Researchers from France and Finland, working on a project funded by the European Union, have come up with a way to perform nano-imprinting that allows for the mass production of solar cells and nano-scale bio-analysis platforms.

The technology uses a small patterned silicon chip as a stamp to imprint a pattern onto a polymer (essentially making a reverse casting).  The polymer, which can be thermoplastic, UV cured material, or some other suitable substance, can then be used to stamp patterns into a resist film for manufacturing sub-100 nano-meter features quickly and cheaply.  Current techniques for doing this involve the use of electron-beam lithography, which is not cost-effective for large-scale manufacturing.

Researchers say that the technique may be suitable for imprinting nanopatterns in optical and electronic materials as well as biomaterials.  They also believe it will be ideal for imprinting 3D patterns, which are currently difficult and costly to manufacture using conventional techniques.

(Partial enlargement of a stamp - Image courtesy of Nanowerk News)

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