AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Nano-Manufacturing Topical Conference Tuesday Sessions
       Session NM-TuP

Paper NM-TuP1
Glass Nanoimprint using Amorphous Ni-P Mold Etched by Focused Ion Beam

Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 6:00 pm, Room 3rd Floor Lobby

Session: Nano-Manufacturing Poster Session
Presenter: H. Mekaru, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
Authors: H. Mekaru, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
T. Kitadani, SAWA PLATING CO.,LTD., Japan
M. Yamashita, Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Technology, Japan
M. Takahashi, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
We succeeded in the glass nanoimprint of line and space patterns using an amorphous Ni-P mold. The glass-like carbon has been used as a mold material to mold not only Pyrex glasses but also quartz glasses because it's still stable in the temperature of 1650 °C. However, it is difficult to process a quartz glass substrate to arbitrary shape by machining. We thought that the amorphous Ni-P alloy is used as a mold material for the industrial glass molding. To replicate on Pyrex glasses, the mold material should endure the heating of 600 °C or more. Pyrex glasses should be able to release from the mold without a release agent. We thought that there is a possibility that the wettability between Ni and Pyrex glasses decreases if the crystal Ni layer is changed into an amorphous layer like a glass-like carbon. If Ni is electroless plated mixing suitable amount of P on a Si wafer or a Ni substrate, the Ni-P layer becomes amorphous. The ratio of appropriate Ni and P was judged from the X-ray diffraction measurement, and the optimized composition ratio of Ni-P was Ni : P = 92 wt% : 8 wt%. After electroless plated, the amorphous Ni-P layer was heat-treated at 400 °C to improve the hardness. Moreover, line and space patterns of line width less than 1 µm was etched with FIB on the mold, and the processing accuracy of the amorphous Ni-P layer was compared with the pure Ni layer. As a result, patterns of several 100 nm width can be fabricated to depth 1 µm on the amorphous Ni-P mold, and processed side walls were smooth. At pure Ni layer, the processing line was notched, and the side walls were very rough. The crystal size of the pure Ni layer was measured by the TEM observation, and the maximum crystal size was 500 nm. The crystal grain seems to hinder in the processing of the nano-pattern. Line and space patterns of the amorphous Ni-P mold was nanoimprinted on a Pyrex glass using the glass embossing device (ASHE0201) that AIST had developed.