Methods for fabricating stamps and systems for patterning a substrate, and devices resulting from those methods are provided.

A structure stamp with a flexible stamp which has a microstructured or nanostructured stamp surface for embossing of an embossing structure which corresponds to the stamp surface on an embossing surface, and a frame for clamping the stamp. Moreover, the invention relates to a device for embossing an embossing pattern on an embossing surface with the following features: a stamp receiver for accommodating and moving a structure stamp, an embossing material receiver for accommodating and placing an embossing material opposite the structure stamp, an embossing element drive for moving an embossing element along the structure stamp.

The present invention relates firstly to a method for reproducing a stem cell niche of an organism. The invention further relates to a reproduction of a stem cell niche of an organism. According to the invention, an image of a tissue of an organism is generated, which tissue comprises at least one stem cell niche. The image is filtered in order to obtain a structural pattern of the imaged stem cell niche. In a further step, a lithographic mask is generated from the structural pattern. According to the invention, a starting material of a substrate is structured by means of indirect or direct application of the lithographic mask, whereby a structured substrate is obtained which represents the reproduction of the imaged stem cell niche of the organism. The reproduction can be characterised as biolithomorphic.

The present invention provides a manufacture method of a nano-imprint lithography template and a nano-imprint lithography template. In the manufacture method of the nano-imprint lithography template, first, the soft membrane having a nanowire gate structure is wrapped on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindric hard roller to form the nanowire gate structure film layer to obtain the temporary roller. Then, the low melting point solder alloy is utilized to form the structure hardened layer on the outer circumferential surface of the temporary roller along the nanowire gate structure of the nanowire gate structure film layer to obtain the nano-imprint lithography template having the nanowire gate structure. By forming the hard structure hardened layer on the soft nanowire gate structure for hardening the soft nanowire gate structure, the issue that the hardness of the micro structure material itself in the imprint procedure is not enough is overcame.

Provided herein is an apparatus, including a substrate; an etch stop layer overlying the substrate, wherein the etch stop layer is substantially resistant to etching conditions; and a patterned layer overlying the etch stop layer, wherein the patterned layer is substantially labile to the etching conditions, and wherein the patterned layer comprises a number of features including substantially consistent feature profiles among regions of high feature density and regions of low feature density.

The present invention relates to a method for the replication of a patterned surface relief microstructure, comprising the steps of generation of a first layer with a patterned surface relief microstructure, generation of a master, by copying the microstructure of the first layer into a second layer, thereby involving at least one dry or wet etching step, characterized by an additional step, in which the microstructure of the master is brought into contact with a replica material, such that the microstructure of the master is reproduced in the replica. The invention further relates to the elements made as a replica according to the method. The surface relief microstructures are suitable to display images with a positive-negative and/or color image flip. The elements according to the invention are particularly useful for securing documents and articles against counterfeiting and falsification.

Provided herein is an apparatus, including a substrate; an etch stop layer overlying the substrate, wherein the etch stop layer is substantially resistant to etching conditions; and a patterned layer overlying the etch stop layer, wherein the patterned layer is substantially labile to the etching conditions, and wherein the patterned layer comprises a number of features including substantially consistent feature profiles among regions of high feature density and regions of low feature density.

Disclosed are a resist composition comprising a resin (A1) including a structural unit having a group represented by formula (20), an alkali-soluble resin (A2), an acid generator (B) including a compound represented by formula (b0) and a compound (C) represented by formula (I), a method for producing a resist pattern using the resist composition, and a method for producing a plated molded article using the resist pattern:

##STR00001## wherein, in formula (20), R.sup.a1 and R.sup.a2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R.sup.a3 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X represents an oxygen atom, etc., na represents 0 or 1, and * represents a bond:

##STR00002## wherein, in formula (b0), R.sup.b1 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms which may have a fluorine atom, X represents an oxygen atom, etc., R.sup.01 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, and x0 represents an integer of 1 to 6, and:

##STR00003## wherein, in formula (I), ring W.sup.1 represents a heterocyclic ring having a nitrogen atom as atoms constituting the ring, etc., A.sup.1 represents a phenyl group, etc., and n represents 2 or 3.

A method is described for producing a microfluidic device (19), which comprises the phases of producing a three-dimensional template (15) of geometry equal to the channelings that is desired to obtain in the device; inserting the template in the desired position into a mold (16), keeping it suspended by at least one of its end; coating said template by immersion in (or deposition of) a material in the liquid phase (or dissolved or dispersed in a solvent) capable of solidifying by means of a chemical reaction or physical transformation, forming a material constituting the body of the final device; and selectively removing the three-dimensional template. In a variant of the method, useful for the production of scaffolds to be inserted into the human body, a porogenic material is added to the liquid precursor or to the precursor solution, such that the material of the solid matrix is characterized by a continuous structure of pores into which it is possible to insert live cells.

A polymer, an organic layer composition, and a method of forming patterns, the polymer including a structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 or Chemical Formula 2:

##STR00001##