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| Precision Nano Replication (PNR) - PNR FAQ |
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Do MacDermid Autotype produce master structures?
No, there are many different ways of producing master structures (e.g. via photomasks, holography, diamond turning …) and MacDermid MacDermid MacDermid Autotype does not attempt to compete with world experts in producing such masters. Instead we work closely with these experts to provide a service to our own customers so that an optimal master structure is produced to an agreed price, speed and specification.
How do you get the master onto your production machine?
If the master is created by diamond turning then our machine can take that master directly. But frequently the master is created in photoresist and we arrange for that master to be converted into nickel shims that are ideal for our replication process.
Do you grow your own nickel shims?
No. Again we think it’s better to leave such things to other experts so we can put all our efforts into our own expertise. We have a network of proven experts in creating nickel shims and can recommend to our customers how to source the shims to an agreed price, speed and specification. Alternatively we do the sourcing directly with the shim manufacturer and simply pass on the cost to the customer.
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How does your process work?
It’s no secret that we use UV replication. Basically you take a free-flowing lacquer that comes into contact between the structure and the film. The lacquer flows into the structure (thus guaranteeing faithful replication of the structure) and at that moment it is hit with UV light that cross-links the lacquer and makes it a solid. As the process continues, the film separates from the structure and the nano replicate stays on the film. The cross-linked lacquer, of course, sticks preferentially to the film and not to the structure! The structure rotates around ready to meet some fresh lacquer and the process continues.
How does this differ from normal embossing (hot embossing)?
For normal embossing you must use high heat and pressure. If you raise the temperature you can get good flow of the polymer into the structure, but there’s so much heat that as the film separates from the structure, the replica continues to flow and you lose precision. If you lower the temperature you just can’t get the polymer to fill the structure. If you increase the pressure you create all sorts of distortions to the system and are unlikely to get precise replication. Of course, if you cool the embossing tool before separation you can obtain good fidelity, but this seriously reduces the throughput of the embossing process. Besides, we can create a wide range of functional systems (hydrophilic to hydrophobic), but normal embossing relies on the relatively few thermoplastic polymer systems available.
Why does the cross-linked lacquer separate cleanly from the structure?
When you’ve got as much experience of the process as we have, it’s not a problem. But if you don’t have such experience it’s much harder than you might imagine to get good separation replica after replica after replica …
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Lots of people can do UV replication. What’s so special about MacDermid Autotype?
Lots of people say they can do UV replication. But very few of us can do it reliably, all day, every day, with a wide variety of lacquers on a wide variety of structures. Our main secret is that we take care of the tiny details; every time. We’re reliable. Many other UV replicators are not.
How can you make things that are hydrophobic or hydrophilic?
It’s not too hard in principle. The range of materials you can put into a UV lacquer is very large and includes materials that are naturally hydrophilic or hydrophobic. In practice you need years of experience to know how to create good formulations that deliver not only the required surface energy, but also things like toughness, abrasion resistance, adhesion to the film and so forth.
How tough are your structures?
Let’s put it this way. The same sort of technology and formulations has been used by MacDermid Autotype for years to create hard-coat films for membrane touch switch and touchscreen applications. These films have to pass demanding tests of abrasion, humidity resistance, temperature resistance, adhesion, chemical resistance, solvent resistance. The list goes on and on. We have a vast experience developed over the years, a lot of facilities to carry out the testing, and great confidence in our abilities to deliver you tough, stable structures.
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How precise are your replicas?
From time to time, customers have measured our replicas and found that they are not what they expected. But in every case, when we have gone back to examine the master structure we have found that the cause of the problem was in the origination, not the replication. So far, then, our ability to replicate has exceeded the ability of customers to detect differences from the masters.
How small can you go?
We don’t know! For one data-storage application we were required to replicate structures that had edges accurate to <40nm. We attained that target with no difficulty. So presumably we can replicate to even smaller scales, but no-one has asked us to do so.
How big can you go?
Structures in the 100’s of microns are no problem to us. For even larger structures you probably don’t need our level of technology and can reproduce the product using more conventional and lower cost methods.
What about cleanliness?
Obviously we carry out the process in a clean room. But clean rooms don’t guarantee cleanliness! Only by painstaking attention to detail can we remain confident of very low levels of dust-induced defects in our replicas.
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What sorts of jobs will you take on?
It’s better to list the sorts of things for which we are not the best people to come to.
1 Very small runs of ultra-small components. If you want a few 100 copies of highly specialist components it makes no sense to use our technology which is suitable for 100’s to millions of square metres.
2 Very large structures. Why bother using precision nano replication when you can probably do it via hot embossing, injection molding etc.?
3 Applications that defy the laws of physics. Believe it or not we have turned down potentially lucrative jobs because analysis of their intended application has shown that they can’t possibly work as they defy the laws of physics. We are open, honest, interactive. We have a range of skills. If we think an application can’t work, we will tell you up front and won’t waste your time or ours. If you are convinced that we’re wrong you can go to the competition and prove that we made the wrong decision. So far we’ve no regrets
4 Things for which the master can’t be made. We can replicate almost anything. But originating the master structure can be a major challenge. Sometimes it’s impossible, or possible only on a tiny scale (e.g. via e-beam writing) that does not match our sort of capabilities. We work energetically with customers to help provide mastering services. But sometimes one has to admit that the ideal structure just can’t be originated.
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What scale do you work to?
Our pilot machine is ideal for the early stages of a project. It’s unlikely that you can produce masters much bigger than, say, 300mm x 300mm and we are very comfortable with that sort of size. We can produce 100’s of metres of replicas, more than enough for most customers’ early testing and validation.
One unusual thing about MacDermid Autotype is that scale-up to 1.2m by 1km is not a problem! Over many years we have worked to ensure a good match between results on our pilot and production machines.
The real problem for scale-up is that of sourcing a large-enough master. World-wide there is a shortage of such scale-up facilities and we are working closely with those at the forefront of such scale-up work.
If we asked you to replicate something for us, what is your turn-around time?
We can be pretty confident in saying that the turn-around time is dictated more by the time to produce the master than by the time we take to replicate it. For example, a diamond-turned structure can be produced in a few weeks. But it might take a few months to get hold of a diamond of the correct shape and size.
So when we work with customers we help plan realistic timescales and ensure that we are ready to do our bit the moment the master structures arrive on site.
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