Imprinting apparatus including silicon master with a plurality of nanofeatures and an anti-stick layer having a cyclosiloxane and method of forming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12157252-B2
Application number	US-202117541089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2021
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

An imprinting apparatus includes a silicon master having a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein. An anti-stick layer coats the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group. A method includes forming a master template by: depositing a formulation on a silicon master including a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein, the formulation including a solvent and a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group; and curing the formulation, thereby forming an anti-stick layer on the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including the molecule. The method further includes depositing a silicon-based working stamp material on the anti-stick layer of the master template; curing the silicon-based working stamp material to form a working stamp including a negative replica of the plurality of nanofeatures; and releasing the working stamp from the master template.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imprinting apparatus, comprising:
a silicon master including a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein, each of the plurality of nanofeatures having at least one dimension ranging from about 1 nm to about 1000 nm; and
an anti-stick layer conformally coating the plurality of nanofeatures of the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group, wherein the layer consists of a mixture of from about 65 wt % to less than 100 wt % of the molecule in its neat form and from greater than 0 wt % to about 35 wt % of an oligomer of the molecule.

2. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the molecule is a cyclotetrasiloxane, a cyclopentasiloxane, or a cyclohexasiloxane, and wherein the molecule is substituted with at least one unsubstituted C 1-6 alkyl group and with at least one C 1-12 alkyl group substituted with an alkoxysilane group.

3. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the molecule is a cyclotetrasiloxane substituted with four unsubstituted C 1-6 alkyl groups and four C 1-12 alkyl groups each substituted with a trialkoxysilane group.

4. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the unsubstituted C 1-6 alkyl groups are methyl groups.

5. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the C 1-12 alkyl groups each substituted with the alkoxysilane group are ethyl or propyl groups.

6. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein the C 1-12 alkyl groups each substituted with the alkoxysilane group are ethyl groups.

7. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the trialkoxysilane group is a trimethoxysilane or triethoxysilane.

8. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein the trialkoxysilane group is the triethoxysilane.

9. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the cyclosiloxane is selected from the group consisting of cyclotetrasiloxane and cyclohexasiloxane.

10. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the silane functional group is an alkyl alkoxysilane.

11. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 10 , wherein the alkyl alkoxysilane is ethyl triethoxysilane.

12. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the molecule is:

13. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a silicon-based working stamp in contact with the anti-stick layer on the silicon master, wherein the silicon-based working stamp includes polymerized silicon acrylate monomers.

14. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 13 , further comprising a backplane in contact with the working stamp.

15. The imprinting apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the molecule excludes fluorine.

16. A method, comprising:
forming a master template by:
depositing a formulation on a silicon master including a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein, each of the plurality of nanofeatures having at least one dimension ranging from about 1 nm to about 1000 nm, the formulation consisting of a solvent and a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group; and
curing the formulation, thereby forming an anti-stick layer conformally coating the plurality of nanofeatures of the silicon master, the anti-stick layer consisting of a mixture of from about 65 wt % to less than 100 wt % of the molecule in its neat form and from greater than 0 wt % to about 35 wt % of an oligomer of the molecule;

depositing a silicon-based working stamp material on the anti-stick layer of the master template;
curing the silicon-based working stamp material to form a working stamp including a negative replica of the plurality of nanofeatures; and
releasing the working stamp from the master template.

17. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein:
the solvent has a boiling point of less than about 70° C.; and
the molecule is present in the formulation in an amount of at least about 5 wt %.

18. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the solvent is tetrahydrofuran or toluene, and wherein the silicon-based working stamp material includes a silicon acrylate monomer.

19. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the depositing of the formulation and the depositing of the silicon-based working stamp material each involve spin coating.

20. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the molecule is present in the formulation in an amount ranging from about 5 wt % to about 10 wt %, and wherein the released working stamp is at least substantially free of the molecule.

21. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the molecule is:

22. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the molecule excludes fluorine.

23. The method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the releasing of the working stamp provides a released master template with the anti-stick layer thereon, and further comprising:
cleaning the released master template;
depositing a second silicon-based working stamp material on the anti-stick layer of the cleaned released master template;
curing the second silicon-based working stamp material to form a second working stamp including a negative replica of the plurality of nanofeatures; and releasing the second working stamp from the master template.

Assignees

• Illumina Inc
• Illumina Cambridge Ltd

Inventors

• Richez Alexandre
• Brown Andrew A
• Morrison Julia
• George Wayne N
• Merkel Timothy J
• Zak Audrey Rose

Classifications

• B81C1/0046

  using stamping, e.g. imprinting (nanoimprinting for making etch masks G03F7/0002) · CPC title

• B29C33/40

  Plastics, e.g. foam or rubber · CPC title

• B29K2883/00

  Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as mould material · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• B29C59/026

  of layered or coated substantially flat surfaces · CPC title