Rapid directed assembly of block copolymer films at elevated temperatures

A study was conducted, to demonstrate that the time required for assembling block copolymer films was related to polymer diffusivity. The study also demonstrated that the mobility at accessible temperature was such that the directed assembly of useful morphologies can occur quickly. Chemical nanopatterns were used, to direct the assembly of the block copolymer domains into parallel lines of arbitary length. The study used extreme ultraviolet interference lithography, to create the chemical nano patterns. Thin films of 55 nm thick PS-b-PMMA were also deposited and annealed on a hot plate in a nitrogen glovebox for periods, ranging between 1 minute to 3 hours, to conduct the study. Samples were annealed at discrete time intervals, classifying as with or without defects from representative scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images, to quantify the effect of temperature on the time frame required for assembly.