Development of functional surface by nano-plastic forming

A new nano-fabrication process by a direct imprinting method, named as nano-plastic forming, is developed. Three types of diamond tools were used for nano-plastic forming test: a knife-edge type tool, a multi-point tool and a nano-structured tool. These tools were used to imprint structures on soda glass and quartz glass by using a specially designed nano-plastic forming device. Experimental results confirm that the nano-structures can be fabricated by the nano-plastic forming technique even for hard-brittle materials. Imprinted structures were analyzed by an SEM and FIB. Surface properties of nano-structured glass plates were evaluated by a friction tester and an optical transmittance tester. Results of friction test show that friction properties vary with pitch and depth of grooves. Also, results of optical test show that the tool geometry and forming conditions influence the wavelength dependence of optical transmittance. These results indicate that friction and optical properties can be controlled by nano-plastic forming technique. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.