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Shear-Rolling Process for Unidirectionally and Perpendicularly Oriented Sub-10-nm Block Copolymer Patterns on the 4
Jinwoo Oh1, Minkyung Shin1,2, In Soo Kim3,4
1Soft Hybrid Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
ACS Nano
|May 12, 2021
Summary
This study introduces a novel shear-rolling and plasma treatment method for aligning block copolymer (BCP) nanostructures. This technique rapidly achieves large-area, perpendicular lamellar alignment, crucial for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is vital for sub-10 nm nanolithography and nanowire-grid polarizers.
- Current shear alignment methods are limited to spherical/cylindrical BCP patterns, failing for high-aspect-ratio perpendicular lamellar structures needed in semiconductor processes.
- Achieving large-area, unidirectional alignment of perpendicular lamellae rapidly remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for fabricating unidirectionally aligned, perpendicularly oriented lamellar nanostructures using BCPs.
- To overcome limitations of existing shear alignment techniques for high-aspect-ratio structures.
- To enable rapid, large-scale production of aligned BCP nanostructures for semiconductor applications.
Main Methods:
- Combined filtered plasma treatment for perpendicular orientation with a shear-rolling process.
- Applied shear stress over a large area of BCP film through controlled roller and stage speeds during hot-rolling.
- Utilized chemoepitaxy patterns in conjunction with shear-rolling for enhanced alignment.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated unidirectionally aligned, perpendicularly oriented lamellar nanostructures on a 4-inch scale within 1 minute.
- Demonstrated high-aspect-ratio sub-10 nm metallic nanowire arrays using the aligned BCP lamellae.
- Achieved improved orientational order and reduced defectivity by combining shear-rolling with chemoepitaxy patterns.
Conclusions:
- The proposed shear-rolling and filtered plasma treatment is an effective method for rapid, large-scale fabrication of aligned perpendicular BCP lamellae.
- This technique overcomes previous limitations, enabling the use of BCPs for critical semiconductor pattern processes.
- The developed method holds significant promise for next-generation nanolithography and advanced material applications.
