196 Electrohydrodynamic Analysis for an Electrically Enhanced Nanoimprent Lithography
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Published:2011
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Nano Imprint Lithography (NIL) is a nano scale patterning process potentially applicable in various sectors of nanotechnology. But in conventional NIL, a large external pressure has to be used to press a patterned template against fluid (a polymer, for instance) on a substrate so that the fluid hydraulically fills into cavity of the template while compressing the air trapped inside the cavity. Such a large and mechanically applied force will lead to various undesirable distortions in the template or process tool. Application of an electric potential to the template and substrate can generate an electrostatic force to the dielectric fluid between them and tends to pull the liquid into the cavity, so that the external force required can be reduced. In this paper, a numerical analysis has been performed of the electrostatic force and the influence of electric field on the process of electrically enhanced nanoimprint lithography (EENIL).