Abstract
The invention relates to a method for detaching a stamp from a substrate, in particular from a master stamp and/or from a product. The stamp is deformed in a direction of the substrate in order to detach the stamp from the susbtrate.
Claims
1. A method for detaching a stamp from a substrate, comprising: deforming the stamp in a direction of the substrate, in order to detach the stamp from the substrate.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stamp is deformed by overpressure.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein maximum deformation takes place in the centre of the stamp, and wherein the deforming is symmetrical to a centre of the stamp.
4. The method according claim 1, wherein the deforming of the stamp takes place from inside to outside.
5. The method according claim 1, wherein the detachment of the stamp comprises moving the substrate and the stamp away from each other.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detachment of the stamp takes place from outside to inside.
7. A method for producing a stamp on a carrier, comprising: applying an embossing material to a master stamp, bringing the embossing material into contact with the carrier, hardening the embossing material, and detaching the master stamp from the hardened embossing material by deforming the carrier in a direction of the master stamp in order to detach the master stamp from the produced stamp, wherein the produced stamp remains on the carrier after the detaching of the master stamp from the hardened embossing material.
8. A method for producing a product from an embossing material, comprising: bringing the embossing material into contact with a stamp, hardening the embossing material, detaching the stamp from the embossing material, by deforming the stamp in a direction of the product in order to detach the stamp from the product.
9. A device for detaching a stamp from a substrate, comprising: means for deforming the stamp in a direction of the substrate in order to detach the stamp from the substrate.
10. A device for producing a stamp on a carrier, comprising: application means for applying an embossing material to a master stamp, contacting means for bringing the embossing material into contact with the carrier, and hardening means for detaching the master stamp from the hardened embossing material, the hardening means comprising deforming means for deforming the carrier in a direction of the master stamp in order to detach the master stamp from the produced stamp, wherein the produced stamp remains on the carrier after the detaching of the master stamp from the hardened embossing material.
11. A device for producing a product from an embossing material, comprising: contacting means for bringing the embossing material into contact with a stamp, hardening means for hardening the embossing material, detaching means for detaching the stamp from the embossing material, the detaching means comprising deforming means for deforming the stamp in a direction of the product in order to detach the stamp from the product.
12. The device according to claim 10, further comprising at least one carrier form element for deforming the carrier, wherein the carrier is tensioned via the carrier form element.
13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the carrier form element comprises at least one carrier form element elevation for lifting the carrier off the carrier form element and/or stretching the carrier.
14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the carrier form element comprises at least one fixing element for fixing the carrier, wherein the at least one fixing element is switchable such, that a gas and/or a gas mixture is delivered via the at least one fixing element into an intermediate space between the carrier form element and the carrier.
15. The device according to claim 12, further comprising at least one stretching element for stretching the carrier, wherein the at least one stretching element is a fluid element, wherein a gas and/or a gas mixture can be delivered via the fluid element in order to produce an overpressure between the carrier form element and the carrier.
16. The device according to claim 12, further comprising at least one stretching element for stretching the carrier.
17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the inside of the stamp is a centre of the stamp, and wherein an outside of the stamp is an edge of the stamp.
18. The method according to claim 5, wherein the moving of the substrate and stamp is performed simultaneously with the deforming of the stamp.
19. The method according to claim 6, wherein the outside of the stamp is an edge of the stamp, and wherein an inside of the stamp is a centre of the stamp.
Description
[0126] In the figures identical components or functionally identical components are marked with the same reference symbols.
[0127] FIG. 1a shows a side view of a manual inventive first stamping device 1, which is provided with at least two fixing units 4, with the aid of which a carrier 3 can be fixed, in particular on two opposite sides. The two fixing units 4 are preferably connected to a carrier form element 2. The carrier form element 2 preferably comprises a carrier form element elevation 2e, via which the carrier 3 can be tensioned. The fixing unit 4 consists for example of a static carrier fixing 5, a distance piece 7, and a top part 8. The components 5, 7 and 8 can be releasably fixed to each other by fixing elements 9, in particular screws. The carrier form element 2 is preferably transparent for a wavelength range of an electro-magnetic radiation, which is used for hardening a working stamp embossing material. The carrier form element 2 comprises dynamic fixing elements 6 (also called dynamic carrier fixing hereunder) which can be switched on and off. The fixing elements 6 may be distributed at random across a carrier form element surface 2o. The number of used fixing elements 6 is in particular larger than 2, preferably larger than 5, more preferably larger than 10, even more preferably larger than 50, most preferably larger than 100. In an especially preferred inventive embodiment the fixing elements 6 are individually controllable. The fixing elements 6 can preferably be controlled such, that they can lead to a convex deformation of the carrier 3, when viewed from outside. This is made possible in a particularly easy manner in that the fixing elements 6 are realised as channels, which not only serve the evacuation of the intermediate space between the carrier 3 and the carrier form element 2, but can also be used for creating an overpressure. The fixing elements 6 are therefore preferably channels, via which a vacuum/an overpressure can be built. A further inventive use of the fixing elements 6 consists in that with their aid a distortion-free fixing of the carrier 3 can be achieved, before fixing of the fixing units 4 via the static fixing 5 takes place, which is afflicted with a certain amount of distortion. As a result the carrier 3 experiences very little or no distortion in the area, in which the stamp is applied in a later stamping process. The carrier 3 is clamped on the left and the right side between the outer part of the carrier form element 2 and the static carrier fixing 5. In addition alignment marks 14 are arranged on the carrier form element surface.
[0128] FIG. 1b shows a view from below of the manual inventive first device 1. One can recognise the fixing elements 9, in particular screws, with which the releasable screw connection of components 5, 7 and 8 is made. The dynamic carrier fixing 6 is depicted as a single, fully circumferential, square vacuum channel. The circular-shaped area 16 represents the stamp area 16, in which the later stamp is stamped. The stamp area may of course be of any random size and shape, but is depicted as a circular shape as reference to the circular, standardised wafer shape in the semi-conductor industry.
[0129] FIG. 2a shows a first inventive process step of a first inventive method, in which a working stamp embossing material 11 is applied via a separating device 10 onto a master stamp surface 12o of a master stamp 12 with a number of master stamp structures 13.
[0130] FIG. 2b shows a second inventive process step of a first inventive method, in which the manual inventive first stamping device 1 is aligned with the aid of alignment marks 14 relative to the master stamp 12. The alignment marks 14 of the master stamp 12 and the stamping device 1 are preferably aligned with each other by optical alignment elements 15. A purely mechanical rough alignment of the stamping device 1 relative to the master stamp 12 is also feasible, in particular without an alignment element 15 and without alignment marks 14.
[0131] FIG. 2c shows a third inventive process step of a first inventive method, in which the carrier 3 is brought into contact with the working stamp embossing material 11 via a carrier stamp side 3s. Due to the contacting the working stamp embossing material 11 is flattened.
[0132] FIG. 2d shows a fourth inventive process step of a first inventive method, in which the working stamp embossing material 11 is hardened. Hardening can be effected. thermally, but preferably electromagnetically, in particular by means of UV light. Hardening is preferably effected by the carrier form element 2. If using electromagnetic radiation the carrier form element 2 must he sufficiently transparent in the respective wavelength range in order to obtain adequate hardening of the working stamp embossing material 11.
[0133] FIG. 2e shows a fifth inventive process step of a first inventive method, in which the inventive detachment of the stamp 17 produced according to the invention (also called working stamp hereunder) takes place. During this procedure the carrier 3 is removed from the carrier form element 2. Removal is in particular effected with the aid of an overpressure of a fluid, which is emitted through the dynamic carrier fixing 6, which is realised as a vacuum path. It is also feasible that there are elements, which are independent of the dynamic carrier fixing 6 and which can cause the carrier 3 and thus the stamp 17 to bend in a corresponding manner. Additionally installed jets would for example be feasible. Another possibility would be to charge the carrier 3 electrostatically with a second potential of the same polarity causing the carrier 3 to be separated from the carrier form element 2 through elements in the carrier form element 2. According to the invention the hardened working stamp embossing material 11 is detached from the master stamp 12 from outside to inside, in particular sequentially. Due to this kind of demoulding the hardened embossing material 11 is detached in a very careful manner from the master stamp structures 13 of the master stamp 12. The stamp 17 produced in this way can thus be produced in a faultless manner.
[0134] FIG. 2f shows a sixth inventive process step, in which the carrier 3, which with the hardened embossing material 11 forms the stamp 17, is again fully fixed on the carrier form element 2. Fixing is again effected via the dynamic carrier fixing 6. The stamp 17 produced in this way can now be used for a stamping process of an embossing material. Demoulding of the stamp 17 from an embossing material in a subsequent stamping process can be done in exactly the same manner as demoulding the stamp 17 from the master stamp 12 as per FIG. 2e.
[0135] FIG. 3a shows a second inventive process step with a second inventive stamping device 1′. The first inventive process step is analogous to the process step in FIG. 2a and is therefore not repeated here. The second inventive stamping device 1′ is a device with a roll system. A carrier 3′, which can be coated with a protective film 19, has been placed on a roll 18a. In contrast to the carrier 3 of the first inventive embodiment the carrier 3′ is an “endless film”. The carrier 3′ is tensioned via the carrier form element 2 and wound onto a roll 18c. The protective film 19 can be pulled off and wound onto a roll 18b. The fixing units 4′ are designed in such a way that they can clamp the carrier 3′, in particular laterally. Clamping the carrier 3′ is preferably effected by an angles static carrier fixing 5′, the clamping surface 5k′ of which is parallel to a carrier form element clamping surface 2k opposite thereof. The angle α between the carrier form element clamping surface 2k and a carrier form element back 2r is between 0° and 90°, preferably between 5° and 85°, more preferably between 10.sup.0 and 80° , even more preferably between 15° and 75°, most preferably between 20° and 70°. With the inventive embodiment the master stamp 12 is preferably moved below the stamping device.
[0136] FIG. 3b shows a third inventive process step with the second inventive stamping device 1′. Since the stamping device 1′ is preferably designed so as to be stationary as a whole, the master stamp 12 moves towards the carrier 3′ in order to bring the working stamp embossing material 11 into contact with the carrier 3′.
[0137] FIG. 3c shows a fourth inventive process step with the second inventive stamping device analogous to the process step in FIG. 2d.
[0138] FIG. 3d shows a fifth inventive process step with the second inventive stampine device 1′ analogous to the process step in FIG. 2e.
[0139] FIG. 3e shows a sixth inventive process step with the second inventive stamping device I analogous to the process step in FIG. 2f.
[0140] FIG. 3f shows a seventh inventive process step with the second inventive stamping device 1′, in which the fixing units 4′ are opened, so that the carrier 3 can be moved further on by the rolls 18a, 18c. According to the invention this includes removing the working stamp 17 from the carrier form element 2. Due to the carrier 3 being wound onto the roll 18c a new unused section 3u of the carrier 3 is moved underneath the carrier form element 2 and can again be provided with an embossing material according to the process steps 3a-3d.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
[0141] 1, 1′ stamping device [0142] 2 carrier form element [0143] 2e carrier form element elevation [0144] 2o carrier form element surface [0145] 2r carrier form element back [0146] 2k carrier form element clamping surface [0147] 3, 3′ carrier [0148] 3u unused carrier section [0149] 3s carrier stamp side [0150] 4 4′ fixing unit [0151] 5, 5 static carrier fixing [0152] 5k′ clamping surface [0153] 6 dynamic carrier fixing/fixing elements [0154] 7 distance piece [0155] 8 top part [0156] 9 fixing element [0157] 10 separating device [0158] 11 working stamp embossing material [0159] 12 master stamp [0160] 12o master stamp surface [0161] 13 master stamping structure [0162] 14 alignment mark [0163] 15 alignment element [0164] 16 stamping area [0165] 17 stamp/working stamp [0166] 18a, 18b, 18a c roll [0167] 19 protective film [0168] α angle
