Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Direct application of electrical or wave energy to work – Limited to treatment of surface or coated surface
Reexamination Certificate
2007-05-01
2007-05-01
McDowell, Suzanne E. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Direct application of electrical or wave energy to work
Limited to treatment of surface or coated surface
C264S479000, C264S482000, C264S293000, C264S337000, C164S048000, C164S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
10390406
ABSTRACT:
In accordance with the invention, features can be directly imprinted into the surface of a solid substrate. Specifically, a substrate is directly imprinted with a desired pattern by the steps of providing a mold having a molding surface to imprint the pattern, disposing the molding surface adjacent or against the substrate surface to be imprinted, and irradiating the substrate surface with radiation to soften or liquefy the surface. The molding surface is pressed into the softened or liquefied surface to directly imprint the substrate. The substrate can be any one of a wide variety of solid materials such as semiconductors, metals, or polymers. In a preferred embodiment the substrate is silicon, the laser is a UV laser, and the mold is transparent to the UV radiation to permit irradiation of the silicon workpiece through the transparent mold. Using this method, applicants have directly imprinted into silicon large area patterns with sub-10 nanometer resolution in sub-250 nanosecond processing time. The method can also be used with a flat molding surface to planarize the substrate.
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McDowell Suzanne E.
Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi LC.
Princeton University
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