R2R-NIL for realizing highly innovative use cases – from bionics to medical diagnostics

Imprint lithography is a versatile technology for the replication of micro- and nanostructures. It is widely used in high-tech areas such as optics, electronics, photovoltaics, sensor technology, in the medical field ("lab-on-chip") or in surface finishing.
As a European pioneer, JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH operates a roll2roll (R2R) UV coating and imprinting system since 2010 and is developing and using resins that are biodegradable and thus sustainable. Required structures can be produced on a meter-per-minute scale, similar to newspaper printing. With a strong focus on the product, processes are developed and optimized for:
(i) Environmentally friendly production of high-resolution conductive structural elements for organic electronics (fine conductor paths, nanoscale electrodes for organic transistors)
(ii) Precise production of optical 2.5D structures for the management of light in films (coupling and decoupling, light conduction) for applications in photonics
(iii) Large-scale realization of 3D-structured bionic surfaces and complex nanostructures that make effects from nature technically usable (shark skin, lotus effect, gecko effect, structural colors)
(iv) Cost-effective production of complex microfluidic elements in foil as the basis of biosensors for lab-on-foil analysis systems
(v) Continuous production of refined high-tech film surfaces for packaging, decoration, security and labelling, which have improved optical, mechanical and chemical properties due to micro- and nanostructure