Saturday, November 25, 2006

US Patent 7137336 - Nanoimprint Lithography Stamp with Repairable Anti-Sticking Layer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7137336.pdf

Nanoimprint lithography is a method that employs a stamp to transfer a nanoscale pattern onto an opposing substrate and is useful for both electronic and biological device manufacture. One limitation of this approach is that the stamp is subject to wear which limits it's life expectancy. This patent proposes an anti-sticking layer that may more easily be repaired to extend the life of these tools. Claim 1 reads:

1. A stamp for use in transferring a pattern in nanoscale comprising a stamp having a monomolecular antisticking layer, said antisticking layer having molecular chains, which are covalently bound to a surface of the stamp and which each contains at least one fluorine-containing group and at least one silane group, each molecular chain containing a group Q present between the at least one fluorine-containing group and the at least one silane group, which Q group has a bond which is weaker than the other bonds in the molecular chain as well as the covalent bond that binds the molecular chain to the surface of the stamp, said bond in the group Q being capable of being split to create a group Q1 that is attached to a part of the molecular chain including the at least one silane group that is bound to the surface of the stamp when the bond in the group Q is split and which group Q1 is capable of reacting with a fluorine-containing compound to restore the antisticking layer.