Finite Element Analysis of Advanced Imprint Process to Multilayered Material

Biomimetic functional surfaces have been attracted industrial fields. The surface of a lotus leaf is a popular example of this bio-mimic surface which realize super-hydrophobicity. The key of this functional surface is a nano-patterned surface. Especially, double-roughness structure, which means rough and fine patterns on the same surface, is important. To fabricate biomimetic surfaces, nano imprint lithography (NIL) is an effective tool. NIL a low-cost lithographic method with simple thermal pressing process. Conventional NIL can form precise structures with high-resolution. We have proposed and developed some new fabrication methods based on NIL; multilayer imprinting (MLI) and in-plain compression imprinting (IPI). MLI starts with a multilayered sheet material for imprinting and results a more complex structure on the interface of the layers. IPI adds in-plane compression to NIL process to obtain structures with higher aspect ratio. There is difference between conventional NIL and these new processes. For the conventional NIL, obtained surface pattern is determined by the mold pattern. On the other hand, we could not know the interface pattern obtained by MLI or the pattern after IPI. We employed finite element analysis in this work. We used the generalized Maxwell model for the finite element analysis of our newly developed NIL. The simulation system could be a design tool for our new processes.