Template fabrication process in step and flash imprint lithography

A process of fabricating mold applied to step and flash imprint lithography is described. Silicone is chosen to serve as the patterning material due to its fine self-adaptability and easy demolding character. The mold is made of the silicone pattern layer with a quartz supporting plate. The parameters in a vacuum casting process and a hardening process for composing the silicone are optimized to improve the physical properties of the mold to keep adequate demold and pattern accuracy. It is experimentally shown that the mold enables to meet the requirements for patterning sub-micrometer structures with satisfied self-cleaning and pattern transferring capacity.