Nano-imprint lithography (NIL) has proven to be a powerful and cost-efficient technology for proto-typing but also the high-volume manufacturing of AR/VR/MR devices and Metalenses. It has the ability to create high-quality replicates of various types of features. These range from small and arbitrarily shaped meta-atoms (e.g. circles, squares, rectangles, diamonds etc) to waveguide gratings used for light transfer in AR/VR/MR devices. However, the latter mentioned gratings are typically not only gratings of vertical patterns. Their application as waveguides requires them to have different, nonvertical shapes such as slanted, blazed or staircase-like pattern. In addition, the duty cycle and the depth of the patterns throughout a grating may vary. All of these patterns need initially to be created on a stamp, the imprint master.

We have successfully demonstrated that these special requirements can be accomplished on nano-imprint masters.

In this paper we will show the variety of Quartz etch technologies that are used for manufacturing of pattern on masters. This ranges from plasma etching, in combination with multi-level e-beam exposure to created staircase like gratings or 3-dimensional patterns (e.g. pyramids). Another technology is ion-beam etching of Quartz in combination with a tilt of the substrate. We will demonstrate how this can be used to create slanted patterns in gratings. This can also be combined with a non-linear variation of etch depth throughout such a grating.

The manufacturing capabilities shown here are a substantial enabler of the technologies required for AR/VR/MR devices, Metalenses and other applications requiring such profiles on an imprint master.