US Patent 7559758 - Nanoimprinting stamp with flow ducts

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7559758.html

Nanoimprint lithography offers a potential route to 10 nm lithography and better using a patterned stamp structure to shape a polymer or resin material. However, residual polymer and resin can require cleaning of the stamp surface and lack of uniformity in the patterned structures. This patent from the French National Center for Scientific Research teaches the formation of built-in ducts to remove access polymer and to facilitate uniformity of thickness in the material to be patterned. Claim 1 reads:

1. A mould for nano-printing, comprising recess and projection type patterns, said mould comprising:

one or several ducts, each providing a communication between a mould pattern and a reservoir area,

wherein a duct has a cross-section that is smaller than a surface area of a pattern at which the duct opens up.