Thermal stability, mechanical properties and nano-imprint ability of Pd-Cu-Ni-P glassy alloy thin film

With the aim of preparing nano-scale pattern for micro-machines and nano-devices, fabrication and imprint ability of Pd39Cu29Ni13P19 glassy alloy thin film were investigated. By using a magnetron sputtering method, the Pd-based glassy alloy thin film of 1 μm in thickness was successfully fabricated. The Pd-based glassy alloy thin film shows large supercooled liquid region, long incubation time to crystallization, high hardness and very smooth surface, which are suitable for nano-imprint processing. Nano-imprint ability of the obtained film is demonstrated by using dot array mold with a dot diameter of 30 nm. The imprinted hole array pattern precisely corresponded to the periodic dot pattern of the mold. These results suggest that the Pd-based glassy alloy thin film has high potential for application to the nano-imprinting materials for micro-machines and nano-devices.