Corona Treatment for Nanotransfer Molding Adhesion

Corona discharge treatment offers a facile, robust, and scalable technique for adhesion promotion in nanotransfer molding. In contrast to conventional plasma treatment, which requires vacuum operation, corona treatment at ambient pressure enabled patterning of woodpile structures of PDMS with smaller feature dimensions (70 nm line width) and across a wider range of treatment doses. Similarities and differences between plasma (batch) and corona (continuous) treatment were established using dyne testing to capture the effects of treatment on surface wettability of PDMS. Evaluating spatiotemporal evolution of wettability through dyne tests enabled a common axis for direct comparison of the two process configurations in terms of dose. Both treatment types formed surface films of oxidized PDMS, which were characterized through compressive buckling tests of the PDMS–oxide bilayer. Corona treatment, by forming a thinner oxide film, extended the range of treatment doses and feature sizes exhibiting successful pattern transfer. Reduction in adhesion at high treatment dose was attributed to a weak boundary layer at the bonded interface. Demolding was studied via peel tests and AFM analysis to reveal that both plasma and corona treatment etch the stamp material (PFPE), underscoring the benefits of low treatment dose for process throughput as well as stamp lifetime. While both treatments displayed comparable etch rates as a function of dose, microscopic bumps on corona-etched stamps indicate a higher surface temperature compared to plasma-etched stamps. By optimizing adhesion for nanotransfer molding with a surface treatment well-suited to continuous processing, corona treatment provides a practical and economical approach to layer-by-layer additive manufacturing at the nanoscale.