Title:
Nanoimprint lithography is in industry and here to stay – why, where and how?

Abstract:
Within its 30 years of development, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has seen both continuous advances in high-resolution patterning, necessary for advancing high-volume manufacturing (HVM) of semiconductor chips, and a plethora of processes using different approaches, tools, materials, and process schemes. This is because NIL is a toolset rather than a single process, it is defined by its mechanical approach that molds a surface by material displacement instead of removing or adding material. NIL is about materials, stamps, processes, and it addresses a range of applications where traditional patterning techniques do not offer resolution and throughput. NIL can also be successful when low-cost alternatives are required or when the ecological footprint needs to be reduced; it spans from microstructures to patterns in the nanorange and from small chips to square meters. My talk will have three main goals: to provide insight into what made NIL successful and what remains the main reason NIL is attractive. Then, I will give an insight into previous and recent applications at PSI. I will show combinations of NIL with electron- and photon-based lithography, and thermal reflow for selective surface smoothing. NIL can be combined with printed electronics and injection molding, and pattern hybrid glass inks that can be used for glass microfluidics. Third, I will also give an overview of the latest developments from the International Conference on Nanoprint and Nanoimprint Technology NNT that will have taken place just before the EuroNanoLab Experts School on Lithography. NIL is in industry, and it is here to stay. It is our goal to keep the technology basis ready so that it will be applied in areas where fast solutions will be needed, such as in the fabrication of smart glasses, and where low-cost, scalable and affordable processes are required that enable new applications.