Photo-Curable Resins and Evaluation Methods for UV-Nanoimprint Lithography

Five kinds of photo-curable resins were prepared, and their thermal properties, mechanical properties, and suitability for the imprint process were experimentally evaluated. Measurements of thermal properties using the TG method, TM-DSC method, and laser interferometric method indicated that determination of the thermally stable temperature, glass transition temperature, and coefficient of linear expansion of the resins was possible. Measurements of mechanical properties using nanoindentation were also made. Measurements of the Young's S modulus Of the thin resin film on the substrate were found to be possible by this method To determine suitability for the imprint process, we investigated the effects of mold release treatment and their durability for two kinds of resins by measuring the adhesive force. It was found that the difference in the durability of mold release treatment effects depends on the resin type. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 92(11): 51-56, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10136