Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to display devices for augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. More specifically, embodiments described herein provide a method of forming an optical device using nanoimprint lithography that maintains the critical dimension of the optical device structures of the optical device.
Virtual reality is generally considered to be a computer generated simulated environment in which a user has an apparent physical presence. A virtual reality experience can be generated in 3D and viewed with a head-mounted display (HMD), such as glasses or other wearable display devices that have near-eye display panels as lenses to display a virtual reality environment that replaces an actual environment.
Augmented reality enables an experience in which a user can still see through the display lenses of the glasses or other HMD device to view the surrounding environment, yet also see images of virtual objects that are generated for display and appear as part of the environment. Augmented reality can include any type of input, such as audio and haptic inputs, as well as virtual images, graphics, and video that enhances or augments the environment that the user experiences. As an emerging technology, there are many challenges and design constraints with augmented reality.
One such challenge is displaying a virtual image overlaid on an ambient environment. Optical devices including waveguide combiners, such as augmented reality waveguide combiners, and flat optical devices, such as metasurfaces, are used to assist in overlaying images. Generated light is propagated through an optical device until the light exits the optical device and is overlaid on the ambient environment. Fabricating optical device structures for use as an optical device or a master for nanoimprint lithography can be challenging. In particular, fabricating optical device structures having critical dimensions matched to a stamp can be challenging due to lateral shrinkage of the solvent based resist during the curing process. The lateral shrinkage of the solvent resulting in a reduction in critical dimension of the formed optical device structures from the solvent based resist.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a method of forming an optical device using nanoim print lithography that maintains the critical dimension of the optical device structures of the optical device.
In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes disposing a stamp coating on a stamp. The stamp having an inverse optical device pattern of inverse structures. The coating disposed on sidewalls, inverse structure bottom, and inverse structure top of each of the inverse structures. The inverse pattern having an inverse critical dimension between adjacent sidewalls of each of the inverse structures. The method includes etching the inverse structure bottom and inverse structure top with an etch process having an etch direction parallel to the sidewalls such that the stamp coating remains on the sidewalls and the stamp coating is removed from the inverse structure top and inverse structure bottom of each of the inverse structures, the stamp with the coating on the sidewalls having an optical device critical dimension between each coated sidewall, the optical device critical dimension to be transferred to optical device structures of an optical device pattern. The method further includes imprinting the stamp into an imprintable optical device material disposed on an optical device substrate, and subjecting the imprintable optical device material to a cure process, the cure process transferring the optical device critical dimension to the optical device structures of the optical device pattern formed by the cure process.
In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes forming a stamp from a master, the master comprising a master pattern such that the stamp molded from the master comprises an inverse optical device pattern. The method further includes disposing a stamp coating on the stamp. The stamp having the inverse optical device pattern of inverse structures. The coating disposed on sidewalls, inverse structure bottom, and inverse structure top of each of the inverse structures. The inverse pattern having an inverse critical dimension between adjacent sidewalls of each of the inverse structures. The method includes etching the inverse structure bottom and inverse structure top with an etch process having an etch direction parallel to the sidewalls such that the stamp coating remains on the sidewalls and the stamp coating is removed from the inverse structure top and inverse structure bottom of each of the inverse structures, the stamp with the coating on the sidewalls having an optical device critical dimension between each coated sidewall, the optical device critical dimension to be transferred to optical device structures of an optical device pattern. The method further includes imprinting the stamp into an imprintable optical device material disposed on an optical device substrate, and subjecting the imprintable optical device material to a cure process, the cure process transferring the optical device critical dimension to the optical device structures of the optical device pattern formed by the cure process.
In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes disposing a stamp coating on a stamp. The stamp comprises an inverse optical device pattern of inverse structures. The coating is disposed on sidewalls, inverse structure bottom, and inverse structure top of each of the inverse structures. The inverse pattern comprises an inverse critical dimension between adjacent sidewalls of each of the inverse structures. The sidewalls have a slant angle relative to the surface normal of the optical device substrate. The method includes etching the inverse structure bottom and inverse structure top with an etch process having an etch direction parallel to the sidewalls such that the stamp coating remains on the sidewalls and the stamp coating is removed from the inverse structure top and inverse structure bottom of each of the inverse structures, the stamp with the coating on the sidewalls having an optical device critical dimension between each coated sidewall, the optical device critical dimension to be transferred to optical device structures of an optical device pattern. The method further includes imprinting the stamp into an imprintable optical device material disposed on an optical device substrate, and subjecting the imprintable optical device material to a cure process, the cure process transferring the optical device critical dimension to the optical device structures of the optical device pattern formed by the cure process.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, and may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The disclosure contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this disclosure with color drawings will be provided to the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. As the color drawings are being filed electronically via EFS-Web, only one set of the drawings is submitted.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.
Embodiments described herein provide method a method of forming an optical device using nanoimprint lithography that maintains the critical dimension of the optical device structures of the optical device. The method described herein accounts for lateral shrinkage of the solvent based resist during the cure process to maintain the critical dimension. The method includes disposing a stamp coating on a stamp having an inverse optical device pattern of inverse structures. The coating is disposed on sidewalls, inverse structure bottom, and inverse structure top of each of the inverse structures. The method includes etching the inverse structure bottom and inverse structure top with an etch such that the stamp coating remains on the sidewalls and is removed from the inverse structure top and inverse structure bottom. The method further includes imprinting the stamp into an imprintable optical device material disposed on an optical device substrate. The optical device material comprises a solvent-based resist, such as a sol-gel, which requires the removal of solvent. The method further comprises subjecting the imprintable optical device material to a cure process which transfers the optical device critical dimension to the optical device structures of the optical device pattern formed by the cure process. The stamp comprises an absorbable material, such that during the cure process, the solvent from the imprintable optical device material is absorbed by the stamp or vaporized. This stamp absorption and/or solvent vaporization results in vertical shrinkage of the optical device structures, but maintains the critical dimension.
Each optical device structure of the plurality of optical device structures 102 has a critical dimension 202. The critical dimension 202 is less than 1 micrometer (μm). I.e., the optical device structures 102 may be nanostructures having sub-micron dimensions, e.g., nano-sized dimensions. The critical dimension 202 corresponds to a width or a diameter of each optical device structure 102, depending on the cross-section of the optical device structure 102. In one embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one critical dimension 202 may be different from another critical dimension 202. In another embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, each critical dimension of the plurality of optical device structures 102 is substantially equal to each other.
The optical device structures 102 have a linewidth 204 defined as the distance between adjacent angled optical device structures 102. As shown in
Each optical device structure 102 of the plurality of optical device structures 102 has a depth 206. In one embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one depth 206 of the plurality of optical device structures 102 is different that the depth 206 of the other optical device structures 102. In another embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, each depth 206 of the plurality of optical device structures 102 is substantially equal to the adjacent optical device structures 102.
The optical device structures 102 are formed from an imprintable optical device material. The imprintable optical device material is configured to be imprintable by a stamp prior to a cure process. The imprintable optical device material contains a plurality of nanoparticles and one or more solvents (such as sol-gel or nanoparticle-containing resists). The imprintable optical device material may additionally include at least one of a surface ligand, an additive, and an acrylate. The cure process removes the solvent from the optical device material via stamp absorption or solvent vaporization. The optical device structures formed from the imprintable optical device material after curing include the nanoparticles, and in some embodiments the nanoparticles and remaining cured material. In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the optical device structures 102 may have a refractive index between about 1.35 and about 2.70. In other embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the optical device structures 102 may have a refractive index between about 3.5 and about 4.0. The imprintable optical device material of the optical device structures 102 includes, but is not limited to, one or more of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), vanadium (IV) oxide (VOx), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin oxide (ITO), tin dioxide (SnO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), silicon nitride (Si3N4), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), niobium oxide (Nb2O5), cadmium stannate (Cd2SnO4), cerium dioxide (CeO2), silver (Ag) nanoparticles, gold (Au) nanoparticles, cadmium selenide (CdSe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), mercury telluride (HgTe), zinc selenide (ZnSe), silver-indium-gallium-sulfur (Ag—In—Ga—S) composite nanoparticle, silver-indium-sulfur (Ag—In—S), indium phosphide (InP), gallium phosphide (GaP), ZnSeS, lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), zinc sulfide (ZnS), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), tungsten disulfide (WS2), silicon carbide (SiC), or silicon carbon-nitride (SiCN) containing materials.
The optical device substrate 101 may also be selected to transmit a suitable amount of light of a desired wavelength or wavelength range, such as one or more wavelengths from about 100 to about 3000 nanometers. Without limitation, in some embodiments, the optical device substrate 101 is configured such that the optical device substrate 101 transmits greater than or equal to about 50% to about 100%, of an infrared to ultraviolet region of the light spectrum. The optical device substrate 101 may be formed from any suitable material, provided that the optical device substrate 101 can adequately transmit light in a desired wavelength or wavelength range and can serve as an adequate support for the optical devices 100A and 100B described herein. In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material of optical device substrate 101 has a refractive index that is relatively low, as compared to the refractive index of the material of the plurality of angled optical device structures 102. Optical device substrate selection may include optical device substrates of any suitable material, including, but not limited to, amorphous dielectrics, non-amorphous dielectrics, crystalline dielectrics, silicon oxide, polymers, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the optical device substrate 101 includes a transparent material. In one embodiment, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the optical device substrate 101 is transparent with absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001. Suitable examples may include silicon (Si), silicon dioxide (SiO2), fused silica, quartz, silicon carbide (SiC), germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), indium phosphide (InP), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), sapphire, or combinations thereof.
At operation 301, as shown in
At operation 302, as shown in
At operation 303, the inverse structure bottom 408 and inverse structure top 410 are etched with an etch process having an etch direction parallel to the sidewalls 406. In some embodiments, wherein the inverse structures 405 are angled, the etch process may be an angled etch process. After operation 303, the stamp coating 412 remains on the sidewalls 406 and is removed from the inverse structure top 408 and inverse structure bottom 410 of each of the inverse structures, as depicted in
At operation 304, as shown in
At operation 304, as shown in
When the stamp 404 is released, as shown in
In summation, methods of forming an optical device using nanoimprint lithography that maintains the critical dimension of the optical device structures of the optical device are described herein. During the cure process, the solvent from the solvent-based resist is removed by stamp absorption. Coating the sidewalls of the stamp to prevent lateral solvent flow maintains the critical dimension of the optical device structures. Therefore, the quality of the optical device is improved due to the control of the critical dimension
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US22/53214, international filing date Dec. 17, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/291,066, filed Dec. 17, 2021, which are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63291066 | Dec 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/US2022/053214 | Dec 2022 | US |
Child | 18091525 | US |