Template having a varying thickness to facilitate expelling a gas positioned between a substrate and the template

Abstract

A nanoimprint lithography template including, inter alia, a body having first and second opposed sides with a first surface disposed on the first side, the second side having a recess disposed therein, the body having first and second regions with the second region surrounding the first region and the recess in superimposition with the first region, with a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the first region being spaced-apart from the second side a first distance and a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the second region being spaced-apart from the second side a second distance, with the second distance being greater than the first distance; and a mold disposed on the first side of the body in superimposition a portion of the first region.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A nanoimprint lithography system comprising:
 a template having first and second opposed sides with a first surface disposed on the first side, the second side having a recess disposed therein, the template having a first region and a second region having a perimeter, with the second region surrounding the first region and the recess in superimposition with the first region, with a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the first region being spaced-apart from the second side a first distance and a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the second region being spaced-apart from the second side a second distance, with the second distance being greater than the first distance, the template further having a mold disposed on the first side in superimposition with a portion of the first region and wherein the mold comprises a plurality of protrusions and recessions and the recess is in superimposition with the plurality of protrusions and recessions, and the first region further adapted to bow away from the second side of the template upon application of pressure, wherein a volume occupied by the recess on the second side is greater than a volume occupied by the mold on the first side; and 
 a pressure control system in fluid communication with the recess configured to apply pressure to the template to bow the first region of the template away from the second side of the template, and to bow out farther a center sub-portion of the mold as compared to other portions of the mold. 
 
     
     
       2. The system as recited in  claim 1  further comprising a template chuck coupled to the template, the template chuck covering the recess to define a chamber in superimposition with the first region. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of actuators coupled to the perimeter of the template to apply a force to the template. 
     
     
       4. The system as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the forces of the actuators may vary dimensions of the template. 
     
     
       5. The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the recess has a geometric shape selected from a group of geometric shapes consisting of square, rectangular, circular, and elliptical. 
     
     
       6. The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the recess comprises a nadir surface spaced-apart from the first side and the template comprises a boundary surface defined between the nadir surface and the second side, and further comprising additional actuators coupled to the boundary surface. 
     
     
       7. A nanoimprint lithography template comprising:
 a body having first and second opposed sides with a first surface disposed on the first side, the second side having a recess disposed therein, the body having first and second regions with the second region surrounding the first region, wherein the first region is adapted to bow away from the second side of the body upon application of pressure; and   a mold disposed on the first side of the body in superimposition with a portion of the recess, wherein the mold comprises a plurality of protrusions and recessions or has a patterning surface that is substantially smooth and/or planar, the recess is opposite to the mold, and a center sub-portion of the mold is adapted to bow out farther as compared to other portions of the mold, wherein a volume occupied by the recess on the second side is greater than a volume occupied by the mold on the first side.   
     
     
       8. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the body has a single piece construction. 
     
     
       9. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 8, wherein a surface of the first region on the second side is flat. 
     
     
       10. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the body has a rectangular shape, and said recess has a circular or elliptical shape. 
     
     
       11. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the mold is an only mold of the template. 
     
     
       12. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the mold comprises a material including fused-silica, quartz, silicon, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, borosilicate glass, fluorocarbon polymers, metal, or hardened sapphire. 
     
     
       13. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the first region has a first thickness, t 1 , and the second region has a second thickness, t 2 , and wherein t 2  is greater than t 1 . 
     
     
       14. A nanoimprint lithography template comprising:
 a body having first and second opposed sides with a first surface disposed on the first side, the second side having a recess disposed therein, the body having first and second regions with the second region surrounding the first region and the recess in superimposition with the first region, with a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the first region being spaced-apart from the second side a first distance and a portion of the first surface in superimposition with the second region being spaced-apart from the second side a second distance, with the second distance being greater than the first distance, wherein the body is adapted to selectively deform upon application of pressure; and   a mold disposed on the first side of the body in superimposition with a portion of the first region,   wherein:
 the mold comprises a plurality of protrusions and recessions, 
 the recess is opposite to the plurality of the protrusions and recessions, 
 the body has a single piece construction, 
 a surface of the first region on the second side is flat, 
 the template is adapted to cause droplets over a substrate to spread and to produce a contiguous liquid sheet, wherein an edge of the continuous liquid sheet defines a liquid-gas interface that functions to push a gas from a center of the mold toward edges of the mold, and 
 a volume occupied by the recess on the second side is greater than a volume occupied by the mold on the first side. 
   
     
     
       15. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 14, wherein the recess is a circular recess. 
     
     
       16. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 14, wherein the body has a rectangular shape, and said recess has a circular or elliptical shape. 
     
     
       17. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 14, wherein the mold is an only mold of the template. 
     
     
       18. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 14, wherein the mold comprises a material including fused-silica, quartz, silicon, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, borosilicate glass, fluorocarbon polymers, metal, or hardened sapphire. 
     
     
       19. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 6, wherein a diameter of the nadir surface of the recess is greater than a diameter of the mold. 
     
     
       20. The nanoimprint lithography template as recited in claim 7, wherein the template comprises a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is in superimposition with the recess and the mold.