Photo-Activated Replication of Thin Film Block Copolymer Patterns

POSTER

Abstract

Strategies to replicate nanopatterns formed by the self-assembly of block co-polymer (BCP) thin films could help enable high-throughput nanopatterning technologies. Our approach involves placing liquid compositions between the top surface of a block copolymer thin film and a transparent substrate. Upon irradiation the liquid composition solidifies and covalently binds to the BCP, thus creating a mirror-image copy of the original pattern on the transparent substrate. This replicated pattern serves to direct the assembly of a new BCP thin film, while the wetting characteristics of the original substrate are recovered for use in further replication cycles. The process is scalable to large areas, photo-activated, takes less than 1 h, and occurs below the glass transition of the BCP.

Authors

  • Christopher Ellison

    • The University of Texas at Austin
    • Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Dustin Janes

    • The University of Texas at Austin
    • Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Christopher J. Thode

    • Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • C. Grant Willson

    • Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Jeong In Lee

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

  • Paul Nealey

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • University of Chicago