Thermal imprint provides a stable and rapid approach in the fabrication of precision V-groove structures. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study focusing on the estimation of mold life based on both the formation and wear mechanisms. In the experiment, BK-7 was used as the substrate, and the mold with V-groove patterns was fabricated with glassy carbon. The formation of V-groove microstructures on BK-7 glass substrate was implemented by a lab made thermal imprint equipment, while the precision of imprinted pattern was measured by an optical measurement system. Additionally, the micro-scale friction and wear theories were adopted to estimate the mold life. Finally, the prediction model of mold life can be estimated by the relative friction and wear theories and measurement data, which enable us to efficiently optimize the glass thermal imprint process.

Date Published: 15 November 2011
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 8321, Seventh International Symposium on Precision Engineering Measurements and Instrumentation, 832134 (15 November 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.905219

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8321:
Seventh International Symposium on Precision Engineering Measurements and Instrumentation
Kuang-Chao Fan; Man Song; Rong-Sheng Lu, Editor(s)