Wafer bonding and lithography supplier EV Group has announced collaboration with international research organization Joanneum Research Materials for the EVG770 automated UV-nanoimprint lithography (NIL) step-and-repeat system. The two organizations have adapted the EVG770 with new capabilities to accommodate foil substrates that will enable the system to be used at Joanneum to manufacture flexible master templates applied in roll-to-roll NIL processing for photonics, functional surfaces and microfluidic device production. The EVG770 automated UV nanoimprint lithography step-and-repeat system. Courtesy of EV Group. "Nanoimprint lithography is an inherently lower-cost patterning process compared to other lithographic approaches and is ideally suited for certain high-volume production applications, particularly in the photonics and medical industries,” said Ursula Palfinger, project leader at Joanneum. “However, the time and cost associated with manufacturing working stamps for roller-based NIL can still be significant, and this limits the flexibility that organizations have in conducting research to explore NIL's potential in these application areas.” In UV-NIL processing, templates are used to imprint device patterns and structures onto a substrate, such as a wafer or a foil, which is coated with a UV-curable photoresist. "EV Group's equipment and process expertise in NIL make them an ideal partner to realize the full potential of NIL, and to bridge the gap in manufacturing large-scale master templates for roll-to-roll NIL out of original small-scale templates,” Palfinger said. “The results of this work can have a profound impact on enabling greater process flexibility and further cost reductions in NIL processing." "This latest project with Joanneum Research allows us to demonstrate the ability of our benchmark EVG770 NIL stepper to provide a cost-efficient solution for larger-area mastering applications beyond wafer-size substrates,” said Thomas Glinsner, corporate technology director at EV Group. Joanneum is a developer of solutions and technologies for business and industry. EV Group supplies equipment and process technology for the manufacture of semiconductors, microelectromechanical systems, compound semiconductors, power devices and nanotechnology devices, such as wafer bonding, thin-wafer processing, lithography, NIL and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems.