US Patent 7591641 - Shape memory nanoimprinting mold

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7591641.html

Nanoimprint lithography is a maskless semiconductor patterning technique capable of nanometer scale resolution by using a molded template. One drawback is that repeated use of the mold can result in a degradation in the patterns being formed. This patent from Canon teaches using a shape memory alloy material for the mold to avoid this problem. Claim 1 reads:

1. A mold for nano-imprinting with a concavo-convex pattern comprising a surface portion,

wherein the surface portion has the concavo-convex pattern and comprises a shape-memory material, and

wherein the shape-memory material is an NiTi alloy composed of Ni and Ti at a ratio of 52:48 atom %.