Core Semiconductor Processes: Step 4

Nanoimprint
Lithography (NIL)

At Nanosystems JP Inc., we offer sub-50 nm patterning at a fraction of e-beam cost. UV-NIL with soft mold for volume production up to ~500 × 500 mm. Thermal NIL for PMMA/PC/PET thermoplastics. High refractive index resist for photonics. Master mold fabrication in Si, quartz, Ni, and polymer, and full post-imprint processing.

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UV NIL soft moldThermal NIL PMMA/PC/PETHigh-n resist~500 × 500 mmSi/Quartz/Ni/Polymer mastersDry etch + ashingMLA · Metasurfaces · VR-ARDNA nanopores · LSPR

50 nm

Min feature size

~500 × 500 mm

Max substrate

NIL types: UV & Thermal

Master mold materials

Two NIL Methods

UV and thermal nanoimprinting

At Nanosystems JP Inc., we offer UV and thermal nanoimprinting and mold fabrication. Nanoimprint lithography transfers a nanopattern from a mold to resist by direct contact, enabling sub-50 nm features at far lower cost than e-beam for volume production.

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UV Nanoimprinting (UV-NIL)

Soft polymer mold pressed into UV-curable resist, exposed by UV, then demolded. The soft mold protects the expensive master across thousands of imprint cycles, essential for volume production. High refractive index (high-n) NIL resist available for optical waveguides, metasurface lenses, and anti-reflection structures. Large substrate capability to approximately 500 × 500 mm.

Soft moldUV-curable resist~500 × 500 mmHigh-n resistThousands of imprint cyclesVolume production

UV Nanoimprint Lithography (UV-NIL)

4-Step Process Flow · 50 nm Resolution · Soft-Mold Based

Nanosystems JP Inc.

Step 01

Substrate & Resist

High-refractive-index NIL resist is spin-coated uniformly onto the substrate.

Step 02

Pressing

UV-transparent soft mold contacts the resist under controlled pressure.

Soft mold protects the expensive quartz / fused silica master mold.

Step 03

UV Curing

UV light through the soft mold cross-links and hardens the polymer resist.

Step 04

Release

Mold is removed to reveal the final nano-patterned surface (period Λ).

Legend

Silicon Substrate

NIL Resist

Soft Mold (PDMS)

UV Light

Λ = grating period | hν = photon energy

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Thermal Nanoimprinting

Substrate heated above glass transition temperature, hard mold pressed in, cooled, demolded, no UV required. Works directly on PMMA, PC, and PET thermoplastic substrates without any resist coating step. The most direct route to nanopatterned polymer biochips, optical diffusers, and display optical films. Also used to replicate nanostructures into polymer substrates during injection molding.

PMMA · PC · PETNo resist requiredHard moldInjection mold NILOptical films

Thermal Nanoimprint Lithography (T-NIL)

4-Step Process Flow · High-Viscosity Thermoplastic Resist · Heat & Pressure Based

Nanosystems JP Inc.

Step 01

Substrate & Resist

Thermoplastic resist (e.g. PMMA) spin-coated onto substrate at room temperature, below glass transition Tg.

Step 02

Heat & Press

Stack heated above Tg; hard mold pressed into softened resist under high pressure.

High pressure + heat forces resist into all mold cavities.

Step 03

Cooling

Stack cooled below Tg with mold still in place, resist solidifies, locking in the nano-pattern.

Step 04

Release

Mold separated to reveal the nano-patterned resist. The residual layer (RLT) is opened first, then the pattern is transferred into the substrate or film.

Legend

Silicon Substrate

Thermoplastic Resist (PMMA)

Hard Mold (Quartz / Si)

Heat

Cooling

Λ = grating period | RLT = residual layer thickness | Tg = glass transition temp.

Master Mold Fabrication

We fabricate the master mold itself, silicon (e-beam direct-write + DRIE), quartz (e-beam + etch), nickel (electroformed from Si master), or polymer. At Nanosystems JP Inc., we handle mold creation, NIL, dry etch, and ashing as a single coordinated flow. Critical for IP protection: your nanoscale pattern design is handled under one project from first design through finished chip, with an NDA available on request.

Si e-beam + DRIEQuartzNi electroformedPolymer moldIP protected

Post-Imprint Processing

Complete integration after NIL: for etch-transfer applications, opening the residual resist layer after demolding, dry etching to transfer the pattern into the substrate material (Si, SiO₂, glass), stripping the remaining resist, and mold cleaning protocols to preserve mold lifetime across hundreds to thousands of imprint cycles.

Dry etch pattern transferO₂ plasma ashingResidual layer removalMold cleaningMold lifetime optimized

High-n Resist for Photonics

Specialist high refractive index (high-n) NIL resist for fabricating optical waveguides, metasurface lenses, and anti-reflection moth-eye structures. The high refractive index contrast between the imprinted structure and surrounding medium enables strong optical guiding, diffraction, and reflection control, critical for AR/VR waveguide gratings and LiDAR optical elements.

High refractive indexWaveguidesMetasurface lensesAnti-reflectionAR/VR · LiDAR

Large-Area UV-NIL

UV-NIL on substrates up to approximately 500 × 500 mm, enabling large-area microlens arrays, display optical films, and panel-scale biochip substrates that 4 to 6 inch wafer NIL tools cannot process. Large-area NIL is particularly important for display optics (anti-glare, brightness enhancement), solar cell texturing, and biochip array substrates where large format is required for cost-effective chip production.

~500 × 500 mmLarge-area MLADisplay opticsSolar texturingPanel biochip

NIL Process Specifications

Complete parameter table

Process	Min Feature	Substrate Size	Tooling	Notes
UV-NIL	~50 nm	~500 × 500 mm	Soft mold	UV-curable; high-n resist option; volume production
Thermal NIL	~100 nm	Wafer/panel format	Hard mold	PMMA/PC/PET direct; injection mold NIL
Master, Si	~20 nm (e-beam)	Up to 8 inch	E-beam + DRIE	Highest resolution masters; reusable
Master, Quartz	~20 nm (e-beam)	Up to 8 inch	E-beam + etch	UV-transparent; hard mold
Master, Ni (electroformed)	Sub-µm	Wafer-limited	Electroforming from Si	Production mold; high durability
Master, Polymer	100 nm to 1 µm (soft mold, UV-NIL)	Up to 500 × 500 mm	Casting from Si	Soft mold; UV-NIL volume
Post-imprint dry etch	Pattern-dependent	Same as substrate	RIE/ICP	Si/SiO₂/glass pattern transfer
O₂ plasma ashing	-	All wafer sizes	Plasma	Residual resist removal

Applications

Nanoimprinting across photonics, bio, and security

Microlens Arrays (MLA)

Large-area MLA for camera modules, display collimation, LiDAR beam shaping, and diffuser films. UV-NIL replicates MLA geometry from a single Si master across the full substrate in one imprint step, far faster and cheaper than MEMS etching for the same feature.

UV-NIL · Si/Ni master · Large-area · Camera · Display · LiDAR

Metasurfaces & DOE

Sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements and flat metalenses with features below 200 nm. E-beam master fabricated, then replicated by UV-NIL for cost-effective volume production of AR/VR waveguide gratings, beam splitters, and holographic optical elements.

E-beam master → UV-NIL · DOE · Flat optics · AR/VR · Holographic

DNA Nanopores

Sub-50 nm nanopore arrays for DNA sequencing and molecular sieving. NIL defines the pore geometry in resist; dry etch transfers to SiN or Si membrane. Uniform pore size and pitch across large arrays, critical for consistent nanopore sequencing performance.

NIL → dry etch → SiN membrane · Sub-50 nm · DNA sequencing

LSPR Biosensors

Nanostructured gold arrays (pillars, holes, crescents) for localized surface plasmon resonance biosensing. NIL patterns the nanostructure in resist; lift-off deposits gold. Label-free detection of proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules for clinical diagnostics.

NIL + Au lift-off · LSPR · Plasmonic · Label-free biosensing

VR/AR Waveguide Gratings

High-n NIL grating imprinted directly into waveguide substrate for AR/VR head-up displays. The high refractive index contrast of the high-n resist creates the strong diffraction efficiency required for compact waveguide combiners. Combines with ICP-RIE for final grating depth control.

High-n resist · UV-NIL · ICP-RIE · Waveguide combiner · AR/VR HUD

Security Microstructures

Anti-counterfeiting holograms, diffraction gratings, and nano-ID structures for banknotes, product authentication, and high-security tickets. UV-NIL or thermal NIL creates optically active nanostructures invisible to conventional printing, verifiable only under specific illumination.

UV-NIL · Hologram · Diffraction grating · Banknote · Anti-counterfeiting

Nanoimprinting for HUD, Head-Up Display waveguide grating fabrication

APPLICATION

HUD Waveguide Gratings

Nanoimprinting for Head-Up Display waveguide coupler and exit pupil expander gratings. UV-NIL replicates sub-wavelength grating structures from a master mold with the uniformity and throughput required for automotive and AR display optics production.

Nanoimprinting for diagnostic devices, lab-on-chip nanostructure fabrication

APPLICATION

Diagnostic & Biosensor Devices

Nanostructured surfaces for point-of-care diagnostics, lab-on-chip fluidic channels, and surface-enhanced biosensors. NIL enables cost-effective replication of nanoscale features on polymer or glass substrates for medical diagnostic and analytical instrument applications.

Why Nanosystems JP Inc.

Master mold to finished chip, one project

The Complete Nanoimprint Foundry Ecosystem, 5-step cycle: Master Mold Fabrication, Nanoimprinting, Dry Etching, Ashing, Mold Cleaning

50 nm at production cost

NIL replicates sub-50 nm features in volume at a fraction of the cost of direct-write e-beam. Prototype with e-beam, produce with NIL, one project.

Mold-to-chip flow

Si / quartz / fused silica / Ni master fabrication, NIL, dry etch, and ashing, coordinated as a single project. Your nanoscale pattern stays within one coordinated project from first design to finished chip.

~500 × 500 mm large-area capability

Most NIL facilities top out at 4 to 6 inch wafer formats. Our large-area UV-NIL capability handles display optics, MLA, and panel biochips at panel scale.

High-n resist for photonics

Specialist high refractive index resist for photonic waveguides and metasurfaces, a capability specific to photonic NIL not widely available at standard foundries.

Thermal NIL on polymer substrates

Direct nanostructuring of PMMA, PC, and PET without resist coating, enabling polymer-substrate nanophotonic chips and injection-molded nanostructured parts.

From 1 wafer prototype

Prototype a new mold design on a single wafer to verify imprint quality, residual layer thickness, and pattern transfer before committing to production volumes.

Next in your process flow

Thin Film Deposition: After NIL patterning, functional thin films, metals, ALD dielectrics, optical coatings, are deposited onto the imprinted nanostructures.

Thin Film Deposition →

🔴 Nanoimprint mold cleaning: We provide piranha (SPM) wet cleaning and O₂ plasma ashing for mold restoration between imprint cycles, removing resist residues and carbonaceous deposits without damaging fine mold features.

Mold cleaning details →

Start your project.
Initial response typically within one business day.

Share your process requirements, substrate, and production volume. A Nanosystems JP Inc. engineer will give an initial response typically within one business day. Full quote typically within 7-10 business days, subject to project complexity and NDA requirements.

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Project Description *

To speed up technical review, please include:
substrate type & size · target process · quantity · timeline · design files if available (not required for first review)

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sales@nanosystemsjp.co.jp · +81-3-5288-5569 · NDA available

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Initial engineering response: typically within one business day. NDA available.

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NanoimprintLithography (NIL)