Development of Side-Emitting UV-curing Imprinting Process for Large-Area Replication of Microstructures

The conventional UV resin is cured by direct irradiation from the bottom. High energy consumption and limited imprint area are problems. In this study, an innovative side-emitting UV-curing imprinting process is developed for large area microstructure replication. In this study, we integrate the ultraviolet-curing imprint, reversal imprinting and gasbag-assisted imprinting to fabricated microstructures. The side-emitting gasbag-assisted UV-curing imprint process yields energy saving, short cycle time, uniform pressure and room temperature processing. The process not only reduces the waste but also enlarges the fabrication area. The moderate UV curing with UV emitting from sides prevent mold sticking and microstructure damage. The reversal imprinting coating and gasbag-assisted embossing provides the uniform pressure over the whole substrate.
The process has been successfully used for fabricating V-cut microstructures on the whole area of 380mm by 230mm. The imprinted plates shows that the micro-structures have its brightness enhancement function. The facility and process has also been used to fabricate Fresnel lens and micro lens structures successfully. The process integrating gasbag-assisted pressuring, UV-emitting from sides, reversal UV imprinting shows great potential for replication of large-area microstructures for optical and biomedical application.