Nanoimprint of gratings on a bulk metallic glass

The authors demonstrate that optical gratings with 600 and 1500 nm periods on a Pd40Ni40P20 bulk metallic glass (BMG) can be faithfully imprinted in air from Si dies. Results of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical diffraction analysis show the fine line feature of similar to 150 nm. The gratings have smooth and uniform surface profiles with comparable optical properties as the original Si dies. The BMG gratings can be further used to imprint the second-generation replicas on polymethylmethacrylate. Thereby, BMG is a suitable material not only for imprinting nanostructured parts such as gratings, but also as a good die material for nanoimprints. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.