• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.401-404
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• 2008

In the present investigation, a high precision thermal imprint system for micro ceramic products was developed and the net-shape manufacturing of multi-layer ceramic reflector for LED (Light Emitting Diode) was conducted with a precision metal die. Workpiece used in the present investigation were the multi-layer laminated ceramic sheets with pre-punched holes. The cavity with arbitrary angle was formed on the circular and rectangular holes of the ceramic sheets. During the imprinting process, the ambient temperature of the imprint system was kept over the transition temperature of the ceramic sheet and then rapidly cooled. The results in this paper show that the present method can be successfully applied to the fabrication of very small size hole array for ceramic reflector in a one step operation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.838-842
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• 2009

Vibrational analysis is presented for a visual alignment system of nano-imprint process in this study. For a nano-imprinting equipment, the visual alignment system is one of the essential parts in order to align the mold into the target panel. For the precision alignment, the vibration from inside and outside of the vision system should be avoided, and the elimination of the vibration should be considered in the design process of the visual alignment design. In this work, vibrational characteristics for the vision system frame is analyzed and topology optimization of a frame section area is carried out. With the results of the analysis, a new frame design are suggested. Design consideration for constructing a visual alignment system in view of optimal design is also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

In the present study, copper micromolds with a microhole array were precisely manufactured by a synchrotron LIGA process. Like in the traditional LIGA process, a deep X-ray lithography based on a synchrotron radiation was employed as the first manufacturing step. Due to the excellent optical performance of the synchrotron X-ray used, cylindrical micropillar arrays with high aspect ratio could be efficiently obtained. The fabricated microfeatures were then used as a master of the subsequent copper electroforming process, thereby resulting in copper micromolds with a microhole array. Thermoplastic hot embossing experiments with the copper micromolds were carried out for imprinting cylindrical microfeatures onto a polystyrene sheet. Through the hot embossing, the effect of embossing temperature and usefulness of the present manufacturing method could be verified.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2014

The roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication method to make micro-scale pillar arrays for biomimetic functionalization of surfaces is presented. Inspired by the micro-structure of plants in nature, a surface with a synthetic micro-scale pillar array is fabricated via maskless photolithography. After the surface is SAM (self-assembled monolayer) coated with trichlorosilane in a vacuum desiccator, it displays a hydrophobic property even in R2R replicas of original substrate, whose properties are further characterized using various pitches and diameters. In order to perform a comparison between the original micro-pattern and its replicas, surface morphology was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and wetting characteristics were measured via a contact angle measurement tool with a $10{\mu}L$ water droplet. Efficient roll-to-roll imprinting for a biomimetic functionalized surface has the potential for use in many fields ranging from water repelling and self-cleaning to microfluidic chips.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2014

We present design and fabrication of a multi-focusing microlens array (MLA) using a thermal reflow method. To obtain multi-focusing properties with different numerical apertures at the elemental lens of the MLA, double-cylinder photoresist (PR) structures with different diameters were made within the guiding pattern with both photolithographic and partial developing processes. Due to the base PR layer supporting the thermal reflow process and the guiding structure, the thermally reflowed PR structure had different radii of curvatures with lens shapes that could be precisely modeled by the initial volume of the double-cylinder PR structures. Using the PR template, the hexagonally packed multi-focusing MLA was made via the replica molding method, which showed four different focal lengths of 0.9 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.6 mm, and 2.5 mm, and four different numerical apertures of 0.1799, 0.2783, 0.3973, and 0.4775.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2006

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a novel method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns. It is a simple process with low cost, high throughput and resolution. NIL creates patterns by mechanical deformation of an imprint resist and physical contact process. The imprint resist is typically a monomer or polymer formulation that is cured by heat or UV light during the imprinting process. Stiction between the resist and the stamp is resulted from this physical contact process. Stiction issue is more important in the stamps including narrow pattern size and wide area. Therefore, the antistiction layer coating is very effective to prevent this problem and ensure successful NIL. In this paper, an antistiction layer was deposited and characterized by PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) method for metal stamps. Deposition rates of an antistiction layer on Si and Ni substrates were in proportion to deposited time and 3.4 nm/min and 2.5 nm/min, respectively. A 50 nm thick antistiction layer showed 90% relative transmittance at 365 nm wavelength. Contact angle result showed good hydrophobicity over 105 degree. $CF_2$ and $CF_3$ peaks were founded in ATR-FTIR analysis. The thicknesses and the contact angle of a 50 nm thick antistiction film were slightly changed during chemical resistance test using acetone and sulfuric acid. To evaluate the deposited antistiction layer, a 50 nm thick film was coated on a stainless steel stamp made by wet etching process. A PMMA substrate was successfully imprinting without pattern degradations by the stainless steel stamp with an antistiction layer. The test result shows that antistiction layer coating is very effective for NIL.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.435-440
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• 2005

This study describes a method where the match of two different length scales, i.e., the patterns from self-assembled block copolymer (<50 nm) and electron beam writing (>50 nm), allow the nanometer scale pattern mask. The method is based on using block copolymers containing a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) block, which is subject to be decomposed under an electron beam, as a pattern resist for electron beam lithography. Electron beam on self assembled block copolymer thin film selectively etches PMMA microdomains, giving rise to a polymeric nano-pattern mask on which subsequent evaporation of chromium produces the arrays of Cr nanoparticles followed by lifting off the mask. Furthermore, electron beam lithography was performed on the micropatterned block copolymer film fabricated by micro-imprinting, leading to a hierarchical self assembled pattern where a broad range of length scales was effectively assembled, ranging from several tens of nanometers, through submicrons, to a few microns.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.697-701
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• 2009

A simple method for the fabrication of porous nano-master for the anti-reflection effect on the transparent substrates is presented. In the conventional fabrication methods for antireflective surface, coating method using materials with low refractive index has usually been used. However, it is required to have a high cost and long processing time for mass production. In this paper, we developed a porous nano-master with anti-reflective surface for the molding stamper of the injection mold, hot embossing and UV imprinting by using the aluminum anodizing process. Through two-step anodizing and etching processes, a porous nano-master with anti-reflective surface was fabricated at the large area. Pattern size Pore diameter and inter-pore distance are about 130nm and 200nm, respectively. In order to replicate anti-reflective structure, hot embossing process was performed by varying the processing parameters such as temperature, pressure and embossing time etc. Finally, antireflective surface can be successfully obtained after etching process to remove selectively silicon layer of AAO master.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.76-81
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• 2011

UV imprinting process can manufacture high-functional optical components with low cost. If hard polymers can be used as transparent molds at this process, the cost will be much lower. However, there are limited researches to predict the machinability and the burr of hard polymers. Therefore, a new method to predict them by analyzing load-depth curves which can be obtained by the instrumented indentation test was developed in this study. The load-depth curve contains elastic deformation and plastic deformation simultaneously. The ratio of the plastic deformation over the sum of the two deformation is proportional to the ductility of materials which is one of the parameters of the machinability and the burr. The instrumented indentation tests were performed on the transparent molds of the hard polymers and the values of ratio were calculated. The machinability and the burr of three kinds of hard polymers were predicted by the ratio, and the prediction was in agreement with the experimental results from the machined surfaces of the three kinds of hard polymers.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.652-655
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• 2009

The bimodal porous carbons were synthesized by using imprinting method with templates of SBA-15 particle and silica sphere and applied as supporting materials for the electro-catalyst of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The silica spheres with diameter size of 100 nm and SBA-15 particle having 200 nm -250 nm diameter and 700 nm -900 nm length were synthesized in this work. The bimodal porous carbons (S100) were prepared by using the silica spheres and SBA-15 as templates and mesophase pitch as a carbon source. The PtRu nanoparticle of ca. 1.9 nm were supported on the bimodal porous carbon support and the resulting PtRu/S100 catalysts was tested by the cyclic voltammetry. The use of bimodal porous carbon showed in comparable electro-catalytic activities with commercial catalyst. Though unclear effects of bimodal porosity of supports could be obtained in the scope of this study, morphological advantage in electrical conductivity can be considered on the electro-catalytic activity.