Nanofeature-patterned polymer mold fabrication toward precisely defined nanostructure replication

Abstract

A simple strategy for patterning and replicating high aspect ratio nanostructures onto a polymer mold is reported. A mercapto ester type UV-curable prepolymer has been introduced as a choice of material for manufacturing polymer molds having nanopatterns with physical barriers sufficiently hard and robust enough to preserve firm and concrete nanostructures. In addition, a simple surface treatment technique for easy release of coated film from the polymer mold has been introduced. A polymer mold having precise nanoscale patterns of high aspect ratio with high feature density was successfully fabricated, and its nanopatterns were properly transferred onto the surface of a thin replica film, demonstrating the potential of this polymer material as a stamp for rapid replication of accurate nanostructures with great simplicity. © 2005 American Chemical Society.