| This thesis is divided into two major parts, and both employ nanoimprint lithography either to pattern the device directly, or to duplicate a nano-pattern on a mold that is subsequently transferred to the substrate by a laser pulse.; The first part of this thesis focuses on quantized magnetic disks (QMDs) where each data bit is a nanoscale single-domain magnetic island. Large area perpendicular QMDs with a density of 18 Gbits/in2 were fabricated by nanoimprint lithography, electroplating, and chemical mechanical polishing. It was found that whether a nickel pillar forms single domain strongly depends on its diameter, and to a lesser extent on its aspect ratio. The magnetostatic interaction between adjacent pillars was found to be sufficiently large and caused some bits' spontaneous switching. The areal density of the QMDs was limited by the 190 nm period of the grating mold used to pattern them. To increase the recording density substantially, a grating spatial frequency doubling method was proposed, and was demonstrated by the fabrication of a large area 50 nm-period grating by doubling twice a 200 nm period master grating.; In the second part of the thesis, ultrafast nanofabrication using nanosecond excimer laser pulses is described. Six topics are covered here: (1) Laser-assisted direct imprinting of metals, including formation of 200 nm period grating patterns in Cu, Ni and Al by a single laser pulse; (2) Laser-assisted planarization using a flat mold to flatten the surface of metals and semiconductors deposited onto a patterned substrate, and to fill the voids underneath simultaneously; (3) Laser-assisted via hole filling; (4) Laser-induced nanotransfer printing, in which a metal nanopattern was blown off a supporting mold by laser irradiation from the backside, and transferred to the receiving substrate; (5) Laser-induced nano-tip formation; and (6) Laser-assisted wafer bonding using an adhesive metal intermediate layer as a glue to covalently bond a silicon wafer with a glass wafer by laser-melting the metal momentarily. |
