Resin-Free Nanoparticle Photoresist
NanoPattern Technologies, Inc. is commercializing resin-free nanoparticle photoresists for the quantum dot color converter and semiconductor industries.
Direct nanoparticle photolithography
Image - concept drawing showing how upon irradiation by light or heat, the ligand attached to the nanocrystal decomposes or alters in chemistry allowing for a contrast in solubility.
Advantage = Density
Image - concept drawing showing the key difference in the NanoPattern approach compared to ink jet and photoresist where the functional nanocrystal is only a small fraction of the total volume.
Higher density = thinner films and higher resolution
So why does density matter? For an example for the quantum dot color converter market - with higher density, NanoPattern’s films are able to reach an optical density of 2 desired by the display industry at less than half the thickness of what is possible today. This thickness is important because of aspect ratio. As shown in example (c) below, if 30 micron thick films are needed to reach and optical density of 2 for a 5 micron lateral resolution, this would cause resist collapse. Due to the high density, NanoPattern’s downconverter films are able to achieve a more realistic aspect ratio, allowing for sub 10 micron resolutions to be reached without resist collapse.
