Numerical Investigation for the Resin Filling Behavior during Ultraviolet Nanoimprint Lithography of Subwavelength Moth-Eye Nanostructure

Abstract

Accurate analysis of the resin filling process into the mold cavity is necessary for the high-precision fabrication of moth-eye nanostructure using the ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) technique. In this research, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model was proposed to reveal resin filling behavior, in which the effect of boundary slip was considered. By comparison with the experimental results, a good consistency was found, indicating that the simulation model could be used to analyze the resin filling behavior. Based on the proposed model, the effects of process parameters on resin filling behavior were analyzed, including resin viscosity, inlet velocity and resin thickness. It was found that the inlet velocity showed a more significant effect on filling height than the resin viscosity and thickness. Besides, the effects of boundary conditions on resin filling behavior were investigated, and it was found the boundary slip had a significant influence on resin filling behavior, and excellent filling results were obtained with a larger slip velocity on the mold side. This research could provide guidance for a more comprehensive understanding of the resin filling behavior during UV-NIL of subwavelength moth-eye nanostructure.