Nanoimprint Resist Stress Analysis under Low Temperature by Finite Element Analysis

Traditional thermal nanoimprint lithography (TNIL) needs high temperature. This limits its application in the biological and medical area where substrate cannot sustain high temperature. Low temperature nanoimprint lithography (LTNIL) allows imprint conducted under temperature a little higher than transition temperature of the resist. However, in order to replicate with high fidelity, the process parameters should be optimized. This contribution employed finite element analysis to research the stress of nanoimprint resist under low temperature from three angles: imprint temperature, pressure on stamp and imprint time. The contact part between the stamp and resist has bigger stress than other areas. The bottom of the resist has minimum stress. With proper imprint temperature and time, the resist can fully fill the cavity of the stamp and the stress of the resist does not change anymore. The stress of the resist increases with the pressure on the stamp.