Novel roll-to-plate hot embossing process for the precision manufacturing of glass microstructures

Microstructure arrays are the basis for micro-optical systems. This paper presents a roll-to-plate (R2P) hot embossing method and process equipment that are developed for precision manufacturing of glass microstructures. The surface crack generation and deformation mechanism of glass in R2P hot embossing process are analyzed. A temperature control method and an elastic clamping fixture are developed to avoid warping and cracking of the glass workpiece. Surface microstructures are successfully replicated to glass through R2P hot embossing. Experimental results show high fidelity and good uniformity between the microstructure patterned plate mould and the workpiece. The forming ability increases with increasing embossing temperature and loading displacements, and decreasing mould feed rate. The results demonstrate that the R2P hot embossing process is effective for the precision manufacturing of large-area micro-structured surfaces on glass.