奈米壓印製程已被公認具高潛力，可用以大量生產奈米尺度裝置之方法。近年來針對奈米壓印製程的研究雖已有相當多顯著研究成果，然而至目前為止奈米壓印製程只能在實驗室製作少量之樣品，這種情況限制了該製程實際的產業應用。因此，如何提高奈米壓印製程之產出率以符合產業應用之大量生產需求已然成為研究奈米壓印製程的各個研究團隊所面臨最具挑戰的課題。除此之外，在奈米壓印製程中，模穴的充模對圖形轉印具有決定性的影響，也在壓印產品品質與製程之產出率上扮演關鍵性角色。因此，能即時於線上監測模穴充模過程以方便掌握圖形轉印的狀況是奈米壓印製程設備非常急需的一項功能需求。
為瞭解奈米壓印過程中圖案形成與充模變異的相關定量資訊，本研究使用有限元素方法分別對以PMMA與mr-I 7030為壓印高分子材料的壓印過程進行充模模擬分析，其中PMMA高分子材料被假設為橡膠彈性體，而mr-I 7030高分子材料則被視為不可壓縮粘滯性流體。針對PMMA之模擬分析，於建模過程中係假設模具材料性質為線性彈性體，且受加熱處於玻璃轉換溫度以上之高分子被視為可以用穆尼-黎弗林模型(Mooney-Rivlin)描述之非線性橡膠彈性體。此一數值模型可以預測在壓印過程中任一時點及各種不同深寬比模穴的充模情形。而為了研究模具上圖案密度與存在於模具與高分子間之接觸摩擦對壓印過程中充模之影響，本研究已對具有混合圖案之壓印模具進行模擬，並且也探討了接觸摩擦係數對充模的敏感度分析。模穴的形狀與圖案密度對壓印過程中之充模均有顯著影響，然而接觸摩擦係數則只有輕微的影響。另外，使用粘滯性流體模型對mr-I 7030進行壓印充模模擬分析之結果亦顯示模具上圖案密度對充模完成之時間確有影響。從模擬分析的結果發現具有混合圖案之壓印模具其模穴之充模具有顯著非均一性。這也更強化與提供於奈米壓印製程中實施線上監測充模的合理性與必要性。
本研究所提出之充模監測方法係以電容量測為基礎。為落實本監測方法，本研究已進行多項相關的工作，包括壓印過程中電容偵測的數值分析、壓印製程的調整、具可靠度電容感測器的設計，以及各項量測資料分析。於本研究中，已建立用以描述平板電容器的數值有限元素模型，並用此模型模擬預測充模對電容值的影響情形。另外，為量測電容值的連續變異情形，執行了一系列的等溫壓印實驗，在其間於各個不同壓印階段進行電容值的量測。量測的電容值指出充模的後半段電容值有顯著變化，充模狀況是可加以監測的。因此，實驗結果已展現電容量測確實可於線上提供奈米壓印過程中模穴充模的即時狀態。
經由此研究已初步證實電容量測確為一可用於奈米壓印製程中監測充模情形的方式。在未來如能增進其於較高溫與高壓嚴苛環境下的穩健性，則其實際應用將非常容易實現。而為加速實現壓印過程之模穴充模即時監控的最終目標，利用類神經網路模型以建立電容量與充模高度之間的功能關係是未來非常值得投入研究的一重要方向。

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has been recognized as one of the very promising nonphotolithographic methods for nanoscale device manufacturing. While NIL has been studied and investigated to some detail, and significant achievements of the application have been demonstrated in recent years, NIL has been capable of patterning only fairly small samples, which severely limits the industrial applications of the technique. As a consequence, how to improve throughput to meet the requirements for large-scale industrial use is the most challenging issue for the research community of NIL at the present time. In addition, the mold cavity filling process is vital in pattern transfer and governs the pattern transfer quality as well as the throughput of the NIL process. Hence, the mold cavity filling control and in-situ process monitoring in a timely fashion to determine the status of patterning are needed.
To understand pattern formation and exploring the quantitative information on mold cavity filling variations during the nanoimprinting process, the imprinting numerical analysis for PMMA polymer and mr-I 7030 polymer has been successfully performed using Mooney-Rivlin model and viscous flow model respectively. For the case of numerical analysis of nanoimprinting on PMMA with Mooney-Rivlin model, a finite element model for the single mold cavity has been constructed to simulate the nanoimprint process. The material behavior of the imprint mold is assumed to be linear elastic, and the polymer preheated above its glass transition temperature is considered to behave as a nonlinear elastic body described by the Mooney-Rivlin model. Using the developed numerical model, the mold cavity filling variations can be determined at any nanoimprint stage and for a mold cavity with a variety of aspect ratios. Moreover, to investigate the effects of pattern density and contact friction existing between the imprint mold and polymer on mold cavity filling of the nanoimprinting process, the model for an imprint mold with mixed patterns in an active area has been constructed to explore mold cavity filling in the nanoimprinting process, and a sensitivity analysis of the contact friction coefficient for the mold cavity filling is performed. Both the cavity feature and pattern density have significant effects on mold cavity filling of the nanoimprinting process, while the contact friction coefficient has a mild effect. In the numerical investigation of nanoimprinting on mr-I 7030 polymer with viscous flow model, the software package ANSYS/FLOTRAN is adopted to simulate the mold cavity filling process and the significant influence of pattern density on mold cavity filling has also been observed. The results arising from the model indicate that the imprint mold with varied pattern density has nonuniform displacement during the imprinting process and further strengthen the rationale of implementing an in-situ mold cavity filling monitoring system for nanoimprinting.
The proposed mold cavity filling monitoring method for nanoimprinting operations in this study is based on capacitance measurement. In carrying out the proposed monitoring method, a broad range of aspects including numerical analysis of capacitive detection in nanoimprinting process, tuning the imprint process, designing a reliable capacitive sensor, determining the right materials and micromachining process for sensing electrodes, and data analysis have been covered. A finite element model valid for the numerical description of a parallel-plate capacitor has been developed, and simulations were carried out to predict the influence of mold cavity filling on capacitance values. In addition, to measure the continuous variations in capacitance, a series of imprinting experiments have been performed isothermally, and the capacitance values have also been measured at various imprinting stages. The major final stage of mold cavity filling near the end can be monitored and the experimental results have demonstrated that the capacitance measurements indeed provide information in-situ that can feasibly tell the cavity filling status during nanoimprinting.
Throughout the study, the proposed capacitance measurement is found a promising approach to monitor mold cavity filling in nanoimprinting process, and the practical application of the conducted research is expected with certain improvement of the robustness of the monitoring technique in harsh environment at high imprinting temperature and applied pressure. The use of neural network to model the functional relationship between the capacitance value and the rise of mold cavity filling is recommended as another potential future research to achieve the ultimate goal of real-time mold cavity filling control for imprinting process.

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