Toward large-area roll-to-roll printed nanophotonic sensors

Karioja, P.; Hiltunen, J.; Aikio, S.M.; Alajoki, T.; Tuominen, J.; Hiltunen, M.; Siitonen, S.; Kontturi, V.; Böhlen, K.; Hauser, R.; Charlton, M.; Boersma, A.; Lieberzeit, P.; Felder, T.; Eustace, D.; Haskal, E.

doi:10.1117/12.2052496

Toward large-area roll-to-roll printed nanophotonic sensors

Title

Toward large-area roll-to-roll printed nanophotonic sensors

Author

Karioja, P.
Hiltunen, J.
Aikio, S.M.
Alajoki, T.
Tuominen, J.
Hiltunen, M.
Siitonen, S.
Kontturi, V.
Böhlen, K.
Hauser, R.
Charlton, M.
Boersma, A.
Lieberzeit, P.
Felder, T.
Eustace, D.
Haskal, E.

Publication year

2014

Abstract

Polymers have become an important material group in fabricating discrete photonic components and integrated optical devices. This is due to their good properties: high optical transmittance, versatile processability at relative low temperatures and potential for low-cost production. Recently, nanoimprinting or nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has obtained a plenty of research interest. In NIL, a mould is pressed against a substrate coated with a moldable material. After deformation of the material, the mold is separated and a replica of the mold is formed. Compared with conventional lithographic methods, imprinting is simple to carry out, requires less-complicated equipment and can provide high-resolution with high throughput. Nanoimprint lithography has shown potential to become a method for low-cost and high-throughput fabrication of nanostructures. We show the development process of nano-structured, large-area multi-parameter sensors using Photonic Crystal (PC) and Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) methodologies for environmental and pharmaceutical applications. We address these challenges by developing roll-to-roll (R2R) UV-nanoimprint fabrication methods. Our development steps are the following: Firstly, the proof of concept structures are fabricated by the use of wafer-level processes in Si-based materials. Secondly, the master molds of successful designs are fabricated, and they are used to transfer the nanophotonic structures into polymer materials using sheet-level UV-nanoimprinting. Thirdly, the sheet-level nanoimprinting processes are transferred to roll-to-roll fabrication. In order to enhance roll-to-roll manufacturing capabilities, silicone-based polymer material development was carried out. In the different development phases, Photonic Crystal and SERS sensor structures with increasing complexities were fabricated using polymer materials in order to enhance sheet-level and roll-to-roll manufacturing processes. In addition, chemical and molecular imprint (MIP) functionalization methods were applied in the sensor demonstrators. In this paper, the process flow in fabricating large-area nanophotonic structures by the use of sheet-level and roll-to-roll UV- nanoimprinting is reported. cop. 2014 SPIE. Organisation: Brussels Photonics Team (B-PHOT); Brussels-Capital Region; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO); The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE); Ville de Bruxelles

Subject

Mechanics, Materials and Structures
MIP - Materials for Integrated Products
TS - Technical Sciences
Industrial Innovation
NIL
Photonic crystal
Polymer waveguides
Roll to roll printing
SERS
UV nanoimprinting
Chemical sensors
Fabrication
Molds
Nanophotonics
Nanostructures
Polymers
Silicon wafers
Silicones
Substrates
Surface scattering
Nanoimprint lithography