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Photo‐Reconfigurable Azopolymer Etch Mask: Photofluidization‐Driven Reconfiguration and Edge Rectangularization
Author(s) -
Choi Jaeho,
Kang Hong Suk,
Jo Wonhee,
Kim ShinHyun,
Jung Yeon Sik,
Kim HeeTak
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201703250
Subject(s) - materials science , lithography , control reconfiguration , polydimethylsiloxane , resist , planar , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , optics , computer science , layer (electronics) , computer graphics (images) , physics , embedded system
Directional photofluidization of azobenzene materials has provided unprecedented opportunities for the structural reconfiguration of circular holes, line gaps, ellipsoidal holes, and nanofunnel‐shaped micro/nanoarchitectures. However, all the reconfigured structures have a parabolic or round wall due to the tendency of the photofluidized azobenezene materials to minimize the surface area, which limits their use as a reconfigurable etch‐mask for the lithography process. In this work, a simple method is presented that can change the round walls of azopolymer architectures into rectangular walls, which is named rectangularization. By irradiating far‐field light on reconfigured azopolymer in a conformal contact with a flat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film, the round wall transforms to a rectangular one because the azopolymer adheres along the PDMS surface while being photofluidized. As a result, the rectangularization process creates a variety of structural features and sizes ranging from a few micrometers to 150 nm having a rectangular wall. By exploiting the rectangularization process, the concept of a photo‐reconfigurable etch mask is achieved, which transfers the mask patterns to a silicon pattern with a high structural fidelity and imparts a considerable flexibility to the lithography process.