The directed self-assembly [DSA] of a 20 nm full pitch, lamellar-forming, silicon-containing block copolymer, poly(4-methoxystyrene)-b-poly(4-trimethylsilylstyrene), was performed using chemo-epitaxy based on patterns generated by state-of-the-art optical lithography. This process is analogous to the process demonstrated for polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate), but modified specifically for the chemistry of the silicon-containing polymer. The effects of the thin film architecture were systematically investigated to determine the optimum conditions for the DSA of this system. An unexpectedly important variable that has a significant impact on the quality of the DSA is the film thickness of the block copolymer itself. Film thicknesses incommensurate to the thermodynamic periodicity of the block copolymer resulted in the best DSA. In general, the best DSA performance was produced when topography was added to the chemical prepattern through use of a thicker guidestripe which produces a hybrid chemo- and grapho- epitaxy process. Cross-sectional SEM studies were performed to better understand the effects of the thicker guidestripe material on through-film structure and to better understand the mechanism of DSA. Pattern development and pattern transfer were also performed with a focus on etch selectivity for semi-conductor applications

Directed self-assembly of silicon-containing block copolymers with a hybrid chemo-/grapho- epitaxial flow

251st National Meeting (2016)

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