Direct stamp fabrication for NIL and hot embossing using HSQ

Commonly stamps or masters for nanoimprinting are made by electron beam lithography (EBL) and subsequent reactive ion etching into silicon. Here we present a single step procedure to prepare stamps suitable for nanoimprinting and hot embossing. The stamps are directly fabricated in HSQ (hydrogen silsequioxane), a negative EBL resist, which has a high lateral resolution and good mechanical properties. We demonstrate successful pattern transfer in both bulk PMMA and PCL by hot embossing with features down to 20 nm. Such pattern transfer is useful for biological applications. Also, we demonstrate that this approach can make stamps suitable for nanoimprint lithography and have achieved features as small as 35 nm. It was found that the stability and strength of the HSQ could be improved by annealing and that the application of a non-stick coating was not necessarily required although it aided the demoulding. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.