Abstract
In recent years, block copolymer lithography has emerged as a viable alternative technology for advanced lithography. In chemical-epitaxy-directed self-assembly, the interfacial energy between the substrate and each block copolymer domain plays a key role on the final ordering. Here, we focus on the experimental characterization of the chemical interactions that occur at the interface built between different chemical guiding patterns and the domains of the block copolymers. We have chosen hard X-ray high kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy as an exploration technique because it provides information on the electronic structure of buried interfaces. The outcome of the characterization sheds light onto key aspects of directed self-assembly: grafted brush layer, chemical pattern creation and brush/block co-polymer interface.
Highlights
Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a chemical-based complementary alternative to traditional patterning methods providing sub-10 nm resolution, low-cost processing and high throughput [1,2,3]
The poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blocks were removed by exposing the sample to 50 sccm of oxygen flow at 500 W for 18 s in order to visualize the efficiency of the DSA process
The chemical guiding patterns created afterwards on the sample cooled in air will not be effective since the brush is already slightly PMMA affine before the oxygen plasma functionalization
Summary
Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a chemical-based complementary alternative to traditional patterning methods providing sub-10 nm resolution, low-cost processing and high throughput [1,2,3]. The chemical guiding patterns created afterwards on the sample cooled in air will not be effective since the brush is already slightly PMMA affine before the oxygen plasma functionalization.
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