Patent ID: 7785526

Claim:
A method of improving alignment between subsequent imprinted device layers within a subfield to provide at least one functional device within the subfield, the method comprising steps of: a) establishing an x,y grid such that a centermost point of a subfield arranged within a central region has (x,y) coordinates (0,0); b) establishing an array comprising N subfields arranged in J rows and K columns, wherein each column has a width ‘w’, and wherein each row has a height ‘h’, and wherein a device is arranged entirely within a single subfield; c) imprinting a first layer of polymerizable material using a first lithographic template to form at least one feature, wherein the first layer comprises an array of N first-layer geometries, wherein a centermost point of a central first-layer geometry has (x,y) coordinates (0,0), wherein a centermost point of each first-layer geometry is commensurate with a centermost point of its respective subfield, and each centermost point of a first-layer geometry is a spaced distance ‘w’ from a centermost point of an immediately laterally adjacent first-layer geometry, and wherein a each centermost point of a first-layer geometry is a spaced distance ‘h’ from a centermost point of an immediately vertically adjacent first-layer geometry; and d) imprinting a second successive layer of polymerizable material using a second lithographic template to form at least one feature, where the second layer comprises an array of N second-layer geometries, wherein each second-layer geometry has a corresponding first-layer geometry, wherein a centermost point of a central second-layer geometry has (x,y) coordinates (0,0), wherein each centermost point of a second-layer geometry is a spaced distance ‘w+Δw’ from a centermost point of an immediately laterally adjacent second-layer geometry, and wherein each centermost point of a second-layer geometry is a spaced distance ‘h +Δh’ from a centermost point of an immediately vertically adjacent first-layer geometry, wherein Δw is not equal to zero, and wherein Δh is not equal to zero.