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 °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.