Nanoimprint lithography: an enabling technology for nanophotonics

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is an indispensable tool to realize a fast and accurate nanoscale patterning in nanophotonics due to high resolution and high yield. The number of publication on NIL has increased from less than a hundred per year to over three thousand per year. In this paper, the most recent developments on NIL patterning transfer processes and its applications on nanophotonics are discussed and reviewed. NIL has been opening up new opportunities for nanophotonics, especially in fabricating optical meta-materials. With more researches on this low-cost high-throughput fabrication technology, we should anticipate a brighter future for nanophotonics and NIL.