Science and technology of glass nanoimprint and its industrial applications

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We investigated atomic-scale surface modifications of silicate glass by nanoimprint using an atomically stepped sapphire (α-Al_2O_3 single crystal) plate as nanopattern mold. The sapphire mold had regularly arranged straight atomic steps, with uniform height and terrace width of about 0.2 and 80 nm, respectively. During pressing, vertical positions of the sapphire mold and glass plate significantly affected the morphology of the imprinted glass surface. The nanopattern was transferred to the glass surface when the mold was set on the glass plate, while the nanowave pattern was formed on the glass surface when the glass plate was set on the mold. The Vickers hardness of the nanostriped glass was estimated to be higher than that of non-patterned glass, and the surface of the nanostriped glass was more hydrophobic than that of non-patterned glass. We fabricated indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films on nanoimprinted glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The surface of the ITO thin films well reflected the nanopattern of the glass substrate surface. The degree of crystalline orientation of the ITO thin films fabricated on the nanoimprinted glasses was more intense than that of the ITO thin films on the non-patterned commercial glass substrates. The resistivity of the ITO thin films deposited on the nanoimprinted glasses was lower by about 30% than that on the non-patterned commercial glasses, which was probably due to the higher crystal orientation of the films on the nanopatterned glass surfaces.