Self-assembly of block copolymers on topographically patterned polymeric substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9335629-B2
Application number	US-201213546378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Sep 19, 2008
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

Highly-ordered block copolymer films are prepared by a method that includes forming a polymeric replica of a topographically patterned crystalline surface, forming a block copolymer film on the topographically patterned surface of the polymeric replica, and annealing the block copolymer film. The resulting structures can be used in a variety of different applications, including the fabrication of high density data storage media. The ability to use flexible polymers to form the polymeric replica facilitates industrial-scale processes utilizing the highly-ordered block copolymer films.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A layered article, comprising:
a polymer layer comprising a topographically patterned surface formed by contact with a topographically patterned surface of a single crystal substrate; wherein the topographically patterned surface of the single crystal substrate is a substantially planar surface at least one degree removed from any crystallographic plane of the single crystal substrate; and
a block copolymer film comprising a surface in contact with the patterned surface of the polymer layer; wherein the block copolymer film consists of a block copolymer selected from the group consisting of polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine)s, polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)s, and polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)s wherein the block copolymer film is an annealed block copolymer film and the annealed block copolymer film comprises a hexagonal array of cylindrical microdomains.

2. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the hexagonal array of cylindrical microdomains exhibits an orientation order of at least 0.9 over an area of at least 1 centimeter 2 .

3. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the hexagonal array of cylindrical microdomains exhibits an orientation order greater than that of the topographically patterned surface of the polymer layer.

4. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical microdomains are separated by a nearest-neighbor distance of about 10 to about 100 nanometers.

5. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the topographically patterned surface of the polymer layer comprises a sawtooth pattern characterized by a peak-to-peak separation, L R ; wherein the block copolymer film comprises a hexagonal array of cylindrical microdomains characterized by a nearest-neighbor microdomain separation, L BCP ; and wherein L R /L BCP has a value of about 1 to about 10.

6. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the topographically patterned surface of the polymer layer comprises a sawtooth pattern characterized by a period of about 24 to about 200 nanometers and an amplitude of about 3 to about 20 nanometers.

7. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the topographically patterned surface of the polymer layer comprises a grooved pattern characterized by a groove depth of about 3 to about 20 nanometers and a groove-to-groove separation of about 24 to about 200 nanometers.

8. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer film is an annealed and solvent-reconstructed block copolymer film.

9. The layered article of claim 1 ,
wherein the block copolymer film comprises a polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide);
wherein the polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) comprises a polystyrene block having a number average molecular weight of 6,000 to 30,000 atomic mass units and a poly(ethylene oxide) block having a number average molecular weight of 2,000 to 10,000 atomic mass units; and
wherein a ratio of the number average molecular weight of the polystyrene block to the number average molecular weight of the poly(ethylene oxide) block is 2:1 to 6:1.

10. The layered article of claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer film has a thickness of about 10 to about 100 nanometers.

Assignees

• Russell Thomas P
• Park Soojin
• Lee Dong Hyun
• Xu Ting
• Univ Massachusetts
• Univ California

Inventors

• Russell Thomas P
• Park Soojin
• Lee Dong Hyun
• Xu Ting

Classifications

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title

• B81C2201/0149

  Forming nanoscale microstructures using auto-arranging or self-assembling material · CPC title

• B81C1/00031

  Regular or irregular arrays of nanoscale structures, e.g. etch mask layer (photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces G03F7/00; lithographic processes for making patterned surfaces using printing and stamping G03F7/0002) · CPC title

• Y10T428/24802

  Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.] · CPC title