A direct-write thick-film lithography process for multi-parameter control of tooling in continuous roll-to-roll microcontact printing

Roll-to-roll (R2R) microcontact printing ([mu]CP) aims to transform micron-precision soft lithography in a continuous, large-scale, high-throughput process for large-area surface patterning, flexible electronics and engineered meta-surfaces. Efforts to implement this hybrid process have been limited by the inability to monitor and control the process and the lack of a continuous large-area polymer tool that embodies micron- to nano-scale patterns currently created with wafer-based lithography. Discontinuities arising from a wrapped image carrier, size limitations from silicon wafer sizes, difficulty in achieving uniform stamp thickness, and inability to monitor the contact region, pose challenges in scaling up [mu]CP to R2R processing. This work examines a new technique to produce seamless cylindrical tools for soft lithography using laser-based maskless lithography for micro-patterning. The process is parameterized and modeled to fabricate novel tooling structurally optimized for microcontact patterning. Positive-tone photoresists SPR 220 and AZ 9260 are examined in their process sensitivity and in their ability to provide tools for scalable [mu]CP. A fluorescent contact imaging technique is presented on the basis of fluorescent, layered composite PDMS image carriers. By adding fluorescent microparticles to PDMS, the stamp is shown to re-emit UV upon contact with the substrate. To scale the process for use in large-area applications, a machine design is suggested for a scalable implementation of the examined technique, which has the potential to provide large-scale microstructured tools and thereby facilitate process control and enable scale-up of microcontact printing.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Nietner, Larissa F

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David E. Hardt.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92162

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/92162