Lithography with block copolymer

Particularly in 2D systems, control over the self-assembly of colloidal templates has offered a versatile way to produce patterned surfaces or arrays with a precision of few nanometres. Diblock copolymer micellar nanolithography (dBCML) is a versatile method that uses homopolymers or block copolymers for the production of complex surface structures with nanosized features [69], In contrast to other approaches like electron-beam lithography (EBL) and photolithography, dBCML does not require extensive equipment. In fact, it is commonly used in the fabrication of data storage devices and photonic crystals, in catalyses [70], and for the design of mesoporous films and nanoparticle arrays [71]. 

Fig. 14 Graphoepitaxy vs epitaxial self-assembly, (a) Graphoepitaxy utilizes topographic substrate pattern for directed block copolymer assembly. The substrate pattern remains in the finally formed nanopattemed morphology, (b) Epitaxial self-assembly utilizes nanoscale chemical pattern to register block copolymer assembly. Ultrafine chemical patterning requires e-beam lithography or other high-cost lithography such as EUV. Reprinted with permission from Jeong et al. [153]. Copyright 2010 American Chemical Society...

Fig. 4.38 (a) Schematic of the patterning via soft lithography on a block copolymer film, (b) AFM friction image acquired on a PS69o-b-PtBA12io film after local hydrolysis by reactive pCP. Reproduced with permission from [69]. Copyright 2007. Wiley-VCH... 

Block copolymers are another class of materials that have wide application potentials in nanofabrication.8 Due to the incompatibility between different blocks, nanosized domains will form in solid state as a result of phase separation.9 In solution state, micelles with various size and shape can also be formed in a specific solvent system. The use of block copolymer for nanopatteming,10,11 lithography,12 and construction of supramolecular structures13,14,15 has been... 

Figure 10.6 Procedure for polymer nanowire fabrication. An aqueous PEDOTtPSS solution was spin-coated on a substrate patterned with a 1.3 ym period grating, then coated with a thin Si02 layer and a PDMS homopolymer brush. A PS-PDMS block-copolymer thin film was then spin-coated and solvent-annealed. The self-assembled block-copolymer patterns were transferred into the underlying PEDOT-.PSS film through a series of reactive ion etching steps employing CF4 and O2 plasmas. (Reprinted with permission from Nano Letters, Nanowire Conductive Polymer Gas Sensor Patterned Using Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Lithography by Y. S. Jung et al., 8, 11. Copyright (2008) American Chemical Society)...

J. Y. Cheng, C. A. Ross, E. L. Thomas, H. I. Smith, G. J. Vancso, Fabrication of nanostructures with long-range order using block copolymer lithography. Appl. Phys.Leii. 2002,81,3657. 

FIGURE 5.7 Principle of block copolymer lithography for spatially defined placing of gold nanoparticles on surfaces [16]. (a) Block copolymer stmcture, (b) formation of micelles with a metal ion core, and (c) formation of thin hlms hy dip coating and plasma treatment to remove organic layer. (See insert for color representation of the figure.)... 

FIGURE 5.8 Scheme for the control of cell s integrin clustering at nanostructured and biofunctionalized substrates (based on spatially defined deposition of gold nanodots through block copolymer lithography). Source Adapted from Arnold et al. [17], figure 2. Reproduced with permission from John Wiley Sons. 

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