Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Jarrett Dumond · Hong Low ·
Assignee(s)	Agency for Science, Technology and Research ·  View assignee updates
Correspondent	WINSTEAD SECHREST & MINICK P.C. ·
Application Number	US11089101
Filing date	03/24/2005
Publication date	11/24/2005
Predicted expiration date	05/24/2024
U.S. Classifications	264/293  · 216/67  ·
International Classifications	--
Kind Code	A1

Patent Family

Abstract

The present invention is directed to micro- and nano-scale imprinting methods and the use of such methods to fabricate supported and/or free-standing 3-D micro- and/or nano-structures of polymeric, ceramic, and/or metallic materials, particularly for pixel segregation in OLED-based displays. In some embodiments, a duo-mold approach is employed in the fabrication of these structures. In such methods, surface treatments are employed to impart differential surface energies to different molds and/or different parts of the mold(s). Such surface treatments permit the formation of three-dimensional (3-D) structures through imprinting and the transfer of such structures to a substrate. In some or other embodiments, such surface treatments and variation in glass transition temperature of the polymers used can facilitate separation of the 3-D structures from the molds to form free-standing micro- and/or nano-structures individually and/or in a film. In some or other embodiments, a “latch-on” assembly technique is utilized to form supported and/or free-standing stacked micro- and/or nano-structures that enable the assembly of polymers without a glass transition temperature and eliminate the heating required to assemble thermoplastic polymers.

Independent Claims | See all claims (28)

1. 1. A method of fabricating T-bar column structures comprising the steps of: a) providing a first silicon mold comprising a silane-treated surface of low energy with lithographically-generated trenches; b) spin-coating a polymer comprising a glass transition temperature Tg onto the silane-treated surface of the first silicon mold to form a polymer film which is structured on a first side in contact with the first silicon mold; c) providing a second silicon mold comprising a silane-treated surface of medium energy with lithographically-generated trenches that are wider than the trenches of the first silicon mold; d) pressing the silane-treated surface of the second silicon mold into the surface of the polymer film residing in the first silicon mold, at a temperature above Tg, to imprint the second side of the polymer film and yield a series of polymer T-bar structures within the molds; e) separating the first silicon mold from the series of polymer T-bar structures at a temperature below Tg to yield a series of polymer T-bar structures attached to the second silicon mold; f) pressing the series of polymer T-bar structures onto a substrate at a temperature below Tg and removing the second mold from the substrate after cooling to near room temperature to yield a series of polymer T-bar structures on the substrate, wherein the structures are connected to each other by a residue film; and g) removing the residue film from the series of polymer T-bar structures to yield discrete polymer T-bar structures supported on the substrate.
2. 11. A method of fabricating shadow-mask structures on a substrate comprising the steps of: a) providing a first mold comprising a surface of low energy with lithographically-generated trenches; b) spin-coating a polymer comprising a glass transition temperature Tg onto the surface of the first mold to form a polymer film that is structured on a first side in contact with the first mold; c) providing a second mold comprising a surface of medium energy with lithographically-generated trenches, wherein the trenches of the second mold are operable for forming shadow-mask structures when combined with the trenches of the first mold under conditions of proper alignment; d) pressing the surface of the second mold into the surface of the polymer film residing in the first mold, at a temperature above Tg, to imprint the second side of the polymer film and provide a series of polymer shadow-mask structures within the molds; e) separating the first mold from the series of polymer shadow-mask structures at a temperature below Tg to provide for a series of polymer shadow-mask structures attached to the second mold; f) pressing the series of polymer shadow-mask structures onto a substrate at a temperature below Tg and removing the second mold from the substrate after cooling to near room temperature to yield a series of polymer shadow-mask structures on the substrate, wherein the structures are connected to each other by a residue film; and g) removing the residue film from the series of polymer shadow-mask structures to yield discrete polymer shadow-mask structures supported on the substrate.
3. 22. A method of fabricating OLED-based display devices comprising the steps of: a) providing a first mold comprising a surface of low energy with lithographically-generated trenches; b) spin-coating a polymer comprising a glass transition temperature Tg onto the surface of the first mold to form a polymer film which is structured on a first side in contact with the first mold; c) providing a second mold comprising a surface of medium energy with lithographically-generated trenches, wherein the trenches of the second mold are operable for forming shadow-mask structures when combined with the trenches of the first mold under conditions of proper alignment; d) pressing the surface of the second mold into the surface of the polymer film residing in the first mold, at a temperature above Tg, to imprint the second side of the polymer film and provide a series of polymer shadow-mask structures within the molds; e) separating the first mold from the series of polymer shadow-mask structures at a temperature below Tg to provide for a series of polymer shadow-mask structures attached to the second mold; f) pressing the series of polymer shadow-mask structures onto a transparent substrate at a temperature below Tg and removing the second mold from the substrate after cooling to near room temperature to yield a series of polymer shadow-mask structures on the substrate, wherein the structures are connected to each other by a residue film; and g) exposing the series of polymer shadow-mask structures to an O2 plasma to remove the residue film and yield discrete polymer shadow-mask structures supported on the substrate.