Process factors influence on residual layer uniformity in hot embossing

Hot embossing replica are characterised by the quality of the moulded structures and the uniformity of the residual layer. In particular, the even distribution of the residual layer thickness (RLT) is an important issue in hot embossing (HE) or thermal nanoimprint lithography as variations in the RLT may affect the functionality or further processing of replicated parts. In this context, the paper presents a study on the influence of three process factors, namely the moulding temperature, the embossing force and the holding time, on the residual layer homogeneity in HE by carrying out a design of experiments. The analysis of the results shows that the holding time has the most influence on the RLT distribution. In addition, the best RLT uniformity could be achieved by using the highest considered settings for the temperature and holding time and the lowest selected value of embossing force.