Holographix' replication technology is suitable for replicating any kind of surface relief structure - from macro-surfaces such as mirrors or lenses to nano-structures with feature sizes less than 10nm. It can take hours or days for various origination techniques to prepare each master, but our UV replication takes only minutes.
Highlights of our replication technology
- high-speed room temperature UV replication process
- high repeatability of replicas (comparable or even better than production of originals!)
- replica quality rivals that of original
- attractive startup/tooling costs compared to other replication technologies
General replicated surface properties:
| Surface irregularity: | better than 1/10 wave |
| Temperature range: | -50° C to 200° C |
| Humidity range: | 0 to 95% continuous |
| Transmission: | >99% from 420 nm to 2.2 µm |
| Chemical resistance: | impervious to degradation by solvent, acid, and alkaline environments |
Replication Process Steps
1. Creating a master
There are a large number of origination techniques available to create original surface relief structures and optical elements: diamond turning, polishing, ruling, interference lithography, laser or e-beam lithography and others. All these techniques result in creating a structure or an optical element we refer to as an original or master. We can replicate your own master, or we can also provide you with mastering solution.
2. Stamper processing
The master is converted into a stamper. Hundreds of stampers can be created from a single master.
3. Forming
A replica substrate is coated with an adhesion layer. If necessary the stamper surface may also be coated with a release layer. In a cleanroom environment, a precise amount custom-formulated UV-cured epoxy or acrylate is sandwiched between the two substrates using automated equipment to maintain process control and precise alignment, and to eliminate voids, bubbles, and contamination.
4. Curing
The replica-stamper assembly is UV cured. Controlling the intensity, spectrum, uniformity, and dosage is critical to the curing process. Since this step is short (several seconds), the substrate remains cool avoiding thermal mismatch problems.
5. Release
The replica is removed from the stamper and will undergo further postprocessing and testing. The stamper can immediately be used to produce the next replica.
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