Density Multiplication and Improved Lithography by Directed Block Copolymer Assembly

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:46:12 -0500

Figure. Comparison of the quality and resolution of patterns created by lithographic tools using current materials and processes (A and B) versus patterns created using the same tools but with self-assembling block copolymer materials (C, D).

Ricardo Ruiz, Huiman Kang, François A. Detcheverry, Elizabeth Dobisz, Dan S. Kercher, Thomas R. Albrecht, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. NealeyElectronic devices such as computer chips and future data storage drives that are the heart of products from laptops to cell phones to digital cameras are manufactured using photolithography. This process allows for the patterning of billions of nanoscopic structures and parts of the devices with virtually no defects over areas of square....

Surfactant-Assisted Orientation of Thin Diblock Copolymer Films

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:33:52 -0500

Figure 1. (A) Schematic on the surfactant-assisted orientation of a PS-b-PMMA thin film. Cross-sectional FE-SEM images of (B) thin (~140nm) and (C) thick (~550nm) of cylinder-forming PS-b-PMMA/Oleic Acid mixture films (1wt%) after UV/acetic acid treatment. Perpendicular orientation starts from the top surface but does not propagate all the way to the bottom interface.

The precise control of morphology and orientation of block copolymers (BCPs) in thin films is crucial to fully exploit the potential of these materials for applications in nanotechnology such as nanolithographic templates for nanodevices, nanoparticle patterning, and biological applications. The control of block copolymer morphology is easily achieved by varying the molecular weight and the volume fraction of each block. The control of the orientation of block copolymer thin films is far more....

UW NSEC Thrust One Highlights

Density Multiplication and Improved Lithography by Directed Block Copolymer Assembly

Surfactant-Assisted Orientation of Thin Diblock Copolymer Films