Diblock copolymer pattern protection by silver cluster reinforcement

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 15; no. 38; pp. 15768 - 15774
• Main Authors: Bulut, Yusuf, Sochor, Benedikt, Harder, Constantin, Reck, Kristian, Drewes, Jonas, Xu, Zhuijun, Jiang, Xiongzhuo, Meinhardt, Alexander, Jeromin, Arno, Kohantorabi, Mona, Noei, Heshmat, Keller, Thomas F, Strunskus, Thomas, Faupel, Franz, Müller-Buschbaum, Peter, Roth, Stephan V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 05.10.2023
• Subjects: Block copolymers; Deposition; Direct current; Emission analysis; Field emission microscopy; Polystyrene resins; Polyvinyl pyridine; Self-assembly; Silver; X-ray scattering
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/d3nr03215a

Pattern fabrication by self-assembly of diblock copolymers is of significant interest due to the simplicity in fabricating complex structures. In particular, polystyrene- block -poly-4-vinylpyridine (PS- b -P4VP) is a fascinating base material as it forms an ordered micellar structure on silicon surfaces. In this work, silver (Ag) is applied using direct current magnetron sputter deposition and high-power impulse magnetron sputter deposition on an ordered micellar PS- b -P4VP layer. The fabricated hybrid materials are structurally analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering. When applying simple aqueous posttreatment, the pattern is stable and reinforced by Ag clusters, making micellar PS- b -P4VP ordered layers ideal candidates for lithography. The pristine micellar pattern of the diblock copolymer PS- b -P4VP degrades upon drying of a water droplet, which can be stabilized and inhibited upon deposition of silver clusters.