METHODS FOR REPLICATION, REPLICATED ARTICLES, AND REPLICATION TOOLS

• US 20030157347A1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Zhang, Haiyan, Benson, Gerald M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,641,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/457
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0005 Separation of the coating from the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/01 on temporary substrates, e.g. substrates subsequently removed by etching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/89 Deposition of materials, e.g. coating, cvd, or ald
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/891 Vapor phase deposition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

A method of replicating a structured surface that includes providing a tool having a structured surface having a surface morphology of a crystallized vapor deposited material; and replicating the structured surface of the tool to form a replicated article. A replicated article includes at least one replicated surface, wherein the replicated surface includes a replica of a crystallized vapor deposited material. A replication tool includes: a tool body that includes a tooling surface; and a structured surface on the tooling surface, wherein the structured surface includes crystallized vapor deposited material or a replica of crystallized vapor deposited material.

Claims

1. A method of replicating a structured surface, the method comprising:

providing a tool comprising a structured surface having a surface morphology of a crystallized vapor deposited material; and

replicating the structured surface of the tool to form a replicated article.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising separating the replicated article and the tool.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface of the tool comprises the crystallized vapor deposited material.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the tool consists essentially of the crystallized vapor deposited material.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the tool comprises a substrate and the crystallized vapor deposited material disposed thereon.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface of the tool comprises a replica of the crystallized vapor deposited material.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the tool comprises a substrate and a replica of the crystallized vapor deposited material disposed thereon.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a tool comprises:

providing a substrate comprising a surface; and

depositing a material on the surface of the substrate using a vapor deposition technique to form a tool comprising a structured surface comprising a crystallized vapor deposited material on the substrate.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the vapor deposition technique is a chemical vapor deposition technique.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the vapor deposition technique is a physical vapor deposition technique.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the surface of the substrate is nonplanar.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the substrate is in the form of a cylinder.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a tool comprises:

providing a substrate comprising a surface;

depositing a material on the surface of the substrate using a vapor deposition technique to form a crystallized vapor deposited material; and

separating the crystallized vapor deposited material from the substrate surface to form the tool.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the vapor deposition technique is a chemical vapor deposition technique.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface comprises randomly positioned structures having an average size of at least about 10 nm.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface comprises randomly positioned structures having an average spatial distance between two adjacent structures of at least about 10 nm.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface comprises randomly positioned structures having an average size of no greater than about 50,000 nm.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured surface comprises randomly positioned structures having an average spatial distance between two adjacent structures of no greater than about 50,000 nm.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the crystallized vapor deposited material comprises crystallized chemical vapor deposited material.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the material deposited comprises a metal.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the metal is selected from the group of tungsten, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, manganese, technetium, rhenium, iron, ruthenium, osmium, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, zinc, cadmium, tin, lead, and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the metal is selected from the group of nickel, copper, aluminum, tungsten, cobalt, iron, manganese, titanium, and combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the metal is nickel.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the material deposited comprises a metal-containing compound.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the metal-containing compound is selected from the group of a metal boride, nitride, carbide, silicide, oxide, and combinations thereof.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the crystallized vapor deposited material comprises crystallized physical vapor deposited material.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the material deposited comprises a metal.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the metal is selected from the group of aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, germanium, gold, hafnium, indium, iridium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, silver, tantalum, technetium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, zinc, zirconium, and combinations thereof.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the material deposited comprises a metal-containing compound.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the metal-containing compound is selected from the group of a metal boride, nitride, carbide, silicide, oxide, and combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises casting a curable composition on the structured surface of the tool and at least partially curing the composition on the structured surface of the tool.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises embossing the article with the structured surface of the tool.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises injection molding a polymeric material onto the structured surface of the tool.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises extruding a material onto the structured surface of the tool and hardening the material on the tool.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises electroforming a material onto the structured surface of the tool.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein replicating comprises vapor depositing a second material onto the structured surface of the tool.

37. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the replicated article as a tool for further replication.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising physically deforming the replicated article before using the replicated article as a tool for further replication.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising treating the replicated article before using the replicated article as a tool for further replication.

40. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool comprises a substrate comprising other microstructures or macrostructures and the structured surface comprises microstructures disposed thereon.

41. A method of replicating a structured surface, the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

chemical vapor depositing a material comprising a metal on the substrate to form a master tool comprising a structured surface formed from crystallization of the chemical vapor deposited material;

replicating the structured surface of the master tool to form a replicated article; and

separating the master tool and the replicated article.

42. A method of replicating a structured surface, the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

chemical vapor depositing a material comprising nickel on the substrate to form a master tool comprising a structured surface formed from crystallization of the chemical vapor deposited material;

replicating the structured surface of the master tool to form a replicated article; and

separating the master tool and the replicated article.

43. A method of altering the affect of a surface on a fluid, the method comprising:

providing a tool comprising a structured surface having a surface morphology of a crystallized vapor deposited material;

providing an article having a surface;

replicating the structured surface of the tool in the surface of the article to form a replicated article; and

separating the tool and the replicated article, wherein the affect of the replicated surface of the article on a fluid is altered.

44. A method of increasing the hydrophobicity of a surface, the method comprising:

providing a tool comprising a structured surface having a surface morphology of a crystallized vapor deposited material;

providing an article having a hydrophobic surface;

replicating the structured surface of the tool in the hydrophobic surface to form a replicated article; and

separating the tool and the replicated article, wherein the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic surface of the replicated article is increased.

45. A method of increasing the hydrophilicity of a surface, the method comprising:

providing a tool comprising a structured surface having a surface morphology of a crystallized vapor deposited material;

providing an article having a hydrophilic surface;

replicating the structured surface of the tool in the hydrophilic surface to form a replicated article; and

separating the tool and the replicated article, wherein the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic surface of the replicated article is increased.

46. A replicated article comprising at least one replicated surface, wherein the replicated surface comprises a replica of a crystallized vapor deposited material.

47. The article of claim 46 wherein the replicated surface comprises a sheet material.

48. The article of claim 47 wherein the sheet material comprises a film.

49. The article of claim 46 wherein the replicated surface comprises a replica of a crystallized chemical vapor deposited material.

50. The article of claim 46 wherein the replicated surface comprises a replica of a crystallized physical vapor deposited material.

51. A replication tool comprising:

a tool body comprising a tooling surface; and

a structured surface on the tooling surface, wherein the structured surface comprises crystallized vapor deposited material or a replica of crystallized vapor deposited material.

52. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the tooling surface is nonplanar.

53. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the tool body comprises a cylinder.

54. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the structured surface comprises a crystallized chemical vapor deposited material or a replica of a crystallized chemical vapor deposited material.

55. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the structured surface comprises a crystallized physical vapor deposited material or a replica of a crystallized physical vapor deposited material.

56. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the crystallized vapor deposited material comprises a metal.

57. The replication tool of claim 56 wherein the crystallized vapor deposited material comprises nickel.

58. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the tool body consists essentially of the crystallized vapor deposited material.

59. The replication tool of claim 51 wherein the structured surface comprises crystallized vapor deposited material, and further wherein the tool body comprises a substrate on which the crystallized vapor deposited material is disposed.

60. A replication tool comprising:

a tool body comprising a cylinder comprising a tooling surface; and

a structured surface on the tooling surface, wherein the structured surface comprises crystallized chemical vapor deposited material or a replica of crystallized chemical vapor deposited material.