The present invention provides an imprint apparatus comprising a deforming unit configured to deform a pattern surface by applying a force to a mold, a measuring unit configured to measure a deformation amount of the pattern surface, a control unit configured to control the measuring unit to measure the deformation amount in each of a plurality of states in which a plurality of the forces are applied to the mold, a calculation unit configured to calculate a rate of change in the deformation amount as a function of a change in the force applied to the mold, and a calibration unit configured to calibrate a control profile describing a time in the imprint process, and the force applied to the mold, based on the rate of change in the deformation amount.

A process for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface is described. A substrate (16) is continuously moved through a production line, and this substrate (16) is first provided, in a printing equipment (12), with a printed pattern and thereafter, in an embossing equipment (14), with an embossed pattern, which is registered with the printed pattern. The printing equipment (12) produces the printed pattern in-line with the production of the embossed pattern. During printing in the printing equipment (12), the printed pattern is stretched or compressed, dynamically responsive to indicators of misalignments between the printed pattern and the embossed pattern, so as to correct or prevent the misalignments. A production line for carrying out this process is also proposed.

A method can include placing a substrate over a chucking region, wherein the substrate has a primary surface; quantifying a distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof; and dispensing a formable material based at least in part on the distortion. The distortion can include a deviation in planarity, a magnification or orthogonality error or the like. In another aspect, an imprint apparatus can include a substrate holder including a chucking region; a template having an imprint surface that includes protrusions, wherein the protrusions define a primary surface; and a processor configured to determine an amount of a formable material to dispense in a particular area based at least in part on an distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof.

A method for applying a layer having a relief on a substrate includes, steps of securing the substrate, applying a layer of a curable liquid on the substrate, bringing a mould having a relief being the negative of the relief to be provided on the substrate, into contact with a part of the upper surface of the liquid layer, curing the liquid layer while the mould is in contact with the liquid and separating the mould from the substrate. Initially the mould is brought into contact with the liquid in a bent position while the substrate is kept flat and subsequently the mould is brought into contact over an increasing surface area keeping the mould in a bent position until the complete liquid layer is in contact with the mould.

The pattern complexity and functional value of wrinkled structures can be substantially increased by fabricating the wrinkles on pre-patterned quasi-planar substrates instead of flat substrates. This disclosure presents the methods for fabricating pre-patterned polymeric surfaces that can be subsequently used as the substrates during manufacture of complex wrinkled structures. Pre-patterned substrates are generated by imprinting the pre-patterns onto the substrates during the curing process. Suitability for post-curing use in fabrication of wrinkles is ensured by (i) delayed imprinting that occurs close to but before the gelation point and (ii) gradual alignment of pre-patterns to the direction of stretch that is applied later during manufacture of wrinkled structures.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with forming a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a polymerizable compound (a1) on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing a polymerizable compound (a2) dropwise discretely onto the curable composition (A1) layer, subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the mixture layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing. The curable composition (A1) except a solvent has a viscosity at 25° C. of 40 mPa.Math.s or more and less than 500 mPa.Math.s. The curable composition (A2) except a solvent has a viscosity at 25° C. of 1 mPa.Math.s or more and less than 40 mPa.Math.s.

Provided is a curable resin composition for a dry-etching resist, the curable resin composition containing a polymer (A) having, in a side chain, a particular structure including an aromatic group having a vinyl group. The polymer (A) includes 80 to 100 wt % of the particular structure. In addition, provided are a dry-etching resist mask obtained by curing the curable composition for a dry-etching resist, and the dry-etching resist mask having a pattern formed by a nanoimprint method.

According to one implementation, a composite material molding jig includes a rigid portion and a convex portion for forming a groove for inserting an optical fiber sensor. The rigid portion has a surface for laminating prepreg sheets. The convex portion is formed in a surface side of the rigid portion. Further, according to one implementation, a composite material molding method is a method for molding a composite material, on which the groove for inserting the optical fiber sensor has been formed, by heating and curing a laminated body of the prepreg sheets laminated on the above-mentioned composite material molding jig.

There is provided an imprint apparatus for forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, the imprint apparatus including a mold holding unit configured to hold the mold, and a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, in which a particle is captured by generating a first region and a second region charged to different polarities in at least either one of a peripheral region of a region covered by the mold of the mold holding unit and a peripheral region of a region covered by the substrate of the substrate holding unit.

A large area patterned film includes a first patterned area; a second patterned area; and a seam joining the first patterned area and the second patterned area, wherein the seam has a width less than about 20 micrometers. A method for tiling patterned areas includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a curable material; contacting a first portion of the curable material with a mold; curing the first portion of the curable material; removing the mold from the cured first portion of the curable material; contacting a second portion of the curable material with the mold, such that the mold contacts a portion of the cured first portion of the curable material; curing the second portion of the curable material; and removing the mold to yield a seam between the cured first portion of the curable material and the cured second portion of the curable material, wherein the seam has a dimension less than about 20 micrometers.