5. Soft Mold Nanoimprint: Modeling and Simulation

Due to the shrinkage in size of many handheld electronic devices such as smartphones and laptop computers, packaging of a large number of components within a limited size chip becomes a challenging issue. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) provides a low-cost solution in order to cope with the challenge. However, the de-molding process is very critical for determining the printing quality. The interaction between the mold and the substrate greatly affects the patterning result. Therefore it is necessary to understand the interaction between the nano-patterned mold and the substrate. This chapter introduces a multi-scale model by combining molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and a finite element analysis, which could predict the adhesion force between the nano-patterned mold and the polymer film substrate. It is suggested that a hydrophobic silane coating is necessary for reducing the adhesion force between the mold and the substrate leading to a successful printing result.