Direct fabrication of microstructures on metal roller using stepped rotating lithography and electroless nickel plating

Roller embossing has attracted more attention in recent years due to its rapid and continuous process for mass production. The fabrication of roller is a challenge due to microstructures on the curved surface. This paper proposes a method of fabricating roller mold with microstructures on the surface using novel stepped rotating lithography and electroless nickel plating. The results prove that the microstructures can be successfully fabricated onto the metal roller using the proposed procedure. In this study, the roller with micro-grooves whose average height is 1.1 μm and widths are 23 and 45 μm have been successfully fabricated.