Substrate pretreatment and etch uniformity in nanoimprint lithography

Abstract

A nanoimprint lithography method includes contacting a composite polymerizable coating formed from a pretreatment composition and an imprint resist with a nanoimprint lithography template defining recesses. The composite polymerizable coating is polymerized to yield a composite polymeric layer defining a pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponding to the recesses of the nanoimprint lithography template. The nanoimprint lithography template is separated from the composite polymeric layer. At least one of the pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponds to a boundary between two of the discrete portions of the imprint resist, and the pre-etch plurality of protrusions have a variation in pre-etch height of ±10% of a pre-etch average height. The pre-etch plurality of protrusions is etched to yield a post-etch plurality of protrusions having a variation in post-etch height of ±10% of a post-etch average height, and the pre-etch average height exceeds the post-etch average height.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A nanoimprint lithography stack comprising:
 a nanoimprint lithography substrate; and   a composite polymeric layer on the nanoimprint lithography substrate, wherein the composite polymeric layer is formed from discrete portions of an imprint resist on a pretreatment coating and defines a pre-etch plurality of protrusions, at least one of the protrusions corresponding to a boundary between two of the discrete portions of the imprint resist, the pre-etch plurality of protrusions have a variation in pre-etch height of ±10% of a pre-etch average height,   wherein after etching of the pre-etch plurality of protrusions to yield a post-etch plurality of protrusions, the post-etch plurality of protrusions has a variation in post-etch height of ±10% of a post-etch average height, and the pre-etch average height exceeds the post-etch average height.   
     
     
         19 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 18 , wherein the boundary between the two of the discrete portions of the imprint resist is formed from an inhomogeneous mixture of the pretreatment composition and the imprint resist. 
     
     
         20 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 18 , wherein the variation in post-etch average height is ±5% of the post-etch average height. 
     
     
         21 . A component formed by a method comprising:
 disposing a pretreatment composition on a nanoimprint lithography substrate to yield a liquid pretreatment coating on the nanoimprint lithography substrate, wherein the pretreatment composition comprises a polymerizable component;
 disposing discrete portions of an imprint resist on the pretreatment coating, wherein the imprint resist is a polymerizable composition; 
 forming a composite polymerizable coating on the nanoimprint lithography substrate as each discrete portion of the imprint resist spreads on the liquid pretreatment coating; 
 contacting the composite polymerizable coating with a nanoimprint lithography template defining recesses; 
 polymerizing the composite polymerizable coating to yield a composite polymeric layer defining a pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponding to the recesses of the nanoimprint lithography template, wherein at least one of the pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponds to a boundary between two of the discrete portions of the imprint resist, and the pre-etch plurality of protrusions have a variation in pre-etch height of ±10% of a pre-etch average height; 
 separating the nanoimprint lithography template from the composite polymeric layer; and 
 etching the pre-etch plurality of protrusions to yield a post-etch plurality of protrusions, 
   wherein the post-etch plurality of protrusions have a variation in post-etch height of ±10% of a post-etch average height, and the pre-etch average height exceeds the post-etch average height.   
     
     
         22 . The component of  claim 21 , wherein the component is an imprint lithography stack. 
     
     
         23 . The component of  claim 21 , wherein the component is a device. 
     
     
         24 . A nanoimprint lithography stack formed by a method comprising:
 disposing a pretreatment composition on a nanoimprint lithography substrate to form a pretreatment coating on the nanoimprint lithography substrate, wherein the pretreatment composition comprises a polymerizable component;   disposing discrete portions of imprint resist on the pretreatment coating, each discrete portion of the imprint resist covering a target area of the nanoimprint lithography substrate, wherein the imprint resist is a polymerizable composition;   forming a composite polymerizable coating on the nanoimprint lithography substrate as each discrete portion of the imprint resist spreads beyond its target area, wherein the composite polymerizable coating comprises a mixture of the pretreatment composition and the imprint resist;   contacting the composite polymerizable coating with a nanoimprint lithography template; and   polymerizing the composite polymerizable coating to yield a composite polymeric layer on the nanoimprint lithography substrate,   wherein the interfacial surface energy between the pretreatment composition-and air exceeds the interfacial surface energy between the imprint resist and air.   
     
     
         25 . A nanoimprint lithography stack comprising:
 a nanoimprint lithography substrate; and   a composite polymeric layer formed on a surface of the nanoimprint lithography substrate,   wherein the chemical composition of the composite polymeric layer is non-uniform, and comprises a plurality of center regions separated by boundaries, wherein the chemical composition of the composite polymeric layer at the boundaries differs from the chemical composition of the composite polymeric layer at the interior of the center regions.   
     
     
         26 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 25 , wherein the nanoimprint lithography substrate comprises an adhesion layer, and the composite polymeric layer is formed on a surface of the adhesion layer. 
     
     
         27 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 25 , wherein the center regions and the boundaries of the polymeric layer are formed from an inhomogeneous mixture of a pretreatment composition and an imprint resist, wherein a polymerizable component of the imprint resist and a polymerizable component of the pretreatment composition react to form a covalent bond during formation of the composite polymeric layer. 
     
     
         28 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 27 , wherein the polymerizable component of the imprint resist and the polymerizable component of the pretreatment composition have a common functional group. 
     
     
         29 . The nanoimprint lithography stack of  claim 28 , wherein the common functional group is an acrylate group. 
     
     
         30 . A component formed by a method comprising:
 disposing a pretreatment composition on a substrate to form a pretreatment coating on the substrate, wherein the pretreatment composition comprises a polymerizable component;   disposing discrete portions of imprint resist on the pretreatment coating, each discrete portion of the imprint resist covering a target area of the substrate, wherein the imprint resist is a polymerizable composition;   forming a composite polymerizable coating on the substrate as each discrete portion of the imprint resist spreads beyond its target area, wherein the composite polymerizable coating comprises a mixture of the pretreatment composition and the imprint resist;   contacting the composite polymerizable coating with a nanoimprint lithography template;   polymerizing the composite polymerizable coating to yield a composite polymeric layer on the substrate; and   separating the nanoimprint lithography template from the composite polymeric layer to yield the component,   wherein:
 the interfacial surface energy between the pretreatment composition and air exceeds the interfacial surface energy between the imprint resist and air, 
 the difference between the interfacial surface energy between the pretreatment composition and air and between the imprint resist and air is in a range of 0.5 mN/m to 25 mN/m, 
 the interfacial surface energy between the imprint resist and air is in a range of 20 mN/m to 60 mN/m, and the interfacial surface energy between the pretreatment composition and air is in a range of 30 mN/m to 45 mN/m. 
   
     
     
         31 . The component of  claim 30 , wherein the component is a processed substrate. 
     
     
         32 . The component of  claim 30 , wherein the component is an optical component. 
     
     
         33 . The component of  claim 30 , wherein the component is a quartz mold replica.