Here at Stensborg, we have always strived to provide our customers with the very best nanoimprinting lithography solutions. For over 20 years, we have been utilizing the latest technology and innovations to transform the world of imprinting, and one of these is creating our own chemistry.
Image credit: Stensborg A/S
Why we create our own chemistry
We know that no two customers are the same, and there is no one single solution that will work in every scenario. By being able to create our own chemistry, it gives our team far greater control over what goes into our resins and how they will behave. This ensures that we are always able to tailor our solutions to suit each client’s needs, creating the most suitable and cost-effective resolution possible.
When it comes to how we create our own chemistry, there are two main factors we need to consider:
Processing
The first area we need to consider is the processing. This is an in-depth and complex process, and we will first need to understand what materials and coating methods are being utilized. Each approach will require a resin that offers different viscosities, surface energies, and adhesive properties, from spin coating and ink jetting to slot-die coating, silk-screen or flexo-printing.
We will also need to know structure size and aspect ratio, which will allow our experienced team to create a resin that fills the structure within a very short time period.
Watch our instructional video on imprinting – ‘How to Mount on An Imprinting Template’.
End properties
Of course, when creating our resins, we do not only need to consider how the imprinting will be carried out but also what specifications are needed for the final product or usage. When speaking with the customer, we will establish exactly what they are looking for, allowing us to develop a tailored solution. This could be an optically clear solution, or a certain minimum transparency within a specific wavelength, offering high chemical resistance or understanding whether the structure needs to be further processed at a later stage.
We will consider everything, ensuring we can create our own bespoke solutions that have been specifically designed to meet requirements.
The resins we provide
When it comes to imprinting, our talented team are experts in chemistry, and we have built a reputation for high-quality resins and imprinting solutions. We have developed an innovative range of light-curing resins, including:
This acrylate-based resin is incredibly fast-curing and has been specifically developed to work at high speed for roll-to-roll hologram replication as well as nano- and micro-sized features.
Offering the same fast-curing properties, the X30, which is suitable for inkjet application, provides low viscosity and a high level of adhesion.
This acrylate-based resin has been designed to ensure the cured material is compatible with a higher temperature post-process, such as thermal curing of metallic inks.
This is our low viscosity master template imprinting resin offering excellent release properties from our X-resins.
This medium viscosity master template imprinting resin is great for larger micro-scale features and is suitable for making casts of various photoresists and substrate materials.
While these are some of the most common resins that our chemists have created, we are also able to develop experimental resins that have been tailored to precise needs. Whatever the requirements might be, by creating our own chemistry, we are able to produce truly personalized solutions for our customers.
If you want to find out more about the innovative technology that we use, you can visit our technology page, or for anything else, you can get in touch with our team.
