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Eliminating the Trade‐Off between the Throughput and Pattern Quality of Sub‐15 nm Directed Self‐Assembly via Warm Solvent Annealing
Author(s) -
Kim Jong Min,
Kim YongJoo,
Park Woon Ik,
Hur Yoon Hyung,
Jeong Jae Won,
Sim Dong Min,
Baek Kwang Min,
Lee Jung Hye,
Kim MiJeong,
Jung Yeon Sik
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201401529
Subject(s) - materials science , design for manufacturability , annealing (glass) , self assembly , solvent , template , nanolithography , nanotechnology , simulated annealing , throughput , kinetics , nanostructure , chemical physics , chemical engineering , computer science , organic chemistry , chemistry , fabrication , algorithm , physics , mechanical engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering , composite material , telecommunications , quantum mechanics , wireless
The directed self‐assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) has been suggested as a promising nanofabrication solution. However, further improvements of both the pattern quality and manufacturability remain as critical challenges. Although the use of BCPs with a high Flory‐Huggins interaction parameter ( χ ) has been suggested as a potential solution, this practical self‐assembly route has yet to be developed due to their extremely slow self‐assembly kinetics. In this study, it is reported that warm solvent annealing (WSA) in a controlled environment can markedly improve both the self‐assembly kinetics and pattern quality. A means of avoiding the undesirable trade‐off between the quality and formation throughput of the self‐assembled patterns, which is a dilemma which arises when using the conventional solvent vapor treatment, is suggested. As a demonstration, the formation of well‐defined 13‐nm‐wide self‐assembled patterns (3σ line edge roughness of ≈2.50 nm) in treatment times of 0.5 min (for 360‐nm‐wide templates) is shown. Self‐consistent field theory (SCFT) simulation results are provided to elucidate the mechanism of the pattern quality improvement realized by WSA.