Synthesis and Characterization of Silicon-Containing Block Copolymers from Nitroxide-Mediated Living Free Radical Polymerization

Substrate tolerant direct block copolymer nanolithography

Block copolymer (BC) self-assembly constitutes a powerful platform for nanolithography. However, there is a need for a general approach to BC lithography that critically considers all the steps from substrate preparation to the final pattern transfer. We present a procedure that significantly simplifies the main stream BC lithography process, showing a broad substrate tolerance and allowing for efficient pattern transfer over wafer scale. PDMS-rich poly(styrene-b-dimethylsiloxane) (PS-b-PDMS) copolymers are directly applied on substrates including polymers, silicon and graphene. A single oxygen plasma treatment enables formation of the oxidized PDMS hard mask, PS block removal and polymer or graphene substrate patterning.

Automated Defect and Correlation Length Analysis of Block Copolymer Thin Film Nanopatterns

Line patterns produced by lamellae- and cylinder-forming block copolymer (BCP) thin films are of widespread interest for their potential to enable nanoscale patterning over large areas. In order for such patterning methods to effectively integrate with current technologies, the resulting patterns need to have low defect densities, and be produced in a short timescale. To understand whether a given polymer or annealing method might potentially meet such challenges, it is necessary to examine the evolution of defects. Unfortunately, few tools are readily available to researchers, particularly those engaged in the synthesis and design of new polymeric systems with the potential for patterning, to measure defects in such line patterns. To this end, we present an image analysis tool, which we have developed and made available, to measure the characteristics of such patterns in an automated fashion. Additionally we apply the tool to six cylinder-forming polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) polymers thermally annealed to explore the relationship between the size of each polymer and measured characteristics including line period, line-width, defect density, line-edge roughness (LER), line-width roughness (LWR), and correlation length. Finally, we explore the line-edge roughness, line-width roughness, defect density, and correlation length as a function of the image area sampled to determine each in a more rigorous fashion.

Fast & scalable pattern transfer via block copolymer nanolithography

Fully scalable nanopatterning by direct PS-b-PDMS block copolymer lithography, without substrate pre-modification and without annealing.

Nitroxides: applications in synthesis and in polymer chemistry

This Review describes the application of nitroxides to synthesis and polymer chemistry. The synthesis and physical properties of nitroxides are discussed first. The largest section focuses on their application as stoichiometric and catalytic oxidants in organic synthesis. The oxidation of alcohols and carbanions, as well as oxidative C-C bond-forming reactions are presented along with other typical oxidative transformations. A section is also dedicated to the extensive use of nitroxides as trapping reagents for C-centered radicals in radical chemistry. Alkoxyamines derived from nitroxides are shown to be highly useful precursors of C-centered radicals in synthesis and also in polymer chemistry. The last section discusses the basics of nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) and also highlights new developments in the synthesis of complex polymer architectures.

One-Step Direct-Patterning Template Utilizing Self-Assembly of POSS-Containing Block Copolymers

We report the self-assembly of organic-inorganic block copolymers (BCP) in thin-films by simple solvent annealing on unmodified substrates. The resulting vertically oriented lamellae and cylinders are converted to a hard silica mask by a single step highly selective oxygen plasma etching. The size of the resulting nanostructures in the case of cylinders is less than 10 nm.

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers for nanolithography: fabrication of isolated features and essential integrated circuit geometries

Self-assembling block copolymers are of interest for nanomanufacturing due to the ability to realize sub-100 nm dimensions, thermodynamic control over the size and uniformity and density of features, and inexpensive processing. The insertion point of these materials in the production of integrated circuits, however, is often conceptualized in the short term for niche applications using the dense periodic arrays of spots or lines that characterize bulk block copolymer morphologies, or in the long term for device layouts completely redesigned into periodic arrays. Here we show that the domain structure of block copolymers in thin films can be directed to assemble into nearly the complete set of essential dense and isolated patterns as currently defined by the semiconductor industry. These results suggest that block copolymer materials, with their intrinsically advantageous self-assembling properties, may be amenable for broad application in advanced lithography, including device layouts used in existing nanomanufacturing processes.