WELDING METHOD FOR CREATING AN UPSCALED MASTER

Abstract

A method is for creating an upscaled master for an imprinting process. At least two masters are welded together, whereby at least one master includes at least partially at least one textured area. A photosensitive resin is at least applied between the two masters, whereby light of a light source is guided within a waveguiding system and cures the photosensitive resin at least between the at least two submasters when the photosensitive resin comes into contact with the waveguiding system. An upscaled master is obtained by the method, and an imprinting product is obtained from the upscaled master. An apparatus makes an upscaled master by carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A welding method for creating an upscaled master for an imprinting process, comprising: welding at least two masters together, wherein at least one master comprises at least partially at least one textured area, applying a photosensitive resin is at least between the at least two masters, guiding light of a light source within a waveguiding system and cures the photosensitive resin at least between the at least two masters when the photosensitive resin comes into contact with the waveguiding system.

2. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two masters are positioned such that the at least one textured area of the at least two masters is oriented towards the waveguiding systems and/or at least one of the masters is at least partially in contact with the light guiding system.

3. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a mercury-vapor lamp or a strip of UV-LEDs and/or the light of the light source is coupled into the waveguiding system via a coupler.

4. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein a force is applied on the at least two masters perpendicularly to at least one of the textured areas.

5. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two masters are positioned side by side in a lateral distance between 0 and 500 μm.

6. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein a position of the at least two masters and/or a lateral distance between the at least two masters and/or a vertical distance between the at least two masters and the waveguiding system and/or an amount of photosensitive resin is detected and/or regulated by at least one controlling device.

7. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive resin is added via laminating and/or dispensing and/or printing and/or capillary force.

8. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein at least one master comprises a material that is transparent to the light from the light source and acts as a further waveguiding system.

9. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two masters and/or the waveguiding system have a surface free energy of less than 15 mN/m measured according to contact angle measurement according to ISO 19403-2:2017.

10. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the waveguiding system comprises at least partially a relief structure and/or an optical structure and/or a doping.

11. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the waveguiding system has a sheet form and/or is at least partially made of glass, fused silica, quartz, polymer or mixtures thereof.

12. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein the waveguiding system comprises at least one sensor device.

13. A unsealed master made by a method according to claim 1, wherein the upscaled master comprises at least two masters, wherein at least one master comprises at least partially at least one textured area and wherein in-between the at least two master a welding seam is located wherein a height difference between one textured master and the welding seam is less than 5 μm.

14. The upscaled master according to claim 13, wherein the upscaled master comprises at least one side tile.

15. The upscaled master according to claim 13, wherein the upscaled master has a surface area, wherein over an entire surface area an average height difference is less than 5 μm.

16. Imprinting product made by a upscaled master according to claim 13.

17. An apparatus for making an upscaled master by carrying out the welding method according to claim 1.

Description

[0043] The invention is explained now in more detail with reference to the following figures, wherein the scope of the invention is not limited by the figures:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows schematically an arrangement for a welding method.

[0045] FIG. 1b shows schematically an arrangement for a welding method using a back-plate for stability of the upscaled master as well as using side tiles.

[0046] FIGS. 2 and 2b shows an image of a part of an upscaled master with a welded area (welding seam).

[0047] FIG. 3 shows schematically a 3D representation of a height profile measurement of a welded upscaled master.

[0048] In FIG. 1 a method for making an upscaled master is shown. In FIG. 1 two masters 2, 2′are positioned on and in contact to a waveguiding system 5 with a textured area 4 facing the waveguiding system 5. A curable photosensitive resin 3 is present between the two masters 2, 2′. A light source 6 is positioned in an edge area of the waveguiding systems 5 and guides the light within the waveguiding system 5. Where the curable photosensitive resin 3 is in contact to the waveguiding system 5 the light leaves the waveguiding system 5 and cures the resin 3. The cured resin welds the masters 2, 2′ together via a welding seam (which is a welded area) to form the upscaled master.

[0049] In FIG. 1b a back-plate 8 has been mounted on the masters 2 and 2′ and side tiles 9 and 9′. The back-plate 8 can be used for handling stability. The back-plate material can be any sheet, for instance a polymer foil, glass plate or metal sheet. The mounting can be for instance done using a lamination step in combination with a glue, pressure sensitive or curable resin. The side-tiles 9 and 9′ can be used to enlarge the scaled-up master. The side-tiles 9 and 9′are mounted on the master by cured resin 3 and thus by the same way than further masters are connected together by the curable resin 3. Also here a seam is created between master and side tiles, whereby the height difference between one master and the welding seam is also preferably less than 5 μm. In one preferred embodiment the upscaled master (1) made by the at least two masters (2. 2′) and at least one side tile (9, 9′) has over the entire surface area an average height difference of less than 5 μm. The area outside of the masters 2 and 2′ can be used to gather resin.

[0050] In FIG. 2 and also in FIG. 2b a laser microscopy image of an upscaled master 1 is shown. In this image two masters 2, 2′ are welded together by a welding seam 7. The welding seam 7 is made of cured resin. The height profile on the right side of FIG. 2 shows that the height of the welding seam 7 deviates less than 50 nm from the planes of the masters 2, 2′.

[0051] FIG. 3 represents a height profile measurement of two textured masters 2, 2′ that have been welded together as described in the specification. The welding seam 7 is in-between the two masters 2, 2′ and the height of the welding seam 7 corresponds to the height of the masters 2, 2′.