Abstract
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a simple and high-resolution patterning method. Nanoimprinted structures can be fabricated not only as surface structures but also as ‘buried’ structures for applications such as electro-optical devices. However, a precise and nondestructive evaluation method for nanoimprinted structures has not yet been established. Synchrotron radiation ultra-small angle X-ray scattering (SR-USAXS) is a nondestructive and high-resolution characterization method. In this study, we fabricated nanostructures on a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) film using NIL. In addition, the nanoimprinted PLA film was covered with a polystyrene thin film to fabricate a ‘buried’ structure. The fabricated surface and the ‘buried’ structure were evaluated using SR-USAXS. The scattering pattern was clearly obtained from the surface and the ‘buried’ structure. The size of the ‘buried’ structure, which was estimated from the diffraction pattern, was in good agreement with that of the surface structure. These results indicate that SR-USAXS is powerful tool for the nondestructive and precise characterization of surface and ‘buried’ structures. This study demonstrated that synchrotron radiation ultra-small angle X-ray scattering (SR-USAXS) enable us to evaluate the outermost surface and ‘buried’ periodic structure without any pretreatment and sample damage. Surface and ‘buried’ nanostructure were fabricated on poly(lactic acid) film by nanoimprint lithography. The resulting films were characterized by SR-USAXS. The size of surface and ‘buried’ structure were successfully determined by the analysis of scattering pattern.
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