Swellable film forming compositions and methods of nanoimprint lithography employing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167546-B2
Application number	US-201615558384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

Compositions of matter capable of being cast and cured to form a microreplicated pattern on a substrate, and further capable of swelling on exposure to water so as to release from that substrate. Water swellable acrylic polymers formed from these compositions, and methods of using same in nanoimprint lithography are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a predetermined metalized pattern on a substrate, comprising:
casting and curing a polymerizable precursor into a first side of the substrate so as to form a water swellable acrylic layer on the substrate, the water swellable acrylic layer having thick portions and thin portions such that the thin portions correspond to the predetermined pattern;
etching the water swellable acrylic layer so that the thin portions are removed and substrate is partially exposed;
metalizing the first side so as to deposit metal onto the exposed portions of the substrate and onto the thick portions of the water swellable acrylic layer; and
exposing the water swellable acrylic layer to only hot water, releasing the water swellable acrylic layer and its over-coat of metal from the substrate and leaving the substrate with the predetermined metalized pattern.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the water swellable acrylic layer is at least about 0.3 microns in thickness.

3. The method according to claim 1 where in the polymerizable precursor comprises between about 30 to 95 parts by weight of a mono-alkoxy polyakylene glycol acrylate, between about 5 to 65 parts by weight of mono-, di-, or tri-acrylate, and between about 0.1 to 2.5 parts by weight of a photoinitiator.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the polymerizable precursor comprises a liquid, monomeric, acrylic resin.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the viscosity of the polymerizable precursor 5000 centiPoise.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Strand John T
• Olson David B

Classifications

• H10P76/202

  for lift-off processes · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title

• G03F7/028

  with photosensitivity-increasing substances, e.g. photoinitiators · CPC title

• G03F7/027

  Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds (G03F7/075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C41/003

  characterised by the choice of material · CPC title