprising photo-reactive compounds, in particular, photoinitiators and polymerizable mono- or multifunctional monomers such as acrylates or epoxides. The material may also contain fluoro-surfactants completely or partly terminated by functional groups with the ability to bind covalently to said chemical composition under curing. The curable compositions are either purely acrylate based or a hybrid of different types of monomers such as acrylates, epoxides or vinyl ethers. The polymerizable monomers may cure with the use of different types of photoinitiator, such as free radical photoinitiators or cationic photoinitiators, ultimately forming a hybrid resist comprising interpenetrating networks of different types of monomers e.g. acrylates and epoxides. The acrylate/epoxide hybrid system has showed improved replication properties in terms of high nano-imprint lithography process fidelity, due to increased conversion of acrylates and low shrinkage.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a nano imprint method and to a nano imprint apparatus comprising: a first imprint module, a second imprint module, a storage and a feeder module, wherein; the first imprint module is adapted to imprint a pattern into an intermediate polymer stamp from a template; a second imprint module is adapted to imprint a pattern into a substrate from the intermediate polymer stamp; robot feeder modules are adapted to move the template, intermediate polymer stamp and the substrate from and to storages.
Abstract:
A method is provided for transferring a pattern from a template (1) to an object (12) in an imprint process, using a two-step process. The first step includes contacting a pattern of the template surface with a polymer material comprising one or more Cyclic Olefin Copolymers (COCs), to produce a flexible polymer replica having a structured surface with an inverse of the pattern of the template surface. In a second step, after releasing the flexible polymer replica from the template, the inverse pattern of the flexible polymer replica is pressed into a resist layer on a substrate, to imprint a replica of the pattern of the template surface in therein.