Transport during hot embossing micro-manufacturing studied via stylus profilometry and sem

This work investigates processing parameters affecting replicated feature size during hot embossing micro-manufacturing. Silicon micromachined masters were heated and pressed into polymer layers of different thermophysical properties. Imprinting with loads ranging from 20-35 MPa, load rates from 1-15 MPa/sec, load times from 90 - 115 sec, and imprint temperatures at, below, and above the polymer glass transition temperature (T_g) replicated features in polymer with varying degrees of conformity. Replicated features were measured by profilometry and inspected by scanning electron microscopy, revealing polymer feature heights ranging from 25 - 100% conformal matching of silicon master features and polymer feature widths closely matching the period of features on the silicon master. Statistical analysis determined replicated feature height was positively dependent on tip sharpness, master feature height, temperature, and load rate while negatively dependent on master feature width. Replicated feature width was found to depend positively on master feature height and width, temperature, load rate, and load time. Optimization of imprint parameters during hot embossing micro/nano-manufacturing can possibly lead to a high-throughput manufacturing process offering nanometer resolution.