White Paper : “RubiQ®, Nanoimprint Equipment
Entry‐level nanoimprinting equipment for R&D to pilot production purpose
Executive Summary
Increasing demand ofnanoimprinting as thepotential mass production
fabrication technique forvarious application, whilemost of them involves thebasic research in such as
material selection and opticaldesign.
For the preliminary R&DFig.1 SCIVAX nanoimprint equipment lineup
phase, we want to use theequipment with wider
tolerancer and wider range of technological options, at the same time, we want the results andcondition to be compatible with the mass production equipment as much as possible so thatdevelopment results can be easily transferred to manufacturing of the product.
In response to such request, we introduce RubiQ® nanoimprinting system, which was commercialized
to meet the needs for R&D to pilot production use.

1. Introduction
As shown in Fig.1, SCIVAX lines up various types of nanoimprint equipment, ranging from manual
equipment for basic research to mass production use. RubiQ® is the nanoimprinting equipment suitable
for the engineers and researchers ① in the R&D departments of companies that are required to developand commercialize the advanced products within a given timeline, ② in start‐up companies that needs
to demonstrate the proof of concept at an early stage, and ③ in universities and research institutes thatare trying to promote joint research project with companies.
In order to answer complex and demanding R&D challenges, the system has an extremely flexible
platform that allows the user to freely select various specifications for the curing method either UV or
thermal, the pressing method for molding, and such. It can also provide the high throughput for pilot
production with a compact footprint, and the optimal HEPA filter unit and the ionizer helps to ensurestable product quality. The operational menu consists of an intuitive interface design to ensure the userfriendliness.

2. Flexibility
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, RubiQ® can be flexibly configured with resin curing methods, pressurization
methods, etc. in a modular design to accommodate various nanoimprinting processes.

SCIVAX | NANOBIC 7‐7 Shin‐Kawasaki, Saiwai‐ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 212‐0032 | +81‐44‐599‐5051

1Fig.2 RubiQ®’s nanoimprinting method for variousmaterials and processes

Fig.3 Equipment configurations that can be selectedby RubiQ® for various nanoimprinting methods(Molding Method) Nano‐imprinting
is a process in which a working moldhaving a micro‐pattern is pressedagainst a resin on the substrate, themolded resin is cured by either UV
radiation or heat during pressing, andthen the working mold is peeled offfrom the molded object. The curingmethod depends on the type of resin touse. Fig.4 shows the equipment
configuration of the FLAN method (airFig.4 Selectable nanoimprint pressurization methods in RubiQ®
assisted) and the parallel plate method.
FLAN method (air assisted) is tolerate
to the inclination and undulation of the work, because the flexible mold is conformable to the work by
pneumatic pressure. FLAN method is also suitable for imprinting the large area because its superiorpressure uniformity. On the other hand, Parallel‐plate method has a benefit to be more tolerate to theunknown characteristics of resin to imprint. For example in case the resin is not spin coatable due topoor leveling property, Parallel plate method can mold with the potted resin on the substrate.
The UV imprinting is broadly used method for imprinting that cures resin by irradiation with UV‐LED
typically at λ=365nm wavelength. Since curing can be done under the ambient temperature, highpattern fidelity is secured. The thermal imprinting can directly process the thermoplastic materials thatsoften at the elevated temperature in the mold. This method is often used for making bio‐devices, etc.,
where autofluorescence effect is concerned by the existence of photosensitive materials.
(Drive System) The air cylinder and servo motor systems are available as the drive system for themoving parts for pressurization. The air cylinder is the standard method because of its simplicity, but theservo motor can be selected for high‐precision pressurization for parallel plate pressurization
configuration.
(Extensibility) Most of the functions and options are basically retrofittable on site even after
installation. This benefits when you want to upgrade the purchased equipment later.

SCIVAX | NANOBIC 7‐7 Shin‐Kawasaki, Saiwai‐ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 212‐0032 | +81‐44‐599‐50512

3. Cost effectiveness(Throughput) Vaccum environment is thedefault condition for SCIVAX imprinting.
RubiQ® desigend the optimum vacuum
circuit to minimize piping losses, thereby
shortening the time to reach vacuum state.
And the UV irradiation time has beenshortened by increasing the UV intensity
Fig.5 Throughput comparison between
with high‐power UV‐LEDs, achieving aRubiQ® and conventional nanoimprint tool
throughput of 120 s/shot under a vacuum of
50 Pa and UV radiation energy of 8 J/cm2. Fig.5 showed a sigifincant impact on reducing the throughput
by 40% comparing with our conventional equipment.
(Compactness) Modular design contributed minimizing the space for installation as shown in Fig.6.

Fig.6 External dimensions of RubiQ® RD‐100

4. Usability(Intuitive interface) A process settings can be flexibly configured by directly inputting recipes.
Operation guide function enables smooth operation. Skip processing, step operation, etc. are alsopossible.
(Automatic operation) Pressing the start button completes the pre‐set process steps automatically.
Automatic demolding operation is also possible in combination with the mold pin‐up function to remove
the mold from the work. This automatic function is optionally available.

SCIVAX | NANOBIC 7‐7 Shin‐Kawasaki, Saiwai‐ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 212‐0032 | +81‐44‐599‐50513

5. Defect Reduction and Traceability(Cleanliness measures)
Wiring and piping are eliminated around the molding
chamber to reduce particle generation and make cleaningeasier.
Optionally, a FFU unit (HEPA filter) is available to supply clean
air, and an ionizer is also optionally available to eliminate
static electricity around the molding section. The ionizer uses
silicon electrodes for cleanliness and the ease of maintenance.
(Void prevention) All the models of Scivax NIL tool including
Fig.7 Molding section of RubiQ® RD‐100RubiQ® is equipped with the vacuum function to attach theworking mold to the work before and during pressurization in
the vacuum environment. It helps preventing the entrapment of the voids in the structure.
(Traceability) All the processing data is automatically stored in the storage as event logs and processlogs, and can also be retrieved in CSV format as needed.

6. Molded examples with RubiQ® RD‐100
Examples of molded pattern with RubiQ® RD‐100 are shown in Figs. 8‐10.
(Example of molding by UV‐FLAN method)

Fig.8 Micro lens arrayFig.9 Hole Patterns

Workpiece： □75×0.4mm glass
Mold ： Flexible mold
Resin ： PDMS
Lens size ： 30×25μm Height16μｍ

Workpiece ： φ100×0.52mm Si
Mold ： Flexible mold
Resin ： UV resist
Pattern size ： Diameter φ230
Pitch 460nm
Depth 200nm(Example of molding by Thermal‐parallel plate method)
Fig.10 Hole Patterns
Workpiece ： Thermoplastic □120mm t=100μm
Mold：φ100 Si
Pattern size：□100nm Pitch200nm Depth150nm□150nm Pitch300nm Depth150nm□200nm Pitch400nm Depth150nm□250nm Pitch500nm Depth150nm

SCIVAX | NANOBIC 7‐7 Shin‐Kawasaki, Saiwai‐ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 212‐0032 | +81‐44‐599‐5051

47. Customer Support
SCIVAX offers tool purchasers the privilege of online technical support (time‐limited) by our technicalexperts, who can answer questions related to nanoimprinting based on their years of experience andknow‐how accumulated through more than 1,000 cases.
We can also support consumables such as master molds, replica molds, and resins.

8. Line up
Currently, 4‐inch type RD‐100 is available for sale.
8‐inch type RD‐200 is currently under design and will be released soon.

SCIVAX | NANOBIC 7‐7 Shin‐Kawasaki, Saiwai‐ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 212‐0032 | +81‐44‐599‐5051

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