Deformation Analysis of Roll Mold for Nano-flexible Devices

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has revolutionized the fabrications of electronics, photonics, optical and biological devices. Among all the NIL processes, roll-to-roll nanoimprinting is regarded best for having the attributes of low cost, continuous, simple, and energy-efficient process for nanoscale device fabrication. However, large-area printing is limited by the master mold deformation. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) has been constructed to assess the deformation of the roll mold adhesively wrapped on the carbon fiber reinforced material (CFRP) base roll. This study also optimizes the deformations in the metallic roll mold with respect to nip-forces applied in the printing process of nano-fabrication on large scale. The numerical simulations were also conducted to evaluate the deflection in roll mold assembly due to gravity. The results have shown decreasing trend of the deformation with decreasing nip-force. Also, pressure uniformity of about 40% has been optimized by using the current numerical model along with an acceptable deflection value in the vertical axis due to gravity.