Fabrication of a roll imprint stamp using zirconia for the UV roll imprinting process

Abstract

In the present work, we have developed a new method for fabricating a roll imprint stamp containing three dimensional micro-and nanosized patterns for the ultraviolet (UV) roll imprinting process, using a flexible poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold and a UV-curable zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticle (NP) dispersion resin. By employing the UV-curing imprinting process, the micro-and nanopatterns on the PDMS mold were successfully transferred to the ZrO2 NP dispersion resin film, attached to the surface of the roll. The obtained ZrO2 roll imprint stamp has two main advantages: a high hardness after annealing at 600 degrees C and a good anti-sticking surface after the surface treatment carried out using a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer (SAM). As a result, the ZrO2 roll imprint stamp effectively transferred its micro-and nanopatterns to a large area of the flexible polymer substrate, maintaining a high quality throughout the whole UV roll imprinting process.