Manufacture of Nano Structures in Polymer Material

The incorporation of micro and nano technology into the products of the future is an area of increasing interest. The ideas for new products based on this technology often take their starting point in specific scientific fields whereas the subsequent design and product development not necessarily is based on a systematic approach including manufacturing processes and production system capabilities. The process chain associated with micro and nano injection moulding usually comprises silicon or photoresist mastering, electroforming and polymer processing. Additionally, if the produced polymer components are to be used in a microsystem, subsequent handling and assembly is necessary. The present paper describes the process chain related to the manufacture of optical gratings with nanometer-sized structures. The problems of each process step and the challenges of establishing a coherent production system are described and quantified.