Dislocation dynamic simulations of metal nanoimprinting

Simulations of metal nanoimprinting by a rigid template are performed with the aim of finding the optimal conditions to retain imprints in a thin film on a substrate. Specifically, attention is focussed on the interface conditions between film and substrate and on the template shape. Deeper imprints are obtained when the interface between film and substrate is penetrable to dislocation motion. When the protruding contacts of the rigid template are closely spaced the interaction between neighboring contacts gives rise to material pile-ups between imprints.