Patent Abstract:
A nano-imprinting system may be configured to at least one of transport, emboss, coat and slit an optical media according to operational parameters. A control system may be configured to detect one or more attributes of the optical media that result from at least one of the embossing and coating of the optical media, and to adjust at least one of the operational parameters based on the detected one or more attributes.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Roll-to-roll nano-imprint lithography systems, such as platform  10  of  FIG. 1 , have been proposed as an efficient and effective method of pre-formatting optical tape media with imprint of nano-structure features such as land and groove and wobble patterns. These systems typically include several operational stages as shown in  FIG. 1 . The platform  10  includes a tape transport system  12  to move an optical tape media  14  through the different stages, and coating and sputtering stages  16 ,  18  to coat the media  14  with the appropriate embossing monomer and other chemicals. The platform  10  also includes an embossing stage  20  to imprint the desired pattern on the media  14 , and a curing stage  22  to cure the embossed media  14 . The platform  10  further includes a tension sensor  24  to sense a tension of the media  14 , and a slitting stage  26  to cut the media  14 . The tension sensor  24  is in communication with the transport system  12  to provide information regarding the tension of the media  14 . 
     In this arrangement, the function of each operation is controlled by a set of operational parameters. Examples of typical operational parameters for the platform  10  include: for the transport system  12 , adjustment associated with reel to reel motor control, tension control, guiding control and speed control of the media  14 ; for the coating and sputtering stages  16 ,  18 , chemical dispense volume/frequency and process power; for the embossing stage  20 , nip roller applied pressure and separation angle roller adjustment; for the curing stage  22 , UV power and duration; and for the slitting stage  26 , slitter guide position, etc. 
     Currently, the adjustment/selection of each of the above operational parameters is performed manually based on experimental estimation and observation. Resulting formatted media is inspected and tested after its production to verify its quality and imprinted pattern fidelity. If the result is satisfactory, the adjustments are set and applied to future production of the media. If the result is unsatisfactory, the adjustments are modified and the process is repeated until a satisfactory result is achieved. 
     SUMMARY 
     An optical media production system may include a roll-to-roll tape transport configured to move an optical media, and an optical media nano-imprinting platform. The platform may have operational parameters and be configured to at least one of guide, emboss, coat, and slit the media according to the operational parameters. The system may further include an optical scanner configured to detect one or more attributes of the media that result from at least one of the embossing and coating of the optical media, and a controller operatively arranged with the scanner. The controller may be configured to adjust at least one of the operational parameters based on the detected one or more attributes of the media. 
     A nano-imprinting system for an optical media may be controlled by operating the system according to operational parameters to at least one of transport, emboss, coat and slit the optical media, and by detecting one or more attributes of the optical media that result from at least one of the embossing and coating of the optical media. The system may be further controlled by automatically adjusting at least one of the operational parameters based on the detected one or more attributes. 
     A media production system may include a nano-imprinting system and a control system. The nano-imprinting system may be configured to at least one of transport, emboss, coat and slit an optical media according to operational parameters. The control system may be configured to detect one or more attributes of the optical media that result from at least one of the embossing and coating of the optical media, and to adjust at least one of the operational parameters based on the detected one or more attributes. 
     While example embodiments in accordance with the invention are illustrated and disclosed, such disclosure should not be construed to limit the invention. It is anticipated that various modifications and alternative designs may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a roll-to-roll nano-imprint lithography system. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an example optical scanner. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of another roll-to-roll nano-imprint lithography system. 
     
    
    
     Similarly numbered elements of the FIGS. may have similar, although not necessarily identical, descriptions. As an example, elements  20 ,  120  may share similar descriptions. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Manual adjustment and/or selection of roll-to-roll nano-imprint lithography system operational parameters may be time consuming and cumbersome to administer and control. Additionally, such manual adjustment and/or selection techniques are not dynamic and not applied in real time. Variation and drift at each of the stages may thus occur. Certain embodiments disclosed herein may implement an automatic operational parameter feedback and/or control system to improve throughput and quality of optical tape media production. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an embodiment of a feedback and/or control system  127  may include a pattern sensing stage  128  located after the slitting stage  126 . The sensing stage  128 , in other embodiments, may be located after any of the stages  116 ,  118 ,  120 ,  124 , etc. Multiple sensing stages  128  may also be used. Other arrangements are also possible. 
     The sensing stage  128  may incorporate an array of (or a single) suitable/known optical pickup units (OPUs)  130  used, for example, for DVD or Blu-Ray drives depending on the media type. The OPUs  130 , in this embodiment, are mounted on respective nuts  131 . The nuts  131  are threaded on an extended shaft  132  of a lead screw motor  134 . The threaded shaft  132  is rotatively supported by posts  133 . Stops  135  mounted to and spanning the posts  133  prevent the OPUs  130  (and thus the nuts  131 ) from rotating as the motor  134  spins the threaded shaft  132  in either direction. As a result, the axial position of the OPUs  130  may be adjusted by rotating the threaded shaft  132 . (Posts  137  support a take-up reel  140  for the tape media  114 . The posts  133 ,  137  are each mounted to a base  139 .) Of course, other arrangements are also possible. 
     The OPUs  130  are capable of scanning the surface of the tape media  114  after it has been embossed and coated, sputtered, etc. The scanning is performed by moving the OPUs  130  via the lead screw motor  134  back and forth as the tape  114  is being transported through the different process stages. Any suitable/known OPU arrangement and movement mechanism, however, may be used. 
     The supporting electronics of the OPUs  130  may, for example, be operated in a standard DVD or Blu-Ray drive mode. Such modes of operation provide track (push/pull), focus and SUM signals that can be used by the scanning mechanism  128  for its proper operation and/or as sensing signals for the feedback/control system  127 . These signals exhibit characteristics that are indicative of embossed pattern geometry and layout as well as media quality. 
     The feedback/control system  127 , in certain embodiments, models the desired embossing geometries, etc. with the aid of an internal processor, and computes a set of desired reference signals comparable to the actual sensing signals produced by the sensing stage  128 . These computed signals may then be compared with actual sensed signals from the scanner  128 . Differences may be used to compute and apply the proper adjustment and/or selection of the operational parameters for the different stages  112 ,  116 ,  118 ,  120 , etc. on the fly. 
     More specifically, the tape media  114  is transported from a supply real  138  to the take-up reel  140  by a set of rotating and guiding motors (not shown). The tape media  114  may be embossed with land and groove patterns indicative of the track location on the tape media  114  during this transport. These patterns are detectable by the scanning OPUs  130 . It may be desirable to minimize the lateral motion of the tape media  114  with respect to the stationary rollers. 
     A single OPU  130  from the scanning station  128 , for example, can detect the relative location of land and groove of a reference track(s) and thus the lateral position of the tape media  114  with respect to the stationary rollers. Any deviation from the desired relative position of the tape media  114  is detected as a track error signal by the OPU  130 . This error signal can be used by the control/feedback system  127  to manipulate the guiding motors of the transport stage  112  to realign the lateral position of the tape media  114 . 
     During the embossing stage  120 , the tape media  114  is embossed with land and groove patterns for track location information and wobble patterns for track address information. The performance of the embossing process can be controlled by nip roller applied pressure and the separation roller position. 
     The quality and fidelity of the embossed patterns are detectable by the scanning OPUs  130 . A scanning OPU  130 , as it crosses the embossed land and groove (track) patterns on the tape media  114 , generates a periodic (sinusoidal like) signal. This signal has attributes such as peak to peak amplitude, linearity, asymmetry, and spectral content indicative of the land and groove geometry patterns embossed on the tape media  114 . This signal from the scanner  128  can then be compared with an optimal desired reference sinusoidal signal. Any difference can be used to generate an error signal to control, via the feedback/control system  127 , the nip roller pressure and separation roller relative position to obtain and/or sustain an optimized embossing process. 
     During the slitting stage  126 , similar guiding techniques as explained with respect to the roll-to-roll transport  112  can be applied. That is, the land and groove patterns indicative of track location on the tape media  114  can be used as a reference to ensure that the edge of the cut tape media  114  is parallel to and at a specific distance from the embossed band of land and groove tracks. For example, the scanning OPUs  130  may generate a tracking signal referenced to the land and groove embossed patterns on the tape media  114 . The slitting stage&#39;s positioning servo system would then be able to utilize this reference signal to position the knife of the slitter parallel to and at a specific distance from a referenced track location on the tape media  114 . 
     During the coating and sputtering stages  116 ,  118 , attributes of the coating and sputtering process such as thickness and uniformity can be detected via the focus signal from the scanning OPUs  130 . Any deviation from an optimal focus distance would generate a focus error signal indicative of coating thickness variation, and thus could be used to modify the chemical dispense volume, dispense frequency and/or dispense power to achieve a uniform coating thickness. For example, excessive deviation from an optimal focus error signal detected by the OPUs  130  may be indicative of high frequency of dispense of the coating chemical. The focus error signal generated by the OPUs  130  can thus be used to control the dispense mechanism to optimize the volume and frequency of application of the coating chemicals. 
     Applying distributed and statistical feedback processes and methods in certain embodiments, may achieve optimum settings for all the operational stages of the process dynamically. Furthermore, it may minimize any deviation or drift from optimum (or near optimum) imprinting performance by automatic readjustment of some/all process parameters. 
     As apparent to those of ordinary skill, the algorithms disclosed herein may be deliverable to a processing device, which may include any existing electronic control unit or dedicated electronic control unit, in many forms including, but not limited to, information permanently stored on non-writable storage media such as ROM devices and information alterably stored on writeable storage media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CDs, RAM devices, and other magnetic and optical media. The algorithms may also be implemented in a software executable object. Alternatively, the algorithms may be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), state machines, controllers or other hardware components or devices, or a combination of hardware, software and firmware components. 
     While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6