A method for imprinting micropatterns on a substrate of a chalcogenide glass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022244635-A1
Application number	US-202017595848-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 26, 2020
Priority date	May 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 4, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a first embodiment, the invention relates to a method for nanoimprinting a pattern on a chalcogenide-glass substrate, comprising: (A) preparing a soft operational mold, the operational mold comprising an elastomeric matrix and a reinforcement, wherein the matrix is transparent to IR radiation, and the reinforcement is opaque to IR radiation, and the mold further includes a pattern to be replicated to the substrate; (B) placing the mold on a top surface of a chalcogenide-glass substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously applying (i) IR radiation to heat an area at a top surface of the substrate to a temperature T>Tg, where Tg is the glass transition temperature of chalcogenide-glass, and (ii) applying a controlled pressure on the mold to effect penetration to the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold to the top surface of the substrate; and (C) separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.

First claim

1 . A method for nanoimprinting a pattern on a chalcogenide-glass substrate, comprising:
preparing a soft operational mold, the operational mold comprising an elastomeric matrix and a reinforcement, wherein the matrix is transparent to IR radiation, and the reinforcement is opaque to IR radiation, and the mold further includes a pattern to be replicated to the substrate; placing the mold on a top surface of a chalcogenide-glass substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously applying (i) IR radiation to heat an area at a top surface of the substrate to a temperature T>T g , where T g is the glass transition temperature of chalcogenide-glass, and (ii) applying a controlled pressure on the mold to effect penetration to the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold to the top surface of the substrate; and separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the matrix of the operational mold is made of PDMS.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement of the operational mold is made of carbon-nanotubes.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the matrix of the operational mold is made of PDMS, and the reinforcement of the operational mold is made of carbon-nanotubes.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational mold is prepared by:
preparing a mixture of matrix material and the reinforcement material in liquid form; pouring the mixture on top of a master mold, and waiting for solidification; and upon solidification, separating the operational mold from the master mold.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the matrix material of the operational mold is PDMS, and the reinforcement material of the operational mold is carbon-nanotubes, and wherein the proportion between said materials is 2-20% of carbon nanotubes relative to the PDMS by weight.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the imprinted pattern is anti-reflective.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the imprinted pattern is super-hydrophobic.

9 . A method for nanoimprinting a pattern on a chalcogenide-glass substrate, comprising:
providing said chalcogenide-glass substrate; creating on a top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate a layer of softened chalcogenide-glass, said softened layer having a glass transition temperature T sg which is lower than a respective glass transition temperature T g of the rest of the substrate; placing a soft operational mold which includes a patter on the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously (i) heating the structure to a temperature T sg <T<T g , where T g is the glass transition temperature of chalcogenide-glass, and (ii) applying a controlled pressure on the mold to effect penetration to the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold within said softened layer; and separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the creation of the layer of softened chalcogenide-glass layer is made by pouring a solvent on the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the creation of the layer of softened chalcogenide-glass is made by pouring a solvent on the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, simultaneously with a spinning of the substrate.

12 . The method of claim 9 wherein the solvent is selected from: ethylenediamine, or another organic liquid which is capable of dissolving chalcogenide-glass.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the operational mold is made of PDMS.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the heat which is provided to the structure is a conduction heat.

15 . The method of claim 1 wherein the imprinted pattern is anti-reflective.

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the imprinted pattern is super-hydrophobic.

17 . A method for nanoimprinting a pattern on a chalcogenide-glass substrate, comprising:
preparing a soft operational mold, the operational mold comprising a pattern to be replicated to the substrate; soaking the operational mold in a solvent to produce diffusion of solvent to the mold; removing the operational mold from the solvent, and placing it on a top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously (i) heating the structure to a temperature T sg <T<T g , where T g is the glass transition temperature of chalcogenide-glass, and T sg is a glass transition temperature of the top surface of the substrate, which results to be lower than T g due to diffusion with the solvent in the mold, and (ii) applying a controlled pressure on the mold to effect penetration to the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold to the top surface of the substrate; and separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.

18 . method of claim 17 , wherein the operational mold is made of PDMS.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the solvent is selected from: ethylenediamine or another organic liquid which is capable of dissolving chalcogenide-glass.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the heat which is provided to the structure is a conduction heat.

21 . The method of claim 17 wherein the imprinted pattern is anti-reflective.

22 . The method of claim 17 wherein the imprinted pattern is super-hydrophobic.

Assignees

• B G Negev Technologies & Applications Ltd At Ben Gurion Univ
• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Schvartzman Mark
• Yehuda Dor
• Kassis Evyatar
• Joseph Shay

Classifications

• B81C1/00206

  Processes for functionalising a surface, e.g. provide the surface with specific mechanical, chemical or biological properties · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

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

• B81C2201/0153

  Imprinting techniques not provided for in B81C2201/0152 · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• C03C3/321

  Chalcogenide glasses, e.g. containing S, Se, Te · CPC title