Molecular Imprints

Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII) was established in 2001 as a spin-out from the University of Texas at Austin, founded by professors S.V. Sreenivasan and Grant Willson. The founders' academic work laid the technical foundation for the company; Sreenivasan, a mechanical engineer, and Willson, a chemical engineer and chemist, combined their expertise to address challenges in nanomanufacturing. Their research led to the development of a cost-effective, high-resolution printing technique for creating intricate patterns essential for the semiconductor and other high-tech industries.

The core of Molecular Imprints' business was its proprietary Jet and Flash™ Imprint Lithography (J-FIL™) technology. This process enables the creation of features smaller than 10 nanometers by precisely dispensing picoliter quantities of photoresist onto substrates before imprinting. This method was developed as an alternative to the increasingly complex and costly optical lithography techniques, aiming to help the semiconductor industry continue Moore's Law. The company's primary clients were in the semiconductor, hard disk drive, and display manufacturing sectors. Its business model revolved around selling nanopatterning systems and providing solutions based on its J-FIL technology.

A significant milestone in the company's history was the acquisition of its semiconductor imprint lithography equipment business by Canon Inc. in 2014. This transaction was the culmination of a multi-year partnership that began in 2009, focused on joint development for mass production. Following the acquisition, the business was rebranded as Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc., with S.V. Sreenivasan serving as Chief Technologist. Concurrently, the non-semiconductor arm of Molecular Imprints was spun out into a new company that retained the original name and focused on emerging markets like consumer electronics and biotechnology. In 2015, this new entity was acquired by the virtual reality startup Magic Leap to leverage its technology for fabricating multi-scale optical elements.

Keywords: nanoimprint lithography, J-FIL, nanopatterning, semiconductor manufacturing, Canon Nanotechnologies, S.V. Sreenivasan, Grant Willson, University of Texas at Austin, semiconductor equipment, patterned media, advanced lithography, nanomanufacturing, photoresist, high-resolution printing, display technology, hard disk drive, optical elements, Magic Leap, nanoscale manufacturing, lithography systems