Abstract
A single-step process was used for patterning the surface of an acrylate-rich silica-based hybrid sol-gel with UV light. A spontaneous swelling of the illuminated areas was observed when the sample was irradiated through a photo-mask prior to any drying step. Relief height up to 2.5 μm was induced in a few minutes when imprinting structures with feature size in the range 5 to 40 μm. High resolution was also demonstrated by imprinting 1 μm-period gratings with a 150 nm groove depth in 0.2 sec. It was found that the process was strongly activated by temperature. The formation of the relief was attributed to mass transport occurring in the material during the gel phase. The very short processing time required for creating significant surface swelling with a good resolution, makes the process potentially attractive for micro-patterning large surfaces.
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Blanc, D., Pélissier, S., Jurine, P. et al. Photo-Induced Swelling of Hybrid Sol-Gel Thin Films: Application to Surface Micro-Patterning. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology 27, 215–220 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023710903667
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023710903667