Abstract: Large-area nanoimprint lithography using flexible molds is an emerging nanopatterning approach for mass producing large-area micro/nano scale structures with low cost, high throughput and high resolution. Design and manufacturing of flexible composite molds have been considered as the most challenging issues for large-area NIL process, and a bottleneck hindering the industrialization of large-area NIL. The theoretical model, numerical simulation and experimental verification for flexible composite molds implementing large-area nanoimprinting are investigated. A theoretical model which can predict the deformation of flexible molds and determine suitable thickness of composite stamps is proposed. Furthermore, the effects of the thickness, the material properties, imprinting pressure for the flexible composite molds are revealed by numerical simulation using ABAQUS software. The mechanism and rule of the mold deformation are also discussed in detailed. Some fundamental design rules for flexible composite molds are put forwarded. These findings are valuable in providing a theoretical basis for designing and optimizing of flexible composite molds, and further enhancing the performance of large-area NIL process and tool.

Key words: kinematic calibration, monocular vision, parallel robot, position and orientation measurement, deformation, flexible composite mold, large-area nanoimprint lithography, nanomanufacturing